Some thought it would be a landslide vote for mayoral candidate Steve Chirico, others thought it might be a horse race to the wire. If it was a horse race, then Chirico (10,671 votes) was Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes winning by a margin of two to one over Doug Krause; (5,172 votes).
Chirico put up ‘Pradel-like’ numbers against Krause, thereby also retiring Doug Krause from the Naperville city council after more than a quarter-of-a-century of service on the council (1989 – 2015).
On May 3, when the new council takes the oath of office, Krause will officially become a footnote in Naperville politics. Krause holds a record that will be difficult to beat; five runs for mayor, and five straight second-place finishes, surpassing the Buffalo Bills four attempts to win the Super Bowl.
Mayor-elect Steve Chirico will now become the point-person centered at the dais, flanked by the city attorney and city manager, along with two incumbent council members (Brodhead and Hinterlong) and six new council members. Name tags would be suggested.
The current Naperville city council has one remaining meeting (April 21), then it will be out with the old and in with the new. Newly elected council member Kevin Gallagher is part of the new, and also part of the old, having served on the city council previously (1995-2002). What do you call a city council candidate who comes in 8th place? Yes, you call him councilman.
Given Gallagher’s 13 year absence, means we may not have seen the last of councilmen named Doug or Dick.
The salient question is, will this new council be any better then the last or will they continue to spend beyond our means, play favorites with their politically connected buddies, ignore citizens rights and wishes, continue to restrict our freedoms with inane and needless regulations or will we have a renascence of enlighten leadership? Nah!
I am certain the City Council Watchdog will be keeping a keen eye on this new council. Eamus Catuli!