“I see that we can make the best Plainfield happen but too often petty, small town politics and a complete lack of leadership prevent us from achieving our potential,” he said. “I’m an educated, experienced and open-minded person. Whatever opportunities we have to make the best Plainfield, I’m interested in them.”

Mayor Michael Collins decided to not run this and Argoudelis will be facing Village Trustee Margie Bonuchi. Argoudelis said that Bonuchi has shown herself to make decisions based on “cronyism and prejudice.”

“She has voted ‘no’ on a lot of important things that would benefit Plainfield with this motive, and voted ‘yes’ to assist her friends. She has worked in government all of her life and does not understand private business and the needs of private businesses,” he said. “I built my own small business and have served in government giving me a perspective that she lacks. I’ve proven myself to be unbiased in government as during my time as Plainfield Township Supervisor, despite a partisan split in our board, we never had a partisan vote. We worked together to responsibly handle the budget, create new and needed programs and perform honestly and openly.”

One of the things that makes Plainfield unique is its small businesses, Argoudelis said, located mostly in the downtown area but also throughout the Village. As part of his campaign, he promises to support them by “actually solving the problems that have plagued us for years.” He also cited other issues such as parking and heavy traffic.

“Separately, we have a diverse population and we need to be inclusive in our government,” he said. “Tapping into the talents of all of our residents will make us a stronger and richer community. I intend to do that.”

He was the Plainfield Township Supervisor for 11 years, served on the Will County Board and Will County Forest Preserve for two years each. He said his many years in the local government will help him “get things done.”

Argoudelis said even though he believes that Collins has always had the best interests of the village in his heart, he has not provided the leadership and vision to maximize being the best Plainfield.

“We need to step into the 21st century and have a vision for our future. I’m the candidate of change and new ideas. Too many things have been discussed for years without results,” he said. “My opponent has proven herself reactionary and biased in her time in office. We cannot afford more of the same going forward. I see towns around us winning the race and obtaining new car dealerships and other businesses that provide jobs and relieve the tax burden on our homes. We need to be competing for these opportunities.”

During a virtual forum hosted by the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce earlier this month, Argoudelis had talked about the lack of development in the village. Bonuchi had responded to that saying she took offense to the suggestion that the village hadn’t been growing and pointed to the new Costco facility, among other recent developments.

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