4 vie for 3 Carol Stream board seats

If there's one thing certain in the Carol Stream village board race, it's that at least one new face will join the board.

Trustee Rick Gieser is not running for re-election, choosing instead to challenge incumbent Frank Saverino for village president.

That leaves four others to run for three open seats in the spring election. Incumbents Don Weiss and Greg Schwarze and challengers Mary Frusolone and James Joseph will pursue the positions.

Weiss said his accomplishments during his first term and his ability to vote independently make him a good candidate for re-election.

“I have a lot of experience to bring,” said Weiss, 46, who touted his independent voting record. “I have stood up against certain things. Why else would you have people serve on any type of board if not to vote for you?”

Among the issues Weiss said he disagreed with the board on was its approval of an outdoor smoking shelter for a business against the advice of the Carol Stream Fire Protection District.

He also voted against increasing the fee for a vehicle sticker because, he said, he questioned its timing as it came just as most stickers were up for renewal. He also helped bring the “Shape of Carol Stream” town hall meeting into town and modeled it after a similar event in Addison, where he has worked in community relations for 26 years.

Fellow incumbent Schwarze, 44, said he his first term gave him a chance to learn the ropes.

“In my experience, it takes a couple of years just to get your feet wet and start making a good difference,” he said. “There are still some things I want to accomplish and I feel a lot more comfortable now.”

Schwarze said among his chief concerns is to continue to find ways to balance the village's budget without imposing the village's first property tax.

He also said he would continue to encourage residents to shop in Carol Stream, which he has done at every meeting since he took office in 2007.

Joseph said the opening caused by Gieser's decision gave him a good opportunity to throw his name into the mix.

“I have always thought it would be great to work for my neighbors and the community,” Joseph said. “I am hoping to see what I can bring to round out an already excellent village board.”

Joseph, 29, has a background in emergency management and finance. This will be his first run for public office, much like Frusolone, another political newcomer.

“I am not a politician and I don't plan on being one,” she said. “I want to make Carol Stream better than how I found it.”

Frusolone, 38, has lived in Carol Stream five years and has jumped into the race because, she said, she was disappointed with the village's response to this summer's flooding.

“After the flood, it became apparent that sometimes common sense needs to be used more often,” she said. “(Board members) spend too much time on the smaller issues but the bigger issues sneak up on them.”