Tomorrow, April 6, are the 2021 Consolidated Elections. PLEASE VOTE!!! There are only 3 contested races for Batavia residents: City Council Wards 6 and 7 and Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees. All other offices have candidates running unopposed.

Sample ballots can be found here: https://www.kanecountyclerk.org/Elections

Not sure what ward you live in? Besides looking at your sample ballot, you can find a City ward map and your current aldermen here: https://www.cityofbatavia.net/233/City-Council-Committee-of-the-Whole

Please research the candidates on your own. The few comments provided here should serve only as a start. The Daily Herald has candidate questionnaires available. If you do not have a subscription, you can access the questionnaires online through your Batavia Library account. You may also view the League of Women Voters candidate forum here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_k6wPCuNCs

Ward 6 has a contest between incumbent alderman Nicholas Cerone and challenger Shaunak Dave.

While Alderman Cerone has had some arguably poor votes (e.g., the Shodeen project), he has also been brave enough to vote against the majority and stand up for the taxpayers of Batavia at other times, including in budget battles.

His challenger, Dave, reached out on social media to voters, proclaiming himself to be a “fiscal conservative” and saying he will represent constituents, yet supports the Shodeen project which is neither fiscally conservative nor representative of constituents who overwhelmingly were against it. When asked what measures he will use to determine what is “fiscally conservative” and what his constituents desire, he refused to answer. Dave stands on a platform of “diversity” and is a political activist who has worked on the campaigns of Democrats, including Lauren Underwood and Georgia’s Raphael Warnock.

While Shaunak Dave boasts platitudes that contradict some of his other statements, Alderman Nick Cerone has been a fairly reliable vote for the citizens of Batavia.

Ward 7 has a contest between 2 candidates: Sarah Vogelsinger and Robin Barraza. Both are new to politics. Both are eager to serve Batavia. Both have a background in Education— Vogelsinger had been a teacher and Barraza is a school administrator. If these are your ward’s candidates, please read the Daily Herald questionnaires, watch the forum, and even give them a call.

Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees has 4 candidates vying for 2 seats. The incumbents, Rebecca Oliver and Patrick Kelsey face 2 challengers named Gonzalez (friends, though not related)— Giselle Gonzalez and Sandra Gonzalez.

Please read the Chicago Tribune article, “Finances, impact of pandemic among issues in Waubonsee board election”, by David Sharos, 3/12/21.

Both Gonzalezes are running on a platform of “diversity” and are community activists for “social justice” and “equity” and want more free (taxpayer-funded) stuff for students. If you have concern for preborn human beings, you should know Giselle works for Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Sandra is an avid supporter of same.

Rebecca Oliver and Patrick Kelsey as incumbents have tried to keep taxes low (abating over $7 million to taxpayers in 2020) while providing quality education at affordable tuition rates (no increase in last 2 years).

Also from the aforementioned Tribune article, on Patrick Kelsey:

“If reelected, Kelsey said he wants to push for the new Career Technical Education building, hold the line on local taxes and increase graduation rates.”

And on Rebecca Oliver:

“We have to work through the budget in order to create a high-quality product and manage this institution in what is often the great unknown and take a conservative fiscal stance,” she said….

Oliver said it’s important to “make progress by evaluating and adding programs as we’re not aware of all the jobs that are coming in the next 20 years.”

“We need to have training programs that are current and relevant and need a quick response to get people the degrees they’ll need,” she said.