HG-Lockport Election: Township, Village, City, School Boards

HOMER GLEN-LOCKPORT, IL — Election Day is almost here. There are several contested elections in Homer Glen and Lockport for township positions, Lockport Mayor, Lockport Alderpersons, school boards, and library board of trustees.

In Lockport, the city council is made up of the mayor, clerk, treasurer and eight alderpersons, who represent the four wards of the city. There are two alderpersons elected to represent each ward.

There are three candidates running for mayor of Lockport:

• Catherine Perretta
• Steve Streit
• Ronald Cornolo

There are three candidates running for two open positions as alderperson of ward 1:

• Karen Kostecki
• Matt Kairis
• Jonathan Pugh

There are two candidates running for one open position as alderperson of ward 2:

• Nick Klementzos
• Larry Schreiber

There are two candidates running for one open position as alderperson of ward 3:

• Rocco Colella Jr.
• Christina Bergbower

There are two candidates running for one open position as alderperson of ward 4:

• Peggy Franklin
• Renee Saban

Incumbent candidates include: Streit, Saban, Bergbower, and Schreiber.

Perretta, who is running for mayor, is the current alderwoman for ward 4. According to her campaign website, Perretta has an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Perretta discusses "smart development" as one of her priorities on her campaign website. She also lists planning family-friendly activities as a priority if she is elected mayor.

Streit is the current mayor of Lockport and lists priorities of public safety, infrastructure, water quality improvement, downtown revitalization, and "hold[ing] the line on logistics/warehousing operations on new properties," on his campaign website.

Cornolo owns a travel agency in Lockport, and has served as president of the Lockport Rotary and Lockport Lions Club, according to his Facebook page.

Village of Homer Glen Village Board

Like the city of Lockport, the Village of Homer Glen also has several open positions on its Village Board. There are six candidates running for three open positions on the board:

• Broque Backal
• Dan Fialko
• Jennifer "Norma Rae" Trzos-Consolino
• Carlo Caprio
• Keith Gray
• Rose Reynders

Backal, Gray, and Caprio are current trustees.

Backal was appointed as a village trustee in 2020. He was previously the chairman of the plan commission.

Caprio was also appointed as a village trustee in 2020. He had previously served on the board from 2015 to 2019, but lost re-election in 2019.

Gray, Caprio and Backal are running together, and cite priorities of enhanced quality of life, open and honest government, strong fiscal management, and quality development for the community.

Consolino, Fialko and Reynders are running together on the People Not Politics slate. According to their Facebook page, the slate is against local municipal taxes, believes in controlled density, and true transparency and less regulation.

Nicole La Ha, who is running unopposed for an unexpired 2-year term for village trustee, is also part of the slate.

Homer Township

Perhaps one of the most contentious races in the area involves contested races for Homer Township positions. Contested races include Homer Township Supervisor, Township Clerk, Township Assessor, Township Highway Commissioner, Township Collector, and Township Trustee.

Candidates for supervisor are:

• Stephen Balich
• Pam Meyers

Candidates for clerk are:

• Vicki Bozen
• Kathleen Kruczek

Candidates for assessor are:

• Carmen Maurella
• Karen Szynkowski

Candidates for highway commissioner are:

• Brent Porfilio
• John Ash

Candidates for collector are:

• Mark Gawron
• Quinn Polaski

Lastly, there are eight candidates running for four open trustee positions on the Homer Township Board.

• Matthew Connelly
• Rob Rivera
• Angela Adolf
• Mike Bonomo
• Ed Kalas
• Tom Fijan
• Ken Marcin
• Sharon Sweas

Patch has spoken to candidates several times throughout the election season. Current township supervisor Pam Meyers has called out candidate Stephen Balich for his "slanderous posts" about the current board.

Concerned residents also reached out to Patch about social media postings of candidates on Balich's Republican slate. Patch spoke to highway commissioner candidate Brent Porfilio, who was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, but said he was a "peaceful observer."

Patch also spoke to Porfilio again, as well as trustee candidate Mike Bonomo about comments they made on a photo of several people being hanged for attempting to overthrow President Abraham Lincoln.

Bonomo had commented that this event "should be held at a Trump rally," while Porfilio wrote, "We need to implement this in today's political landscape."

When asked what the candidates would say to voters who find these comments distasteful or concerning, Bonomo said people say stupid things based on the moment.

"You can put my comment in that category of ignorance. Of course, I believe in a democracy and let the best person win," he said.

