Trustee races mostly contested in Fox Valley
Several village board races in the northern Fox Valley will be competitive, with eight candidates vying for seats on the Pingree Grove village board.
Filing for the local election in April ended this week. Here's a rundown:
Carpentersville
Six people are seeking four open seats. Up for grabs are three, 4-year terms, and one, 2-year term created after Trustee Doug Marks resigned. Running for four-year terms are: incumbent Patricia Schultz; Parks Commission member Virginia Stephens; Kevin Rehberg, appointed earlier this year to fill part of Marks' term; Kent Baldwin, who ran for the board the last two times and lost; and Bryan Moore, a political newcomer. Incumbent Kay Teeter is alone in her quest for a two-year seat.
East Dundee
A blend of five incumbents and political newcomers are vying for three seats on the village board. They are incumbents Rob Gorman, Paul VanOstenbridge and challengers Mark Poynor, Dan Selep and Kirstin Wood.
Fox River Grove
Six candidates are running for three seats. Incumbents Michael Ireland and Suzanne Blohm, and residents Tom Anderson, Andrew Migdal, Robert Kandler and Chester Olencheck filed nominating petitions. Trustee Gerry Menzel is not seeking re-election. Olencheck unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the village board in 2011.
Hampshire
Three seats are open, and five people are running: incumbents George Brust and Martin Ebert and challengers Michael Redd Jr., Deborah Mirandi and Connie Von Keudell.
Huntley
Four people are angling for three seats. They are: incumbent John Piwko, former trustee Jayant Kadakia, JR Westberg, who is active in the Huntley Jaycees, and Ronda Goldman, vice president of the Huntley Civilian Police Academy Alumni Association. Kadakia was a one-term trustee before he lost the 2011 election. Several months later, the board deadlocked on a vote to appoint him to an open trustee slot and later tapped someone else.
Pingree Grove
Eight candidates are vying for three seats on the village board. They are: incumbents Ray LaMarca and Steve Wiedmeyer, and residents Pat Whalen, Bruce Barnes, Charles Pearson, Rich Eckert, Joe Nowosielski and Lon Czarnecki. Eckert and Nowosielski both serve on the village's plan commission. Trustee Joshua Cossiboon is not seeking re-election.
South Elgin
Incumbents John Sweet, Scott Richmond and William “Bill” DiFulvio are seeking re-election for three seats on the village board, while candidates Robert Sauceda and Jennifer Barconi hope to unseat one of them. Both Sauceda and Barconi unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Kane County Board earlier this year.
West Dundee
Three seats are vacant, and one incumbent, along with three challengers, are running. Incumbent Patrick Hanley is joined by newcomers William Pflanz, Daniel Wilbrandt and Darren Parochelli in the race to secure a board seat. Trustees Julie Voss and Norm Osth are not seeking re-election.
Parochelli last ran for the Kane County Board in November but was defeated.
Uncontested races
In Cary, trustees Jeffery Kraus and Dwayne “Rick” Dudek, and resident David Chapman filed nominating petitions for three slots. Trustee Raymond Chisholm is not seeking re-election.
In Gilberts, three seats are empty. Incumbents Nancy Farrell and Guy Zambetti, and resident David LeClercq, who serves on the village's plan commission, filed nominating papers. Trustee Everett Clark is not seeking re-election.
Meanwhile, four seats are open for Sleepy Hollow trustee — three, 4-year terms and one, 2-year term. Incumbents Donald Ziemba, Russell Getz and Jeff Seiler are running for full terms, while incumbent Joseph Nemec is seeking a two-year seat.
Staff writer Elena Ferrarin contributed to this report