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Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Juneteenth in Naperville celebrates freedom while focusing on importance of diversity, inclusion, organizers say
Naperville's fourth annual Juneteenth celebration, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, will be held Saturday at Rotary Hill Park. The free noon-to-3 p.m. event will feature food, music, guest speakers, exhibitors and more, said Naperville City Councilman Benny White, founder of the Naperville Neighbors United, which organizes the gathering. 'Each year seems to get a little bit better,' White said. Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day on which Union soldiers brought word to Galveston, Texas, that the war had ended and enslaved people had been freed. It was the last part of the country to be notified of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Saturday's events will kick off with the Black national anthem, 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' sung by 15-year-old Naperville student Isabella 'Isa' Rose. Speakers include White, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville; state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville; state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville; Judy Brodhead, chairwoman of Naperville's Special Events and Community Arts Commission; and Geneace Williams, manager of Naperville's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department. '(Williams) will be sharing a brief history of Juneteenth,' said event Chair Kim White, who's married to Benny White. In addition to food available for sale, there also will be more than 30 exhibitors on hand, Kim White said. Among them will be Naper Settlement, Naperville Park District, Naperville's League of Women Voters, the Naperville police and fire departments, Grow Wellness Group Foundation, Fry Family YMCA, 360 Youth Services, Naperville Public Library and Indian Prairie School District 204. The group Soul 2 the Bone will perform. 'We would love for people to bring a lawn chair and be ready to celebrate Juneteenth and listen to some great music and maybe get up and do a little dancing,' Kim White said. While a time to celebrate, the event is also an important one for the growing community of Naperville, Benny White said. 'Everyone recognizes that Naperville is one of the top cities to live in,' he said. 'It's become more and more diverse and we really want to celebrate that diversity. It's in our mission statement to be an inclusive community that celebrates diversity and this is one of those ways that we can do it.' It's also an opportunity for community members to meet and learn about each other, he said. 'I think we all recognize and know what Juneteenth is all about … but it's not just for African Americans,' White said. 'This is something that is inclusive for everyone. I've always been one to say it's not just Black history, it's American history, and I think it's something we should all celebrate.' And that's more important now than ever, he added. 'When you see what is going on around the country, diversity, equity and inclusion has really been under attack,' he said. 'For me, in order to really practice diversity, equity and inclusion, we all have to learn about each other and this is another way we can do that. It helps break stereotypes that people have from hearsay or what they see on the news or how it's displayed on television.' Talking to people different from yourself helps promote understanding and foster trust in the community, he said. Multicultural events like Juneteenth, Halal Fest, the India Day parade, the Naperville Hispanic Festival, the Asian Heritage Festival and others will move the community forward and raise awareness of these cultures, he said. 'We are a very diverse community that is becoming more diverse over the years,' White said. 'There will be a point when we are projected to be a majority-minority community. And that's nothing to be afraid of, let's embrace it.' Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and a powerful reminder of a people who endured unimaginable hardship and the continued work required to ensure equity and inclusion for all, Kim White said. 'I think by honoring Juneteenth, we are affirming that Black history is American history and the pursuit of freedom and justice must be a shared commitment,' she
