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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Get to know candidates during March events in time to vote by April 4

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Above / The centerfold in the March issue of Positively Naperville is chock full of candidate meet and greet events for the spring election. Other pages are filled with things to do to during the month when the WSI St. Patrick’s Parade returns to downtown.

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL DAYS UNTIL 2023 CONSOLIDATED ELECTION DAY, APRIL 4!

Alert! Remember! / This is the first consolidated election in DuPage County where ballots will be 100 percent paper. DuPage County is providing optimum access to DuPage’s 610,000 voters, including Vote-by-Mail, Permanent Vote-by-Mail, more Early Voting locations, and 273 polling places on Election Day, April 4, with the option to vote anywhere. Remind other DuPage County voters regarding the change!

Naperville Pre-Election Day Calendar 

Now thru April 4, 2023 / 2023 Nonpartisan Consolidated Election Reminder / From Naperville City Council to the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners and School District 203 to School District 204 Boards of Education and to College of DuPage Board of Trustees, time has arrived to become familiar with important dates during this nonpartisan election campaign as well as the names and qualifications of all candidates running to serve local governing bodies…

Now / Mixed among those important voter dates are “meet and greet” events for 27 candidates as well as public forums. Those dates in bold red below have been submitted by the candidates’ campaign committees. Take advantage of opportunities to meet face-to-face with folks who want to serve the City you chose to call home.

Now / This online publication welcomes all candidates to list meet and greet events and fundraisers as well as forums that are open to the public. Events will be added as received from sponsoring organization or candidate. All interest is appreciated. Check back often!

***Public meetings for regularly scheduled governmental bodies always are enlightening to watch when elected officials represent the community. Watch and learn before voting.

Now / The following highlighted governing bodies are linked to online posts on official websites where the public can observe past meetings saved in archives:

Naperville City Council

Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners 

Naperville Unit School District 203 Board of Education

Indian Prairie Unit School District 204 Board of Education

Naperville Nonpartisan Consolidated Election Events

Online Forums

FYI /  Round 1 includes introductions to all 11 City Council candidates. Note the 2-minute introductory bios of every candidate at the beginning. During Round 2, instead of introductions, the hopefuls were given time at the end to wrap up their campaigns so far.

Round 1 / Jan. 31, 2023

NAHC and Senior Task Force City Council Candidate Forum

Round 2 / Feb. 28, 2023

City Council Forum hosted by Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation and Senior Task Force

The Mayoral Candidate Forum includes introductions and closing remarks by all three hopefuls.

Round 3 / March 14, 2023

NAHC and Senior Task Force Mayoral Candidate Forum

On April 4, 2023, four seats for City Council members and one seat for Naperville Mayor will be decided for the nine-member Naperville City Council. Three seats on local school boards, park district board of commissioners and COD board of trustees also will be filled. Meanwhile, take a little time to get to know the candidates before heading to the polls. Early in-person voting begns March 20, 2023, at the Naperville Municipal Center.

March 2023

March 1, 2023 / The March print publication of Positively Naperville began distribution. The centerfold again features candidates running in the nonpartisan Consolidated Election. A listing of meet-and-greet events provided by candidates before the deadline of Feb. 24, 2023, also is included; however, return to this online post for updates.

Now / Registration now closed for entries in the West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Parade on Sat., March 11, 2023. For more than 25 years, the popular parade has been a fun way to introduce many spectators to candidates running in the nonpartisan Consolidated Election in April. Naperville loves its parades! Click here for parade info. (Last updated, March 8, 2023)

City Councilman Paul Hinterlong supported the West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Parade with an entry every time he ran for public office. Councilman Hinterlong finishes his final term of dedicated service on May 7, 2023, when the next Mayor and City Council take their oath of office. Sláinte to Naperville City Councilman Hinterlong! Thanks for the memories! (PN File Photo)

Now thru Election Day / NCTV-17 launched its Naperville Election 2023 Candidates in early February / Watch the series of Liz Spencer interviews as she meets all the candidates running in the nonpartisan Consolidated Election on April 4, 2023. For more info: visit www.nctv17.org.

March 2, 2023 / Meet Ron Amato, Candidate for 203 Board of Education / Ronald Amato, candidate for School District 203 Board of Education, wants to meet, listen, learn and gain support from citizens who live in School District 203. Join him during a fundraiser from 5PM to 7PM Thurs., March 2 at Quigley’s Irish Pub, 43 E. Jefferson Ave. For more info: visit Ronald Amato.
 
