Shorewood Trustee Says He's Running for State Senate

Gary Fitzgerald joins three others who say they are or may be candidates in the 2012 Republican primary.

Shorewood Village trustee Gary Fitzgerald is the fourth candidate to announce interest in running as a Republican for the newly created 49th District Illinois Senate seat. He joins a field in which Plainfield Village trustee Garrett Peck has already announced his election plans and Tony Giles, an Oswego village trustee, and Robert Kalnicky, a Fountaindale Library Board member, have formed exploratory committees. Thus far, no Democrats have publicly announced they are running in the 2012 primary. Fitzgerald, a 10-year, three-term Shorewood Village Board member, is a senior management administrator for a major health plan, former president of the Will County Board of Health and former director of criminal justice planning for the city of …

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Local Lawyer Throws Down Gauntlet at Glasgow, Challenges For State's Attorney's Office

Dave Carlson of Joliet announces intention to run for Will County post in 2012 election.

A former prosecutor currently in private practice in Joliet announced his intention to take on Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow in the 2012 election. “I am running for the office of state’s attorney because the people of Will County deserve better," said challenger Dave Carlson in a statement he released Thursday. "The office needs to be led from the top by a trial lawyer, not a career politician," Carlson said. "The state’s attorney should be someone the public sees as leading the charge against crime, someone who is in the courthouse every day, not somebody who appears only for press conferences." Carlson worked as an assistant state's attorney under Glasgow and Glasgow's predecessor, Jeff Tomczak. Tomczak, a Republican, …

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From The Editor

Patch to Open Sites in Key Primary States Before 2012 Election

Sites to launch in key primary states, first "Patch Military" going live.

The following is a press release from Patch headquarters.  --- NEW YORK—Patch, the hyperlocal news, information, and community arm of AOL Huffington Post Media Group, today announced that it will launch 33 new sites in New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina – the first three states to hold primaries in 2012. In addition, Patch has announced the launch of the first Patch Military site: Camp Pendleton Patch. “With its hyperlocal focus, Patch has the ability to be the eyes and ears for what is happening at the grassroots level all across the country,” said Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief of AOL Huffington Post Media Group. “By expanding to key primary states, Patch positions itself squarely on the front lines of the …

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Incumbents Win Re-Election in Village Board Race

Of the six races that Bolingbrook residents could vote on, five were won by incumbents. The other was won by the candidate supported by incumbents.

Tuesday was a good day to be an incumbent in Bolingbrook. Despite voters' lackluster performance, five of the six races that Bolingbrook residents vote on were won by those candidates already holding the position. And the one race that had no incumbent running was overwhelmingly claimed by the candidate that the incumbents fully endorsed. In what has been a hotly contested Village Board race, voters ultimately chose to stick with Leroy Brown, Ricardo Morales and Patricia Schanks—all running on the First Party for Bolingbrook ticket—rather than vote in newcomers Bob Bowen and Rhonda Reed-Slaughter, both of whom ran as independents. Among Will County voters, Brown snagged the most votes of any Village Board candidate, garnering 24 percent of…

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Election 2011: Bolingbrook Patch Election Day HQ

Voters will head to the ballot booth tomorrow. This year's election will have lasting implications on the local level for years to come. Here's a guide to some of the most important issues.

Election Day is upon us. We hope you're ready. We know we are. Bolingbrook Patch will be keeping a close watch on what's happening at the polls, providing up-to-the-minute coverage of election results. We'll also be updating our site throughout the day Tuesday. Don't forget to bookmark Bolingbrook Patch for updates, as well as our Election Central 2011 page, where you can find more information on today's consolidated election, including how to find your polling place and view sample ballots. Polls open at 6 a.m. today and close at 7 p.m.  Thousands of Bolingbrook residents will have the opportunity to participate in one of the most quintessential American privileges  — voting.  At stake? A lot. The way you vote tomorrow will have a direct …

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Valley View Candidates Make Their Case At Chamber Forum

Nine of 10 school board hopefuls present positions on finances, policies.

Candidates running for the April 5 school board election made their cases as to how they could address several district issues, including a projected $9.7 million budget deficit and test scores trending in the wrong direction. Nine of the 10 candidates running for a seat on the Valley View School District 365U Board of Education spoke Thursday at a Meet the Candidates Forum sponsored by the Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce. Candidates were given three minutes to talk about whatever they wanted, although most focused on their ability to make tough financial decisions or close the achievement gap. Only Philip Wilson, who is running for a four-year term, did not attend.  The rest— four-year term candidates April Gavin, Rick Gougis, Kenneth…

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Ten Candidates Seek Spots on VVSD Board

Several incumbents are among those hoping to win one of four open seats in the April 5, 2011 election.

The petitions are in, and 10 candidates will vie for four spots on the Valley View School District 365U Board of Education. Three of the four open seats carry a four-year term. Two candidates filed petitions to seek a two-year spot on the board. Seeking four-year terms are: Because they turned in their petitions as soon as filing opened on Dec. 13, Quigley, Venegas, Gougis, Gavin, Wilson and Simmons' names will be entered in a lottery to determine the order in which they'll appear on the ballot. The lottery is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22. Running for the open two-year spot on the board are Chrystal Hansen, 418 Foxborough Tr., Bolingbrook; and Robert Leach, 278 Malibu Dr., Romeoville. The deadline to file petitions was 5 p.m. Monday.

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Crenshaw Bashes Capital Bill, Says No to Higher Taxes

Republican candidate for Illinois state Senate Cedra Crenshaw spoke to a group of Bolingbrook residents Monday night at a town-hall style meeting.

State Senate hopeful Cedra Crenshaw said she would not vote for a tax increase and push a forensic audit of state spending if elected. Crenshaw, a Republican candidate running against current state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet, in the 43rd District, said she believes a forensic audit would reveal millions of dollars in wasteful spending and highlight entire departments that could be "zeroed out." Crenshaw spoke to a group of citizens at a town-hall style meeting at Ashbury's at Boughton Ridge Monday evening. She said she would oppose any type of tax increase, which she says would make matters worse by driving people and businesses across state lines. "Just raising taxes is not the solution," she said. "Increasing taxes by that magnitude …

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