Ryan Kauffman Leads Oswego Village President Race: Unofficial Results

OSWEGO, IL — Current Village President Troy Parlier isn't poised to return to office after Tuesday's election, unofficial results from the Kendall County Clerk's Office show.

With all 24 precincts reporting, challenger and former Trustee Ryan Kauffman received 2,947 votes, or 54.88 percent, of the vote compared to Parlier's 2,423 votes, or 45.12 percent.

The unofficial count places Karin McCarthy-Lange, Luis Perez and Andrew Torres — the three trustee candidates that ran alongside Kauffman — in the lead for the three open seats on the Village Board.

Their challengers were Republicans James Marter II, Terry Olson and Jason Kapus, who ran under Parlier.

Polls in Illinois closed at 7 p.m. Here's a look at unofficial vote totals.

Village president:

• Parlier: 2,423 votes (45.12 percent)
• Kauffman: 2,947 votes (54.88 percent)

Trustees:

• Olson: 2,329 votes (15.19 percent)
• Marter: 2,160 votes (14.09 percent)
• Kapus: 2,163 votes (14.10 percent)
• McCarthy-Lange: 3,011 votes (19.63 percent)
• Perez: 2,831 votes (18.46 percent)
• Torres: 2,841 votes (18.53 percent)

Kauffman, an Oswego resident of 15 years, said he ran for office to bring the same passion he has for Oswego to the office of village president, according to his campaign website.

"Whether serving as Trustee or as President, my main goals will always be to ensure we have a safe, family friendly, walkable, shoppable downtown," said Kauffman, whose full-time job is working as a technology and business consultant.

In the "Why I'm Running" section on his website, Kauffman only mentions a thriving downtown Oswego as his main goal when serving as trustee or president.

"I firmly believe that our downtown is the beating heart of the community, and I want to see it thrive," he wrote.

Aside from trustee in Oswego, Kauffman has served on the Police Commission, where he helped hire "several exceptional" officers. When serving on the Village Board, he continued to help the Oswego Police Department by being a part of the team that built the new headquarters, according to his campaign.

In his campaign, Parlier cited "efficiently" managing the village's budget, eliminating wasteful spending and reaching a historic high with the village treasury as successes during his first four years in office.

In his time in office, water rates have been cut by 4 percent, and the village's property tax rate has been lowered for four consecutive years, Patch reported.

Parlier listed multiple ways in which the village prospered during his presidency. After promising to use the "collective abilities, strengths, efforts, and character of the good residents of Oswego," Parlier attended and volunteered at hundreds of public events, according to his website. He also made note of the more than 20 miles of roadway that have been resurfaced, the alley system in downtown Oswego that has been reconstructed, and the replacement of more than 800 parkway trees.

Moving forward, Parlier said his plan included the local government continuing to invest heavily in the Oswego Police Department. The village's crime rate has decreased by 41 percent since he took office, according to his campaign.

About the Trustee Candidates

McCarthy-Lange previously served as a trustee on the Village Board from 2015 to 2019. She currently works as a secretary and executive assistant at Naperville's Indian Prairie School District 204.

An Oswego resident of 20 years, McCarthy-Lange has volunteered and worked across town, serving organizations including the Oswego Chamber of Commerce, Inspiring Women of Oswego, Kiwanis Club of Oswego, and the Oswego Cultural Arts Commission, among others. She currently serves on the Kendall County Regional Planning Commission.

"I consider Oswego my hometown because this is the longest I have ever lived in one place!" she told Kendall County Democrats. "I want to see Oswego be the best it can be, and we deserve to have a village board who truly wishes to serve their community. I will serve with integrity, transparency, sincerity, and without an agenda."

Perez has also previously served on the Board from 2015 to 2021. Before he was elected a trustee, he was appointed to or volunteered for various committees, including for Oswego School District 308 and on Rush Copley Medical Center's board of directors, where he has served since 2017.

A resident of 23 years, Perez works in business development at Ace Hardware Corporation.

He said he ran to give back to his community and to use his background to "once again provide high value and productivity in this role for the residents of Oswego," according to Shaw Local.

Torres, an Oswego High School alum, ran for Village Board to "put his hard-work ethic, experience and commitment to service," according to his campaign.

He said he believes spending residents' "hard-earned tax dollars ... requires integrity, transparency and accountability."

A 2006 graduate of Oswego High School, Marter ran a campaign that promised to cut reckless spending and excessive taxation. He planned to "stop the current mentality of the Oswego Village Board of finding new taxes to spend at our expense," according to his website.

Besides trustee, Marter's experience in government includes serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Professionally, he has spent more than 10 years working in information technology, including as a data analyst, director of IT and web designer.

Kapus has spent the past two years serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. He is a licensed plumber and the co-owner of Aquaduct Plumbing Service, which he runs with his wife, Vanessa.

He would work "within village budgets and take a devotional stance to village timelines and goals set by the village board to achieve what is in the best interest for our community."

An Oswego resident of more than 17 years, Olson volunteers with extracurricular activities and the band at Oswego High School. In his career, he works as a heavy equipment operator working on excavations, demolitions and underground utilities, among other things.

"I'm a small business owner who values integrity, perseverance, and dedication, who is willing to work very hard to get a job well done for the good of Oswego families," he said on his website.