Scalzo announces second run for Wheaton City Council

Last year, Todd Scalzo ran the 5K version of the Run for the Animals at the annual Cream of Wheaton festival.

"I did it last year, and it didn't kill me," Scalzo said.

He can say the same thing about his other big run last year -- a failed attempt at landing one of the at-large seats on Wheaton's city council.

He faced both a heated race and an attempt to get him booted off the ballot in a legal battle over where he legally resided.

Now he's ready to run both races again this year. Today he'll complete the 5K and announce his candidacy for city council shortly after he crosses the finish line with his supporters.

Scalzo is the first candidate to announce an election bid for any seat in the upcoming municipal elections next April. At this stage, it's hard to judge whether or not Scalzo will have more success than he did the first time around.

Last year, Scalzo faced four opponents competing for two seats. He finished third, but only about 230 votes away from winning a seat on the council.

This time around, Scalzo may have a smaller field to run against, but even tougher opposition. Scalzo lives in the west district. The seat is occupied by the longest-serving member of the city council, Dave Johnson.

Johnson has not yet announced his intentions. However, the last time Johnson ran for re-election in 2005, he did not have a serious opponent. Still, he netted the most votes of any Wheaton candidate in any district.

"The way I look at it, I have to run harder this time," Scalzo said. "Councilman Johnson has been in that seat for a long time. If I'm going to make the case for change, I'm going to have to work even harder. It's going to be a positive case for myself. I don't really have anything against Councilman Johnson."

Redevelopment of the Hubble Middle School property on the cusp of downtown Wheaton is sure to be the major focus of the race come April. Scalzo said he's open to ideas for the site including preserving and transforming the actual school into a retail outlet of some sort.

"I want to see the public input," Scalzo said. "This is one of those issues that's so big and affects the whole community that the process is more important than what any one person envisions. As long as it has green space and affordable housing, those are my main concerns at this point."

Scalzo also promised to push hard for reconstruction of the Manchester Road Bridge as soon as possible as it is the access point to the downtown for residents of the west district.