Six candidates have picked up petition packets to run for three open seats on the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners, setting up a spring election that will decide who oversees the largest capital project in the district's 60-year history. Three incumbents — Rich Janor, Chris Jacks and John Risvold — are seeking new terms, while challengers Bill Eagan, Carole Jones and Amy Phillips are looking to unseat them.
The race comes just months after Naperville voters approved a $120 million bond referendum in the March 2026 primary, the first funding referendum the park district has seen approved since 1966, according to the Naperville Sun. Voters backed the measure with 55.8% support, tallying 15,960 votes in favor to 12,587 opposed, per the Daily Herald. The bond will fund a new fitness and aquatics center at the Frontier Sports Complex, and candidate names will appear on the April 6 ballot after nominating papers are filed between November 16 and 23.
What the New Facility Will Include
The planned community activity center will house three distinct indoor pools — an eight-lane lap pool, an activity pool with water slides and spray features, and a warm-water therapy pool — giving the district its first indoor aquatic facility, the Daily Herald reports. The district has long operated the outdoor Centennial Beach but has never had an indoor option for winter swimming. The bond carries an estimated annual property tax impact of $117 for the owner of a $500,000 home over a maximum 20-year term, according to the Naperville Park District.
Before bringing the measure to voters, commissioners trimmed an initial $135 million proposal by cutting four projects and shaving $15 million off the cost based on feedback from a fall 2025 resident survey that drew more than 8,000 responses, the district notes. Property taxes account for roughly 57% of the district's overall annual revenue, and the park district's total budget for fiscal year 2026 sits at $55.2 million, split between $37.5 million in operations, $14 million in capital improvements and $3.7 million in debt service, per the district's budget presentation cited by NCTV17.
Incumbents Point to Experience and Momentum
Janor, a 49-year-old sports management company owner who runs the local business Janor Sports, is seeking a fifth four-year term. He previously served as park district board president and helped open the Fort Hill Activity Center, an experience he says could help execute the new referendum project. Janor supports continuing free programs for people who cannot afford to pay and wants to help maintain the district's 140 parks.
Jacks, a 56-year-old IT project program manager first elected in 2023, is seeking a second board term and says the park district is financially and operationally in good shape. He wants to maintain the district's momentum over the next four years. Jacks is also the Republican nominee for DuPage County Board District 5 and will face Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer in the November 2026 general election; if elected to the county board, he has said he will drop out of the park board race.
Risvold, a 41-year-old personal injury lawyer elected in 2023, is also seeking a second term. He wants to complete the new fitness and aquatics facility and supports accessibility to Naperville parks for everyone.
Challengers Raise Financial Oversight Concerns
Eagan, a 52-year-old public accountant who served on the park board from 2011 to 2021, is campaigning on financial discipline in government spending. He has said the current board lacks financial expertise regarding the new facility and is concerned about the district's fiscal management and future taxpayer impact. Eagan preferred a public-private partnership for the activity center and has argued that bonding capacity does not necessarily justify issuing bonds.
Jones, a 65-year-old senior regional sales manager, is a Naperville Township 708 Mental Health Board member who also serves on a local advisory committee for U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood. She supports building on the park district's existing programming and wants to continue mental-health and physical-well-being work through the district.
Phillips, a 50-year-old DuPage County Program Director for The Conservation Foundation, is a former architect who has lived in Naperville for 17 years. She briefly served on the DuPage County Board, appointed in September 2022 to fill an unexpired vacancy through December 2022 following a member's resignation, according to Naperville Patch. Phillips says she understands how building projects are put together and hopes to provide strong oversight of the new activity center, while also advocating for more programming that gets people outside for mental and physical health and keeping parks as important community gathering spaces.
Fee Assistance and Broader Access
The park district has expanded its fee assistance program, which allows more people and children to participate regardless of cost or barriers to entry. The district manages 140 parks, more than 75 miles of trails and over 200 sports courts and fields, with its tax levy representing roughly 5% of a resident's overall property tax bill — a rate district officials say ranks 40th lowest among 50 park districts in DuPage and Will counties.
Jacks' dual candidacy adds a wrinkle to the race: if he wins his DuPage County Board bid in November against Holzhauer, who clinched the Democratic nomination in March by defeating incumbent Sadia Covert, his park board seat could open up before the spring election even concludes. That possibility, combined with Eagan's push for tighter oversight of the $120 million bond rollout, means the debate over who is best positioned to manage the district's biggest-ever construction project is likely to shape the campaign through April.
