3 Darien Aldermen Face Opponents In Election

DARIEN, IL — Three of the four Darien aldermen who are up for election on April 6 face opponents in their bids to win new terms. Only Ward 1's Ted Schauer is unopposed.

Monday was the last day for candidates to file paperwork in the April 6 election.

In Ward 3, Alderman Joseph Kenny faces Pamela Taylor. In Ward 5, Alderwoman Mary Sullivan is running against John Laratta. In Ward 7, Tom Belczak is facing Norbert Tamos.

The mayor's position is not up in the next election. Mayor Joseph Marchese was elected in 2019. He defeated two candidates — Schauer and Steven Leopoldo — with 40 percent of the vote.

Two of the three trustee seats were up that year, only one of which drew competition.

Ward 1

• Ted Schauer — A resident of Darien since 2000, he is a senior loan officer and has been in the banking industry for nearly two decades. He is also president of the Farmingdale South Homeowners Association.

Ward 3

• Joseph Kenny — A resident of Darien since 1997, Kenny has been a local real estate agent for nearly two decades. He volunteers for groups such as the Rotary Club of Downers Grove, First United Homeless Ministry in Chicago and choir for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. He was elected to the council in 2013.
• Pamela Taylor — A 20-year resident of Darien, she is a retired court reporter, work that has included municipal proceedings in other towns. She still does freelance court reporting work. She said she has become concerned about a number of local issues, but the "last straw" for her was the city's handling of the Dunkin' Donuts building project at Cass Avenue and Plainfield Road. "Sometimes, instead of sitting on the sidelines and complaining about things, you should go do something about it," Taylor told Patch.

Ward 5

• John Laratta — Laratta is a former member of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. He is a former international business consultant for the U.S. Postal Service.
• Mary Sullivan — A Darien resident since 1996, Sullivan is a graduate of Bradley University with a bachelor's degree in business management and political science. She has a background in nonprofit management and was on the staff of the Darien Neighbors Magazine for eight years. She was appointed to the City Council after Ward 5 Alderman Joseph Marchese was elected mayor in 2019.

Ward 7

• Tom Belczak — He has been a lawyer in the Chicago area since 1988. He was elected to the City Council in 2013.
• Norbert Tamos — He is a retired Cicero police sergeant. He told Patch last week that he decided to run because residents expressed concern about property taxes and public safety. He has lived in Darien since 1986.