Term limits divide forest preserve candidates

DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioner Roger Kotecki has served the residents of District 6 for two decades.

That's too long, according to the West Chicago woman trying to unseat the Republican.

“I am not a career politician, said Shannon Burns, Kotecki's Democratic challenger. “I am a community member who has the time and energy to give something back.

Term limits was the biggest issue dividing both candidates this week during a Daily Herald endorsement interview.

Burns says a forest preserve commissioner shouldn't serve on the board for more than 14 years.

But Kotecki said he's held his seat since 1990 because he's been “an advocate for the people.

“We have term limits, he said. “They are called elections. People can choose to replace somebody who runs again.

Kotecki, an attorney from Warrenville, describes himself as a public servant who listens to constituents to the best of his ability. He says his top priority is to preserve, protect, restock and restore the land.

As a business owner, Burns said she has developed interpersonal skills that would help her work with other commissioners and win support for the issues she supports.

“I don't believe it's enough to simply have an oppositional vote when the rest of the board votes yes, she said.

One issue on which Burns and Kotecki agree is their opposition to a proposal to construct a new maintenance garage at Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville.

The project has been on hold to give forest preserve officials time to seek alternate sites for the 29,000-square-foot garage near McKee Marsh off Mack Road.

“I am opposed to expanding that facility at that location unless somebody can prove to me that that's the best thing to do, Kotecki said. “That has not been demonstrated to me.

The Blackwell site was chosen because there's already a fueling facility there. The district is looking to consolidate fleet service operations to one spot within the county instead of the two existing locations.

The other fleet services building is at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve near Glen Ellyn.

Burns said she's not convinced consolidating fleet maintenance is the right approach. She said the district could build a smaller facility to manage large equipment and make major repairs. Then satellite maintenance facilities could be used for routine maintenance, such as oil changes and brake jobs.

District 6 covers the northwest corner of the county and includes portions or all of Bartlett, Carol Stream, West Chicago, Winfield, Wheaton, Warrenville, Naperville and Aurora.