4 Elmhurst Wards See Competitive Races

ELMHURST, IL — Four of Elmhurst's seven wards will see competition in the April 6 election. And the mayoral race will consist of three aldermen vying to replace Mayor Steve Morley, who decided against seeking a third term.

Monday was the last day for candidates to file paperwork for the election. The three mayoral candidates are Michael Bram, Mark Mulliner and Scott Levin. Their announcements have been covered in Patch.

Ward 1's Marti Deuter, Ward 4's Brian Cahill, Ward 5's Tina Park and Ward 7's Mike Brennan are running unopposed.

Ward 1's Jennifer Veremis, who was appointed in July, is facing two opponents for an unexpired two-year term. And Ward 2's Jacob Hill, who was appointed earlier this month, has drawn one opponent.

Ward 6's Jim Kennedy is not running again. Four candidates are vying for his City Council seat.

In Ward 3, Bram's term is expiring. Because he is running for mayor, that left an open seat that drew three candidates.

Here is a list of the candidates and information that Patch was able to find about them:

Ward 1

• Marti Deuter — Her LinkedIn page lists her as a public policy consultant. She is a former assistant commissioner for the Chicago Department of Housing. She was elected in 2013.

Ward 1 (two-year unexpired term)

• Kevin Flanagan — A four-year resident, Flanagan is vice president of commercial services at Boyer-Rosene Moving & Storage in Arlington Heights. He was one of the candidates who applied for the vacant Ward 1 position in the summer. Jennifer Veremis was chosen by the mayor. According to Flanagan's resume, he has successfully managed several high-profile relocation projects, including Parts Town, CH Robinson and Paylocity. He has a master's degree in supply chain management from Elmhurst College. He said his ties to Elmhurst predate his residency, noting he grew up in nearby Northlake.
• Susan Smentek — Smentek has had a career in music. She was the cultural arts program supervisor for the Elmhurst Park District from 2013 to 2020. She is also the director of music for the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church.
• Jennifer Veremis — A 22-year resident, Veremis owns two Elmhurst businesses, The Beauty Lounge since 2004 and Goal.Get.Her Inc., a lifestyle and business coaching firm, since last year. She is on the City Centre's board of directors. Veremis was appointed in July, replacing Mark Sabatino, who moved out of state. "I've built trusted relationships with the residents and business owners in Ward 1 and throughout Elmhurst," Veremis said in her application to the mayor.

Ward 2

• Tristan Dacre — A 20-year resident of Elmhurst, Dacre is the founding partner and managing principal of the architectural firm Dacre & Youngquist in Chicago. He has a bachelor of architecture and bachelor of science in environmental science degrees from Ball State University in Indiana. He was one of the candidates who applied for the Ward 2 position when it became vacant. The mayor chose Jacob Hill earlier this month.
• Jacob Hill — Hill is an associate professor, librarian and veteran services officer at Elmhurst University. He received a master's degree of library and information science from Dominican University and a master's degree of business administration from Elmhurst University. He was appointed to the City Council earlier this month, replacing Norm Leader, who resigned.

Ward 3

• Nektarios Arvanitis — A resident since 2011, he is a strategic account/territory manager for Patterson Veterinary Supply. He is also a partner in three veterinary hospitals. He lives with his wife and two daughters. "If elected, I will have the opportunity to give back to our wonderful community by contributing to the future prosperity of Elmhurst while representing the interests of my neighbors," Arvanitis said in an email to Patch.
• Chris Jensen — An Elmhurst resident since 2013, he is a natural gas strategist and trader with Uniper Global Commodities. He has bachelor's degrees in both integrated science and computer science from Northwestern University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, with concentrations in analytic finance and econometrics/statistics. He and his wife are raising three young children.
• Alan Quarrie — He is the president of Q&Q Distributing and received his bachelor's degree in public relations and image management from Illinois State University, according to his LinkedIn page.

Ward 4

• Brian Cahill — An 18-year resident, Cahill is president and CEO of Diesel Radiator Co. He has a master's degree in biomedical engineering. He was appointed as an alderman in July, replacing Kevin York, who left because of a "personal situation." In his application for the appointed position, Cahill said he believed his well-rounded background could help Elmhurst continue to be a "wonderful place to live and raise a family."

Ward 5

• Tina Park — She was elected to the Elmhurst City Council in 2017. She has been a fitness and lifestyle coach since 2005. She is a former adjunct professor of mathematics at Elmhurst University.

Ward 6

• Peter Ahern — Patch was unable to find information online.
• Emily Bastedo — She is the director of advocacy and public affairs for ISACA, an international association that specializes in governance of information technology. She chaired the successful campaign to pass a $168 million referendum for school improvements and security upgrades in Elmhurst School District 205 in 2018, according to her LinkedIn page. She was on the Elmhurst school board from 2013 to 2017.
• Peter Dabertin — He has been the regional sales manager for Emerson Automation Solutions for the last 19 years.
• Yeena Yoo — She is a lawyer. From 2017 to 2019, she was an attorney with Catholic Charities Legal Assistance. On her Facebook page, she said about her campaign: "I’ve been going full steam ... meeting with current aldermen, talking with Ward 6 residents, and working with my Elmhurst friends and campaign team."

Ward 7

• Mike Brennan — He is the vice president of professional services and commercial industries at Workday. He was elected to the City Council in 2017.

Email david.giuliani@patch.com if you have information about candidate Peter Ahern.