Mix of incumbents, newcomers win seats on Naperville City Council

Two newcomers along with a pair of incumbents captured the four open seats on the Naperville City Council in one of the most competitive municipal races Tuesday in DuPage County.

Paul Hinterlong and Patty Gustin will return to the council for new terms, joined by fresh faces Patrick Kelly and Theresa Sullivan.

With all 140 precincts in DuPage and Will counties reporting, Hinterlong led the field of 11 candidates with 9,646 votes, unofficial results show. Gustin finished second with 9,322 votes, followed by Kelly with 7,215 and Sullivan with 6,907.

Out of contention were Bruce Hanson, Bradford Miller, Michele Hilger Clemen, Nancy Turner, Joseph McElroy, Whitney Robbins and Barbara O'Meara.

Hinterlong, a licensed plumber and business representative first elected in 2009, and Gustin, a real estate broker and paralegal completing her first term, were the only incumbents in the hard-fought race.

Several hot-button issues - structural flaws with the iconic Moser Tower, redevelopment of the 5th Avenue corridor and potential moves for the DuPage Children's Museum and Ribfest - loom before the next city council.

Sullivan has supported a proposed referendum question on the future of the landmark spire that houses a 72-bell carillon and dominates the city's skyline from its perch on Naperville's Riverwalk.

By contrast, Hinterlong has said the city can consider quick fixes and long-term solutions as the city reviews the findings of a new draft report unveiled last month. Additional testing determined the spire is in better shape than originally feared.

Hinterlong and Gustin have suggested tapping the Special Events and Cultural Amenities fund, which gets its money from a food and beverage tax, to pay for repairs.

"We've got time to make it right and find the funding," Hinterlong said in the run-up to the election. "For us to come in and tear this down, I think that would just be horrible."

An inauguration ceremony for the newly elected council members is tentatively set for 1 p.m. May 5.

Lisle

Voters handed victories to two Lisle trustee challengers, while only one incumbent appeared to survive the hotly contested race for three village board seats.

With all 30 precincts reporting late Tuesday, winning 4-year terms are Sara Sayed Sadat with 1,660 votes and Stephen Winz with 1,488 votes, according to unofficial tallies.

In third place, incumbent Cathy Cawiezel held a 37-vote lead over opponent Michael Olson, a commercial banker.

Mark Patrick Boyle came up short in his re-election bid with 1,029 votes. Claire Goldenberg trailed with 984 votes, followed by Charles Rego with 868 votes.

Cawiezel has floated an idea to move the library to downtown as part of a mix-used project.

Cawiezel also has disputed contentions that the core business district needs more apartments to boost foot traffic.

"We need to look at other things that will up that foot traffic in a more consistent manner," Cawiezel said. "I think the library is a very real opportunity."

Sadat, a senior leader of a project management office in the not-for-profit field, and Winz, an operating engineer, captured their first elected posts.

Boyle's defeat leaves the board with one less critic of Mayor Christopher Pecak, who unseated longtime village leader Joe Broda in April 2017.

Wheaton

Suzanne Fitch decisively secured a second city council term with 4,909 votes Tuesday, while newcomer Erica Bray-Parker notched the other at-large spot with 3,564 votes. Ron Almiron, an attorney, lost his second attempt at a council seat with 2,574 votes.

With another four years on the council, Fitch, an attorney and former member of the city's planning and zoning board, plans to push for more investment in the city's road and sidewalks.

The city now spends about $3.5 million a year for street resurfacing, rehabilitation and reconstruction, and Fitch wants the city to allocate about $5 million annually to confront a backlog of roadwork.

Roughly 15 miles of street need total reconstruction at a cost of roughly $15 million, Fitch said during the campaign.

"Our residents want that. We've heard a lot of complaints about it, and so I just want to get ahead of that," she said.

Bray-Parker has been a civics teacher at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream for 24 years and lived in Wheaton for more than two decades.

No one city issue spurred Bray-Parker to run, but she has said her career teaching government engagement makes her a natural fit for a "high-functioning city council."

"I intend to use my passion for active citizenship and the skill set that I've established as a professional to help with the city council and to represent all members of my community," she said at a League of Womens Voter forum.

Four council members represent the city's four voting districts, while two members and the mayor are elected at-large. With his loss in the mayoral race Tuesday, John Prendiville's tenure as a three-term councilman will end in May.

Winfield

Incumbents Dennis Hogan and Carl Sorgatz as well as their ally Emily Jacobs handily swept all three open seats on Winfield's village board, defeating an opposing slate that had the backing of Village President Erik Spande.

Sorgatz and Jacobs, a high school teacher, each collected 1,149 votes, unofficial results show. Hogan followed close behind with 1,172 votes. The trio also filed to claim the top three spots on the ballot.

Falling short were incumbent Robert Greer with 651 votes, Karri Custardo with 628 votes and Joslyn Almirall with 601 votes.

The outcome of the six-way race could have major bearing on the future of stalled negotiations with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital about a massive redevelopment that would turn a fading section of Winfield's Town Center into a medical and commercial district.

Though the village and the tax-exempt hospital appeared to find common ground last fall, sticking points remain over how much of the development should be subject to property taxes and for how long.

Running on the "Keep the Momentum" slate with the Spande's endorsement, Greer, Custardo and Almirall have been largely supportive of the village's approach to talks.

During the campaign, the opposing "Winfield Working Together" slate - Hogan, Sorgatz and Jacobs - had a far less complimentary view of talks.

Sorgatz has called for a written summary of each meeting between the two sides. Jacobs has said a trustee should join the village's negotiating team.