2017 Hoffman Estates trustee candidate will run for mayor
Hoffman Estates resident Nicholas Waryas, who unsuccessfully ran for village trustee in 2017, said Thursday he will challenge Mayor Bill McLeod's re-election bid in 2021.
Waryas said his 2017 campaign was intended as a springboard to run for mayor and he believes it accomplished its mission of generating name recognition.
His platform calls for passing term limits in Hoffman Estates, protecting the village's remaining farmland from developers, lowering property taxes and eliminating the village's stormwater tax.
"We're losing farmland in Illinois," Waryas said. "We need to make sure our rural communities stay rural."
Waryas said he is seeking the mayor's office because it could provide leverage for his platform. He feels another run for trustee would require two like-minded running mates and he is unaware of anyone willing to make that commitment.
The 2002 Hoffman Estates High School graduate says he was a little green during his trustee campaign but has since become more involved in the community. He said he distributed about 2,000 brochures for Mark Cramer's successful run for the Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board of education this spring and also might attend more village board meetings ahead of the April 2021 election.
Waryas said he is unemployed due to being disabled and qualifies for disability pay.
McLeod acknowledged the announcement of a contested mayoral race Thursday.
"Every four years we come together to elect a mayor," he said. "Everyone has the right to run."
Joining McLeod to announce 2021 re-election bids this week were trustees Karen Arnet, Michael Gaeta, Karen Mills and Village Clerk Bev Romanoff.