In just over a week, voters in Naperville will elect a new mayor for the first time in eight years.
With just eight days away from Election Day, the candidates have been busy trying to drum up support.
The ballot will have three candidates: Tiffany Stephens, Benny White, and Scott Wehrli. A poll by COR strategies shows White and Wehrli are neck and neck.
“Public safety and public health is number one, number two - economic development and opportunity, and then number three - good governance,” said Benny White.
“It’s public safety. People don’t feel as safe as they use to. It's economic development, concerned with their taxes and what is going on here in this community, a lot of businesses closing,” said Scott Wehrli. "And it the people’s money, their tax money, they want to make sure it is valued.”
But how are these candidates different?
“I have experience of being in the city council, but also understanding the intricacies of governmental types of things,” said White. “In order for us to sustain that standard of excellence [in public safety], we have to go out and encourage more people to come out and get into law enforcement and the fire profession.”
Local
“I have worked part time as a police officer for 32 and a half years for our park district police so when I talk about public safety, I have that background and experience of being on the street,” said Wehrli. “When I talk about economic development, I have been a job creator for over 20 years. I own a business that has over 200 employees.”
A government census shows Naperville’s population is nearly 70 percent white, around 4 percent black, 20 percent Asian and around 6 percent Hispanic. Both front runners discussed efforts to increase diversity,
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“I have been reaching out to different people in the community just in an effort to bring them together,” said White.
“It is very important for the next mayor to make sure he reaches out or she reaches out and makes sure everybody is at the table,” said Wehrli.
Both Wehri and White are hoping for a stronger turnout in this year's election than Naperville has seen in the past.
Stephens, the founder of the non-profit organization Kids Teen Rider, released a statement to NBC 5, saying she wasn't available for an interview by phone on Monday following the deadly school shooting in Nashville.
"...Kids Teen Rider was on a strict stand-by schedule," she said, in part. "Our prayers and condolences goes out to the entire community, schools and parents. This is a sad day for everyone."
Stephens also outlined the priorities and concerns she will address, if elected:
"1. Public Safety is very important in our communities. We need our residents to feel safe, along with making sure our Naperville police department has the necessary equipment to continue to keep our communities safe.
2. Improve Affordable Housing Options making sure residents can experience quality of life with affordable housing cost.
3. Child care assistance for working moms and one parent families.
4. Mental Health resources for those struggling families, along with kids and teens that are struggling with depression, suicide, and the lost of a love one every day. My mission is to make sure we have affordable resources and facilities available for people in need.
5. Economic Opportunities advance strategies, policies and ideas to help low- and moderate income people thrive in a changing economy."
