In his first election to public office, Scott Wehrli declared victory Tuesday night in the race to become the next mayor of Naperville.
Wehrli, who comes from a long-established Naperville family, won 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results, compared to 45% for Benny White, and 2% for Tiffany Stephens.
“We worked so hard to represent every voice in this community, and that’s been the amazing part of this journey — meeting so many wonderful people and learning so much about different groups, different cultures, different facets of this Naperville that we know that I never understood,” Wehrli said before the crowd gathered for his election night party at Empire in downtown Naperville.
It’s important for a person “who is going to be a mayor for the people, of the people, to give people a voice,” he said.
Mentors like Bill Young, who helped start the Naperville Park District Police Department, former longtime Mayor A. George Pradel and community supporter Dan Casey — all of whom are deceased — “gave it all for their community.”
“Those are the people I’ve learned from, that I’ve wanted to be like,” Wehrli said. “If we take those things that they taught us … I know that Naperville is going to be an amazing place for decades to come.”
Running for office is not easy, he said.
“This is my first time doing this. It’s been a challenge, and I’m so thankful we were able to accomplish what we set out to do — to run Mayor Pradel-style as a nonpartisan candidate for a nonpartisan office,” Wehrli said.
In his concession speech Tuesday at Go Brewing in Naperville, White said coming up short in the vote count was something he’s not experienced in his last three elections: one for the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board and twice for City Council.
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“I’m not going away. I’m still on the City Council,” said White, who has two years left on his council term. “You still have my ear.”
White said he tried to focus on running a positive campaign and the values that make him who he is, including loyalty, duty, honor, integrity and courage, which he learned in the military and from his parents.
“Naperville is a special town,” he said. “There is a reason why I wanted to be mayor of Naperville. I love the people. I love the character and values this place stands for.”
White said he and his supporters still have some building to do in the community to create an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion.
“This is a good thing to have diversity. We need to embrace it,” he said.
Wehrli’s strength came from White’s backyard in Will County, where Wehrli garnered 56% of the vote to White’s 42%. Wehrli won all but three of the 25 Will precincts, based on unofficial results.
Even within White’s own precinct, unofficial results show White with 40% and Wehrli with 58%.
In DuPage County, White closed the margin a bit, earning 46% of the unofficial vote to Wehrli’s 52%.
Stephens maintained her 2% across the board in DuPage and Will counties.
Results remain unofficial until all the ballots are counted. Provisional ballots cast on Election Day and all remaining vote-by-mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day will be counted April 18.
Canvassing is set for April 25.