Army Vet Runs For Elmhurst Alderman, Calls City 'Incredibly Desirable'

ELMHURST, IL – A veteran and retired Chicago police officer is running for alderman to represent southwest Elmhurst, calling the city an "incredibly desirable place to live."

Eric Pulia, commander of Elmhurst's American Legion post, is running for a Ward 7 council seat held by Alderman Rex Irby. The election is in April.

Pulia grew up in nearby Westchester. Many in his family, including his father and brother, have law enforcement backgrounds.

Pulia, who works for the state as an investigator, is an Army veteran and still serves part time in the Illinois Air National Guard.

Pulia is the master of ceremonies for the local Memorial Day parade, has taken part in York High School's Veterans Day activities and serves on the city's Veterans Commission.

He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in local government management.

"I have always had a strong desire to serve in local government and truly believe that 'all politics is local,'" Pulia said in an email to Patch. "I think the local level is the best way to affect change and serve."

As an alderman, Pulia said he wants to maintain Elmhurst's amenities. The main issues, he said, are public safety, infrastructure and economic development.

"We need to make sure we are recruiting and maintaining the best and brightest in our police and fire ranks, to ensure quality service and safe streets," Pulia said. "We need to maintain our aging infrastructure and identify new projects as needed in order to continue the great work that has been done over the last two decades, particularly in the realm of stormwater mitigation."

He said the city was blessed with a vibrant downtown and south Elmhurst business district. He said many towns are envious of Elmhurst's restaurants, bars, coffee shops, banks, movie theaters, clothing stores and train station.

He and his wife have three children, the oldest of whom attends Lincoln Elementary.

They are parishioners of Visitation Catholic Church. Among other groups, Pulia belongs to the Elmhurst Knights of Columbus and the local Kiwanis Club.

In 2023, Irby defeated six-term Ward 7 Alderman Mark Mulliner with 52 percent of the vote. The men live two doors from each other on Hillside Avenue.

In the year before the election, Mulliner had taken heat for his role in a conservative group that contended critical race theory and Marxism were influencing the local school district's curriculum.

After the election, Irby said residents had asked him to run because they didn't want their alderman "meddling in the community" with things like the group.

Irby has not revealed whether he plans to run again. The other Ward 7 alderman is Mike Brennan, whose term expires in 2029.

Elmhurst alderman candidate Eric Pulia is with his uncle, Sam Pulia. They were at Ground Zero last week to honor their paternal cousin, a New York firefighter who died Sept. 11 in Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. (Courtesy of Eric Pulia)