Mayoral candidates step up to file across the Northwest suburbs

Mayors and village presidents are the big item in next April’s election — 19 of them will be elected from the Northwest suburbs alone. And when filing opened Monday morning for most municipal offices, mayoral candidates were front and center.

Several suburbs will elect a new mayor, as the current leaders in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Des Plaines and Bartlett are not running for re-election.

The April election is about more than mayors — village boards, city councils, school boards, park districts, library boards, fire protection districts, township offices all will be elected too. Filing closes Dec. 26.

Here are some of the municipal candidates who filed this morning.

In Arlington Heights, where the 20-year mayor, Arlene Mulder, is not running for a sixth term, three candidates have filed to replace her — all of whom had already announced their intentions.

They are Thomas Hayes, an Arlington Heights trustee since 1991 and the current president pro-tem of the village board; Mark Hellner, an attorney who has lived in Arlington Heights for 16 years and Ron Drake, a Mount Prospect native who was mayor of a Phoenix suburb from 2000-2006, and who moved to Arlington Heights with his family in 2007.

For trustee, the four village board incumbents filed Monday morning: Norman Breyer; Joseph Farwell; Thomas Glasgow and Bert Rosenberg.

In Barrington, Village President Karen Darch has filed to run for her third term, while Clerk Adam Frazier has also filed for re-election.

Trustee candidates for four open seats are Pete Douglas, JoAnn Fletcher, Michael Kozel, James Magnanenzi and Sue Padula. None of them are incumbents.

In North Barrington, where three trustee seats are up for election, the only person to file Monday was resident Jackie Andrew.

In Bartlett, where Village President Mike Kelly stepped down midterm in November 2011, and Trustee Michael Airdo was chosen to finish his term, neither is running in April.

As expected, Trustee Patricia Kelly, who was appointed to the village board earlier this year, and Kevin Wallace, former head of the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce, filed Monday for mayor.

For trustee, first-day filers were Trustee Dennis Nolan, Vincent Carbonaro and Aaron Reinke. Clerk Lorna Giless also filed to run for another term.

In Buffalo Grove three incumbent trustees and one challenger have filed for the board. Incumbents are Lester A. Ottenheimer III, Andrew Stein and Beverly Sussman. Jeffrey Battinus, who is on the Buffalo Grove Board of Health, has also filed for trustee.

All the candidates who filed for municipal office in Deer Park Monday are familiar faces. Village President Robert Kellermann is running for re-election, as are trustees Keith D. Olson, Dale Sands and Joel Thomason. Three trustee seats are open in April.

In Des Plaines, where Mayor Martin J. Moylan is expected to step down this week as he prepares to be sworn in as a state legislator in January, three candidates filed for mayor Monday morning, all of them familiar names.

As expected, former Des Plaines mayor Tony Arredia, 6th Ward Alderman Mark Walsten and 3rd Ward Alderman Mathew Bogusz have filed.

For the city council, races have already developed in three of the four wards.

1st Ward Alderman Patricia Haugeberg is being challenged by Robert Giurato. In the 3rd Ward, Denise Rodd and former alderman Patricia Beauvais have filed; in the 5th Ward, sitting alderman James Brookman is being challenged by Gregory Sarlo. In the 7th Ward, Eric Scott Leys has filed.

Des Plaines wards 2, 4, 6 and 8 will be elected in 2015.

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson filed to run for his fifth term Monday. Three of the village’s sitting trustees also filed for re-election: Pat Feichter, Christine K. Prochno and Jeffrey C. Franke. Three seats are open on the village board.

The entire Hanover Park Progress Party slate submitted its paperwork on the first day of the filing period, with no sign of opposition.

The group is led by Village President Rodney Craig, who was elected to the post in 2007 to finish the term of the late Irv Bock. He won a full 4-year term in 2009. He’s joined by Clerk Eira Corral and Trustees Bill Cannon, Rick Roberts and Ed Zimel, all of whom are seeking second terms.

As expected, Inverness Village President John “Jack” Tatooles has filed to run for his fifth term in office. A win would make the attorney, whose general law practice also is based in Inverness, one of the longest-serving mayors in the Northwest suburbs.

Nobody else filed to run for either clerk or the three open trustee seats. Tatooles has said he will form a slate with Trustees Richard Gallagher and Patricia Ledvina and certified financial planner Terry Kral. Trustee Janice Stremel won’t run for a third term.

Angie Underwood, a Long Grove trustee, filed for village president Monday. The village presidency, three trustee seats and the clerk’s office will be on the ballot.

Chris Borawski, a former trustee and a member of the Long Grove Park District, filed for trustee; as did Lori Lyman, a landscape architect and former member of the Stevenson High School board and George Yaeger, president of the Country Club Estates homeowners association. No incumbent trustees filed Monday.

As expected, Mount Prospect Trustee Arlene A. Juracek filed for village president Monday. So far, she is the only candidate to succeed mayor Irvana Wilks, who is not running for re-election.

For trustee, three candidates filed Monday morning: incumbent trustees John Matuszak and Steven S. Polit, John Dyslin and Carl Arriaza. Three village board seats will be elected.

In Rosemont, Village President Bradley Stephens filed to run for re-election Monday, as did Clerk Debbie Drehobl. Three seats are open on the village board and incumbents Ralph DiMatteo and Roger Minale filed to keep their seats. Trustee Sharon Pappas is not running for re-election, but her husband, Harry Pappas, is running for her seat.

Streamwood Village President Billie Roth filed first thing Monday and will face a familiar face as an opponent: Trustee James Cecille, who has been on the village board since 1987. .

All three trustees whose seats are up and one challenger also filed: incumbents William Carlson, Michael Baumer and William Harper will seek re-election, along with newcomer Khaja Moinuddin. Village Clerk Kittie Kopitke also filed for another term.

As announced, Trustee Dean Agiris filed for Wheeling village president Monday. Incumbent Judy Abruscato has said she will seek re-election, but did not file on the first day.

Incumbent trustees Kenneth R. Brady and Bill Hein also filed. Two other candidates are Mary Papantos, who ran unsuccessfully two years ago; and Mary Krueger, an executive assistant. Three seats will be on the ballot.

Incumbent Elaine Simpson is the only one so far to file for village clerk.