Local elections matter most!

Thanks for taking time to be informed before heading to the polls…

Get to know elected officials while they’re serving. Become acquainted with the public policies they propose and advance. Watch public meetings whenever possible to avoid hearsay and/or comments taken out of context.

The Naperville community seeks reasonable, responsible women and men to serve during every election cycle. Pay attention now and consider the opportunity to serve on local boards and commissions to prepare for a future run for public office to serve the City and other governing bodies.

For now, however, it’s time to become prepared to vote in the next Consolidated Election set for April 1, 2025.

Beginning this month, January 2025, PN will try to keep you posted regarding meet-and-greet events and fundraisers for candidates as well as early voting schedules. Already since PN went to press, candidates have been promoting upcoming fundraisers. We welcome hopefuls to send invitations to public events and other opportunities to get to know candidates and issues.

Naperville: Two counties, two school districts, six townships, etc.

Sometimes residents move to Naperville without the knowledge that the City is served by different governing and taxing bodies with different boundaries. For instance, the City of Naperville is served by six Townships, namely DuPage, Naperville, Wheatland, Lisle, Winfield and Milton, each one providing different services from the City.

Naperville also is served by two different counties, DuPage and Will.

In addition, Naperville residents are served by Naperville Park District.

The City also is divided into Naperville Unit School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204.

Always be mindful that not every homeowner is served by the same governing body.

Again, all interest in local governing bodies is appreciated in order to elect quality leadership.

One more thing to know is that the nine-member Naperville City Council is governed by term limits. The Mayor and council members may serve up to three, four-year terms.

Naperville Consolidated Elections attract 25 hopefuls

Twenty-five candidates are running to serve four-year seats in four local governing and taxing bodies that set policies and approve budgets for Naperville residents. Four seats are up for the Naperville City Council, School District 203 and School District 204 Boards of Education, as well as the Naperville Park Board of Commissioners.

Watch for news about public forums and meet-and-greet events with opportunities to become familiar with the candidates.

As information is received from hosting organizations, this publication will try to inform the public about upcoming opportunities to become acquainted with candidates during fundraisers, coffees and public forums. (Candidate events and websites linked upon request.)

Meanwhile, voters are encouraged to attend public meetings or watch them as they are available streaming online. (See “Campaign Events” at the bottom of this post.)

Naperville City Council candidates

Eight candidates have ballot positions, each aiming to fill one of the four, four-year seats on the Naperville City Council. In alphabetical order, candidates are Meghna Bansal, Jennifer Bruzan-Taylor*, Mary Gibson, Ian Holzhauer*, Nag Jaiswal, Derek McDaniel, Ashfaq Syed and Benny White*. One seat will be left open by Councilman Paul Leong who is not seeking reelection. *Incumbents. 

Mayor Scott Wehrli is nearing the middle of his first four-year term, up for re-election in 2027.

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 candidates

Six candidates have filed their paperwork to run for the District 203 Board of Education, including a mix of both incumbents and newcomers.

Returning for another run to hold their seats are incumbents Charles Cush and Amanda McMillen.

Two incumbents, Kristin Fitzgerald and Donna Wandke, did not file for re-election.

The four new candidates seeking seats are Holly Joy Blastic, Margaret Collins, Jillian Langer and Marc Willensky.

Indian Prairie School District 204 candidates

Five candidates are running for the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education, including all four incumbents.

Susan Demming, Laurie Donahue, Allison Fosdick and Supna Jain each seek re-election. Allison Albert is the challenger in the race.

Naperville Park District candidates

Six individuals have tossed their hats into the ring to fill four spots open on the Naperville Park Board of Commissioners.

Incumbents Rhonda Ansier, Leslie Ruffing, Alison Thompson will be challenged by Aishwarya Balakrishna, Natalia Dagenhart and Zachary W. Jarrell.

Without a contest, three hopefuls will fill three seats on College of DuPage Board of Trustees

According to the College of DuPage website, three candidates have filed petitions for three open seats on the District 502 College of DuPage Board of Trustees for the April 1, 2025, Consolidated Election.  

Two six-year and one two-year terms for College Trustee positions are open in the upcoming election.  

Candidates include Sahin “Sonny” Jutla of Roselle, who has filed for the two-year seat; and Thomas Tumminaro of Wheaton, and Maria Sinkule of Addison, who have filed for the two six-year terms.  

The trustees elected to fill the six-year terms will serve from the date of their swearing in at the Organizational meeting in April 2025 through April 2031. The trustee elected to fill the two-year term will serve through April 2027.  

The Positively Naperville website is an archive of information, including a post titled “2024 Government Guide of Individuals Elected to Serve Naperville.” After the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2025, the Government Guide link will be updated.

‘A right election can only be made by those who have knowledge…” —Aristotle

Campaign Events & Forums in the Works

Individuals and candidates planning meet & greets, public forums or fundraisers expected to inform voters about hopefuls running in the 2025 Consolidated Election are welcome to submit briefs regarding upcoming public events to be included this section. Note: Dates and times are subject to change. Commitment of all candidates attending every forum has not been confirmed.

Feb 3 / City Council Candidate Forum will address environmental issues

The Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) plans to host candidates for Naperville City Council during a forum focused on environmental and sustainability issues that will include the City’s electricity contract, a topic addressed frequently at City Council meetings. The forum is set for 7PM Mon., Feb. 3, at the First Congregational Church of Naperville, 25 E. Benton Ave. The public is invited. 

Feb 11 / Monarch Landing hosts City Council Hopefuls

Residents at Monarch Landing will have a chance to meet City Council candidates from 6:30PM to 8:30PM Tues., Feb. 11, at the senior living community on Naperville’s northwest side.

March 8 / City Council Forum at Nichols Library

Madhu Uppel and Nancy Chen will host a City Council Forum from 1:30PM to 3PM Sat., March 8, at Nichols Library in downtown Naperville.

March 11 / League of Women Voters / City Council Forum

Naperville League of Women Voters is scheduled to host a public forum for this evening. Stay tuned for details regarding how to watch.

March 20 / Naperville Senior Task Force Public Forum – City Council

‘One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.’ —Plato

March 17 / Early Voting begins (Tentatively)

In-person Early Voting begins (tentatively) Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Naperville Municipal Center and other Naperville locations in DuPage County and Will County for the April 1, 2025, Consolidated Election. Those locations will be listed when available.

April 1 / Polling Places are open from 6AM to 7PM on Election Day

Notes regarding this Voter’s Guide

Any omissions are not intended. Mistakes are regretted and will be addressed when identified. Corrections can be made. Candidates who contact PN can request for their names in this listing to be hyperlinked to their campaign websites. PN does not endorse candidates, but advertising is available for our printed issue and online format through 7PM Tues., April 1. Find political advertising info and rates here.

Here’s hoping public forums for candidates running to serve the governing and taxing bodies for School District 203 and School District 204 Boards of Education as well as Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners also will be scheduled and posted here soon. 

Thanks for reading. Mostly, thanks for taking time to become an educated and informed voter where it matters most, right here in Naperville.