4 pick up packets for Naperville council race

Four Naperville residents have picked up nominating petitions so far to run for the Naperville City Council in April.

Tuesday was the first day to secure paperwork for one of four 4-year terms.

Incumbents Douglas Krause and Kenn Miller intend to run for re-election. Plan commission Vice Chairman Joe McElroy also picked up a packet along with James Derkacy.

Interested candidates can pick up nominating packets in the city clerk's office at the municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Paperwork is due Dec. 15. If there are 17 or more candidates, a primary will be held on Feb. 24, according to City Clerk Pam LaFeber. The general election is April 7.

Krause, 60, a real estate broker, was first in line Tuesday to pick up paperwork. He has been a councilman since 1989 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor three times and twice for state representative. He said he strives to be accessible and responsive to residents, cutting through red tape to help them get issues resolved.

Keeping a close eye on how tax dollars are spent, he said, will be especially important in tough economic times.

"We need to be prudent in how we spend your tax dollars," Krause said. "I've been making sure that, since I was elected, we come up with a balanced budget, and that doesn't necessarily mean you spend all the money you've budgeted."

He and McElroy also brought up the issue of the developments that will take place on what small tracts of land remain in the city.

"During the growth spurt, if a farmer wanted to sell his farm and a developer wanted to buy it, most people didn't care because it didn't affect them," McElroy said. "But now we're seeing more infill redevelopment closer to where people live. So as pieces of land get smaller, the intensity of the debates increase because more people are living nearby."

McElroy, 56, has served on the plan commission since 2003 and also helped start the Naperville Development Partnership. Although he is new to elected office, he said he has years of experience in local government, including previous jobs as a deputy planning director for Aurora and a city planner for East Lansing, Mich. He currently owns a Naperville-based consulting firm specializing in marketing communications and city planning.

Another ongoing issue for the city has been the potential purchase of the EJ&E railroad by Canadian National Railway

Incumbent Miller said there is "potential of damage to the quality of life in Naperville ... as it relates to traffic, noise and hazard risk." He said he believes Canadian National should at least help mitigate those effects if the sale goes through.

Miller, 63, who is running for his second term, said one of his greatest accomplishments so far is helping negotiate an energy policy to keep rates low for residents.

Derkacy, the fourth person to pick up paperwork Tuesday, said he did so out of curiosity and hasn't decided whether he will run for the council.

The terms of councilmen John Rosanova and James Boyajian also expire in the spring but neither has picked up nominating paperwork.

Boyajian, 59, who has been on the council since 2003, doesn't plan to seek another term, saying it is time to give others a chance. Among his accomplishments he lists helping change the city's budgeting practices and increasing workplace safety.

Boyajian said he hopes his replacement will continue to look out for the interests of all residents, not just the vocal minority. He said he also would like to see the council switch to geographic representation.

Rosanova, 59, has not yet decided whether he will run for a fourth term. He said he will be considering his professional and family situations before making a decision in the coming weeks.