March 4, 2023 / Know the Candidates for Naperville City Council Elections hosted by Indian-American Caucus / Indian-American Caucus for nonpartisan civic engagement will present candidates for Naperville Mayor and City Council from 11AM to 1PM Sat., March 4, at the Mall of India. The Mall of India is located at 776 Route 59. Public is invited.
 

March 5, 2023 / Meet Meghna Bansal for Coffee at Tallgrass Clubhouse / Meet for coffee from 1:30PM to 3:30PM Sun., March 5, to learn about Meghna’s plans for taking Naperville forward and ask her important questions. Event is free to attend at Tallgrass Clubhouse, 3324 Deering Bay Dr. Contributions are welcome. Tickets/Donations: meghnaforcouncil.com/donation. For more info: visit Mehgna Bansal.

***March 6, 2023 / NCUSD 203 Board of Education Meeting begins at 7PM Tues., March 6, 2023.  The meeting will be held in the NCUSD 203 Board of Education District Administration Building at 203 N. Hillside Road. Find info and Board Documents at https://go.boarddocs.com/il/naperville203/Board.nsf/vpublic?open. The public always is welcome to attend.

March 6, 2023 / Naperville Park District Virtual Forum hosted by League of Women Voters of Naperville / LWV Naperville will host third in its series of forums virtually via Zoom beginning at 7PM., Mon., March 6. Advanced registration is required. The registration links will be found on lwvnaperville.org closer to the actual event date. 
 
***March 7, 2023 / City Council meets at 7PM Tues., March 7 / The first City Council meeting of most months begins at 7PM on the first Tuesday in Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street. The public always is welcome.
 
March 7, 2023 / Indian Prairie School District 204 Virtual Q&A Event hosted by League of Women Voters Naperville held in partnership with the Indian Prairie Parents’ Council / LWV Naperville will host fourth in its series of events virtually via Zoom beginning at 6:30PM Tues., March 7. Advanced registration is required. The registration links will be found on lwvnaperville.org closer to the actual event date. 
 
March 7, 2023 / Naperville Community School District 203 Virtual Forum hosted by League of Women Voters Naperville held in partnership with Naperville General Home & School / LWV Naperville will host fifth in its series of events virtually via Zoom beginning at at 8PM Tues., March 7. Advanced registration is required. The registration links will be found on lwvnaperville.org closer to the actual event date.  
 
Now thru March 11, 2023 / Thanks to candidates for sending announcements regarding participation in the WSI St. Patrick’s Parade that steps off at 10AM Sat., March 11. To be fair and in an attempt not to miss any emails sent to PN, the following candidates are listed in order of their expected appearance to showcase fun and frolic in the family-friendly festivities: Rich Janor, Chris Jacks, Scott Wehrli, Tiffany Stephens, Benny White, Patrick Kelly, Nag Jaiswal, Melissa Kelley Black, Allison Longenbaugh, Jodi Trendler, Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Ashley South, Madhu Uppal, Ashfaq Syed, Josh McBroom, Meghna Bansal, Gilbert Wagner, Joseph Kosminski, Kristine Gericke, Andrew Manno and Ron Amato. Put on the green, wear a WSI commemorative scarf (still $5 each!), and enjoy the 2023 WSI St. Patrick’s Parade among 88 entries. Sláinte!
 

March 8, 2023 / Naperville City Council Candidate Forum to Focus on the Environment / A City Council Candidate Forum is set for 7PM Wed., March 8, at First Congregational Church, 25 E. Benton. The candidate forums are cosponsored by Naperville Environmental Sustainability Task Force (NEST); First Congregational Church, Naperville; and the Greater Naperville Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). For more info, visit sustainnaperville.org/april-4-election.

March 9, 2023 / Mayor’s Annual State of the City Address / For details with a little history and photos of previous Naperville Mayors, click here.  Hosted by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, this Signature Event begins with registration at 4PM Thurs., March 9, at the Wentz Concert Hall. On March 1, seats for members and guests remained available. For more info, click here: www.naperville.net.

