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Politics & Government

Lemont Fire Chief Running for Romeoville Board

Carl Churulo, who once headed Romeoville's fire department, is circulating petitions to run in the spring 2013 election.

When Lemont Fire Protection District Chief Carl Churulo retires in August, he hopes to be filling his days doing work as a Romeoville Village Board trustee.

Churulo, who also spent 25 years with the Romeoville Fire Department, 14 as chief, has been circulating petitions to have his name added to the spring 2013 ballot as a trustee candidate.

“I’m not a politician, even though I’m running,” Churulo said. “I love Romeoville – and when people ask me where I’m moving when I retire, I tell them I’m not going anywhere.”

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Churulo and his wife of 44 years, Phyllis, have called Romeoville home since 1976.

“We bought the second house we looked at in Romeoville,” he said. “And Romeoville has been home ever since; in fact, we’re in our third home there. But now that the kids are grown, we have a ranch house with five bedrooms and only two people,” he said with a laugh.

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For nearly three years, Churulo has served on the village’s planning and zoning commission.

“I’m a very active person,” he said. “And I want to make sure things keep moving forward in Romeoville. Some people say Route 53 is like a ghost town. There is a lot less business there than there used to be – and we have a lot of people who live in that part of town who would like to shop there. But to go shopping in Romeoville, people who live on the East side of town have to go out to Weber Road. I’d like to help change that.”

Churulo said that although he appreciates the landscaped islands the village has recently installed in the Route 53 corridor, he feels there is much more to be done.

“I have a lot of ideas about how we can move forward,” Churulo said. “I’m running as an independent – and I hope to bring credibility to the position; to be the voice of reason. I’m not perfect – but I have ideas about going in another direction.

"If you’re going to complain – then you should do something about it. That’s what I want to do.”

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