Elections: September 2008 Archives

How come Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is faced with questions about whether she could juggle the demands of the position on top of raising five children? Would a male candidate in a similar situation face the same questions?

Is this fair? Why or why not? How is this double standard able to exist?

Many people in Naperville received mailings in the past week saying Naperville City Council member Darlene Senger--the Republican running for state representative 96th District--is an "extremist" who would "turn back the clock on a woman's right to make her own health care decisions." The text is set against a background picturing a coat hanger cocked on a sign that says "Back Alley Medical Services Here."

Senger's opponent, Democrat Dianne McGuire, is responsible for the attack ads.

Many were offended by the ads and contacted The Sun to complain. Senger called a press conference in the wake of our inquiries.

Did you receive one of the ads? What do you think? Do you go too far? Do you think they are fair? How well do you think the negative campaign strategy will work? Could it backfire, and end up doing more damage to McGuire than good? Which candidate do you support in the 96th District race, and why?

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.

Teen births are on the rise in Naperville. Teen pregnancy transcends racial, ethnic and class borders. It's one of those social issues that linger in the background until an event comes along and forces it to the forefront.

That's what's happened since the revelation that 17-year-old Bristol Palin, daughter of Alaska governor and John McCain running mate Sarah Palin, is pregnant. She plans to have the baby and marry the father, an 18-year-old hockey player from her high school.

There's no doubt this situation is affecting the election. This situation, along with revelations that the elder Palin tried to get a state trooper fired because he was divorcing her sister, has raised questions about how well the Republicans vetted this vice presidential choice. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, says family members should be off limits, and that seems to be the hope of many Republicans, too.

But some Republicans are using Bristol's pregnancy to champion the party's family-values platform, saying the child will be raised in a loving family. How successful do you think they'll be at turning this into a positive? Do you think this could end up costing McCain votes in November? What do you think about the teen pregnancy issue locally--how much of a concern is it in Naperville?