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player ready...All incumbent candidates for the Niles Park District Board of Commissioners were re-elected on April 7.
This year, three incumbents and two new candidates ran for three seats. Incumbents Ray Czarnik and Patrick Byrne faced off against newcomer Jason Trunco for two four-year seats. Incumbent Chris Zalinski faced off against newcomer Neil Cohen for one two-year seat.
Out of three incumbents, only Czarnik was previously elected. Byrne was appointed on June 18, 2013 to fill a seat left vacant by Commissioner Elaine Heinen, who retired and moved to a residential facility outside the park district. Zalinski was appointed on Oct. 2, 2013 to fill the seat left vacant after Commissioner Bill Terpinas died during that year’s Fourth of July parade.
Under the state law, the seat went up for grabs during the nearest municipal election. Now that he has been elected, Zalinski has to serve the remaining two years of Terpinas’ term.
While some of the other municipal elections were marked by arguments over platforms and positions, the park board elections were relatively peaceful. Trunco, who previously served as volunteer soccer coach and volunteer umpire at the Park District, repeatedly praised the board in general, including his opponents. He told Niles Herald-Spectator that he was running because he wanted to be a part of a great park district, and that he hoped to bring a fresh perspective to the district. In his campaign literature, Trunco described himself as “a new face for a great place.”
Czarnik and Byrne both told Niles Herald-Spectator that they were running based on their record of maintaining Park District services while keeping taxes low. Czarnik said he was particularly proud of the role he played in getting the Niles skate park off the ground, as well as the improvements to the Park District’s IceLand ice skating facilities.
Cohen also said that he was happy with the board. He argued that his experience on Cook County Sheriff’s Police will let him bring a valuable viewpoint to the board. Zalinski promised that he would listen to residents’ feedback.
“I want to know what the community wants and try to make it happen,” he said.
All incumbents were able to achieve majorities in their races. In the 4-year races, Czarnik earned 42.12 percent of the vote, while Byrne earned 37.42 percent and Trunco earned 20.46 percent. In the 2-year race, Zalinski won by a large margin, earning 71.19 percent of the vote, while Cohn earned 28.81 percent. The overall turnout was at 17 percent.
All incumbents attended the Niles Forward Party Election Day event. Niles Forward Party candidate and Niles Park District Director, invited them to speak in front of the crowd.
Czarnik thanked the voters and described the election as an important milestone.
“For the first time, it’s a clean sweep,” he said. “I look forward to the Park District and the village [of Niles] working together on a number of projects.”
Byrne also thanked all of his supporters, signaling out LoVerde in particular.
“It’s a testament to Joe’s hard work and effort,” he said. “I appreciate all of [everyone’s] support and hard work.”
Zalinski also thanked the voters, saying that the candidates passion for the parks made the difference.
“I think that’s why all three of us did so well – because we really believe the Park District is a top-notch organization,” he said.
When contacted by Niles Herald-Spectator, Trunco offered a followed statement.
“I would like to congratulate Ray and Patrick on their win,” he said. “I was able to be part of something very special in this election process. I made some wonderful friends and met a lot of great people along the way. In the end, beating an incumbent, or in this case two, is extremely difficult, especially when it is run like a well oiled machine.”
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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