The Naperville Sun asked each of the candidates running for the Naperville City Council in the April 1, 2025, election to complete a biographical form and to answer questions about four issues facing the city.
Below are their answers. They are posted in the order in which they were received them and appear as written by the candidates. If a candidate is not listed here, their questionnaire has not yet been returned.
There are eight candidates seeking four, four-year council terms. Three are incumbents: Benny White, Jennifer Bruzan Taylor and Ian Holzhauer. (Incumbent Paul Leong did not run for reelection.) The challengers are Meghna Bansal, Derek McDaniel, Mary Gibson, Nag Jaiswal and Ashfaq Syed.
DEREK McDANIEL
Age: 37
Address: 1019 Kennesaw Ct.
Marital status: Married
Children’s ages (if applicable):
Education: B.A. from Purdue University, M.B.A. – Concentration in Corporate Finance from DePaul University
Occupation: Financial Advisor
Employer: Benjamin F. Edwards
Current elected office, if applicable:
Previous elected office:
Civic or social service group membership or community volunteer work:
- Two-Term Naperville Planning & Zoning Commissioner
- Board member on Naperville CAPS(Citizens Appreciate Public Safety)
- Former Board member of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, Naperville Heritage Society, & NCTV17.
- Former member on Naperville’s Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC)
1. Naperville’s contract with its current electricity provider, the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, expires in 2035. What do you envision for the future of the city’s electric supply? What factors — affordability, sustainability, etc. — should the city prioritize as it decides how to power its electric grid in years to come?
Naperville stands at a crossroads regarding its energy future. With our contract with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) expiring in 2035, this is a pivotal opportunity to reimagine how we power our city for decades to come.
Our energy strategy must prioritize affordability for residents while accelerating our transition toward sustainable energy sources. Naperville’s current reliance on coal-generated electricity presents challenges, both environmentally and financially. The IMEA’s proposed contract extension through 2055 raises legitimate concerns about locking our city into a less adaptive energy model.
I support the recent decision to bring in an energy consultant to evaluate our options. Their expertise will guide us in identifying cost-effective, innovative, and environmentally responsible solutions. It’s essential to incorporate competitive market analysis and advancements in energy technologies, such as battery storage & peak shaving, as we consider alternatives.
As we navigate these decisions, Naperville must retain an element of autonomy over its energy choices. By doing so, we can ensure that future contracts align with the values and priorities of our community. Flexibility will be key, allowing us to adapt to emerging technologies and energy markets rather than committing to long-term agreements that could limit our options.
Finally, I believe transparency and community engagement are essential as we chart this path. Naperville residents deserve a voice in shaping the future of our energy supply.
Our energy decisions today will define Naperville’s environmental and economic legacy for generations. With a thoughtful, informed approach, we can secure a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future for our city.
2. In regards to increasing the city’s affordable housing stock, the council last fall opted to create an affordable housing catalog in lieu of an incentives program for developers. Should the city revive discussion over an incentives program? Why or why not?
Naperville must continue to diversify its housing stock to ensure our community remains welcoming and accessible to new families looking to plant roots here, as well as to older residents who wish to stay in the city they’ve helped shape. Affordable housing is a critical piece of that equation, but it must be approached in a way that aligns with Naperville’s values and priorities.
I believe the city should encourage the development of ADUs. These provide a flexible and cost-effective way to increase affordable housing options while blending seamlessly into established neighborhoods. ADUs can serve as homes for aging parents, adult children, or renters, and they contribute to a more diverse housing landscape.
While the Affordable Housing Incentive Program (AHIP) outlines some creative solutions, there are key elements I believe are not in Naperville’s best interest. For instance:
- Resale Price Caps: The resale price cap on “affordable homes for purchase” may unintentionally discourage homeowners from investing in their properties and building equity. Homeownership has long been a cornerstone of financial security, and policies that limit wealth-building opportunities could deter participation in the program.