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Unofficial Naperville election results for council, park board and other races
These are the unofficial results for the contested elections held Tuesday in the Naperville area. Results will not be official until mail-in ballots postmarked for Election Day or earlier are counted, provisional ballots are checked and votes are canvassed. Because Naperville and some other districts are located in more than one county, some vote counts have tallied together to determine the leading vote-getters/presumed winners, which are denoted with a checkmark. NAPERVILLE CITY COUNCIL (4 seats open) √ Benny White (i): 13,873 votes. √ Mary Gibson: 12,775 votes. √ Ian Holzhauer (i): 12,452 votes. √ Ashfaq Syed: 11,135 votes. Jennifer Bruzan Taylor (i): 9,127 votes. Meghna Bansal: 8,067 votes. Derek McDaniel: 7,794 votes. Nag Jaiswal: 4,380 votes. (Incumbents are identified by the 'i' next to their names.) NAPERVILLE PARK BOARD (4 seats open) √ Leslie Ruffing (i): 13,162 votes. √ Alison Thompson (i): 12,875 votes. √ Rhonda Ansier (i): 11,420 votes. √ Aishwarya Balakrishna: 11,069 votes. Zachary W. Jarrell: 8,788 votes. Natalia Dagenhart: 7,820 votes. (Incumbents are identified by the 'i' next to their names.) NAPERVILLE DISTRICT 203 SCHOOL BOARD (4 seats open) √ Marc Willensky: 8,033 votes. √ Amanda McMillan (i): 7,946 votes. √ Charles Cush (i): 7,624 votes. √ Holly Joy Blastic: 7,092 votes. Jillian Langer: 6,476 votes. INDIAN PRAIRIE DISTRICT 204 SCHOOL BOARD (4 seats open) √ Laurie Donahue (i): 5,507 votes. √ Susan Taylor-Demming (i): 5,127 votes. √ Allison Fosdick (i): 4,781 votes. √ Supna Jain (i): 4,578 votes. Allison Albert: 3,031 votes. NAPERVILLE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Loretta T. Burke (i): 7,966 votes. √ Julie A. Federico(i): 7,650 votes. √ John C. Waller (i): 7,513 votes. √ Gautam Bhatia: 6,939 votes. Nina Trivedi (i): 4,562 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ M. Joann Wright: 10,098 votes. Debbie Pawlowicz: 7,205 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP CLERK (1 seat open) √ Robert Sacks: 10,260 votes. Dave Carlin: 6,936 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Susan Howell: 10,175 votes. √ Maryann Vazquez: 9,866 votes. √ Gerry Galloway: 9,760 votes. Nicole Di Braccio: 6,694 votes. Ron Amato: 6,680 votes. Donna Rae Prepejchal: 9,496 votes. Dave Seastrom: 6,448 votes. Charley Margosian III: 6,228 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ Lori A. Marschke: 4,106 votes. James Grzenia: 2,373 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP ASSESSOR (1 seat open) √ Kenneth Harris (i): 3,955 votes. Jean Kelly: 2,543 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP COLLECTOR (1 seat open) √ James Bastounes: 3,907 votes. Sally 'Clemens' Guilbo: 2,540 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Terri Ransom (i): 3,830 votes. √ Thomas Braxton (i): 3,818 votes. √ Daryl Parks: 3,606 votes. √ Monty Jackson: 3,581 votes. Linda E. Ellis: 2,456 votes. Cecilia 'Cecy' Loeza: 2,302 votes. Traci Cosgrove Falese: 2,298 votes. Manny Brambila: 2,226 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ Michael Crowner (i): 6,291 votes. Brian Evans: 4,431 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP CLERK (1 seat open) √ Terry Jones: 6,437 votes. Robert Whittier: 4,409 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP ASSESSOR (1 seat open) √ Bruce Darata: 6,566 votes. Write-ins: 527 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER (1 seat open) √ Harry Benton: 6,387 votes. Todd A. Morse: 4,415 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP COLLECTOR (1 seat open) √ Jim Kopchok: 6,283 votes. Timothy Willmore: 4,444 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Margaret Tyson (i): 6,140 votes. √ Mary C. Frances: 6,048 votes. √ Jeff Klein: 5,750 votes. √ Matthew 'Matt' V. Glowinski Sr.: 5,680 votes. Michael Krzywinski: 4,257 votes. Randall Haap: 4,059 votes. David Furnish: 4,032 votes. Tomasz Bryski: 3,982 votes.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Unofficial Naperville election results for council, park board and other races
