White Concedes; Wehrli Poised To Be Naperville Mayor: Election 2023

NAPERVILLE, IL — For the first time since 2015, Naperville voters have chosen the city's new mayor. The election may also bring some new faces to the Naperville City Council, as nearly a dozen candidates were vying for just four open seats.

Wehrli had a clear lead as of 10:30 p.m. As of 11 p.m., mayoral candidate Benny White had conceded to Wehrli.

In the city council race, Kelly, Longenbaugh and McBroom had surged ahead, with the remaining candidates in a close race.

Polling places opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. As of 9:54 p.m.the unofficial vote totals for Naperville mayor and city council members were as follows, with 95.5 percent of Election Day Votes counted in DuPage County and 100 percent of precincts reporting in Will County:

In the mayor race, Scott Wehrli was leading opponents Benny White and Tiffany Stephens.

NAPERVILLE MAYOR

• Benny White: 13,265 votes
• Scott Wehrli: 15,634 votes
• Tiffany Stephens: 638 votes

NAPERVILLE CITY COUNCIL

• Nag Jaiswal: 9,055 votes
• Rebecca Malotke-Meslin: 8,325 votes
• Josh McBroom: 12,512 votes
• Jodi Trendler: 6,942 votes
• Patrick Kelly: 13,772 votes
• Nathan "Nate" Wilson: 9,927 votes
• Ashfaq Sayed: 8,463 votes
• Meghna Bansal: 9,869 votes
• Ashley South: 6,521 votes
• Allison Longenbaugh: 13,259 votes
• Madhu Uppal: 3,980 votes

Below, you'll find some background information about each of the candidates.

Benny White

City Council member Benny White's mayoral platform promised, "While I advocate for the same key priorities I’ve pushed throughout my years in Naperville’s government, know that holding to our high standards is my overarching priority!"

Scott Wehrli

Scott Wehrli, a former police officer who served in law enforcement for more than three decades, works as a police officer for the Naperville Park District.

Tiffany Stephens

Tiffany Stephens got her start at the Advanced Technical Institute, where she studied pre-law and private investigation. Her website states that she went on to found Caring For Children Daycare and Kids Teen Rider. The latter helps provide transportation to teenagers and younger children who live in the area.

Nag Jaiswal

Nag Jaiswal, first-generation immigrant from India, has worked as a digital entrepreneur and technologist for three decades, per his campaign website. Jaiswal and wife Sheela are co-founders of Salome Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping rebuild income insecure areas.

Rebecca Malotke-Meslin

A small business owner, Rebecca Malotke-Meslin received the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Month award in July 2017, the Andy Noel Award for Excellence from the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals in 2018 and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce 4 under 40 Award in 2020, per her campaign website.
She has served on the city's Chamber of Commerce and as chairperson of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee.

Josh McBroom

Josh McBroom has worked as a financial advisor in Naperville for 17 years. In 2019, he was elected to serve on the board for the Naperville Park District. He lives in Naperville with his wife and three children. His website states, "He quickly earned a reputation as a constituent advocate who fought for the right of Naperville residents to use park district assets when arbitrary shutdowns threatened the health and well-being of our community. It was here that he learned how good government can work, and how important it is to our daily lives."

Jodi Trendler

Jodi Trendler is executive director and founder of The Resiliency Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to foster economic sustainability and community resiliency by way of permaculture.

Patrick Kelly

Incumbent candidate Patrick Kelly was elected to the Naperville City Council in 2019. In that time, he has been a liaison to the city's downtown advisory, historic preservation and human rights and fair housing committees. He runs a law firm in downtown Naperville that handles real estate business, according to Kelly's campaign website.

Nathan "Nate" Wilson

Nate Wilson earned his bachelor's degree in finance and a masters degree in information systems before moving to Naperville a decade ago as he continued to purse his tech science career. Per his website, Wilson's community experience includes serving with the Naperville Jaycees, the Naperville Human Rights and Housing Commission, Naperville Salute and time spent as a soccer coach.

Ashfaq Sayed

Ashfaq Sayed serves on the Naperville Public Library Board, along with the Naperville Neighbors United and Loaves and Fishes Boards of Directors. His experience also includes working as a Civic Engagement Committee Member at the Islamic Center and a committee member at 360 Youth Services.

Meghna Bansal

Meghna Bansal earned a bachelors and masters degree in business and finance before beginning her political career. A 19-year resident of Naperville, Bansal has served as trustee of Wheatland Township, chairperson of the Indian Community Outreach program and a co-chair of the township's senior committee.

Ashley South

Ashley South holds a degree in political science from Columbia University and founded a publishing company in Naperville in 2021, per her campaign website. Her community efforts include mentoring high schoolers via Step Up and founding Main & Luxe magazine to showcase Naperville businesses.

Allison Longenbaugh

Allison Longenbaugh is a trustee and secretary on the Naperville Public Library Board. An 18-year resident of Naperville, Longenbaugh hopes to snag a city council seat in 2023 after having lost a run for city council in 2019. She has worked for J.P. Morgan as a financial analyst for three decades.

Madhu Uppal

Madhu Uppal has been a Naperville resident for 34 years and has worked as a middle school teacher for District 203 and as a trustee on the Naperville Public Library Board. On her campaign website, Uppal writes, "My vast range of experiences working with diverse groups of people have given me the tools to be a diligent and hardworking representative for the people of Naperville."