Get to know local candidates

In mid-December, I was somewhat giddy when I watched the lottery for placement on the ballot for city council.

City Clerk Pam LaFeber and City Manager Doug Krieger pitched a little White Sox humor as they selected the lineup for candidates one through eight to appear on the ballot for the 4-year terms.

By the end of January, a total of 48 candidates had filed petitions to run for election to our two local school boards, park district board of commissioners and city council.

Little did I know at the time that the Consolidated Election on April 7 was the day after the 2009 regular-season White Sox opener at U.S. Cellular Field.

I also had not calculated that the election would be just two days after many voters would be distracted by a weeklong school break, not necessarily paying attention to campaign issues.

What can you do? Vote early at the Naperville Municipal Center between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday. Early voting ends on April 2.

Thank you, candidates. I have great respect for well-meaning folks with the gumption to run for office.

We need healthy competition and debate as well as an array of qualified contenders to address the issues. I was thrilled the local elections attracted such interest.

Then after numerous candidate forums, my heart sank. Why were some of these candidates really running to serve our 178-year-old city?

Following Thursday's Town Hall meeting of the Illinois Reform Commission at North Central College and Saturday's Exchange Club's One Nation Under God Breakfast, where NCC President Hal Wilde and former Attorney General Jim Ryan, respectively, mentioned the importance of newspaper coverage and educated voters, I sensed trouble right here in River City.

Further, did you read Jim Davis' column on Friday? Are you smarter than a city council candidate? http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=280467

If we voters don't pay attention, stay informed and engaged to ask insightful questions, this election - without its usual primary and with its predicted low voter turnout - could result in havoc for our nonpartisan governing bodies.

In fact, I've begun to question if I can find four qualified candidates to fill 4-year terms on each of them.

After a recent column listing all 48 candidates running in our city's nonpartisan elections, a number of folks running for township offices requested a similar listing. Another reader asked why I didn't address "the mess over at College of DuPage."

All I could say was read the front section of this newspaper.

Other readers offered suggestions on how to be an informed voter. By combining their thoughts, I ended up with 10 points.

1. Note new wording on this year's ballot reads to vote for "no more than four" candidates.

2. Pay attention and count carefully when you vote. If you vote for more than the allotted number of candidates, your ballot will be rejected. According to processing clerks at the early voting polls, when a spoiled ballot is rejected, some voters don't want to take time to fix it. If you make a mistake, take time to make your vote count.

3. Be mindful that the order of the candidates on the ballot does not reflect qualifications.

4. Don't vote for one-issue candidates.

5. Even when you have the option to vote for four candidates, you can leave some blank.

6. Watch candidate forums on cable TV.

7. Find candidate Web sites and the schedule of forums posted under Election Central at positivelynaperville.com.

8. Vote for candidates who represent you with vision and the ability to ask the tough questions. Determine if a candidate is a critical thinker or a "rubber stamper."

9. Determine a candidate's commitment, financial savvy (stimulated by a sharp pencil), core values, accessibility and comprehension of public policy. Be mindful that most officials you elect will serve four years. That's a long time to have the wrong person in office.

10. The size of a campaign sign does not necessarily indicate a candidate's qualifications. In fact, sometimes it means the opposite.

I've always been passionate about civics. On Saturday, Ryan reminded us how marginal a civics education has become in American classrooms during the past 40 or 50 years.

I'm wound up about the current state of affairs. I'm going to take a deep breath. I'm going to try to understand why many Napervillians don't care about being educated and engaged voters.

All that said, it's a crying shame that many voting-age citizens will not exercise their freedom to vote where it counts the most - locally.

Stephanie Penick writes about Naperville in Neighbor. Contact her at spennydh@aol.com.