No Competition In Western Springs Election So Far

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – 2005 was the last year that Western Springs saw competition in a Village Board election.

The village is poised to continue that streak.

As of Thursday morning, three candidates have filed for the three available seats on the board in the April 4 election. They are incumbents Nichole Chen and Al Fink.

The third candidate is Philip Nawrocki. His LinkedIn page lists him as the manager of nonprofit digital technology for Merkle.

Trustee James John's seat is up for election. Candidates have until Monday to file their paperwork.

All three candidates are recommended by the Western Springs Caucus Party.

For decades, the party has endorsed candidates for Village Board and the library and park boards.

The caucus plays a big role in Western Springs politics. Even a page on the village's website is devoted to it.

"The caucus system has not only produced an excellent track record of quality candidates, it has also helped to eliminate contentious elections and expensive electioneering," the village website says. "The caucus process also serves to attract many candidates who might not consider running in a two-party system or in contested elections."

On the party's website, it says all residents of voting age are members. It states the recommendations are made as the result of residents' votes at open meetings.

"The Caucus has traditionally brought forward residents who represent the broad interests of the community," the group's website says.