Three already taking aim at Naperville mayor's post
Next May, for the first time in 20 years, the mayor's seat in the state's fifth-largest city will be held by someone other than George Pradel.
With Pradel, Naperville's longest-serving mayor, saying he's ready to step down, three candidates already have emerged for his seat: Steve Chirico, James Haselhorst and Marty Walker. And the field for the April 7 election could get even bigger.
Chirico is a city council member and owner of Great Western Flooring. Haselhorst is a dental office manager and volunteer with the Naperville Jaycees. Walker is a retired firefighter and Exchange Club leader.
Candidates have until Nov. 24 to file their nominating petitions, and the three mayoral hopefuls all say they have started gathering the necessary signatures.
Chirico, 54, said his business experience and background as a council member since 2011 have given him the economic development and financial focus Naperville needs in its next mayor.
“I think I can do a good job. I think I have the right temperament; I have the right skill set,” he said Wednesday. “My practical experience, along with my business experience, sets me up well for the types of decisions that a mayor is expected to make.”
If Chirico wins, he knows he would be “the first mayor in many, many years who's a working mayor” as opposed to a retired person. But he decided more than a year ago he would run for mayor so he could create a transition plan at work and have enough time to devote to leading the city.
“Everyone should be able to do this if they're so inclined and they have the skill set,” Chirico said. “It's something I've been saying all along for council: you want to make it available for everyone, not just the wealthy or retired.”
Haselhorst, 54, said he thinks Naperville has been led by a “really good mayor” and he'd like to continue Pradel's focus on attending fundraisers and business openings in Naperville.
“The approach Pradel has made with attending community events and making his presence known is an important part of the image of the mayor and promoting the volunteerism,” Haselhorst said. “That's something I feel I could definitely continue.”
Haselhorst said he recently retired from the Navy after 21 years, and he thinks his service helped him build leadership skills and knowledge of how government operates.
Walker, 62, said several friends encouraged him to run since he moved to Naperville in 2007 and retired from the Carol Stream Fire Protection District two years ago. He said his focus would be to continue the collaborative efforts that bring great community spirit to Naperville.
He's already served as chairman of Ribfest in 2013 and worked to plan parades with the VFW and West Suburban Irish.
“Naperville really doesn't need a whole lot of changes. This is a beautiful city. What we need to work on now is building leadership teams,” Walker said. “It's going to be about bringing all these people together for the common cause of doing what's best for Naperville.”
City council members Paul Hinterlong and Doug Krause also pulled candidate petitions to possibly run for mayor. Hinterlong said he has decided to run for re-election to the city council. Krause said he will announce on Friday which position he is seeking.