Two More File for Downers Grove Village Council; Field Widens to Six

Two more people filed petitions Monday to run for Downers Grove Village Council, widening the field to six candidates.

Greg Hosé and Donald Jankowski both filed nomination papers for the April 9, 2013 consolidated election before the filing deadline expired Monday evening, according to Downers Grove Communications Director Doug Kozlowski.

Hosé and Jankowski will appear on the ballot with the four candidates who filed petitions Nov. 19—incumbents Bob Barnett and Marilyn Schnell, and newcomers David S. Olsen and Susan Walaszek.

Downers Grove Village Clerk April Holden said last week that a lottery will be held Tuesday to determine ballot position.

The four-year terms for commissioners William Waldack, Barnett and Schnell all expire in May 2013. Barnett is currently serving his first term on the village council, Schnell her fifth and Waldack his second.

Waldack, 62, announced during the Nov. 20 village council meeting that he will not seek re-election. Citing personal discontent with the village's "core service" budget, he said he plans to spend more time serving organizations that help those in need.

READ: Downers Grove Commissioner William Waldack Will Not Seek Re-Election

Barnett, 43, was elected to his position in April 2009 after serving the Downers Grove Liquor Commission, Storm Water and Floodplain Oversight Committee, and the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and an M.B.A. in business law and finance, and runs his family business, BarnettBates.

Schnell, 66, was first appointed to the village council in 1988 after serving on the Downers Grove Plan Commission for eight years. She served as the mayor pro-tem between 1994 and 1999, and has worked on several issues—including wetland preservation, residential redevelopment and improvement of traffic conditions around the high schools.

Olsen, 24, is currently serving as the 54th precinct committeeman for the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2011, according to his website. 

Walaszek, 45, is an attorney and human resource professional, and has served on the Downers Grove Human Service Commission, according to her Lawline faculty bio.

Hosé, 31, is currently the chair of the Downers Grove Plan Commission, and previously served on the village's Environmental Concerns Commission. He is an attorney who practices in the areas of labor, benefits and commercial litigation, according to his website. He also ran for village council in April 2011.

Jankowski, 58, is the immediate past chairman of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, and is a partner at the accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Because only six people filed for the three open council seats, a primary election will not be held, Kozlowski said.

The consolidated election will be held April 9, 2013.

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