March 10, 2023 / Silly Season surprised by supposedly independent PAC mailer / A PAC called “Naperville Forward” sent a mailer promoting a slate of 12 candidates. By omission, the carefully-worded piece implies that more than half of the 27 candidates running in the current local Consolidated Election aim to “ban books,” a claim that is not the case.  A monthly column, “Looking Beyond Campaign Ads,” written by Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Public Affairs Beth Goncher in the March edition of PN, reminds readers to be wise and to know the facts. Thanks for being an educated voter.

During the 2015 West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Parade, friends and supporters joined Steve Chirico as he was off and running for his first of two terms as Mayor of Naperville. Sláinte, Mayor Chirico! (PN File Photo)

March 11, 2023 / West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Parade / The WSI St. Patrick’s Parade steps off at 10AM Sat., March 11, meandering through downtown Naperville. Candidates appear to enjoy this festive family-friendly event when everybody’s Irish, marching with supporters and campaign signs to remind voters that the nonpartisan Consolidated Election follows soon. For 2023, the election for Naperville Mayor and City Council, Naperville Park Board of Commissioners, School Districts 203 and 204 Boards of Education as well as College of DuPage Board of Trustees is April 4. For parade registration info, visit www.wsirish.org. Naperville loves its parades!

March 13, 2023 / Naperville Mayoral Candidate Forum to Focus on the Environment / A Mayoral Candidate Forum is set for 7PM Mon., March 13, at First Congregational Church, 25 E. Benton. Candidate forums are cosponsored by Naperville Environmental Sustainability Task Force (NEST); First Congregational Church, Naperville; and the Greater Naperville Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). For more info, visit sustainnaperville.org/april-4-election.

March 13, 2023 / Safe Suburbs Local Election Social / Safe Suburbs Local Election Social is planned 6-8PM Mon., March 13, at Go Brewing, 1665 Quincy Ave Suite # 155. Tickets: $50 each. Meet and greet local candidates running in the 2023 Consolidated Election. Become updated on the status of important legislation that pertains to public safety, voting trends in Will County, and perspectives from officers on the challenges they encounter on the job. Speakers will include Senate Minority Leader John Curran, Will County Clerk Lauren Staley, Naperville Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor, and Retired Police Officer Maria Reyes. For more info, visit Safe Suburbs Local Election Social.

Scott Wehrli, Tiffany Stephens, Pablo Araya and Benny White after the Mayoral Candidates Public Forum.

March 14, 2023 / Mayoral Candidates Public Forum hosted by Senior Task Force and Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation / 7PM Tues., March 14, Council Chambers. Pablo Araya will serve as moderator when Tiffany Stephens, Scott Wehrli and Benny White participate live from the dais. (PN is assisting sponsoring organizations to present/promote this event.) The three candidates for Naperville Mayor to serve on the 9-member City Council have replied that they will attend this public forum to be held at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street. Public welcome to attend. The forum will be broadcast live on the City’s Government Access TV, then rebroadcast on NCTV-17. Stay tuned!

Here you go! The March 14, 2023, Mayor Candidates Forum is now posted here…

NAHC and Senior Task Force Mayoral Candidate Forum

March 15, 2023 / Meet & greet Gilbert Wagner, Candidate for Naperville School District 203 School Board / Join friends to meet candidate Gilbert (Gil) Wagner for 203 School Board from 5-6:30PM, Wed., March 15.  Event will be held at Naperville Woman’s Club, 14 S. Washington Street. Refreshments and Appetizers will be provided. This event is hosted by Sarah Dore, Ann Jansen and Dawn Dau. Please RSVP to Dawn Dau by Mon., March 13, at dawndau430@gmail.com. For more info, visit: gilbertwagner.
 
March 16, 2023 / NOW CANCELED! Naperville City Council Candidate Forum hosted by Indian Community Outreach / A City Council Candidate Forum is set for 6PM Thurs., March 16,  in the Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center. This candidate forum is supported by Indian Community Outreach. NOTE about cancellation! After having met the candidates collectively numerous times over the past few weeks and having heard them in multiple forums that have happened thus far, ICO has decided to cancel our forum that was to be held on March 16 and give the candidates those 3 or 4 hours back to spend with their families and gear up for the brutal final 3 weeks that are coming up. Thank you so much for your support thus far on securing the council chambers, publishing in Positively Naperville and having NCTV available for us. We truly appreciate it. —Viral Shah, ICO
 

March 16, 2023 / Women’s History Month Celebration and Fundraiser for Rebecca Malotke-Meslin for City Council / 6-8 PM Thurs., March 16, at Go Brewing, 1665 Quincy Ave Suite # 155. $25 per person (cash bar). For more details and to register, visit Women’s History Month. For more info, visit Rebecca Malotke-Meslin.  

