Longtime Oak Brook Village Clerk Charlotte Pruss has changed her mind and decided to seek reelection in the April 4, 2023, Consolidated Election.
Pruss, who was first elected in 2007, previously said her current four-year term would be her last.
“I did change my mind,” she said. “I thought it was a good thing to do.”
As of Nov. 1, nobody else had spoken out publicly with plans to challenge Pruss in the next election, and Pruss doesn’t expect any competition.
“All I have to do is file my petitions and get one vote,” she said.
To be on the ballot in April 2023, candidate nominating papers, including petitions signed by registered voters, must be submitted during the period of Dec. 12-19.
The three announced candidates for Village President in the 2023 election, current Village Board members Larry Herman, Suresh Reddy and Asif Yusuf, each had different takes when asked if they are endorsing Pruss for another term.
Yusuf said he supports Pruss in her bid for reelection.
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“I have a great working relationship with Charlotte,” he said. “In addition, I am not aware of anyone else running, so I certainly have not aligned myself with anyone else.”
Yusuf said he has a ballot petition sheet for Pruss for which he will be seeking signatures.
“As we sit right now, there is absolutely no reason for me to be hesitant to endorse Charlotte,” Yusuf said.
Reddy said he would love to endorse Pruss openly “whenever she is ready to endorse me.”
“Charlotte is a very hardworking, sincere, honest person and very dedicated to her job,” Reddy said. “I would love to have her on my panel.”
Pruss said she plans to run as an independent and not affiliate herself with any of the Village President candidates.
Herman said he most likely will endorse a Clerk candidate once the landscape of the election becomes clear.
“As much as I’d rather run unopposed, contested elections are generally healthy for good government,” he said. “I personally have not been seeking out another Clerk candidate, but believe it would be good for the community to have that choice.”
The Village Clerk in Oak Brook receives an annual compensation of $10,400, payable biweekly, and is responsible for coordinating local election information, maintaining all village records, processing licensing, providing voter registration services, signing official and legal documents, including notaries, notary services and taking Village Board meeting minutes. The Village Clerk’s office is also in charge of responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.