Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

News reports this year have painted a picture of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District as an agency engulfed in a bureaucratic morass.

The district seems increasingly on the wrong side of issues such as controlling the Asian carp and water disinfection, while embarrassing reports of exorbitant travel expenditures and high salaries distract from meeting demands brought by neighboring states and government agencies.

New blood must challenge the status quo. We endorse Paul Chialdikas, a Republican from Lemont. He supports cleaner water through disinfection and will provide a much-needed voice from the suburbs especially on the district's stormwater ordinance. We also endorse Democrats Mariyana Spyropoulos and Michael Alvarez, but with some concern that they follow through with their aim to pursue disinfection and police the district budget.

Also running: Democrat Barbara McGowan; Green Party candidates John Alley, Nadine Anne Bopp and Diana Horton; and Republican Jimmy Lee Tillman II.