Tuesday was the first day that candidates could pick up packets and begin circulating nominating petitions for the spring city council elections, which might involve a primary. School and park board candidates get to wait a couple more weeks.
In Naperville, the four-year seats of incumbents Doug Krause, Kenn Miller, James Boyajian and John Rosanova are up for election. Krause and Miller are running again, while Boyajian and Rosanova have yet to indicate whether they will seek re-election.
We also learned Tuesday of the first challenger intending to run for city council: plan commission member and Naperville entrepreneur Joe McElroy.
Now, we're not going to let this thread sink into a series of personal attacks about the candidates. If you can't say something nice about them, don't say anything at all. We want to know, who around town do you think would make a good public servant? Who do you know that would be a good person to serve the city on the council? Have you considered running for office yourself? If you know someone who would make a good council member, have you approached that person and suggested the idea of seeking public office?
UPDATE: Boyajian has announced he does not intend to seek re-election.
Barack Obama likes to talk about change, but real change begins right here in our own community. I have stated on a Potluck blog before that most of our elected officials, City Council or otherwise, have been in their positions too long. The same people over and over again, largely because people in this town do a poor job of getting out to vote. And what do we have so far, two incumbents running again and a person from the Plan Commission. This already does not look like much change to me. Just more of the same.
I am hopeful that with some of issues going on here in Naperville, we will have a larger pool of candidates to choose from and start getting some true turnover for these positions.
For anyone that is going to ask why I do not run. I am younger and travel out of state fequently for my job. But one day, you never know. I do not know if people would like me much anyway. I would be a "NO" about everything and certainly side with residents more than the council has historically done.
It is inexcusable that Naperville does not have full representation on both the City Council AND the School Boards.
There is no reason to not have an "alderman-like" scenario in Naperville where EVERY neighborhood is represented. Until that happens, I find it hard to get excited about any local elections.
http://dianne-mcguire.blogspot.com/
I believe Dianne McGuire would not represent the interest of Naperville. Darlene Senger is much more qualified.
To the Naperville Sun editors,
To quote: "Now, we're not going to let this thread sink into a series of personal attacks about the candidates. If you can't say something nice about them, don't say anything at all."
That is probably the stupidest comment you editors have posted to date. Actual political candidates can say anything they want about each other and the news media clamors to report these exchanges and exploit what was said as quickly as they can.
Local citizens feel just as strongly about local politics and candidates as they do county, state, or national elections, yet the Naperville Sund editors suggest that Potluck can only be used for positive comments? Certainly whatever editor wrote this statement was either haveing a really bad day or just didn't think thru the ramifications of such a "feel good" statement.
How can a discussion of political candidates be a free and honest discussion of the candidates if the editors want to limit everything negative about the incumbents? And how in the world can we say anything positive about some of the potential candidates that we may not know and who have yet to form a platform. Seems like the framework for a pretty lame discussion if you ask me.
Fact is there are some real hard feelings around town right now with some of the existing city council members . Feelings that in the opinion of many have been well earned by the action or lack of action these council members have taken in fulfilling their role as our elected representatives.
In all fairness I would agree that the discussion should be limited to those candidates who are actually sitting for election next April as opposed to a forensic examination of all current council members. But any fair discussion must include pro and con. Candidates for public office know full well they are not going to please all of the people all of the time, yet that doesn't mean they should be isolated from hearing honest and frank feedback from the citizens they represent on how well they performed the duties of their office.
Host Ted,
Idea, why not open a blog for each candidate for office and them to field questions?
I would even open one for Obama and McCain
Anon
Anonymous,
I think Host Ted meant by personal attacks, attacks on their family, persona, life, habits, etc.
I don't think he meant we can not constructively or destructively criticise their agendas and platform. We should obviously be allowed to do that. Personally, I prefer constructive criticism, as it is more respectful and thus more effective!!!
We should not be allowed to criticise family members, sex, ethnicity, race, creed, religion or sexual leniencies of the candidates. That should be off limits.
If a candiate wants to make 75th St. commercial and you are against that, you should be able to blast his/her position....but not the persona of the candidate.
I hope this brings a better understanding between Host Ted and yourself.
Regarding Dianne McGuire, I cannont see how anyone in this state would even consider voting for the Democrats. We have had Dems in control for nearly the last 6 years and they cannot even get along with each other. Worst of all, it is all Chicago Dems in total control so whose interests are being served?
The old guard Republicans are all gone and thank goodness for that. We desperately need fiscal responsibility in this state as a whole, as we have gone from bad to worse between George Ryan and Rod B.
This topic is City Council races. What do McGuire and Senger have to do with city council races. It's also a bit sleezy, in my view, to create a blog in the name of Dianne McGuire, just so you can slam her. My view would be the same if the object of this was Senger.