By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
LINCOLN PARK — Eight of the city’s elected positions are at stake Tuesday, with a crowded field of 16 candidates seeking office.
Heading into the general election, there was no disagreement between incumbents and newcomers as to the issues and challenges facing Lincoln Park. The cash-strapped city’s financial problems are evident. What voters must decide is if experience or fresh ideas will provide the solutions.
Tuesday’s ballot includes contests for mayor, city clerk and the six City Council seats. Treasurer Patricia Lulko is running unopposed.
Mayor Frank Vaslo is seeking another term in office, having first been elected mayor in 2007 following two terms on city council. Vaslo is challenged by Patricia Diaz Krause, a lifelong Lincoln Park resident and Ford Motor Co. retiree with a background in management.
City Clerk Donna Breeding is vying to keep the position she was first elected to in 1993. Breeding began working at City Hall in 1972 before being named assistant clerk in 1982. Challenger Richard Kudrick is a military veteran and retired AT&T worker.
The six City Council incumbents are each looking to retain their seats: Mark Kandes, first elected in 2001; Joseph Kaiser Jr., elected in 2009; Donald Majors, first elected in 2009; Suzanne Moreno, first elected in 2009; Thomas Murphy, whose council service dates back to 1975 and who also has served as city treasurer; and Mario DiSanto, a member of the panel since the 2001 election.
Six challengers join the council on the ballot: Tracy Bush, an accountant and newcomer to politics; Paula S. Hall, a postal worker and 19-year resident of the city; Deborah Henderson, a member of the Board of Review; Larry Kelsey, who serves on the Lincoln Park Citizens Patrol Watch; Thomas Parkinson, who served a term on council after a 1996 appointment; and newcomer Elizabeth Wright.
Candidate profiles run daily on the city’s cable station, Channel 12 for Comcast customers, Channel 10 for WOW. The profiles run at 1, 4 and 7 a.m., noon, and 5 and 9 p.m.