- “By-Right” Approval Process: I oppose the “by-right” approval process outlined in the AHIP plan. It’s vital that residents have a voice in proposed developments that impact their neighborhoods. Public input and oversight by elected and appointed officials ensure transparency, accountability, and decisions that reflect the community’s collective interests.
Incentives can be a valuable tool to encourage developers to include affordable housing in their projects. However, they must be carefully crafted to align with Naperville’s goals and preserve the quality of life our residents expect. Incentive programs should be transparent, equitable, and tied to clear, measurable outcomes.
Ultimately, addressing affordable housing requires collaboration among residents, developers, and city leadership. We must ensure that policies encourage responsible growth while protecting the character of our community. By doing so, we can create a Naperville that remains vibrant, inclusive, and livable for generations to come.
3. In recent years, the city has heightened its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. What are your views on DEI programs? Should the city continue to support DEI efforts?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are important principles for ensuring that Naperville remains a welcoming and vibrant community for all. Having policies in place at the city level to encourage diversity and inclusion is essential for fostering a sense of belonging and opportunity for everyone who lives, works, or visits our city.
However, I believe it’s prudent to first evaluate the effectiveness of our current DEI initiatives. We need to thoroughly review the department’s impact and understand which policies have been implemented and how they’ve contributed to measurable outcomes. This assessment will help us identify what’s working, where improvements may be needed, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and effectively.
4. Efforts to chart a new path forward for city-owned land around the Fifth Avenue train station have been discussed on and off for a decade. Should the city make it a priority to revisit possible redevelopment in the coming year and what would you like to see the land used for? What should the city’s role be in funding a redevelopment plan?
At this time, I’m not convinced that prioritizing the redevelopment of the land surrounding the Fifth Avenue train station is in Naperville’s best interest. This area has long been a family friendly neighborhood, complete with a park where kids play and a strong sense of community. Any potential redevelopment must carefully consider how it would impact the character of the area and the residents who call it home.
Before any decisions are made, it’s essential to thoroughly review the options and feasibility study that is expected to come before the City Council in the coming months. This analysis will provide critical insight into what’s possible and practical for the site.
While this could be an appealing location to add retail or restaurants, I have concerns about their long-term viability. Many commuters prioritize heading straight home after work, which may limit the success of businesses in this area. Redevelopment plans should reflect realistic expectations of how the space will be used and whether it can truly serve the community effectively.
As for the city’s role in funding, I believe any redevelopment effort must be approached with fiscal responsibility. Public-private partnerships could be explored, but the city’s financial contribution should be carefully evaluated to ensure taxpayers are not burdened with unnecessary risks or costs. Ultimately, any investment must provide clear, tangible benefits for Naperville residents.
In short, the Fifth Avenue area is a unique and valuable asset for our city. If redevelopment moves forward, it should be done thoughtfully, with input from the community and a focus on preserving the neighborhood’s character while addressing practical and economic considerations.
IAN HOLZHAUER
Age: 42
Address: 336 Redbud Dr.
Marital Status: Separated
Children’s Ages: 16, 14, 13, 9
Education: JD, Georgetown University (magna cum laude), 2007; BA, History, University of Florida (summa cum laude), 2004; Naperville North High School Class of 2001
Occupation: Attorney
Employer: Campbell Holzhauer Concierge Law, Ltd., Naperville, IL
Current Elected Office: Naperville City Council
Previous Elected Office: None
Civic/Social Group Membership: Founding member and Board Member of Naperville Seniors Non-Profit Group; Prior Board Chair, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce; Riverwalk Commissioner; Member, First Congregational UCC of Naperville
What do you envision for the future of the city’s electric supply? What factors — affordability, sustainability, etc. — should the city prioritize as it decides how to power its electric grid in years to come?
I envision a future powered by a fair contract for the people of Naperville, which includes a more future-focused and fiscally responsible energy portfolio than an antiquated coal-dependent approach.
