Young candidates seek suburban change

A local government committee meeting might not be the average twentysomething's idea of a good time.

But, then, the handful of young candidates who ran for Fox Valley offices this spring can't exactly be considered average, either.

We spoke with several candidates 30 and younger for offices in the April 7 election about their drive, plans and hopes for the future.

Brad McFeggan, Carpentersville trustee

Brad McFeggan has always been involved in his community.

After high school, he joined the Navy. After four years in the Navy, he worked a variety of municipal jobs before buying a house in Carpentersville.

"I always wanted to do something for the community," McFeggan said. When he heard about the opening on the Carpentersville village board, he thought, "You know what, why not take a shot at it?"

At 28, McFeggan was the youngest candidate seeking a seat on the board.

Despite his relative youth - or perhaps because of it - McFeggan was elected to the board this month, beating out candidates more than 20 years older than him.

McFeggan wasn't the only young person to throw his hat in the ring. This year's local elections were notable for the number of 30-and-younger candidates who ran for - and won - public office.

Kevin Echevarria, U-46 candidate

Looking at the poised and confident young man presenting his views at Elgin Area School District U-46 school board candidate forums this spring, few might guess that Kevin Echevarria struggled to stay straight just five years before.

Echevarria, 21, went from being a C and D student at Elgin High School to the youngest school board candidate for the state's second-largest candidate has seen in decades.

Endorsed by the 2,400-member Elgin Teachers Association, Echevarria had "clearly done his homework," said union President Tim Davis. "I think age to some extent is irrelevant."

Echevarria did not win the race for one of three school board seats, but he did walk away with 16 percent of votes across Cook, Kane and DuPage counties.

The owner and manager of Elgin's Delicia Tropical Cafe said he was inspired to run for school board last fall, when he was participating in a panel with district administrators and former U-46 students.

"I just decided who better to represent this community than someone who's born and raised in Elgin, and a product of the teachers and the policies that shape our district?"

Echevarria said he considers the campaign a learning experience. "I'm going to keep on going, I'm going to keep on getting involved," he said.

Ricky Popilek, Pingree Grove trustee

In Pingree Grove, young people will rule the newly seated board - of the seven trustees, five are in their 30s or younger.

Ricky Popilek, 30, was one of the youngest people elected this cycle to Pingree Grove's village board.

An incumbent who had previously served for two years, Popilek says age was a nonissue in town, since most of the people now living in Pingree Grove are young people who are first-time homebuyers looking to start families.

It is only natural, he said, that the board would reflect its population.

"Obviously, it's not a matter of age, it's a matter of issues that the village faces in terms of growth," Popilek said. "Basically, I feel like I have the background, regardless of my age."

Rob Lee, District 300 candidate

Rob Lee knows what it's like to take on the old guard. The 27-year-old was the youngest candidate vying for a seat on the Community Unit District 300 school board.

While Lee, of East Dundee, did not win a seat, he came closest in the six-person field to beating one of the three candidates who had already served on the school board.

Lee's age may have made it easier for him to talk to actual District 300 students during the campaign about what mattered to them.

They told him: "Why don't you guys listen to us? We have an opinion, too," he said. "We shouldn't ignore them just because they're young," Lee said.

Like other candidates in his age group, he expected some resistance because of his youth. But as he talked to residents during the campaign, he was often pleasantly surprised.

"The more and more people talked to me, the more and more people noticed that I'm an adult just like anybody else," Lee said.

Joe Stefani, Algonquin Area Library trustee

Local entrepreneur Joe Stefani, who bested an incumbent and won a seat on the Algonquin Area Library board this month, said he and his peers possess a self-confidence unique to their generation.

"If you want to be the president, you can be the president. If you want to be a CEO, you can be a CEO," said Stefani, who just celebrated his 27th birthday. "I think it's the first generation that was told that."

Stefani, like many other candidates his age, looked around and didn't see many local politicians taking up causes that were important to his peers. So Stefani thought, why not me?

He said of his peers: "They're tired of seeing older people, 60-year-old politicians, talking about what they care about. They're like, 'Dude, you have no idea what it's like coming out of school with thousands of dollars of debt.'"

• Daily Herald Staff Writer Lenore T. Adkins contributed to this report.