A Status Quo Election In Darien?

DARIEN, IL – So far, no competition has emerged in the Darien City Council election, which is April 1.

The filing period started Tuesday and lasts through Monday.

Ward 1's Ted Schauer, Ward 3's Joe Kenny and Ward 5's Mary Sullivan have submitted their names. Ward 7's Thomas Belczak told Patch on Thursday that he plans to turn in his paperwork.

The mayor's office isn't up this cycle. Neither are the council seats held by Ward 2's Ralph Stompanato, Ward 4's Gerry Leganski and Ward 6's Eric Gustafson.

If the incumbents face no opposition, it would be the first election since 2017 where all candidates are unopposed.

In 2023, all three incumbents up for election faced opposition. Two of the incumbents were ousted – Lester Vaughan by Stompanato and Tom Chlystek by Leganski.

Other towns rarely see contests. Western Springs saw its last competitive race a couple of decades ago. In La Grange, the last competitive election for village president was in 2005 and for Village Board in 2017.