DuPage forest preserve candidate vows to make seat a full-time job

A Democratic challenger seeking a seat on the DuPage County Forest Preserve Commission says he'll quit his job to become a full-time member of the board if he's elected next month.

Before Evan Wolfe submits his two weeks' notice, however, voters in forest preserve District 1 need to decide whether they want to make a change.

Wolfe's opponent in the Nov. 4 election - Republican incumbent Marsha Murphy - has spent the past 12 years representing the district, which covers all or portions of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lombard, Roselle, Villa Park and Wood Dale.

Murphy, a small-business owner from Addison, says she's been "a hands-on commissioner" who makes herself available to constituents.

"I am out there with them," said Murphy, adding that she frequently attends community events. "I am at these different functions where the residents can come right up and talk to me."

Still, Wolfe said he would focus all his time and energy on the forest preserve and treat the elected commissioner seat as a full-time job.

"I would leave my current position at my current company," said Wolfe, an Addison resident who works in financial services. "I would focus full-time on the forest preserve and the needs of the county."

Of course, he would be compensated. Forest preserve commissioners receive an annual salary of $50,000 and can get medical and dental insurance through the district.

Meanwhile, Murphy says she's been pushing for projects that will benefit District 1, including a roughly $16 million plan to increase stormwater storage, create new wetlands and improve the overall environmental quality of Oak Meadows Golf Preserve in Addison.

Murphy said it took "a lot of work" to sell other board members on the project, which is slated to begin next summer.

"It was the right thing to do for that area," Murphy said. "It's going to be a preserve with a golf course. But it's mainly a preserve. It's going to be wonderful for District 1."

Wolfe said he's running because he cares about the environment and wants to preserve district land for future generations.

When it came to issues facing the district, Wolfe rarely disagreed with Murphy during a Daily Herald endorsement interview.

Murphy, for example, said historic buildings on district land are important but aren't the district's main mission.

"That's not where our dollars should first go," Murphy said. "We're into buying property and taking care of land."

Wolfe agreed that saving historic structures should be the role of third-party groups.

"If there are private groups who want take it upon themselves to restore buildings, I see no problem with that," he said. "But I don't think the board should be using financial resources to support causes like that."