Burr Ridge Mayor Running Unopposed

BURR RIDGE, IL — It's clear sailing for Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso in the April 6 election. He is the only candidate to submit petitions for the job.

Monday was the last day to file paperwork for mayor and three trustee seats. All three trustees up for election — Zach Mottl, Anita Mital and Guy Franzese — have entered the race.

Two other candidates, Russell Smith and Elena Galinski, also have filed. This means five people are vying for three seats.

In a statement to Patch last week, Grasso said he would support Mital, Franzese and Smith in the election.

Galinski is allied with Mottl, who has been at odds with the mayor and the rest of the board for the last couple of years.

"Based on what I have witnessed over numerous board meetings, as well as personal experiences, I am coming into this as an ally of Zach Mottl," Galinski said in an email to Patch.

Galinski was most recently the quality assurance manager at Nissha GSI Technologies. She has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University, graduating with honors.

Smith is a financial adviser in Burr Ridge, a member of the local chamber of commerce and the Veteran's Memorial Committee. He said he has a long history of sponsoring events such as Concerts on the Green, Jingle Mingle, the car show and park district functions.

Asked by Patch whether he is allied with Grasso or Mottl, Smith responded in an email, "I am in the Burr Ridge Camp. I am aligned with an idea that we have a great village and I want it to stay that way. Rather than be embroiled in conflict between people, I would much rather spend my energies trying to do things to advance the values of the village, including but not limited to assisting our local businesses and proactively pursuing new opportunities to strengthen our shopping centers."

In the 2019 election, Grasso, a lawyer, won nearly two-thirds of the vote against his challenger, Mottl. Since November 2019, the board has censured Mottl six times.

Before beginning his latest mayoral term, Grasso served in the position from 2005 to 2012, when he resigned after winning a seat on the DuPage County Board.

Grasso has pleaded with the public to vote Mottl out of office. In a statement last week, Grasso decried Mottl's "embarrassing antics." Mottl responded by calling the mayor a "dirty bully."