Village president's race drops to two candidates in Oak Brook
The race for village president in Oak Brook will feature two candidates instead of three after Trustee Michael Manzo announced Thursday he has dropped out.
Manzo instead will run for re-election to his seat as a trustee in the April 2 election, leaving incumbent Village President Gopal Lalmalani facing a challenge from Trustee John Baar.
Manzo originally filed to run for both the village's top seat and a trustee's post. He had until Wednesday to withdraw from seeking one of the positions. He said he decided not to run for village president because he wants the village to move forward in a united fashion as it considers redevelopment in the wake of the loss of the McDonald's headquarters.
"The problem we have in Oak Brook is historically every presidential election has been just filled with personal attacks, just really over-the-top rhetoric," Manzo said Thursday. "And it creates this division within our community that lasts long after Election Day."
Not wanting an "ugly, contested presidential race," Manzo said he chose to seek another term as a trustee, squaring off against incumbents Asif Yusuf and Edward Tiesenga as well as Leo Danielides, Marilyn Krafthefer and Gerald Wolin, a former village trustee. If Manzo wins one of three available seats, it will be his third term on the board after first being elected in 2011.
Although Manzo is no longer running for village president, the race remains contested between Lalmalani and Baar, a trustee since 2013.
With plenty of decisions to make about redevelopment, preserving the strength of retail and commercial destinations in Oak Brook, avoiding a municipal property tax and ensuring funding for pension payments, Baar said it's an important time for local government to function at top capacity.
"I believe in contested races," Baar said. "It's the time for the village to help define the vision that it has for its future, and that's what a democracy is all about."
While Manzo said he hopes to avoid the personal attacks that can come with a tightly fought race, Baar said he doubts the campaign will go down that road.
"I don't think elections need to be divisive as long as the people are talking about the issues, which I plan to do," Baar said. "You don't want to get into personalities."
Lalmalani also said he expects the campaign to remain issue-focused.
"No ugliness is going to come from my side, at least. I take the high road and I'm going to run on my record," Lalmalani said. "I have a strong eight-year record of good service, and we've done well for the village."
Manzo said he thinks Lalmalani has been doing a good job as village president since first being elected in 2011. On major issues, such as redevelopment and how to handle the McDonald's vacancy, Manzo said he and Lalmalani largely see eye-to-eye.
"We're very upset to see McDonald's leave. But it still presents us with a great opportunity to redevelop our community in the standard that we have put fourth for us," Manzo said. "In that sadness, there's great opportunity - that's how I see it."
Baar said he also supports "excellent, high-end development within the village" and he looks forward to the opportunity to make sure it is "appropriate and in the right place."
Lalmalani said he is glad for Manzo's decision to step out of the village president's race. With several redevelopment possibilities in the works on various segments of the McDonald's property and elsewhere, Lalmalani said he hopes his bid for a third term will successfully provide stability in village leadership.
"For me," he said, "it's a continuation of the steady hand that I've shown in the past eight years, and a continuation of the progress that we've made."