6 Candidates Vie For Downers Grove Village Board: Election 2023

DOWNERS GROVE, Il — A field of six candidates is vying for three seats that are available on the Downers Grove Village Council in Tuesday's election. The group includes former Mayor Martin Tully and incumbent Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt, along with Michael J. Davenport, James Devitt, Tammy Sarver and Denise McCann.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. for the April 4 election. Below, you'll find some information about each candidate for the Downers Grove Village Council, in the order they are listed on the ballot.

Martin T. Tully

Martin Tully, who served two terms as Mayor of Downers Grove, served until 2019, when he reached his term limit. As mayor, Tully served eight years without increasing property taxes and helped the village earn repeated AAA bond ratings from Standard and Poor.

The Issues

Per his campaign website, Tully aims to increase governmental transparency and accountability by "identifying and pursuing practical ways to bring information about the business of government to constituents."

Another primary issue for Tully is using technology and partnerships to bring more services to residents.

With this goal in mind, Tully states on his website,

"During my former service on the Village Council, I’ve shown that quality public services can be sustained without raising property taxes, by leveraging innovation, lean practices, responsible economic development, and mindful use of collaboration and consolidation.

Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt

Incumbent Leslie-Sadowski Fugitt is hoping to retain her seat on the Downers Grove Village Council. First elected in 2019, Sadowski-Fugitt has a bachelor's degree in biology from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology from The Ohio State University.

The Issues

Sadowski-Fugitt's campaign website states that she hopes to foster governmental transparency by increasing communication and encourage input from members of the community. She writes that she plans to use social media to keep those lines of communication open.

For community development, Sadowski-Fugitt plans to improve communication between village boards, local business and nonprofits to tap into the needs of residents. Another aim is "consistently recommending improvements to Village Strategic Plans to ensure Downers Grove is a community in which everyone feels a sense of pride and belonging."

As for infrastructure, Sadowski-Fugitt's site says she is behind a complete streets plan for Downers Grove, in addition to looking into alternative options for stormwater retention.

Michael Davenport

Michael J. Davenport serves as vice president of the District 99 board of education. He and his wife, Shelly, founded Davenport Architects in 1995. They still operate the business from their home office on Blackstone Drive in Downers Grove. Davenport Architects offers remodeling, additions and new home design in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

The Issues

On Davenport's campaign Facebook page, he touts volunteering as "essential if we want to continue being a place where families can thrive, diverse people can flourish, and opportunities abound."

He writes,

"It may possibly be the first architect to serve on the village council. Architects make plans and follow them through, assess, and adjust to improve. I design structures that are adaptable, sustainable, and within budget. I work with many different disciplines and trades people to renovate and correct deficiencies. At the core, I am a problem-solver. These qualities will guide me in all I do as one of your village council members."

James P. Devitt

James P. Devitt works as president of the JB Rep Group, LLC . The company helps offer "cost-efficient solutions" to businesses and engineers.

The Issues

In a campaign video, Devitt says, "The good people of Downers Grove deserve to be represented by someone who's put partisan politics aside and left personal agendas at home."

Regarding homeless residents, Devitt says, "My heart goes out to these people. In fact, many of them call Fishel Park here home, and they deserve better than that."

He continues, "We need to stop burying our collective heads in the sand and face the issue." He suggests bringing together all the "local, federal and county resources possible" to formulate a plan to "address the issue."

Per businesses, Devitt wants to encourage development in business areas beyond downtown Downers Grove. "We need to focus on more than the downtown," he said, mentioning Prince Pond, the local golf course and other landmarks.

He encourages inviting and listening to even more input from residents when it comes to developments throughout the village.

Tammy Sarver

Tammy Sarver works as a political science professor at Benedictine University in Lisle. Sarver has been employed there for two decades, according to the Citizens for Tammy Sarver for Downers Grove social media page.

The Issues

The tenets of Sarver's platform focus on inclusivity, sustainability and science. Her campaign flyer writes that Sarver believes "everyone should feel welcome in our town. Hate has no home here."

Regarding sustainability, Sarver's flyer states, "smart responsible development will keep Downers Grove beautiful and prosperous."

Denise McCann

Denise McCann, has been a Downers Grove resident for 24 years, per her opening remarks in the village commissioner forum. "I love the village and that is why I want to serve in a capacity as commissioner," McCann said.

The Issues

Per diversity and inclusion, McCann stated, "It seems fairly simple that I would speak out and take action in support of LGBTQ+, since I am a gay woman and a gay mother." She went on, "marginalized groups should all be heard."

In her closing remarks, McCann said, "as a commissioner, I would be in support of prescriptive, thoughtful development with everything that we've spoken about in this forum for the downtown and corridors."

She also stated she supports "open and transparent communication."

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