Des Plaines seats new city council

A campaign that generated unprecedented interest for the Des Plaines city council ended Tuesday night with four new aldermen elected and the first new clerk the city has seen in 27 years.

Patricia Haugeberg took the 1st Ward alderman seat, winning by 159 votes over fellow candidates Eugene Fregetto, Michael Bausone and Peter Tatera. All vote totals are unofficial.

The race centered on Des Plaines River flooding and the candidates said they support a regional approach to fixing it. Haugeberg, 59, a sales manager and former Des Plaines Park District commissioner, said since the city built a river walk as a flood barrier and expanded the river bed there's constant flooding in nearby forest preserves. She said the city cannot build without considering the impact.

In the 3rd ward, 22-year-old Matt Bogusz won the seat handily by 843 votes over former alderman Wayne Elstner, 63, and Michael Kochevar, 59, a retired telephone company employee.

Bogusz, a Des Plaines Library board member who formerly worked on the mayor's Special Events Commission, voiced concerns about city finances and the economy during the campaign. He said city officials need to do more long-term financial planning.

Retired Des Plaines firefighter James Brookman, 58, and current park board member James Brookman will replace his wife, Carla Brookman, as 5th Ward alderman. Carla Brookman could not run for re-election because of the city's term limit rules. Brookman defeated Daniel Winiecki, 56, a traffic safety manager for a warehouse company, by 114 votes.

Brookman said that, like his wife did before him, he promises to do due diligence on the council and demand information be brought into the open.

In the 7th Ward, where Alderman Don Smith could not run for re-election because of term limits, retired schoolteacher Dan Wilson secured the seat with a 160-vote lead over Joseph Kozenczak, 66, the former Des Plaines police chief and current private investigator.

Wilson, 64, former member of the Des Plaines Elementary District 62 school caucus and manager of the Des Plaines Tennis Club, said his top priority is ensuring city taxes don't increase.

In the contest for city clerk, Gloria Ludwig will replace longtime Clerk Donna McAllister. Ludwig led the field with 758 votes, followed by Jennifer Tsalapatanis, the daughter of James and Carla Brookman, and Patrice McDonough, who previously ran for 6th Ward Alderman.

Ludwig, 56, an independent hair stylist, was a full-time deputy village clerk in Hanover Park. She works part time and said she would dedicate as much time as needed to perform the clerk's duties.

McAllister, the city's longest serving clerk, made $60,000 yearly. The next clerk will serve part time for $6,000 yearly.