Four Darien residents have picked up petition packets for two City Council seats ahead of the April 2027 election, setting up the city's first competitive ward races since 2023.

In Ward 6, Joe Myczek and David Leatherwood are eyeing the seat being vacated by two-term Alderman Eric Gustafson, who announced in September that he would not seek re-election. In Ward 4, Carolyn Gattuso and Nicolette Webster picked up packets for the seat held by Alderman Gerry Leganski, first reported by Patch.

Picking up a packet is not the same as filing. The candidate filing period runs from Nov. 16 to Nov. 23.

Leganski has not publicly said whether he plans to run again. Patch reported it left a message seeking comment. He won the Ward 4 seat in the April 2023 election, defeating then-Alderman Tom Chlystek with 64 percent of the vote.

Both Ward 6 hopefuls have spoken at Darien City Council meetings over the years. Leatherwood brought a problem short-term rental in his neighborhood to the council's attention in 2023.

"We had a 45-foot bus pull up in front of my 90-year-old neighbor's driveway at 11 o'clock at night … The entire cul-de-sac was full of cars," Leatherwood told aldermen, according to Patch. The council later banned home rentals of fewer than 30 days.

Myczek, who lives on Ailsworth Drive, has pushed the city on stormwater funding for his neighborhood, a flooding hotspot.

Gustafson, who suffered a stroke earlier in 2026, said in a September email to Patch that he could not attend meetings remotely and planned to travel more often to his daughter's cabin in Canada.

Gattuso previously served as the Ward 4 alderman from 2005 to 2011. Webster is a registered dietitian for Northwestern Medicine who previously worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to Patch.

Ward 6 sits on Darien's western edge, bordering Woodridge and including Elizabeth Ide Elementary School and the Darien Towne Centre. Ward 4 is a narrow section of eastern Darien that includes Hinsbrook Plaza and Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.

Mayor Joseph Marchese, City Clerk Joanne Ragona, Treasurer Michael Coren and Ward 2 Alderman Ralph Stompanato are each the only person to have picked up packets for their respective seats, according to the city.

The filing window opens Nov. 16.