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League of Women Voters to host mayor and city council candidate forums for Tri-Cities

The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County is hosting a series of mayor and city council candidate forums in St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia. The forums will feature candidates on the April 1 consolidated election ballot who are in contested races in their respective communities.

All three forums will be live, in-person, and open to the public. They also will be livestreamed and available for later viewing on the websites of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County (lwvckcil.com) and the Illinois Voter Guide (illinoisvoterguide.org).

All candidates will be allowed time at the beginning and at the end of their respective segments for opening and closing statements.

During each segment, candidates will respond to audience questions submitted during registration and throughout the event. Audience members’ questions will be reviewed by trained League members for appropriateness prior to asking.

The candidate forum for St. Charles mayor and city council will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave. in St. Charles. The following candidates were extended invitations to participate:

• Mayor: Clint Hull and Lora A. Vitek

• City council: Ronald Silkaitis and Robert Kasper (Ward 1); Ryan S. Bongard and Angela Churchill (Ward 2); Vicki Spellman, Paul D. Lencioni and Carolyn Waibel (Ward 3); and Steve Weber and Lauren Duddles (Ward 5).

The candidate forum for Batavia mayor and city council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave. The following candidates were extended invitations to participate:

• Mayor: Thomas M. Connelly and Jeffery D. Schielke

• City council: Doug Eldrenkamp and Dustin Pieper (Ward 4); James Fahrenbach and Garran DeWain Sparks (Ward 5); and Matthew Anderson and Kate Cuneo (Ward 6)

The candidate forum for Geneva mayor and city council will be held at noon on Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St. The following candidates were extended invitations to participate:

• Mayor: Kevin Burns and Karsten Pawlik

• City council: Lee W. Eysturlid, Larry Furnish and Kevin J. Ziegler (Ward 3); Amy Mayer and Erin M. Di Silvestro (Ward 4); and Patrice Bertheau, Jeff Palmquist, and Kim Edwards (Ward 5).

Patti Lackman is the voter service chair of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County. She shared, “The decisions we make and the officers we choose through local elections can have a profound effect on the health of our schools, businesses, and community. These forums are a great opportunity for voters to see and ask questions of their candidates. We encourage every candidate invited to these forums to participate fully. The League of Women Voters provides forums such as these as a service to the public. We are a nonpartisan organization, and we never support or endorse candidates or political parties.”

Nonpartisan information about voting in Illinois can be found at illinoisvoterguide.org.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

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