Park Ridge Mayoral Hopefuls Trade Barbs at Republican Women Forum

It was standing room only at the South Park field house in Park Ridge on Thursday night as mayoral, aldermanic and park district board candidates gathered for an election forum hosted by the Republican Women of Park Ridge. Each person seeking office was given five minutes to make an introduction and talk about his or her candidacy.

Larry Ryles and Mayor David Schmidt spoke on a range of topics including the city’s finances, economic development and their dedication to serving the community.

Ryles said he wanted to be a part of making Park Ridge the place where his children could call home, and raise their families. Click here for a short video of Ryles’ comments.

Schmidt said he supported making Park Ridge government more transparent, and introduced new technology to increase accessibility to public meetings. Click here for a short video of Schmidt’s comments.

The following candidates also spoke at the election forum hosted by the Republican Women of Park Ridge:

Second Ward:

• George Korovilas
• Nicholas Milissis

Fourth Ward:

• Roger Shubert
• J.B. “Jane” Johnson

Sixth Ward:

• Vincent LaVecchia
• Marc Mazzuca

Candidates for the Park Ridge Park District board and Maine Township Republican candidates also spoke at the forum.

The next time when the candidates for mayor of Park Ridge meet will be at a Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce event at the Park Ridge Country Club, 636 N. Prospect Ave., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on March 13.

Also, the League of Women Voters will host a debate for the mayoral candidates at Park Ridge City Hall, 7 p.m. on March 14.