4 Candidates Vie For Mayor In Plainfield: 2025 Election

PLAINFIELD, IL — Four candidates are running to become the next mayor of Plainfield.

In the April 1 consolidated election, John Argoudelis is seeking a second term, and three locals — Margie Bonuchi, Kevin Calkins and Cally Larson — are hoping to unseat him.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday in Plainfield.

Argoudelis was first elected as mayor in 2021, succeeding Mike Collins, who had decided not to seek reelection after serving three terms. The mayor, whose campaign slogan is "Moving Ahead Together," is running to continue "building the best Plainfield."

On his website, Argoudelis cites five accomplishments during his first term: broadening retail options, diversifying the tax base to ease homeowners' burden, creating an inclusive environment for all residents, expanding green spaces and increasing recreational opportunities, and improving traffic flow and infrastructure.

"I have articulated and executed a vision for Plainfield to be the best version of itself in every way possible," Argoudelis wrote in his Patch candidate survey. "The Best Plainfield. No other candidate has such a vision. The Best Plainfield is one that is responsive to its residents, continually works to solve traffic and addresses real estate tax issues. A Plainfield to which every resident is a valued member of our community."

Margie Bonuchi currently serves as a trustee on the Village Board, a role she returned to in 2023 after first serving from 2009 to 2021. A well-known community volunteer, Bonuchi is 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 Argoudelis by less than 300 votes, Patch reported.

Bonuchi's campaign is defined by four T's: trucks, trains, traffic and taxes. In her Patch candidate survey, she said bringing in more development and widening and expanding roads will help ease the issues.

"I believe in being honest and truthful," she wrote in her Patch candidate survey. "I have a reputation based [on] those beliefs and I live by example. Sometimes the answers are not what someone wants to hear, but I won't lie to get a vote."

Formerly a trustee from 2019 to 2023, Kevin Calkins said he approaches issues "very differently" than Argoudelis and Bonuchi, having previously served with both of them on the Village Board. An airline pilot and former citizen representative on an Illinois Department of Transportation committee, Calkins wrote in his Patch candidate survey that his "only reason to run for Mayor is to do what's best for Plainfield and to be the person who fights for you and finally delivers for the residents of Plainfield what they have long deserved."

"The premise of my campaign is the residents, large scale planning, and small details that get overlooked," Calkins wrote.

Challenger Cally Larson also currently serves on the Village Board, first elected in 2017. The owner of her eponymous real estate agency, Larson wrote on her "Elect Larson for Plainfield" Facebook page that she plans to "refocus on building the Plainfield we all know and love—rooted in accountability, transparency and small town values we practice at home."

"We need leaders who understand the struggles families face, our neighbors needs, leaders that will prioritize accountability and facts over fear, transparency and honesty over victimhood and secrecy, long-term planning for our families and businesses over quick, cheap fixes," Larson wrote.

Larson did not respond to Patch's invitation to submit a questionnaire.

Village Board seats currently held by trustees Patricia Kalkanis, Larson and Tom Ruane will also be up for election on Tuesday. Due to the number of openings, the three candidates — Ruane, Siv Panicker and Vanessa Sula — are shoo-ins. The current elected officials, all voted into office in 2021, will remain in their roles until their terms end April 20, 2025.

Patch sent surveys to Plainfield candidates ahead of the election. Read the answers of the candidates who responded:

• John Argoudelis For Plainfield Mayor: Candidate Survey
• Margie Bonuchi For Plainfield Mayor: Candidate Survey
• Kevin Calkins For Plainfield Mayor: Candidate Survey
• Siv Panicker For Plainfield Trustee: Candidate Survey
• Vanessa Sula For Plainfield Trustee: Candidate Survey