Council candidates file in Elgin

At least seven candidates will vie for three seats on Elgin's city council in the spring.

That's how many people were in line to submit their nominating petitions when doors opened at the city clerk's office at 8 a.m. Monday.

But among those not waiting were candidates for mayor, expected to be incumbent Ed Schock and Councilman Dave Kaptain.

Both said they would hand in their petitions later this week after final signatures are collected.

David White, who heads the Association For Legal Americans, had intimated in recent weeks that his organization might put forth a slate of candidates and that he might run for mayor. Not so, he said Monday. The organization plans to make endorsements after the primary if there is one as it did in the 2009 council election.

Getting to the clerk's office early may have had its advantages in the election for three seats on the city council.

Those who arrived when the office opened Monday had the chance to get their name first on the ballot. A lottery will be held to determine which of the first seven candidates gets the top spot, City Clerk Diane Robertson said.

Candidates for mayor and the city council have until 5 p.m. Nov. 22 to turn in their petitions. Some may wait until the last day, Robertson said, since having the last spot on the ballot could be an advantage as well.

The seats of incumbents John Steffen and Mike Warren, as well as Kaptain, are up for grabs. All positions are 4-year terms. Here is who has filed so far.

Ÿ Steffen, 47, was elected to a four-year term in 2007. He is an Elgin attorney and has lived in the city most of his life. If re-elected, he said he wants to create more efficiencies in city government, focus on sustainability efforts and try to find more public-private partnerships.

Ÿ Warren, 42, was elected to a two-year term in 2009. He is an account manager for Rieke Office Interiors. He said he would continue his support of economic development initiatives to bring more businesses to Elgin. “We want to make sure they expand and bring jobs here. That's the only key for our community to get out of double-digit unemployment,” he said.

Ÿ Mike Robins, 53, a worker for the Cook County courts system who ran and lost in the 2009 council election, said he would support efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and curb “unwanted noise” that comes from downtown bars. He also said he supports incentives for businesses that hire Elgin residents.

Ÿ Tom McCarthy, 51, said he decided to run for office after talking to residents who use his “Driver Tom” car service. “It's one thing to sit back and watch and comment. It's another thing to come in,” he said.

Ÿ Manfred Czymmek, 58, a veteran who is unemployed, said he's running because he's “fed up with the way things are run.” He said his main concerns are the lack of good jobs, high property taxes, and illegal immigration, which “has its tentacles in everything.”

Ÿ Toby Shaw, 32, said he wants to change how Elgin is perceived. He said the city is “hung up” on a few issues and puts most of its focus on downtown redevelopment, instead of the city as a whole.

“The perception is if Elgin doesn't like something, (people) try to push it away instead of dealing with it,” he said.

Ÿ Anna Moeller is also running, but couldn't be reached by deadline.

If more than 12 candidates enter the race for the three council seats, a primary election will be held Feb. 22. The general election is scheduled for April 5, 2011.

“There appears to be a lot of interest this year. To have seven people here at 8 a.m. shows there's some interest,” Robertson said.