UPDATE! At approximately 2PM Mon., March 20, 2023, City Manager Doug Krieger said voting had been steady at the DuPage County and Will County polling places at City Hall. Downstairs the Election Tech said 125 DuPage County voters had cast ballots in the Consolidated Election. 

***March 20, 2023 / Early In-person Voting begins 15 days prior to Nonpartisan Consolidated Election Day. Happy 1st Day of Spring!

***March 20, 2023 / NCUSD 203 Board of Education Meeting begins at 7PM Tues., March 20, 2023.  The meeting will be held in the NCUSD 203 Board of Education District Administration Building at 203 N. Hillside Road. Find info and Board Documents at https://go.boarddocs.com/il/naperville203/Board.nsf/vpublic?open. The public always is welcome to attend.

***March 21, 2023 / City Council meets at 7PM Tues., March 21 / The first City Council meeting of most months begins at 7PM on the first Tuesday in Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street. The public always is welcome.

***UPDATE, March 21, 2023 / Silly Season was surprised by supposedly independent PAC mailer on March 10, 2023 / A PAC called “Naperville Forward” sent a mailer to thousands of local households promoting a slate of 12 candidates. By omission, the carefully-worded piece implies that more than half of the 27 candidates running in the current local Consolidated Election aim to “ban books,” a claim that is not the case.  A monthly column, “Looking Beyond Campaign Ads,” written by Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Public Affairs Beth Goncher in the March edition of PN, reminds readers to be wise and to know the facts. Thanks for being an educated voter. This Naperville Forward initiative was addressed by three candidates during “Public Forum” along with a variety of other local concerns expressed by a long list of local residents. Then Naperville Forward was called out by Mayor Steve Chirico. The Mayor also brought up the mailer under “New Business” at the March 21 City Council meeting. We aim to avoid hearsay, soundbites and social media. Click here for the link to the straight scoop and watch Monday’s meeting on the City’s website.

March 21, 2023 / Meet and Greet Scott Wehrli 7PM Tues., March 21 / Marc Blackman is hosting a Meet and Greet for the Campaign at the Breckenridge Clubhouse. To attend, kindly RSVP to Elizabeth Salamon: Elizabeth@scottwehrli.com. For more info, visit scottwehrli.com.

March 28 / ‘Ask Scott Wehrli’ Meet & Greet Event at Rosie’s Diner / Hosted by Karen and Mitch Johnston, Mayoral Candidate Scott Wehrli will share his ideas on how to keep Naperville moving forward from 6:30 to 8:30PM Tues., March 28. Join us at Rosie’s Diner, located at 1567 N. Aurora Road (Old Dominick’s Shopping Center). Walk-ins welcome. Kindly RSVP by March 26, if possible, to Mitch at mjohnston.mj84@gmail.com. For more info, visit scottwehrli.com.

March 30 / Scott Wehrli ‘Get Out the Vote’ Event / Join friends at 6:30PM Thurs., March 30, at the VFW, 908 W. Jackson Avenue, to gear up for Election Day and rally in support of Scott Wehrli for Naperville Mayor. For more info, visit scottwehrli.com.

April 2023

***Election Day / Polls open 6AM to 7PM Tues., April 4***

Voter Information for DuPage County / Register to Vote & More

Voter Information for Will County / Register to Vote & Voter-Services

*Naperville nonpartisan Consolidated Election features 27 hopefuls running to serve

Official candidate websites (not social media) are linked to this website by personal candidate request or receipt of press release. Thanks to all candidates for throwing their hats into the ring. Former candidates, winners as well as losers, have told us more than once that campaigning—getting to know the community and meeting potential voters—is a most rewarding experience.

We are grateful to live in a community where every empty seat on the Naperville City Council, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners and both school boards has a candidate running to fill it.

*Watch how locally elected officials govern

The following highlighted governing bodies are linked to online posts on official websites where the public can observe past meetings saved in archives:

Naperville City Council

Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners 

Naperville Unit School District 203 Board of Education

Indian Prairie Unit School District 204 Board of Education

Watch upcoming meetings as they stream live, too. Note also in photos below that the sun really does shine in Naperville. —PN

Naperville City Council

City Council meetings are held at the Naperville Municipal Center located at 400 S. Eagle Street. Meetings are regularly scheduled at 7PM on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Meetings also are saved for review in the City archive at naperville.il.us.

