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Politics & Government

Meet Darlene Heslop

This 4th Ward candidate got tangled up in national headlines for eye-rolling.

Darlene Heslop darted from her apartment and across the street to the downtown Starbucks in Elmhurst. Wearing a pink polo-style dress and looking more like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde than a candidate for Elmhurst's Fourth Ward, Heslop was younger and more blonde than I anticipated.  

Coincidentally, she and her young niece count the Legally Blonde movies among their favorites. 

"There's a line in the second movie, 'I know that one honest voice can be louder than a crowd,' that really spoke to me," she said. All it takes is one person to question something or say, "Hey, wait a minute," and then another to agree, for change to occur, she said.

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She strongly believes taxpayers and residents can influence decisions, especially those made at the local level.

"It's important to be involved in the community," she said. "After all, it's your money they're spending."

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Since moving six years ago to Elmhurst from Brookfield, where she spent most of her life, Heslop hasn't wasted any time getting involved. She started by watching City Council meetings on the local cable channel, then attending open meetings and speaking up on a couple of issues. She has offered opinions on everything from where to place the Post Office to what the traffic pattern should look like on Third Street.

Heslop made national headlines when current Fourth Ward Alderman Stephen Hipskind asked her to leave a June committee meeting because she allegedly rolled her eyes and sighed during the discussion period. The story went viral. David Letterman even mentioned it on his Late Night show. Heslop has since come to terms with being in the political spotlight. She described the incident as "so not about me."

Heslop has never held an elected office but has served as committee chairman for the 2005 Elmhurst Unit District 205 Referenda Campaign. She considers herself "totally and completely independent." Heslop serves as a commissioner on the Elmhurst Commission on Youth, as a middle school mentor and a member of the Mentor Advisory Board.

She has a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering form Northwestern and a nursing degree from Rush University. She recently became certified in critical care nursing.

Now she's eager to make her voice known to more than just members of the City Council. She wants to represent her neighbors in the Fourth Ward.

"I don't want to be an elected dictator," she said. "I want to bring the government back to the people."

So, on Sept. 10 at Starbucks, Heslop opened up about her life as a taxpayer and resident of Elmhurst, what she wants for the residents of the Fourth Ward and how she really feels about the Elmhurst City Council.

On living in downtown Elmhurst

I chose to live in downtown Elmhurst because it had everything I needed. (She can see City Hall from her apartment.) Family is close by. I live and work in the Fourth Ward. I ride my bike to work and walk everywhere else. I only put 1,600 miles on my car last year. The grocery store, a drug store, restaurants, the movie theatre, the park, they're all within walking distance. The Fourth Ward is like a "mini town." Elmhurst is a completely different environment than I had growing up.

On her first venture into elected office

I actually made my decision to run for alderman this past winter, but I wanted to keep things under wraps until I was ready. I was encouraged to run early on by many people.

I decided to make the announcement before campaign packets became available (Sept. 21) to put a positive spin on the race. It's not a negative run for City Council. I'm not sure who or how many candidates I'm running against yet, but it's not important. My objective is to run on the issues, and like everyone else, get 50 percent-plus-one vote.

Why she's running for City Council and not School Board

I've actually spent more time in City Hall than working on school issues. I'm very proud of my time as a school mentor. Early on I was paired with a student from Sandburg Middle School who needed extra guidance and support. That student is now in high school and is doing very well academically and athletically. I consider that a success.

Why she would make a good alderman

Like most medical professionals, I approach problems in a logical manner. I'm a very critical thinker. I'm not into hearsay, innuendo or conjecture.  I like data. My background in engineering really has come in handy now that council is talking about sewers and pumps and volume. I understand what's under and on top of the street.

On challenges facing the city

Revenues aren't keeping up with expenses, and the city has a marginally balanced budget at best. Elmhurst has a lot of problems with infrastructure, particularly with flooding. It's time for representation that reflects the desires not of a chosen few, but of the majority.

On what she wants for the Fourth Ward

It's time the Fourth Ward had an alderman who first and foremost is available, who listens and who is not afraid to take action. There are also changes happening with our neighbor, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. While I don't know what's going to happen to the building itself, I know it will not be knocked down. I can only hope the council's plans include some presence there. We are losing a good neighbor.

On working with members of City Council

That entire (eye-rolling) incident was so not about me. It was misreported, misrepresented and viral before anyone could say anything about it. There never was an ordinance to ban eye rolling.

At this point, I just hope the council has a better understanding of the rights of citizens to speak their voice. Residents need to be able to come to meetings and know that they're not going to get thrown out for smiling, nodding, sighing or whatever other body language they may exhibit.  If they only knew. Sometimes the council behaves worse than the gallery.

But I can work with anyone.  I work with all personality types as a RN.  I'm not so adversarial that I can't respectively agree to disagree.  I'm also very forgiving; we're all human, and we all have our faults.  It's no longer an issue. 

On skunks in Elmhurst

I joke that I now live in the Wild Kingdom.  There are skunks, raccoons, deer, even opossums.  I used to live right by Brookfield Zoo and a park preserve, and I never saw wildlife like that roaming around. There's got to be some way to control the population or send them on their way.

The Fourth Ward includes City Hall, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst Police Department headquarters, East End Pool and about half the downtown businesses. 

 

 

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