DeWitte, incumbent trustees for St. Charles
St. Charles is one of the crown jewels of the Fox Valley, a picturesque community along the Fox River.
The fight to lead it, however, is far from serene and not nearly as attractive a picture. Challenger Jotham Stein's pit bull attacks on incumbent Mayor Don DeWitte smack of a headline hunter seeking more than his fair share of ink.
It's easy to fling mud in an election and he has taken it to the max, alleging the mayor is gaining personally from the community's business deals or potential deals that may benefit the incumbent. Stein, an attorney who most recently unsuccessfully ran for former Congressman Dennis Hastert's seat, offers little to either support those claims or to take St. Charles forward.
It is, frankly, easier to be the challenger and criticize during these difficult economic times. We think St. Charles residents have much to like and feel DeWitte has done a good job of guiding his town in his first term. Alderman since 1993 and mayor since 2005, he has the vital experience needed during trying times.
Could he do better? In this economy he and all elected officials will have to in order to get their communities through the difficult months ahead. He quickly agrees and vows to continue to try to spur more economic development as well as diversifying the tax base along with holding the line on spending, all tough challenges. We think DeWitte is the right man for the job. Donald DeWitte is endorsed.
In the aldermanic races, incumbent Ron Silkaitis faces stiff competition from Jon Monken, well-known around town for his current and past civic involvement. Silkaitis, born and raised in the city, brings a love of th e community that has served him well on the council. He has served as a good counterbalance to other members who are fervently in favor of development. "We've kept a good small-town feel, and expanded a bit more than I would've liked," he says. Monken, executive director at the Norris Recreation Center, is a well-spoken public volunteer with a great attitude, and willing to listen and learn. He's taken time to verse himself on the city's issues. He wants to bring business to St. Charles to lessen the property tax burden on homeowners. It would be interesting to see what he and Silkaitis would bring to the city and the First Ward as a team but, unfortunately, they're running against one another this time around. We give a slight edge to Ron Silkaitis. That said, we expect Monken to run again. The next alderman up for re-election, Dan Stellato, better bring his "A game" for the remainder of his term.
Incumbent David Richards gets our endorsement in the 5th Ward over two challengers. Richards is the most business-savvy candidate on the council. And business is exactly what the city needs both downtown and at Charlestowne Mall. Richards brings an eye for balance in regard to development and says of the in-the-talking-stages Towne Centre project, "It needs to be thought out, it needs to be good and it needs far-reaching appeal." It's that type of levelheaded thinking the council needs to retain.
Incumbent Jo Krieger should also be retained in the 4th Ward. The lifelong resident says she will continue to be selective with new development, focus on the economy and wants tax incentive plans to bring business to downtown and to the mall. As far as bringing a balanced budget to the city, she would help that along by increasing the liquor tax and consider raising parking fees and fines.
We endorse incumbent William Turner in the 3rd Ward over challenger Todd Veyette. Turner understands that for many families, surviving these tough economic times is Job 1. He says the city needs to "support them in this by being fiscally responsible and not passing on the cost of unnecessary expenditures to them." We agree.