Naperville Will Have A Guaranteed Loser

Somebody is going to lose. That’s usually how it works unless an incumbent doesn’t have a challenger. Is there anything an incumbent likes more than running for office without an opponent.

Naperville’s municipal election is 226 days from today; April 2, 2019. Finally, someone has announced plans to run for a seat on the Naperville city council. Bruce Hanson, Naperville Planning and Zoning Commissioner, has thrown his hat into the ring, as the first non-incumbent seeking election.

Chances are with the weak assortment of four current city council members running for re-election, candidates will begin to follow the lead of Hanson and line-up for their chance to get one more vote than the person coming in fifth place. To get elected, you don’t have to get the most votes, just be one of the top four vote-getters.

It reminds me of the story of two fellows on a safari in Africa when they notice a tiger, a short distance away, looking in their direction. One of the fellows reaches into his backpack to put on his running shoes, and the other fellow says “there’s no way you can out run that tiger”, to which the first fellow says, “I don’t have to, all I have to do is outrun you”.

The four incumbents, Becky (sanctuary city) Anderson, Patty (can’t stop talking) Gustin, Rebecca (hyphenated) Obarski, and Paul (answer a question with a question) Hinterlong have yet to announce plans for re-election. Odds are that each will run, unless they know they can’t win, which means they will probably run. Politicians have a way of over-valuing their stock price. If all four run, along with one non-incumbent, somebody has to lose.

Anderson and Gustin appear to be the most beatable, while Obarski is on solid ground, and Hinterlong hangs around like gum on your shoe on a hot August day.

Bruce Hanson, an 18 year Naperville resident, enters the fray with a good resume ‘on paper’ including:

  • Secretary for the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission
  • Naperville Public Library trustee
  • Served on the SECA (Special Events and Cultural Amenities) Commission
  • Chairman of Naperville’s Financial Advisory Board
  • President for Naperville United Way
  • Treasurer for Naperville Heritage Society Board

A lot of folks look good ‘on paper’, however it takes more than that to get elected. A good pair of running shoes would be advised.

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