Mayor of Woodridge, Lisle, Warrenville Formally Oppose Naperville Annexation

The mayors of Woodridge, Lisle and Warrenville filed formal objections Monday to a petition suggesting the towns be annexed into Naperville.

The mayors, who were expected to file their objections after the petition started circulating last week, filed with the DuPage County Circuit Court as citizens of their individual towns, the Naperville Sun reported. All three leaders, as well as Naperville’s mayor, are still at a loss as to who started the petition in the first place.

“Naperville has unique characteristics, Lisle has unique characteristics,” Lisle Mayor Joe Broda told the Sun last week. “To me, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s laughable.”

Warrenville Mayor David Brummel agreed, saying he thought the petition was a non-issue. Naperville’s mayor, Steve Chirico, publicly said he didn’t support the initiative to merge the four municipalities.

“The main objection is to the number of signatures,” Chirico told the Sun on Monday. The largest petition, Lisle’s, racked up 221 signatures. The Warrenville petition had 81, and the Woodridge petition had 51.

Chirico also said he and the three other mayors will be asking state lawmakers to dissect the rules that made the petition possible. If the issue were to appear on the April ballot as a referendum question, and it passed, there isn’t anything local leaders could do to stop it, the Sun reported.

While all four mayors agreed they do not believe the petitions filed Jan. 3 include enough valid signatures to get the proposed question on the April ballot, they said it's important to oppose the
proposal to let residents know they do not support it.

"This petition has a lot of our residents up in arms," Brummel said. "Warrenville has a proud history, heritage and culture that revolves around our small town and rural roots.”

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