Glen Ellyn sets slate for spring vote

It took the better part of Saturday to count, check and recheck all the votes, but Glen Ellyn's Civic Betterment Party has its slate of village officials for next spring's local elections.

Roughly 1,760 residents spent the day voting for candidates for village president, trustee, clerk and the public library board. The winning candidates will then be slated on April's election ballot.

Alex Demos, president-elect of the nonpartisan community group, said the unprecedented vote total was spurred on by outreach efforts that included fliers and a new interactive Web site.

"Had today not been a playoff football game for Glenbard West High School, I think we would've seen even more voters," Demos said.

Mark Pfefferman will lead the slate as candidate for village president. He beat out village Trustee Tim Armstrong and plan commissioner Jay Strayer for the post.

Pfefferman served as village trustee from 2003 through 2007, was a College of DuPage board member from 1983 through 1989, and is currently the director of business intelligence at TransUnion.

Pfefferman said he's running to create a partnership between the residents of Glen Ellyn and their government, and hopes to increase communication, a common goal echoed by most candidates who delivered short speeches Saturday morning in the gymnasium of the Glen Ellyn Civic Center.

"It's about you, not about me," Pfefferman told the audience. "It's about the future of Glen Ellyn. This is a place where we strive for consensus."

Andrea Draths ran unopposed and will fill the slate's open village clerk position. Three candidates for library board - Linda Richman, Randolph "Ran" Sailer and Mark Luginbill - also ran unopposed.

Peter Cooper, Phillip Hartweg and Carl Henninger finished atop a crowded field of seven candidates running for three village trustee seats.

While Saturday's nominations do not preclude any other candidate from pursuing a seat on April's ballot, Demos said independent candidates have rarely been able to win a local elected position without the group's support.

"I think the voters will be pleased with the slate that will be running next spring," he said.