Before the dust from Tuesday`s suburban primary races could settle, candidates began gearing up Wednesday for acrimonious contests in some suburbs in the April 4 election.
The liveliest political theater in the next five weeks most likely will be found in Du Page County`s York Township race for supervisor, as the upset victor for the Republican nomination braces for another expensive campaign and more well-worn charges of womanizing, a la former presidential candidate Gary Hart, and unsavory political practices.
Donald Swan, who has to be considered Du Page County`s comeback politician of the decade, could end up spending all of his $28,000 insurance salary in the York Township race to regain the post he was ousted from eight years ago by fellow Republicans disenchanted with controversies surrounding his personal and political life.
Perhaps the hottest mayoral race in the south suburbs is in Calumet City, where the Police Department was heavily criticized last year when a police officer was fired for not responding properly to the reported rape of a 12-year-old girl. Four-term Mayor Robert Stefaniak is facing off against veteran Ald. Dominick Gigliotti.
In Lake County, veteran Waukegan Aldermen Haig Paravonian, the Republican nominee, and Donald Weakley, the Democrat, will be battling it out for the mayor`s chair that has been held by Robert Sabonjian for 24 years, 20 of them consecutive.
In the far western suburbs, Naperville City Councilman Toby Hayer, the most outspoken independent on the seven-member council, faces a tough six-way race for three seats on the council after placing fourth in the primary race, 768 votes behind Naperville Plan Commission member Carolyn LeSage`s tally of 3,333. Incumbent J. Glenn Schneider and Douglas Krause were the top two vote- getters. Political newcomers Joseph M. Wozniak and Michael Pfister are also running.
And the heat is already on in the invective-filled Elmhurst mayoral election, with incumbent Robert J. Quinn trying to fend off charges of lying and opportunism from two other candidates-Abner Ganet, who once held the mayor`s post, and Ald. Charles H. Garrigues (7th).
In the area`s largest suburb, Aurora Mayor David Pierce said he isn`t taking his strong lead ahead of second-place challenger Donald Nelson for granted, even though Pierce`s vote tally in the four-way primary was the first time a mayoral candidate in recent Aurora history won more than 50 percent of a primary vote.
But it was Swan`s primary victory that enlivened what was otherwise a dull primary election in Du Page, where only 20,513 of the 126,202, or 16.3 percent, of the eligible voters went to the polls.
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In a surprise to almost every York Township candidate but himself, the 61-year-old Swan headed a field of four to win the GOP nomination for supervisor with 2,869 votes, 107 votes ahead of second-place Stephen J. Elliott, also of Lombard. Swan spent more than $15,000 in the primary.
Whether Swan and York`s Republicans who, according to Elliott, ”went to a primary eight years ago to get him out and four years ago to keep him out,” remains to be seen.
Both Swan and Gerald J. Marchese, York Township Republican Organization chairman, said they saw no problem working together to defeat Mark Starkovich, Swan`s Democratic opponent April 4. Starkovich likely will use some of the material distributed against Swan in the primary in an effort to break the GOP lock on township government.
”We`ll join hands,” Swan said. ”I don`t see any problem that way at all. They`ll all get out and work hard for the (GOP) ticket.”
”Today, the day after the primary, I step across the line with whatever
(Republican) candidate was elected the night before,” Marchese said. ”And Mr. Swan . . . whether we like it to not . . . is now the Republican flag-bearer, and me and all my committeemen will be on Mr. Swan`s side.”
Marchese said Swan`s past controversies, which included being scrutinized closely by law enforcement agencies, is ”water over the dam.”
In Aurora, Pierce`s challenger, Nelson, a retired bank executive who won 33 percent of the vote Tuesday after running a highly visible, well-financed campaign, plans to continue focusing on what he views as too few patrol officers on the street to battle crime and gang problems.
But Pierce, who acknowledges his city has a gang problem, said the mayor`s job entails a whole spectrum of issues, including the right direction of Aurora`s booming development.
The mayoral race in Calumet City centers on the city`s $1.6 million deficit and retention of Police Chief Steven Rhoads, whom Stefaniak brought in last year to clean up the image of the tarnished department. Stefaniak has pledged to reappoint the popular chief. Gigliotti is keeping mum.
In booming, southwest suburban Orland Park, Mayor Fred Owens and Trustee William Ciccone, who is challenging him, both say they want to avoid the kind of crowding and traffic congestion that plagues Du Page County.
Just north of Waukegan and along Sheridan Road, residents of the newly incorporated Village of Beach Park will be holding their first municipal elections.
In Arlington Heights, three village trustees are running for village president, a position that came up for grabs when 14-year board President James R. Ryan decided not to run again. The candidates are Edith T. Jolly, a 10-year trustee, William Maki, an 8-year trustee, and Diane Siles.
Downtown redevelopment is one of the issues in the race for village president of northwest suburban Barrington between Anna Markley Bush and Theodore J. Forsberg. Both are village trustees.
In Evanston, incumbent Mayor Joan Barr is seeking a second term against Rev. John Norwood, who also was a candidate in a three-way race for mayor that Barr won in 1985.