DuPage forest preserve candidates weigh in on historic farmhouse, major building projects

In northeastern DuPage County, Democratic voters will choose between two newcomers vying to become the party’s nominee for an open seat on the forest preserve board.

The only other primary forest preserve contest pits an incumbent against a pair of fellow Democrats.

Here’s a closer look at the candidates and their views on some key issues.

The future of Oak Cottage

A farmhouse with a front porch, green shutters, and a cast-iron kitchen sink, Oak Cottage has been a fixture within the Greene Valley Forest Preserve. But it has been vacant for decades and needs substantial work.

“It doesn't quite fit our mission, but it is a building that the community is very concerned about, so tearing it down is not an option that I want to look at,” said incumbent Tina Tyson-Dunne, who faces Dana Moreau and Jacalynn "Jax" West in the March primary.

Last year, the district sought formal statements of interest from individuals or organizations with a vision for rehabilitating and reusing Oak Cottage. It only received two.

Of those, the board opted to explore a man’s proposal to move the home to a nearby private property and restore it there. The move, however, was not unanimous, and Naperville preservationists want Oak Cottage to stay where it is — near an L-shaped red barn that, together, help tell the story of the area’s agricultural roots.

“I have a lot of experience in this area. I fought many years ago to try and save the historic DuPage Theatre,” Moreau, a former Lombard trustee, said in a Daily Herald candidate interview.

The original portion of the Greene family farmhouse, constructed in the mid-19th century, exhibits Greek Revival-style characteristics, according to a cultural resource evaluation report. The district took possession of Oak Cottage in the early 1980s after allowing Grace Margaret Greene to live there until her death.

“It looked like there were stipulations in place...and while I doubt it said ‘kept on the same land,’ I'm guessing that was the intent to the family,” Moreau said. “This was their legacy.”

Tyson-Dunne, who was first elected in 2020, said she liked the idea of moving the house, if possible.

“I think, for me, that's the best-case scenario, that we are actually still preserving this building, preserving that history for our communities,” she said, “but it’s not on our burden.”

Her other challenger, West, did not participate in the Daily Herald session or a League of Women Voters forum. The winner will meet Republican William “Bill” Wehrle in November.

Construction spending

Some Republicans have previously argued the district has focused too heavily on “bricks and mortar.”

The district last year formally broke ground on a new campus to support forest preserve crews and equipment responsible for care of natural areas, recreational sites and infrastructure across the forest preserve system. The new complex replaces a hodgepodge of aging and retrofitted structures along Mack Road in Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville.

“The natural resources campus, I think, is an amazing investment in our staff and in our preserves,” said Susan Smentek, who is running against Quinn Fulmer for the Democratic nod in District 1, which covers the county’s northeastern corner.

The agency has also unveiled a new, 27,000-square-foot wildlife hospital and visitor center in the Willowbrook Forest Preserve.

“We get to see the thousands and thousands of animals that are being helped by that every year,” Fulmer said of the “state-of-the-art” rehab center.

He currently sits on the Roselle Elementary District 12 school board and holds a degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Fulmer says he would bring an “ecologist’s touch” and wrote in a candidate questionnaire that “it’s clear that some areas need some serious attention to address the invasive plant issue.”

“I see our preserves as more than a line item on a budget. I see them as a promise to the future,” the Gen Z Democrat said at the League forum.

The winner will face Republican Carolyn Ubriaco in November. The GOP incumbent, Marsha Murphy, isn’t seeking reelection.

“I bring to the board a history of being a collaborator, somebody who has worked in the industry of parks and recreation, who understands public governance, bid documents, contracts, large public budgets, and I have a passion for the work and clear vision,” said Smentek, an Elmhurst Park District commissioner.

She said she would step down from the park board if elected. Smentek also manages sponsorships as part of her work for the Glen Ellyn Park District.