When Naperville negotiated its current power contract, the city secured the right to choose its energy source for 2030. However, our current coal-heavy provider is now pushing for a decision five years early—despite lacking any contractual authority to do so. Their urgency stems from the fact that they bargain from a position of weakness – their solution is becoming less viable. Coal is already not the most cost-effective option, and its competitiveness declines every year, as the market rapidly adopts new technologies (and we anticipate new technologies like improved battery storage). It is not our taxpayers’ job to offer a bailout to a power plant with an uncertain future.
Our next energy contract must keep our options open and prioritize what’s best for our city and its residents. Coal is the dirtiest source of energy. Accounting for all the environmental damage, carbon emissions, and negative economic impacts, it is also the most expensive. It behooves us to look at more sustainable and clean energy sources for our residents.
In regards to increasing the city’s affordable housing stock, the council last fall opted to create an affordable housing catalog in lieu of an incentives program for developers. Should the city revive discussion over an incentives program? Why or why not?
Yes, I have supported this initiative consistently, and it initially passed the Council with a 9-0 vote. The political winds shifted in the past couple of years, but I have remained steadfast in my commitment to affordable housing and hope we bring this back to the new Council for the following reasons:
We should ensure that our hospital workers, police officers, teachers, and firefighters have access to decent, affordable living spaces. This is a sign of a healthy community.
We have a shortage of affordable housing, which leads to increasing purchase and rent prices and the displacement of mid to lower-income residents, including young working families and seniors on a fixed income. Offering developers incentives to build affordable housing units can help close this gap.
Housing instability is a major driver of financial stress, family stress, and even health and safety risks. By providing stable, affordable housing, Naperville can improve overall community well-being.
In recent years, the city has heightened its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. What are your views on DEI programs? Should the city continue to support DEI efforts?
Naperville is a very diverse community, both in its demographics and in its workforce. This includes wide differences in age, ability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background. In an effort to ensure that the city was meeting its obligation to all its constituents, the council hired its first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager Dr. Geneace Williams in February 2021, shortly before I was elected. Dr. Williams’ tenure has been significant in that she has partnered with other organizations in the community, including holding wide-ranging listening sessions, developing events, and conducting teach-ins at the college and high school levels. I’ve been a strong supporter of Dr. Williams, and have tried as a councilmember to make sure people from all walks of life are included in our community.
Personally, some of my proudest work has been in supporting housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocating for Pridefest, celebrating religious festivals, and working with the Senior Task Force – all diverse populations. I am proud our city has chosen a positive direction, and I think it speaks to the character of our community that we are a welcoming place.
Efforts to chart a new path forward for city-owned land around the Fifth Avenue train station have been discussed on and off for a decade. Should the city make it a priority to revisit possible redevelopment in the coming year and what would you like to see the land used for? What should the city’s role be in funding a redevelopment plan?
It should absolutely be a priority. Naperville’s railway station occupies a unique position in our urban environment as a gateway to our city and as a link to other communities and to Chicago. If you asked a visitor to guess which community is ranked the best city in America based on the view out the BNSF train from Chicago, they would never guess Naperville, based on our train station’s sea of aging parking lots and lack of amenities.
We need to plan a beautiful, mixed-use, transit-oriented space that harmonizes with the existing area. This year, I proposed to City Staff the idea of bringing in an independent non-profit, the Urban Land Institute, to study potential uses for the land. Council ended up commissioning the Urban Land Institute to conduct its study, which will include obtaining resident input and comparing our community to similar communities around the country, looking for best practices. I feel strongly that by starting with a baseline plan, developed by a nonprofit with no financial skin in the game, and with resident input, we can have a process that is transparent and ultimately succeeds in making the train station area a truly transit-oriented, sustainable, and beautiful area.
