Candidates for elective office were up bright and early Monday morning in Brookfield, the first day to turn in nominating petitions for the April 5 consolidated election. Voters will head to the polls that day to elect a village president, three village trustees, a village clerk and three library board trustees.

For the offices of village president, trustee and clerk, there were no surprises. The incumbent VIP administration turned in 159 pages worth of signatures for its candidates, which include Bill Russ for president; Wil Brennan, Thomas Nowicki and Mitch Mierop for trustee; and H. Jeane Eineman for clerk.

Meanwhile, the PEP Party turned in 122 pages of signatures for its slate, which includes Michael Garvey for president; Kit Ketchmark, Cathy Colgrass Edwards and Michael Towner for trustee; and Dan Raddatz for clerk.

Four candidates turned in nominating petitions for the three open library trustee seats. While the library board election is technically non-partisan, each candidate is clearly being endorsed by one of the village’s two political parties.

PEP candidates Towner, Edwards, Ketchmark, Garvey and Raddatz all circulated petitions for library board candidates Margaret A. Blasage, Carol V. Kissane and Jonathan H. Platt. Kissane and Blasage are seeking reelection to the library board.

Newcomer Judith R. Sweet, on the other hand, had help circulating her petitions for the library board from Russ and current VIP Trustee Alan Dorobiala.

Since more than one petitioner was at village hall at 9 a.m. Monday, Village Clerk Raddatz will hold a lottery on Jan. 27 at 4:30 p.m. at village hall to determine ballot order on the April 5 ballot.

CTA drops one mall bus route, extends another
Rail has replaced the road, and the CTA board on Wednesday eliminated a bus route serving neighborhoods between North Riverside Park Mall and McCormick Place.

The No. X21 route, which served communities such as Pilsen, Little Village and Lawndale on weekends and holidays, will cease to operate on Jan. 30. It is considered expendable since its service largely overlaps the renovated Blue Line, which began weekend service on Jan. 1. The 54th/Cermak station now operates from 4 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

“With a newly rebuilt, state-of-the-art, accessible rail line available on weekends, the No. X21 route is no longer needed,” CTA President Frank Kruesi said in a press release. The board voted unanimously to drop the bus route.

The board did approve a 180-day experiment that will extend the No. 21 Cermak buses’ westbound trips to the North Riverside Park Mall on weekends. The bus route typically ends at 54th/Cermak, but the Blue Line does not travel far enough west to take customers to the mall.

The elimination of the bus route is expected to save $234,400, officials said.
?”Steve Nery, Medill News Service