4 Candidates Face Off For 3 Plainfield Trustee Seats: Election 2023

PLAINFIELD, IL — Four candidates are vying for three open trustee seats on the Plainfield Village Board in Tuesday's election.

The four candidates are Richard Kiefer, Peter Adamson, Brian Wojowski and Margie Bonuchi.

The only candidate currently on the Board is Wojowski, who was first elected to the position in 2015. Bonuchi was previously elected to the Board, serving from 2009 to 2021, and on Plainfield's Plan Commission.

Current trustees Harry Benton and Kevin Calkins are not running for reelection.

Wojowski currently practices family law at a Joliet firm. He began his career working as a police officer with the Chicago Housing Authority Police Department and later went on to serve as a police officer in New Lenox until his recent retirement.

"Brian hopes to continue serving the residents of Plainfield by making the necessary changes and even tough decisions needed to continue the ongoing progress and level of service our residents, families and businesses all expect from our promising community," his campaign website reads.

Adamson, who is running for public office for the first time, currently works as the assistant federal security director of mission support for the State of Illinois within the Department of Homeland Security.

To him, the most pressing issue facing Plainfield is its infrastructure, he told Patch in a candidate survey. His platform also focuses on expanding the village's corporate tax base, revitalizing subdivisions in town and providing more resources for senior citizens.

Kiefer previously served as chairman and commissioner on Plainfield's Plan Commission. He currently teaches full-time as a professor of political science and history at Waubonsee Community College, where he was worked since 2000.

In a candidate survey, he cited smart economic growth, maintaining a safe community environment for all residents and traffic concerns as the three most important issues to be tackled in Plainfield.

"I promise to take a collaborative approach toward common-sense problem-solving regarding the issues that face our Village," he told Patch. "I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside all of the other Trustees that serve on the Village Board."

A well-known community volunteer, Bonuchi currently serves as the president of the Plainfield Riverfront Foundation and chairperson of the District 202 Foundation for Excellence. She ran for mayor in 2021 but lost to current Mayor John Argoudelis by less than 300 votes, Patch reported.

"I loved serving the residents of Plainfield on this board because decisions are made for the best interest of our community," she told Shaw Local. "I really want to see Plainfield continue to move in a positive direction, balancing our rich history with progress for the future."

If elected, Bonuchi said she wants to continue to make Plainfield a place where businesses prosper while balancing commercial development and growing residential areas, she told Joseph LaGiglia in an interview.

Bonuchi and Wojowski did not respond to Patch's candidate survey.

Polls in Will County will open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Election results will remain unofficial until April 25 when the Will County Clerk's Office finishes counting vote-by-mail and provisional ballots.