City of Naperville Mission: To provide services that ensure a high quality of life, sound fiscal management, and a dynamic business environment, while creating an inclusive community that values diversity.

Naperville Mayor / Three candidates listed in ballot order are Benny White, Scott Wehrli and Tiffany Stephens, are vying for the four-year seat of Naperville Mayor on the Naperville City Council. 

Naperville City Council Members / Eleven candidates currently are vying for four four-year seats on the Naperville City Council. Listed here in ballot order are Nag Jaiswal, Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Josh McBroom, Jodi Trendler, Patrick Kelly, Nathan “Nate” Wilson, Ashfaq Syed, Meghna Bansal, Ashley South, Allison Longenbaugh, and Madhu Uppal.

Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners

Naperville Park District Board Meetings are held at Fort Hill Activity Center, 20 Fort Hill Drive. The Board meets at 7PM on the second Thursday of each month and at 6:30PM the fourth Thursday of each month. Note: A second meeting in December is not held and sometimes meetings are canceled with advance notice.

Naperville Park District Mission: We provide recreation and park experiences that promote healthy lives, healthy minds and a healthy community.

Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners / By Dec. 12, 2022, four candidates had turned in petition packets to serve three four-year seats on the NPD Board of Commissioners. Candidates are Christopher Jacks, John Risvold, Rich Janor and Mahboube “Michelle” Haghighi.

Naperville School District 203 Board of Education

Naperville School District 203 hosts board meetings at 203 W. Hillside Road at Webster. Find meeting dates listed at https://www.naperville203.org/Page/1214.

Mission Statement: Our mission is to educate students to be self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, quality producers, and community contributors.

School District 203 / By Dec. 12, 2022, six candidates had turned in petition packets to run for three four-year seats on the 203 BOE. Candidates are Joe Kozminski, Kristine Gericke, Barbara Higg, Gilbert Wagner, Ronald Amato and Melissa Kelly Black.

Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education

School District 204 hosts board meetings at 780 Shoreline Drive in Aurora. Find meeting dates listed at https://board.ipsd.org/Meetings.aspx.

Mission Statement: The mission of Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204 is to inspire all students to achieve their greatest potential.

School District 204 / By Dec. 12, 2022, three candidates had turned in petition packets to run for three four-year seats on the 204 BOE. Candidates are Justin Karubas, Mark Rising and Catey Genc. Though no contest will be needed here, it’s important to watch school board meetings and get to know the issues and the candidates.

College of DuPage Board of Trustees

Mission Statement: The mission of the College of DuPage Foundation is to obtain and steward contributions to expand educational and cultural opportunities for the College of DuPage Community.

The main campus of College of DuPage is located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. COD Centers also are located in Addison, Carol Stream, Naperville and Westmont.

College of DuPage Board of Trustees / Three candidates are running to fill two six-year seats. Candidates are Haroon Atcha, Christine M. Fenne and Andrew R. Manno. Candidate information and official documents are available on the Illinois State Board of Elections website: www.elections.il.gov.

Local elections matter most…

Be prepared to vote where it matters most—locally. Vote where you can meet, greet and get to know candidates who make decisions with the biggest impact on Naperville. Become familiar with elected officials, public policies and budgets up close. Attend public meetings or watch saved meetings in the archives of the City, school districts or Naperville Park District. Thank you.

Many residents claim to have voter fatigue. If you’re in that condition, rest up! Be energized with knowledge that locally elected officials are the ones that impact your life the most. All eligible voters are urged to get to know the candidates, their qualifications and their commitment to community service in Naperville. Be informed by Consolidated Election Day, April 4, 2023.

Thanks for reading and paying attention. PN will begin focusing on the issues in this election beginning in March and through the election at www.election.positivelynaperville.com.

The March 2023 issue of PN is now available at more than 25 locations around town. Pick up a copy and read the centerfold for a list of candidates. Thanks for reading!

FYI: Click here to view previously posted calendar of January events. That calendar will remain online, but will NOT be updated.

Originally Posted March 1, 2023.  Last updated March 21, 2023.

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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