Mayors face challenges across the suburbs

A familiar political theme — questioning of the status quo coupled with frustration over the economic downturn — is fueling mayoral races across the suburbs.

Long-standing mayors in Naperville, Schaumburg and Elgin are facing their toughest battles in years in Tuesday's elections.

Incumbent mayors also face challenges in Wood Dale, Oak Brook, Wheaton, Prospect Heights and Carol Stream.

In Naperville, 16-year mayor George Pradel is known for his dependable presence at community events, his top hat and grandfatherly charm — bellowing out a song during Oktoberfest's opening night, riding an elephant before a circus at Naper Settlement, posing in the stances of new statues.

But the former police officer faces two challengers who say the town's growing population has changing needs.

“I like George Pradel and I think he's done a great job for us but times have changed. His popularity grew as Naperville grew,” said Kenn Miller, one of Pradel's two opponents. “It was a great time but now it's different and I think it's time for some new leadership as we continue to weather the economic storm.”

Another mayoral contender, Doug Krause, says he's ready to step up and make tough budget cuts.

The city faces a $700,000 budget gap this fiscal year. Its budget deficit could hit $13.7 million in 2013 and could grow to $26.4 million by 2016, according to projections made by Finance Director Karen DeAngelis.

Naperville's mayoral situation is not unique.

Support of Al Larson, Schaumburg's 24-year incumbent mayor, was long one of the least controversial aspects of Northwest suburban politics. Larson hasn't even faced a challenger since 1995.

But politics was quickly reintroduced to the business of government in late 2009 when the village board did what its members once considered unthinkable. It approved Schaumburg's first property tax levy.

With that, Brian Costin, a community activist with a libertarian financial philosophy, found a new, wider audience for the anti-tax message and online access to documents he'd been pushing for at village board meetings.

Projects like a minor-league baseball stadium built in the '90s and a convention center opened in 2006, which had previously been accepted by the community with barely a murmur of concern, suddenly came under scrutiny by Costin and others as economic development initiatives that might have been best left to the private sector.

In his 12 years as Elgin's mayor, Ed Schock has instituted programs to help redevelop neighborhoods, retain workers and tackle gangs. And while those efforts have won him many fervent supporters, problems remain.

Unemployment in the city hovers near 12 percent. Gang problems persist, and it cost the city over $2 million this year to keep the property tax rate steady.

His challenger, longtime Councilman Dave Kaptain, is pushing for budget efficiencies, including increasing the number of volunteers in community projects to save money and doing more to lure companies to Elgin.

“The role of government is going to change,” Kaptain said.

Tuesday's election arrives as public opinion “is still pretty regularly saying the country's on the wrong track,” says Northern Illinois University political science Professor Matt Streb. “There's a lot of general frustration out there.”

Yet, Streb says, the anti-incumbent wave that swept the nation in November likely won't spill over into nonpartisan local elections. “The power of incumbency is still great on the local level,” Streb said. “The name recognition you get for a mayoral candidate on the local level is quite strong.”

Just like on the national and state levels, there is a push for term limits and grass-roots efforts in the Tuesday municipal election.

Voters in Lakemoor will decide whether people elected to the offices of village president and village trustees should be limited to no more than three terms in office. If approved, it would apply to officials elected starting in April 2013.

Lakemoor Village President Todd Weihofen, a proponent, said the referendum stemmed from a desire to give the village's citizens more say in the shape of their government. Opponents say voters already have the power to oust any incumbent and that good public servants might be forced out.

“We wanted to ask our residents what kind of a government they want to have and allow them to make this decision,” Weihofen said.

In November, 72 percent of Naperville voters who went to the polls approved term limits for village officials elected starting this year. Downers Grove voters strongly supported term limits in an advisory referendum in February.

Local political activists claim some credit for interest in municipal government.

“I would say the interest is higher. I'm seeing more involvement... people wanting to walk door to door, people providing more information on candidates, citizens questioning their elected officials,” said Palatine tea party Coordinator Craig Mijares, who said his group hasn't endorsed candidates.

Along with Naperville, Schaumburg and Elgin, mayors races are contested in Wood Dale, where 13-year Mayor Kenneth Johnson faces four-year Alderman Nunzio Pulice, and in Rolling Meadows, where Mayor Ken Nelson is coming to the end of his two-term limit and Tom Rooney and Jonathan Trapani are vying for his spot.

Oak Brook Village President John Craig faces challenger Gopal Lalmalani and Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk, completing his first term, faces a challenge from city Councilman John Prendiville. First-term Prospect Heights Mayor Dolly Vole faces challenges from real estate developer Nicholas Helmer and write-in candidate Kurt Giehler, and Carol Stream Village President Frank Saverino faces opponent Rick Gieser.

Polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$Daily Herald staff writers Jake Griffin, Tara Garcia Mathewson and Eric Peterson contributed$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$