A crowded field of 17 candidates filed petitions this week to run for three open Homer Glen trustee positions, forcing a primary election in February. Candidates include two incumbent trustees, a former trustee, several past candidates for other offices, two sets of spouses, a funeral home director and advocates for road preservation. If the validity of their petitions are not challenged, they will appear on the Feb. 25 primary ballot, where voters will whittle the field down to six candidates to face voters in the April 1 election. Two slates of candidates for Homer Township offices have filed for the Feb. 25 Republican primary in which the incumbents led by township Supervisor Steve Balich and his Will County Freedom Caucus are challenged by the Homer Township Reset slate led by Homer Glen Trustee Susanna Steilen. While Balich said the race could be clean, he is warning it could be a “nasty” election season, citing a false rumor that he had been arrested. “They are going to start slamming me and I’m going to slam them back,” Balich said. “It’s probably going to be the dirtiest election Homer Glen has ever seen. … People know how nasty this will get. If you hit me with a fist, I’m going to hit you with a bat.” Homer Glen Eight of the 17 candidates for Homer Glen trustee filed at the same time and will be put into a lottery Nov. 4 to determine their ballot placement, the village clerk’s office said. They are incumbent Trustees Jennifer Trzos-Consolino and Rose Reynders, former Trustee Ruben L. Pazmino and Michael LePore, Richard J. Modelski, Heidi “Hadley” Pacella, James “Jay” Roti and John Walters. Other candidates are Nicholas S. Muller, Kevin Koukol, Cesar E. Marin, Theresa “Tammy” Hayes, John Hayes, Daniel Gutierrez, Ethan D. Fialko, Katie Surges and Kyle Surges. They are all running as individual candidates and nonpartisan, the clerk’s office said. Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike is backing Reynders for reelection as well as Muller, a police officer, and Lepore, a Realtor. Candidates who protested Will County’s expansion of County Highway 1 last year include Pacella and Kyle Surges. Pacella has also been actively against Will County’s plans to widen 143rd Street; her husband Dominic is running for township trustee on Balich’s slate. Several of the candidates ran unsuccessfully for various offices in 2023. Pazmino, an incumbent at the time, and Roti ran together for Homer Glen trustee but were defeated by Neitzke-Troike’s Integrity for Homer Glen Party. Pazmino is a local restaurant owner. Roti is a Republican precinct committeeperson. Also in 2023, Walters was defeated in the race for Homer Township Library trustee, and Theresa “Tammy” Hayes lost her bid for the Will County Elementary District 92 Board. They were backed by We the Parents Illinois, a group from Lockport, Homer Glen and Crest Hill who ran for various offices in response to a “loss of control” in their children’s education, its website states. Marin ran unsuccessfully for the Homer Elementary District 33C Board in 2021. Fialko is the son of Homer Glen Trustee Dan Fialko, who is not running for reelection. Modelski is the owner of Richard J. Modell Funeral Home in Homer Glen. Neitzke-Troike said she believes all the filings were deliberately done to force a primary and knock people she is supporting off the ballot because they may have lower name recognition. She said she wants a board that works together and focuses on village business, not politics. “Some people run for the love of community,” Neitzke-Troike said. “Some run for their love of politics and power.” She said a unified board may not always vote the same or think the same, but they can have healthy conversations rather than political bickering. She said despite running against Reynders for mayor in 2023, the two work well together and she believes in Reynder’s commitment to the community. That is a trait she also sees in Muller and Lepore, she said. “Some people think the mayor and trustees are political positions,” Neitzke-Troike said. “To me they are community leaders.” Reynders said she would love to see the community move forward without political divisiveness. She said many residents are fed up with the animosity. “You become unproductive when you can’t agree to disagree,” Reynders said. “The whole purpose of running for trustee is the betterment of the community.” Reynders said when she and the mayor put down their swords, they were able to work toward accomplishing village goals, including buying land for a wastewater treatment plant. Reynders said they are working to improve parks, set up a nonprofit foundation to help fund park and trail improvements and help residents fight the 143rd Street expansion. Trzos-Consolino, who belongs to the board’s minority, said she has strong concerns about the direction Homer Glen is heading, suggesting a lack of checks and balances, the mayor taking away authority from the trustees, high legal bills and wasted taxpayer money on the board majority’s efforts to dissolve Homer Township. “This board’s excessive and irresponsible spending habits are not affordable for our village, and as a result these members will force increased taxes on our residents,” Trzos-Consolino said. She said residents who attend or watch board meetings say they feel bullied and harassed by the mayor and her supporters. “The mayor and her slate ran on a platform of bringing civility and respect to our board,” Trzos-Consolino said. “They have only demonstrated a bullish decorum, condescending and unprofessional remarks and an inability to act professionally.  