Endorsement: Iden for Bloomingdale village president

In Bloomingdale, former state Rep. Franco Coladipietro challenges 20-year incumbent Bob Iden for the job of village president. Coladipietro, who brings enthusiasm and energy to the campaign, says the village has become “stagnant” in its commercial and business growth and needs to be more proactive in courting developers. But Iden points out business is doing well in Bloomingdale, one example being a Wal-Mart that wants to expand. Overall, he has a track record that’s hard to knock, and he has managed a town free of scandal and controversy. We like his hands-on approach of meeting monthly with owners/general managers of Indian Lakes and Stratford Square Mall, and he often talks to restaurant owners about the village’s business climate. He was active in finding a compromise when, to residents’ chagrin, developers wanted to build a massive condo complex on part of Indian Lakes. And with that healthy tax base, Bloomingdale has abated $11 million in property taxes the past four years. He also has chaired the DuPage Regional Planning Commission and was DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference president in 2009-2010. Idenis endorsed.