Porfilio said the picture shows people hanged for treason, which is a serious crime.

"Today, treason against the [President] is still punishable by death. Sentencing for treason is up to the judge and his interpretation of the law and the offense," he said.

The Homer Township Republican slate includes Balich, Bozen, Porfilio, Maurella, Adolf, Bonomo, Connelly and Rivera.

The Homer Township United slate includes Meyers, Kruczek, Szynkowski, Ash, Polaski, Kalas, Fijan, Marcin and Sweas.

Lockport Township

Lockport Township also has several contested races, including those for township supervisor, township clerk, township assessor, township highway commissioner, township collector, and township trustee.

Candidates for supervisor are:

• Darren Deskin
• Ron Alberico

Candidates for clerk are:

• Annette Parker
• Erin Gotts

Candidates for assessor are:

• Tim McNally
• Mary Ann Williamson

Candidates for highway commissioner are:

• Jim Louch
• John Batusich

Candidates for collector are:

• Jessica Cannaday
• Estiver Salamanca

There are eight candidates running for four open trustee positions for the township board:

• Gregg Bickus
• Denise Salvino
• Ken Beaton
• Michael Lewandowski
• Dean Morelli
• Karen Johnson
• Sherry Williams
• Scott Pointon

Louch, Bickus, Deskin, McNally, Parker, Cannaday, Salvino, Beaton, and Lewandowski are all running as Republicans on the Lockport Township Republican slate.

According to the slate's website, Louch and Bickus are both incumbents.

Alberico, Williamson, Batusich, Gotts, Morelli, Johnson, Williams, Pointon and Salamanca are running as Democrats on the Lockport Township Democratic slate. According to the slate's website, Alberico, Williamson, Morelli, Johnson, and Williams are incumbents.

Homer Township Library Board

Four candidates are running for three open positions on the library board:

• Robert Mikols
• Kathryn Mitchell
• Phyllis Dahlstrand
• Eileen McCaffrey

Dahlstrand, McCaffrey and Mitchell are all current board members, while Mikols is a newcomer candidate.

Mikols is retired, but previously worked in the trucking industry. In his questionnaire, he wrote that "taxes and regulations" are the most pressing issues for the board.

Mitchell is a former employee at the library, and has served on the board for the last eight years, according to the library website.

Dahlstrand is a retired physical therapist, and has been on the library board since 2009. She wrote that the most pressing issue facing the board is meeting the demands of a growing Homer Township, while being fiscally responsible.

McCaffrey is an elementary school principal, and wrote that the most pressing issue for the board is "increasing the available resources and programs at the library," including space.

District 33C Board of Education

Six candidates are running for four open positions on the Homer Community Consolidated School District No. 33C:

• Jennifer Rudolph
• Karen DeFilippis
• Kevin DeSchaaf
• Cesar Marin
• Lawrence Vacala
• Melissa Chandarana

DeFilippis and DeSchaaf are current board members.

Rudolph has previously worked for General Motors. In her questionnaire, she cites the biggest issue facing the district as getting and making sure children are back in school safely.

DeFilippis is a retired teacher, and has been on the board since 2017. In her Patch questionnaire, she wrote that, "As we begin to bring some normalcy to our community and schools, our mission is to identify, measure, support and heal our children and teaching community over the next several years and into our future. "

DeSchaaf works in advertising and marketing, and wrote that returning to normalcy and addressing future growth are the most pressing issues facing the board.

Vacala is a police sergeant and would be a newcomer to the board. He wrote that "overcrowding of our schools is becoming a pressing issue."

"Class sizes are growing and the amount of children with special needs is also growing. We need to address this with the hiring of more staff, acquiring new land and/or buildings," he wrote in his questionnaire.

Chandarana, another newcomer candidate, is a business manager at a nonprofit. She wrote that the most pressing issue facing the board is also capacity constraints.

"My goal as a member of the 33C School Board will be to collaborate with the various stakeholders to help ensure we are prepared for future challenges," she wrote.

Polling places in Homer Glen and Lockport are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday. You can check to see if you are registered to vote by heading to the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

The law requires registered voters to keep their name and address current, and you will not be able to vote in the April consolidated election if you are not properly registered.

If you're a Will County voter, you can find lists of candidates on the Clerk's website.

Follow Along On Election Night

Homer Glen-Lockport Patch will be covering local contested elections on April 6.

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