No elected official should be chastised or verbally shamed after how they choose to vote on the dais. That’s intimidation.” “I believe this is why you have so many people running for the primary – because they are tired of having their opinions and voice oppressed by the elected officials,” she said. Pazmino said he is returning to village politics because the last term was overshadowed by the pandemic and indifference among the board. He said while it is OK to have a difference in opinion, there needs to be civility and respect, and he wants to work together with whoever is elected. He agreed there was a problem with spending. “I will say that the village’s expenses have exponentially increased while income has decreased,” Pazmino said. “That’s a problem. My main focus is to run a lean and productive operation at the village.” Homer Township Incumbent Supervisor Balich said he doesn’t plan to get involved in the village’s elections, but will concentrate on his slate’s reelection campaign. Balich said he does not support Homer Glen’s mayor or the candidates she endorses. Members of the Will County Freedom Caucus are, from left, Vicki Bozen, Mike Bonomo, Rose Fialko, Dominic Joseph Pacella, Steve Balich, Mike Clausen, Angel Shake, Carmen Maurella and Brent Porfilio. (Party photo) Members of the Homer Township Reset Party are Keith Gray, from left, Chris Sievers, John Robinson, Susanna Steilen, Don Melody, Sara Palermo, Ken Marcin and Tami O’Brien. (Party photo) Members of the Homer Township administration running for reelection include Clerk Vicki Bozen, Assessor Carmen J. Maurella III, Highway Commissioner Brent Alan Porfilio, Collector Rose M. Fialko and Trustees Mike G. Bonomo, Mike W. Clausen and Angel Constance Shake. The sole newcomer to the slate is Dominic Joseph Pacella. Known as the Will County Freedom Caucus, they have promoted themselves on social media as the only real Republicans for office, which their opponents deny. Balich, Bonomo, Bozen and Porfilio are committepersons with the Homer Township Republicans. They are challenged by Homer Township Reset. The group includes Homer Glen Trustee Susanna Steilen for supervisor, John Robinson for highway commissioner, Tami O’Brien for clerk, Sara Palermo for collector and Ken Marcin, Chris Sievers, Don Melody and Keith Gray for trustees. Gray was a former Homer Glen trustee defeated in his reelection bid in 2021. Marcin, a Republican precinct committeeperson, ran for township trustee in 2021 and lost to members of Balich’s slate. O’Brien was recently involved in an election dispute with Balich for precinct committeeperson.  In the spring, O’Brien beat Balich by one vote for committeeperson, a volunteer position, but he asked for a recount. One ballot cast for O’Brien was not initialed by an election judge, resulting in a tie, which was broken when a numbered ball in favor of Balich was randomly drawn from a box. Steilen said her group’s goal is to return civility to the township, represent all residents fairly and improve transparency. “My team may not have a lot of experience playing political games, but we do have a lot of experience serving and supporting the community,” Steilen said. She said residents are upset with the current administration, including its attempt to sell dedicated open space and plans to build a civic center at Trantina Farm. Steilen said some residents also disagreed with Balich’s decision this summer to fly the U.S. flag at the township offices upside down in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s felony conviction in New York. Steilen said she wants to do a better job monitoring development in unincorporated areas, noting residents living near a proposed Muslim cemetery were unaware of the plans.  She said residents should not have a difficult time receiving information from the township, especially through Freedom of Information Act requests, and she wants to work with other government entities to avoid duplication of services. “We do not want to be negative,” Steilen said. “We have a lot to celebrate in our community. We have a lot to be proud of. There is so much negativity going on.” Balich said his administration is saving taxpayer money because it uses volunteers and board members to run events and oversee construction projects, such as the civic center and renovations at the Founders Crossing senior housing. He said the highway commissioner has saved the township hundreds of thousands of dollars performing engineering services himself. Balich said his administration won’t raise taxes or create user fees and they are against increased regulations. Balich has opposed village’s efforts to dissolve the township, saying township government operates more efficiently and affordably than the village. The Homer Township Democratic Organization is not fielding a slate in the February primaries and is working on the November general election before deciding how to proceed in the spring. Member Sheri Boniecki-Cooling said the organization is willing to support the best candidates regardless of party affiliation as long as they work for all township residents. Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.