With the latest attempt by local Democrats to kick off a minority council candidate now resolved, the council field is finally set. This time it was Nag Jaiswal who was persecuted by Naperville liberals. Jaiswal bested the liberal objectors before the hearing board and he will be on the ballot. Let’s see who we will have to choose from:
1. Jennifer Taylor. Incumbent. Former Cook Prosecutor. She’s direct and questions things. She’s been a good addition.
2. Benny White. Incumbent. Veteran of both the U.S. Army and this council. This will be his last term should he win as he will be termed out. Generally pleasant and soft spoken. The Watchdog is generally fine with White aside from his taking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tax breaks that he never disclosed and which appear suspect. On the dais, however, he’s usually been fine.
3. Ian Holzhauer. Incumbent. He’s a lawyer and by far the biggest partisan grandstander on the dais. He also took many thousands of dollars of tax exemptions through the use of credits intended for wounded warriors. This was never disclosed from the dais either. He’s rarely out in the community and appears perpetually unprepared during the meetings. This one has been a disaster and he simply needs to go.
4. Ashfaq Syed. Library Board President. He’s put his time into the community and then some. He’s a friendly man who’s only faux paux seems to be his getting sucked into these liberal groups. The relationship between the progressive Left and conservative Muslim community cannot possibly last. Run from these liberal groups Ashfaq!
5. Derek McDaniel. Plan Commissioner. Derek has been all over the community for years and brings a financial background. He’ll bring financial expertise and a friendly demeanor. He looks like a fine addition to council.
6. Meghna Bansal. Plan Commissioner. She missed being on council last cycle by a handful of votes. She’s started earlier this time around and is being more aggressive. She should also add a friendly and experienced voice to council.
7. Mary Gibson. Park Board Commissioner. Progressive liberal who voted for max property tax increases every year she’s been on the Park Board. She went along with the inane decision to try and censure then colleague Josh McBroom over a Facebook emoji. We don’t need more tax and spend liberal partisans in office. Avoid this one!
8. Nag Jaiswal. Nag’s greatest claim to fame is getting kicked off the Human Rights Commission over a controversial tweet…though Mayor Wehrli used his poor attendance as the official excuse for Nag’s. Nag gets after it but this a tough field. It’s unclear where his support will come from.
9. Farid Shabazz. Local liberals succeeded in getting the largely unknown Farid kicked off the ballot. He says he’s running as a write in candidate now. A long shot to put it mildly. That said we give Farid major props for not giving in to hate and for continuing his campaign despite the long odds.
This is a deep, diverse, and experienced field. Holzhauer aside, the rest of the field look like honest brokers and community first folks. We look forward to following all of their campaigns.
In the interim, we want to know, who are your top 4 picks if the election was today?
Write in Shabazz and leave it at that. The rest are all establishment, uniparty types.
McDaniel, taylor, bansal, jaiswal
I find your claim that Holzhauer is by far the biggest partisan grandstander to be objectively hilarious. Wasn’t it Councilman McBroom on national right wing media trying to dig out of his poorly planned attempt to “own the libs” by using immigrants for political gain? Didn’t McBroom also write an unsolicited letter to Texas Gov. Abbott expressing his approval for how the state of Texas is treating immigrants? Whether you approve or disapprove of these two councilmen, let’s inform and enlighten Naperville residents with facts please.
It’s also important to point out that Ian taking a property tax exemption is not illegal in anyway. In fact, just about every property owner takes at least one property tax exemption, so if this were illegal, then just about everyone resident of Naperville is guilty.
Also, the exemption Ian took was for a VA approved disability. It is funny how the people claiming this disability is a fraud do so without any medical information or expertise (training, degree, license, etc), while at the same time criticizing others for doing this very same thing on other issues or to other people (i.e. diagnosing a public figure’s mental state or fitness using what they see during public appearances).
The fact remains that the exemption Ian took is the same exemption other VA certified disabled vets in Naperville are taking. Implying that it is wrong for an elected official to exercise the same rights as every other person in our community is opening a can of worms that can bite any elected official in Naperville in the ass.
Oh bs, everyone knows Ian and Benny gamed the system. Neither one of them ever saw active combat. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Really!!? Without access to their VA medical records, how can you know anything about their medical condition?
As a Vet, I personally know many veterans that were never in combat but suffered service-related injures or medical conditions. Injuries or conditions they would never have suffered if not for serving their country. For example, my cousin’s husband suffered injuries (life-threatening) during a military training exercise (some idiot put a live artillery round in with the dummy round). He never saw combat but is a disabled Vet. I also know Vets that contracted malaria (a life-long disease) while on deployment that are disabled Vets. The assumption that only people who serve in combat can become disabled vets is a direct contradiction of the standards the VA uses to determine a veteran’s disability status.
If anyone is spewing BS and personal opinions as fact, it’s you!!!
You telling yourself that Jim. You say it enough you might even believe it.
When is Naperville and the surrounding villages going to oust the utterly worthless Senator Ellman and Reps. Yang and Stava-Murray? I have not seen such worthless representation for us in Springfield in a long time? I wonder why Dianne McGuire, Tim Thompson, Nancy Turner, and their compadres are not demanding reform in corrupt Springfield. Not one of those 3 have a courageous bone in their body. They continuously post puff pieces on their Facebook pages, while the corruption in Springfield burns as bright as ever. Come on Democrats! If you want to salvage and semblance of credibility you have left demand these three do something, for once!!!!