Challengers won in the Glen Ellyn Park District on Tuesday, as three of four incumbents on the Board of Commissioners were replaced.
Newcomers Melissa Creech, Jay Kinzler and Julia Nephew, who ran cooperatively, will join the district’s board after they unseated incumbents Bill Taylor, Keith Schoen and Jeffrey Jourdan. Only Ron Aubrey was able to hold onto his seat.
Creech was the biggest winner on Election Night, earning more than 18 percent of the votes and more than any other candidate.
The election marked the end of a more than year-long journey for Creech, who early last year started regularly attending Park District meetings as a concerned resident opposing removal of trees at Ackerman Woods for a stormwater project.
Her efforts drew support from other residents, and they ultimately convinced the board to rethink their plan.
The episode led Creech, Nephew and Kinzler to launch their bid to bring change to the board.
“We want to make sure that the Park District is operating openly and transparently,” Creech said. “We want to make sure that we are really listening to the people of Glen Ellyn because that has been an issue with the Park District in the past.”
In their campaign, the three challenger also promised financial responsibility — “making sure money is being spent where it is truly needed and not on pet projects,” Nephew said.
They said they were confident that incumbent Aubrey and the other members of the board would be receptive to their message.
Aubrey did not immediately return a telephone message Tuesday night.
