Elmhurst Politician Uses Slur Against Another

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst City Council candidate on Monday used a slur against a candidate for the local school board.

It's no secret that Elmhurst Ward 6 candidate Guido Nardini and Elmhurst School District 205 candidate Tom Chavez do not see eye to eye.

As public commenters during school board meetings, they have taken opposite sides over Chavez's criticism of certain York High School lessons.

Nardini is seen as liberal, while Chavez is considered conservative.

In a private text exchange Monday, the two men discussed a photo of three women holding a campaign sign for Chavez at the United Center in Chicago.

"Did you really bring your own campaign sign to the United Center? Oh, honey, you're the cutest," Nardini said.

Chavez wrote back, "I didn't, but one of my fans did. Did you like it? Is this in your yard?"

Later in the discussion, Nardini wrote, "I grew up in this town."

Chavez responded, "Who cares. Means nothing. You act like that entitles you to something."

Nardini said he cared.

"I'll be damned if c---s-----s f--- up my town," he said.

Chavez, who released the conversation to Patch shortly after, said it showed Nardini's approach to others.

"So, this guy wants to be an alderman, where he must collaborate with people he doesn't agree with all the time and find commonality," Chavez said in a text message to Patch. "I don't think that can happen if this is what he thinks about everyone that has a different opinion than him."

He added, "What's more troubling is that he doesn't have the common sense or self-control to understand that this type of harassment to another candidate directly in front of an election is irresponsible."

Nardini declined to comment on the text exchange.

Later Monday, Nardini's Ward 6 opponent, Laura Vevers, issued a news release calling Nardini's message to Chavez "inappropriate and vile."

"It confirms that he lacks the temperament to serve in a position that is, by design, non-partisan, and cannot realistically serve all of the residents in the 6th ward," Vevers said.

In December, Patch reported that Vevers had a sign for Art Jones, a Republican congressional candidate who was labeled as a Nazi by his own party. Vevers explained why the sign was in her yard.