Three Hinsdale residents announced Thursday, Oct. 15, they will run as a slate for the village board's three open trustee seats in the April 6 election.
Jill Sunderson, Bill Cotter and Dr. Vijay Thangamani are calling themselves Hinsdale Forward, according to The Hinsdalean, which first reported the announcement. The group said it wants to modernize village government, strengthen services and bring what it called "fresh perspectives and practical solutions" to the board.
Sunderson chairs the Hinsdale Economic Development Commission and is a former president of The Community House Board. Cotter is a former president and current vice president of the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board. Thangamani is an orthopedic surgeon at Duly Health and Care and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.
The three seats belong to Trustees Scott Banke, Alexis Braden and Luke Stifflear, whose terms expire in 2027. Stifflear will not seek re-election, he told The Hinsdalean. Braden said she is still deciding. Banke did not respond before the paper's deadline.
That means at least one seat will have no incumbent on the ballot, and possibly all three.
"We love Hinsdale, and we want to contribute to what makes it special," the candidates said in a joint statement. "Preserving what makes Hinsdale special means continuing to embrace new ideas, modernize outdated processes and ways of working, and plan thoughtfully for the future."
The slate is the first organized challenge announced for the 2027 village board cycle. Banke and Stifflear have both served on the board since at least 2019, and Braden has served since at least 2023, according to village records. Organized slates are uncommon in Hinsdale trustee races, where candidates have more often run individually.
Prospective candidates can file paperwork between Monday, Nov. 16, and Monday, Nov. 23, according to DuPage County election records. Village trustee filings go to the village office, not the county. Petition circulation began Aug. 25.
