Naperville mayoral rematch set; longest-serving Aurora alderman wants another term

The 2027 municipal election season has revved up for several villages and cities in DuPage and Kane counties.

Monday was the last day for candidates in Aurora, Naperville, Wheaton, Downers Grove, North Aurora, Elgin and Campton Hills to file petitions.

All are towns in which a primary election can be held Feb. 23 to reduce the lists for the April 6 consolidated election.

Naperville

There will be a rematch in the fight for Naperville mayor, as incumbent Scott Wehrli and Councilman Benny White are seeking the post. The two faced each other in 2023.

Eight people are running for four, 4-year terms on the city council.

Incumbents Nate Wilson, Josh McBroom and Supna Jain filed for reelection, as did Staci Boyer, Kristine Gericke, Laurie Donahue, Mark Willensky and Michael Christin.

Council member Patrick Kelly is stepping away.

Aurora

The longest-serving member of the Aurora City Council wants another four years.

Michael Saville, who serves the 6th Ward, is opposed by Cassandra Echeverria. Saville joined the council in 1985.

In Ward 1, incumbent Daniel Barreiro faces Hugo Saltijeral Sr.

In Ward 3, incumbent Theodoros “Ted” Mesiacos will face Arriana Dallmann.

A primary is needed for the Ward 5, Ward 8, and alderman-at-large seats to cut the fields to two candidates apiece.

In Ward 5, Emmanuel S. Llamas faces Sandra Schmitt, Kendala Coleman, Rani Esposito, Miguel A. Diaz Jr., Sharron Mayes, Andrea Jones and Deena Sherman. Current Alderman Carl Franco did not seek reelection. Llamas used to be a Ward 1 alderman.

In Ward 8, incumbent Patty Smith is running against Ali Kazmi, Ghousia Wajid, Tony Michelassi and Jennifer Pazos.

Candidates for the alderman-at-large position are incumbent Will White, former alderman Judd Lofchie, Guillermo Rodriguez, Kane County board member Alex Arroyo, David E. Smith Jr. and Charmaine “Char” Petersen.

Elgin

In Elgin, two council members are running to replace four-term mayor David Kaptain, who is not seeking reelection.

Corey Dixon, who ran and lost against Kaptain in 2023, will face Rose Martinez.

Dixon is serving his third term, which runs through April 2029.

Martinez is in her third term, which ends in April.

Nine candidates filed for four available council seats.

Incumbents Anthony Ortiz, Tish Powell and John Steffen all seek another term. The six other candidates are Siddiq Ashraf, Timothy Ayalin, Christopher Flaherty, Debra Vruble, Deborah Willis and Kevin Zaldivar.

North Aurora

In North Aurora, six people have filed for three available village trustee positions.

Incumbents Laura Curtis, Jason Christiansen and Mark Guethle are seeking reelection. The other candidates are Jessica Carli-Watkins, Nancy Zies and Emily Ciarletto.

Campton Hills

There will be a new village president in Campton Hills, as current Village President Barbara Wojnicki is not seeking reelection.

Instead, Wojnicki is running for one of three trustee positions.

Former village president Patsy Smith — who helped found the village in 2007 and was its first president — filed for election as village president. She will face Frank Binetti, a current trustee.

Trustees Janet Burson and Nicholas Boatner are seeking reelection. Matthew Leffler and Linda Pretet also filed for trustee.

Wheaton

Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess won’t face opposition in his bid for a third term. He was the only one to file for mayor.

Five people are seeking two councilmember-at-large positions, including incumbent Bradley J. Clousing. The other candidates are Randy King, Jim Pursley, Jackie Williamson and Kim Alanis.

Council member Erica Bray-Parker is not running again.

Downers Grove

Brian Krajewski, a sitting DuPage County Board member, is running to become mayor of Downers Grove.

He will face village Commissioner Christopher Gilmartin during the race.

Mayor Robert Barnett isn’t seeking reelection because Downers Grove limits mayors to serving two consecutive terms.

Meanwhile, four people have filed for three, 4-year seats as commissioner. Incumbents Michael Davenport and Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt will be on the ballot with Deborah Cernauskas and Meghan Goldstein.

Daily Herald reporter Rick West and Naperville Sun reporter Carolyn Stein contributed to this report.

ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com