Will County Gazette

Naperville Township trustee candidate Dan Porter is running this election with a single goal in mind: doing what’s best for taxpayers.

Porter, who has served as a precinct committeeman since 2015, said he felt compelled to run for trustee after learning about the consolidation efforts of the current township board.

“It is the right thing to do for the taxpayers, and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars should be one of the primary concerns of elected officials,” he told the Will County Gazette. “While issues of consolidation have been hot topics as of late in DuPage County, they are important to the well-being of our state, and any push for change starts at the local level.”

Dan Porter | Contributed photo

Porter is an attorney with law firm Momkus McCluskey Roberts LLC, where he practices business and civil law in northern Illinois. Before joining the firm, he was a staff attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit Court in Wheaton -- a position that afforded him the opportunity to work with judges on all areas of the law.

“I feel well-equipped to analyze issues that come before the township board,” Porter said.

He was raised in Libertyville, Illinois, and studied law at Northern Illinois University before taking up the position in Wheaton then moving to Naperville in 2014.

Having grown up in a township, Porter said he is well-acquainted with how township governments operate.

Elected officials in Naperville and Lisle have been considering consolidating the two road districts into one unit of government; this April voters will have the opportunity to vote for the merger after Naperville Township Supervisor Rachel Ossyra and Naperville City Councilman Kevin Coyne submitted a request to the DuPage County Circuit Court in December to have the question placed on the ballot.

Proponents of the consolidation say the merge could save an estimated $800,000 to $1.4 million a year on services.

Porter supports consolidation efforts and said, as trustee, he would like to be involved in “identifying and implementing opportunities for collaborative consolidation and streamlining in furtherance of the Nov. 8, 2016, advisory referendum question.”

Last November, nearly 90 percent of voters in Naperville City and Naperville Township said they wanted the city to take over maintenance of the township’s roads.

Other priorities Porter said he would maintain as trustee include “continue(d) progress on transparent governance, informing constituents of township business and growing community partnerships.”

So far, Porter said his campaign has been going well.

“It has been a blast,” he said. “Our group, the Naperville Township Team for Lower Taxes, is pushing forward with everything we have. In such a short election cycle, you have to get as much exposure in as little time as possible.”

One challenge candidates face this election relates to the primary being on a unique date, making it even more critical that voters are encouraged to head to the polls, Porter added.

With the primary around the corner, Porter is pleased with the direction of his team’s campaign.

“I’m extremely grateful to have supervisor incumbent Rachel Ossyra leading our campaign and the assistance of past trustee Janice Anderson,” he said. “Both have put in countless hours toward getting us to where we are to date."