Pfefferman will be next to lead Glen Ellyn

Civic Betterment Party candidate Mark Pfefferman sailed to a decisive victory Tuesday in his quest to be Glen Ellyn's next village president and help the town face a tough budget crisis.

With all precincts counted, unofficial totals showed Pfefferman, a former trustee, with 2,465 of 3,817 votes.

His opponent Gary Fasules, also a former trustee, had 1,352 votes. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

"I'm thrilled and honored," Pfefferman said.

He said he was especially happy about the number of residents who voted on Tuesday and the positive campaign.

"I think the results are a big emphasis on integrity," he said. Pfefferman said his goal throughout the campaign was to show fiscal integrity and that he is available to the public.

"I've been told that the communication helped a lot," he said. "For the last six months, I've been visible in the public at meetings and electronically."

He said he's heard about fiscal responsibility as a main concern for residents, especially in light of the sales tax increase that was just approved by the village board.

"I think (residents) are concerned about the budget and retail," Pfefferman said.

With that in mind, he said his first job will be to establish a finance commission in town. He said that will help bring in local expertise to the budgeting process.

The village has been dealing with a budget deficit, which led to the implementation of the sales tax. Pfefferman has been opposed to the short time it's taken for the board to come to that decision.

Fasules had been opposed to the increase outright, saying it would have an adverse affect on businesses. Pfefferman said part of the job of the finance committee will be to look at how to get rid of the sales tax increase after a year.

"We'll see if we can do work to the budget so that we don't need the revenue the following year," Pfefferman said.

Besides the financial work that he hopes to take on, Pfefferman said he also will be working on communication on behalf of the board.

He said he'd like to televise workshops and other meetings that take place at village hall, not just the meetings that are shown twice a month.

Pfefferman said he also would want to pass an ethics policy. His goals would include making decisions at the board table and listening to residents and business owners when they come to board meetings.

"I think the community is ripe for it being improved," Pfefferman said.