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10 want West District seat on Wheaton City Council

Wheaton City Council members have their pick of 10 applicants seeking to fill a vacant seat representing the West District.

The group of candidates vying for a 2-year appointment to the council includes some familiar names in DuPage County politics.

The applicants are Nancy Harding, Edward Ahern, Jeffrey Antonelli, Robert McNeily, Lynn Robbins, Mark Kmiecik, Angela Blatner, David Diersen, Khizar Jafri and Krista Selvey.

Diersen is the founder of the daily newsletter Gopillinois.com.

McNeily lost his bid for the West District seat in 2016 against incumbent Todd Scalzo. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the Midwest regional manager of Turning Point USA, a conservative group founded by Wheeling High School alum Charlie Kirk for college and high school students.

Robbins, a former Illinois Park and Recreation Association board member, also ran unsuccessfully against Scalzo for the West District seat in 2016.

Kmiecik finished third in another three-way race for the seat in 2009.

Jafri, a finance and accounting consultant, lost to Tim Elliott for a District 4 spot on the DuPage County Board in 2016. The Democrat was seeking his first elected office at the time.

Four council members represent Wheaton's four voting districts, while two members and the mayor are elected at-large.

The seat became vacant in July when Scalzo, an attorney, stepped down after 10 years. The council is set to vote on appointing his successor in September.

Council members recently filled another empty 2-year council seat. The North District seat became vacant in May when Phil Suess was sworn in as Wheaton's first new mayor in 12 years. The council named Christopher Zaruba to the post on July 1 from a field of 13 applicants.

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