JENNIFER BRUZAN TAYLOR
Age: 42
Address: 309 Spring Ave., Naperville
Marital status: Married
Children’s ages: 9, 7, 3
Education: JD, Boston College Law School, 2007; BA, Vanderbilt University (magna cum laude), 2004; Neuqua Valley High School Class of 2000 (1st Graduating Class)
Occupation: Current Naperville City Councilwoman; former Cook County prosecutor; former adjunct professor of Constitutional Law at North Central College
Employer: City of Naperville
Current elected office, if applicable: Naperville City Council
Previous elected office: N/A
Civic or social service group membership or community volunteer work: Serves as the City Council liaison on the Downtown Naperville Alliance, the Regulatory Committee of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, the Transportation Advisory Board, and the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force. I previously served as the City Council liaison to the Naperville Public Library Board of Trustees.
I also served on the DuPage Children’s Museum NextGen Board and as Vice Chairwoman of the Westside Homeowner’s Association (WHOA). In 2019, I was involved with the Housing Conditions Focus Group to assess the housing shortages in the City, and was the WHOA neighborhood liaison to the Nichols Library Parking Garage Working Group. I am a prior member of multiple professional organizations, such as the DuPage County Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Bar Association.
1. Naperville’s contract with its current electricity provider, the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, expires in 2035. What do you envision for the future of the city’s electric supply? What factors — affordability, sustainability, etc. — should the city prioritize as it decides how to power its electric grid in years to come?
The City is now in the beginning stages of determining how it will procure its energy once our contract with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) ends in 2035. The City made a commitment to improve its sustainability efforts in many ways, one of which is lowering its reliance on coal. As the City Council liaison to the Naperville Environmental Sustainability Task Force (NEST), I understand the need to find the appropriate balance between significantly lowering our greenhouse gas output, without losing the reliability of service and low rates that Naperville prides itself on. I also know that Naperville’s reliability is because 95% of our electric lines are underground. The remaining 5% of above ground electric lines cause about half of our current outages. Over the next ten years, Naperville plans to bury this remaining 5% so that we improve the reliability of our energy even more.
As to my actions so far, I pushed for the City to hire an energy consultant to look at all the various ways Naperville can procure its energy in the future and the pros and cons of each possibility. I advocated for transparency every step of the way in this process, which includes multiple workshops open to the public once the consultant is ready to present options. I will push for competitive bidding for whichever option is ultimately chosen. Finally, this process will be done on the City’s timeline, not any timeline created by IMEA or others. There is no penalty with IMEA for not renewing by April 30, 2025.
2. In regards to increasing the city’s affordable housing stock, the council last fall opted to create an affordable housing catalog in lieu of an incentives program for developers. Should the city revive discussion over an incentives program? Why or why not?
For a long time, according to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), we were below the 10% threshold for affordable housing in Naperville. I know that I, among others, encouraged our developers to present projects to help address our affordable housing needs, and our development community rose to the challenge. There are several different types of housing approved over the last four years that help young professionals, families, seniors, and our intellectual developmentally delayed (IDD) community. According to IHDA, as of 2023, 10.3% of our housing stock is considered affordable. With this success, I still am mindful of the housing shortage needs in our community, especially for our seniors and IDD community. I am proud of my role in advocating for the Tower Courts development, which provides housing for our seniors and IDD community. This project also included the sale of unused City owned land at 103rd and Rt 59, adding it to the property tax rolls, and so a double win. There is room for a Phase II for Tower Courts at this location as well. I also see 5th Avenue as a perfect location for another similar housing project for our seniors and IDD community.
As for the Affordable Housing Incentive Program (AHIP) before City Council in November, myself, and the overwhelming majority of those on Council, whether in general they support affordable housing or not, had issues with the “by right” provision that is the heart of AHIP. Because with this “by right” provision, which is how we incentivize developers in the ordinance, once developers are eligible, the project and the incentives they pick is approved by staff only. There is no public process before Planning and Zoning Commission or before City Council. City Council members, who are elected to represent the interests of all those who live in Naperville, do not vote on the project. Our community cannot urge us, for example, to focus on one type of affordable housing over another because the public and City Council are cut out. Both when I ran in 2021 and now for re-election, I ran to “be the voice of the people, to ensure people feel heard.” An ordinance with a “by right” provision prevents me from fulfilling that promise, and hurts my ability to increase the available affordable housing to our seniors and IDD communities.
