Brookfield’s PEP Party has announced the three candidates it will run to fill three open seats on the village board of trustees in April’s municipal election.
Incumbent Trustee Nicole Gilhooley, Village Clerk Michael Melendez and newcomer Kenyon Duner were listed as the party’s three candidates on its website on Monday, Oct. 12, though their names appear to have been removed since then. The PEP Party confirmed the three candidates in an email on Friday, Oct. 16.
Gilhooley is seeking her second term since she was reelected in 2023, following a prior eight-year stint on the board from 2013 to 2021. Melendez and Duner are both seeking their first terms on the village board, though Melendez was elected in 2025 for a four-year term as the village clerk.
Duner is the chair of Brookfield’s parks and recreation commission and has served as a commissioner since 2014. In 2023, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Riverside Brookfield High School board. Duner works as an accessibility coordinator for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
In a written statement, the PEP nominating committee described Gilhooley, Melendez and Duner as “thoughtful, qualified and dedicated individuals” who “have already invested years of their time, talent and energy into making Brookfield and the surrounding community a better place.”
Nominating petitions must be filed with Cook County by Nov. 23, as village trustees are not on the February primary ballot and participate directly in the consolidated election on April 6.
Incumbent trustees Katie Kaluzny and Julie Narimatsu confirmed they were not running for reelection. Kaluzny served two terms in a row since her election in 2019 and said she has reached the end of her term limit, making her ineligible to run again. In an email, Kaluzny said she plans to continue volunteering with the village’s conservation commission.
Narimatsu was first elected in 2023 and chose not to pursue a second term to care for aging family members, she told the Landmark in an email.
“I knew I was not going to be able to give the election the attention it deserves, and I likely wouldn’t be able to give the next term the time and energy it requires either,” she wrote. “I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to serve and learn from this community, not to mention work alongside some incredibly thoughtful and dedicated public servants. It has truly been an honor.”
Narimatsu said she plans to stay active in the community, including as a board member for the Brookfield Parks and Recreation Foundation, which recently raised more than $22,000 for community recreation scholarships through its annual duck race.
Update, Friday, Oct. 16, 10:23 a.m.: This story was updated after the PEP Party responded to the Landmark’s request for confirmation on its slate of candidates.
