The newcomers were in great shape Tuesday night, with longtime Oak Brook resident Laurence “Larry” Herman, Drake Hotel owner James P. Nagle and physician A. Suresh Reddy accumulating the three highest unofficial vote totals with 100% of precincts reporting in the election for three four-year terms on the Village Board.
The slate of newcomers was running against John Baar, who was seeking a third four-year term on the board, Phil Cuevas, seeking a second term, and Charlotte Pruss, who has been village clerk since 2007.
Unofficial vote totals from DuPage County had Herman leading the way with 21.60%, followed by Nagle, 21.45%; Reddy, 19.53%; Baar, 15.2%; Pruss, 11.34%; and Cuevas, 10.89%. There were no votes cast in the one Cook County precinct.
Herman said he was surprised by the apparent margin of victory.
“It was far more decisive than I expected,” he said. “I think people are ready for a change.
“By far, the biggest challenge facing Oak Brook is our precarious finances, and specifically the growing habit of wasteful spending by the incumbents running for reelection that is severely depleting our reserves. If left unchecked, this culture of spending will force us into having to adopt new taxes.”
Nagle also said the village needs to curtail its spending.
“We currently owe $70 million to the police and fire pensions,” he said. “That deficit is rising every year. Despite this crisis, I watched my opponents on the board vote in favor of $6 million for a garage to store salt, $4.5 million to ‘beautify’ Jorie Boulevard, $1.2 million to build a bar at the golf club house, and $3 million for a police station addition.”
Herman said it was extremely helpful that Village President Gopal Lalmalani and Village Board members not up for reelection — Ed Tiesenga, Asif Yusuf, Michael Manzo and Moin Saiyed — unanimously endorsed his slate.
Reddy said he decided to run with Herman and Nagle because he believes the three of them can address the most critical issues impacting the village better than anyone else, each with their own unique skills.
“As a practicing physician, I will use my training and experiences to ensure that appropriate and effective health policies are approved by the board and implemented by our village staff,” he said. “There are many expert doctors and medical professionals in our community. I will find ways to engage them through informal work groups or more formal committees if needed to ensure the safety of our residents.”
