Clarendon Hills Leader's Future Unclear As Another Hopeful Emerges

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – Clarendon Hills Village President Eric Tech's political plans remain unclear as a second candidate has emerged for his job.

Over the weekend, Corri Natarelli, a local stay-at-home mom, announced she is running for village president in the April election.

Natarelli is part of the new Clarendon Hills Together slate. Seeking the three trustee positions are political newcomer Laura Donnelly and incumbents Ralph DeAngelis and Elizabeth O'Connell. Last year, Tech appointed O'Connell.

To some degree, all four candidates have taken positions friendly to Tech's push for downtown upgrades that include a plaza.

Tech did not return a message last week about his plans.

In their news release, the slate's candidates did not mention the plaza proposal.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Natarelli said, "The plaza is a settled issue. There will be no plaza."

They called for the village to "reinvigorate the charm, community spirit and distinctive identity that makes Clarendon Hills special." And they advocated installing a traffic light at Western Avenue and 55th Street and addressing flooding problems.

Last week, another slate also announced its intention to run, with Keith Chval, a former Hinsdale High School District 86 board member, as the candidate for village president.

The slate's trustee candidates are Erika Jones, Derek White and Kathleen Hirsman, another District 86 board member.

Hirsman and Jones have questioned the village's downtown proposals, which include the plaza.

Tech, who started in 2023, proposed eliminating the downtown traffic triangle and replacing it with a new plaza.

After residents spoke out against the plan, trustees revised their downtown proposal to include retractable barriers at the triangle.

Opponents contended blocking the triangle, even temporarily, would cause dangerous backups to the nearby railroad tracks.

In July, O'Connell and DeAngelis joined the majority against a $3.3 million no-bid contract for downtown improvements, with DeAngelis calling it "too spendy."

A couple of months later, the Village Board unanimously approved a smaller $1.9 million no-bid deal.

During board meetings, Donnelly, a Clarendon Hills Together slate candidate, has pushed for a plaza.

In a June letter to Patch's editor, Natarelli took issue with residents who said the proposed plaza would encourage kids to gather downtown.

"Regardless of where you stand on the plaza, as a mother and a 20-year resident, I feel kids should be welcomed and encouraged to visit our Downtown," she said.

On social media, Natarelli doubted the village government's survey that indicated most opposed a plaza. She said only a tiny fraction of residents took part in the survey.

Former Trustee Taps Gallagher has said he is running for the Village Board. It's unclear whether Mark Peterson, who was elected in 2023, plans to run again.

Here's some information about the new slate's candidates:

• Corri Natarelli, a 19-year resident, has been a stay-at-home mom for 16 years after working in logistics. She is serving her second term as the Clarendon Hills Middle School PTO co-president. She has held numerous coaching positions in baseball and cheerleading. She is serving on the Advocate Family Advisory Committee for Advocate Children's Hospital. She graduated from Benedictine University with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She lives in Clarendon Hills with her husband, Brett, an attorney, and their 16-year-old and 14-year-old sons and 11-year-old daughter. She runs the Positively Clarendon Hills social media page.

• Ralph DeAngelis, a 21-year resident, is an attorney specializing in transactional real estate law. He is serving his second term on the Village Board. He graduated from the University of Illinois twice with his bachelor's in accounting and his law degree. He and his wife, Kathy, moved to Clarendon Hills because of its schools.

• Laura Donnelly spent her early career consulting for several children's hospitals. She served for a dozen years as a chief operating officer and a board member for a top 25 healthcare executive search firm. She received a master's degree in hospital administration. She has been a stay-at-home mom for the last three years. She plans to start a small business. She and her husband, Ed, have three children.

• Elizabeth O'Connell, who was appointed to the Village Board last November, is a managing director and partner at a Chicago-based consulting firm. She specializes in cost reduction, operational improvement and healthcare strategies. Seh holds a master's degree in business administration from DePaul University and a bachelor's degree in marketing from Loyola University Chicago. She and her husband, Andrew, have a daughter.

The candidates plan a meet-and-greet and petition-signing event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Open Door Taproom & Bottle Shop, 20 S. Prospect Ave.