These are the unofficial results for the contested elections held Tuesday in the Naperville area. Results will not be official until mail-in ballots postmarked for Election Day or earlier are counted, provisional ballots are checked and votes are canvassed. Because Naperville and some other districts are located in more than one county, some vote counts have tallied together to determine the leading vote-getters/presumed winners, which are denoted with a checkmark. NAPERVILLE CITY COUNCIL (4 seats open) √ Benny White (i): 13,873 votes. √ Mary Gibson: 12,775 votes. √ Ian Holzhauer (i): 12,452 votes. √ Ashfaq Syed: 11,135 votes. Jennifer Bruzan Taylor (i): 9,127 votes. Meghna Bansal: 8,067 votes. Derek McDaniel: 7,794 votes. Nag Jaiswal: 4,380 votes. (Incumbents are identified by the 'i' next to their names.) NAPERVILLE PARK BOARD (4 seats open) √ Leslie Ruffing (i): 13,162 votes. √ Alison Thompson (i): 12,875 votes. √ Rhonda Ansier (i): 11,420 votes. √ Aishwarya Balakrishna: 11,069 votes. Zachary W. Jarrell: 8,788 votes. Natalia Dagenhart: 7,820 votes. (Incumbents are identified by the 'i' next to their names.) NAPERVILLE DISTRICT 203 SCHOOL BOARD (4 seats open) √ Marc Willensky: 8,033 votes. √ Amanda McMillan (i): 7,946 votes. √ Charles Cush (i): 7,624 votes. √ Holly Joy Blastic: 7,092 votes. Jillian Langer: 6,476 votes. INDIAN PRAIRIE DISTRICT 204 SCHOOL BOARD (4 seats open) √ Laurie Donahue (i): 5,507 votes. √ Susan Taylor-Demming (i): 5,127 votes. √ Allison Fosdick (i): 4,781 votes. √ Supna Jain (i): 4,578 votes. Allison Albert: 3,031 votes. NAPERVILLE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Loretta T. Burke (i): 7,966 votes. √ Julie A. Federico(i): 7,650 votes. √ John C. Waller (i): 7,513 votes. √ Gautam Bhatia: 6,939 votes. Nina Trivedi (i): 4,562 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ M. Joann Wright: 10,098 votes. Debbie Pawlowicz: 7,205 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP CLERK (1 seat open) √ Robert Sacks: 10,260 votes. Dave Carlin: 6,936 votes. LISLE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Susan Howell: 10,175 votes. √ Maryann Vazquez: 9,866 votes. √ Gerry Galloway: 9,760 votes. Nicole Di Braccio: 6,694 votes. Ron Amato: 6,680 votes. Donna Rae Prepejchal: 9,496 votes. Dave Seastrom: 6,448 votes. Charley Margosian III: 6,228 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ Lori A. Marschke: 4,106 votes. James Grzenia: 2,373 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP ASSESSOR (1 seat open) √ Kenneth Harris (i): 3,955 votes. Jean Kelly: 2,543 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP COLLECTOR (1 seat open) √ James Bastounes: 3,907 votes. Sally 'Clemens' Guilbo: 2,540 votes. DUPAGE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Terri Ransom (i): 3,830 votes. √ Thomas Braxton (i): 3,818 votes. √ Daryl Parks: 3,606 votes. √ Monty Jackson: 3,581 votes. Linda E. Ellis: 2,456 votes. Cecilia 'Cecy' Loeza: 2,302 votes. Traci Cosgrove Falese: 2,298 votes. Manny Brambila: 2,226 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR (1 seat open) √ Michael Crowner (i): 6,291 votes. Brian Evans: 4,431 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP CLERK (1 seat open) √ Terry Jones: 6,437 votes. Robert Whittier: 4,409 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP ASSESSOR (1 seat open) √ Bruce Darata: 6,566 votes. Write-ins: 527 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER (1 seat open) √ Harry Benton: 6,387 votes. Todd A. Morse: 4,415 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP COLLECTOR (1 seat open) √ Jim Kopchok: 6,283 votes. Timothy Willmore: 4,444 votes. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE (4 seats open) √ Margaret Tyson (i): 6,140 votes. √ Mary C. Frances: 6,048 votes. √ Jeff Klein: 5,750 votes. √ Matthew 'Matt' V. Glowinski Sr.: 5,680 votes. Michael Krzywinski: 4,257 votes. Randall Haap: 4,059 votes. David Furnish: 4,032 votes. Tomasz Bryski: 3,982 votes. Originally Published: April 2, 2025 at 2:03 PM CDT