3. In recent years, the city has heightened its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. What are your views on DEI programs? Should the city continue to support DEI efforts?
I believe in the diversity of ideas. I constantly teach my three young children about the power of listening and reflecting on the ideas shared by all. There is always something to be learned when you take the time to listen and challenge your views. And so, should the City support DEI programming? Yes, but not in its current format. Currently, diversity initiatives are paid for through the property tax levy. Though not inquired about by the Naperville Sun in its questionnaire, one of the biggest issues Naperville is facing is the State of Illinois’ repeal of the municipal grocery tax statute. This repeal of the grocery tax leaves a reoccurring $6M revenue gap in the City’s 2026 budget. This loss has a dramatic and immediate impact on the City of Naperville, which very well may affect the City’s ability to provide all its current services if we do not find a reoccurring revenue source to fill that revenue loss. There is no silver bullet to solve this revenue gap and some hard decisions need to be made.
One of the criticisms of the City’s current DEI program is that the results are non-measurable. Currently, many intangible, non-measurable investments are made into the community through the City’s Special Event Community Arts Program (SECA) funding. Our public art is a great example. But instead of creating a City art department with full time employees and pension obligations, we award grants to organizations who use the funds to beautify our City. In my opinion, this is a much more fiscally responsible way to fund diversity initiatives in our community. It gives us the ability to adjust priorities annually in response to budgetary and economic pressures, while at the same time supporting a program that people in our community find important, just like art. As an obligation on our property tax levy, we lose this flexibility and are faced with escalating costs that we are required to pay no matter the current financial circumstances of the City. Plus, it does not force those who do not want to pay for diversity initiatives to pay through their property taxes. If there is community demand, it should be funded through the City’s SECA grants.
4. Efforts to chart a new path forward for city-owned land around the Fifth Avenue train station have been discussed on and off for a decade. Should the city make it a priority to revisit possible redevelopment in the coming year and what would you like to see the land used for? What should the city’s role be in funding a redevelopment plan?
What are we going to do with 5th Avenue? That is a question asked by many over the years, including me. I was heavily involved during the last attempt at re-developing 5th Avenue, and the one common ground from both sides was that 5th Avenue cannot continue in its current underutilized state. With that in mind, the City Council is taking a different approach this time and using the Urban Land Institute Assistance Panel (ULI), which specializes in helping cities create a plan to redevelop large parcels of land. ULI is made up of experts in the field and are a neutral 3rd party with no connection to Naperville. City Council already pushed forth five detailed questions that ULI should focus on regarding 5th Avenue, that includes financing, re-development strategy, types of housing, community amenities, and improving its function as a transit center. ULI will complete the study in the summer of 2025, and it is important to note that what ULI presents is non-binding.
I am curious as to ULI’s finding and also open minded as to their suggestions. We do need to ensure that whatever is built at 5th Avenue, that we do not forget that this is a train station. About 80% of commuters live south of the train station, and we need to be aware of their needs and ease of access in any redevelopment decisions. At this time, I also think 5th Avenue should be redeveloped as one planned, coherent development, not parceled out, which may lead to a disconnected hodge podge. In addition, Naperville rarely offers tax incentives, and I support that general policy. A motivation to re-develop 5th Avenue is to better generate property taxes for the City, and so any tax incentives is anti-productive to that goal. Last, but not least, we cannot forget that 5th Avenue is nestled between multiple neighborhoods and schools, and we need to ensure any re-development benefits, not detracts from, those neighborhoods and schools.
