April 2027 Elk Grove Village Trustee Race Now Contested
Donato Latrofa is challenging incumbent Elk Grove Village trustees in the April 2027 municipal election, making data center development a central campaign issue. He raises concerns about environmental impacts, electricity usage, and the scale of a proposed data center at the WGN broadcast tower site. Village officials defend their actions, citing regulatory control and resident preferences over a potential trucking facility, while also noting construction delays due to electrical capacity issues.
Donato Latrofa has announced his candidacy for Elk Grove Village trustee, making the April 2027 municipal election contested. Latrofa, a lawyer and six-year member of the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals, is centering his campaign on data center development, expressing concerns about noise, air, water pollution, and high electricity usage, particularly regarding a proposed data center at the WGN broadcast tower site. He lives near the site, which parent company Nexstar Media Group is selling to an unnamed developer.
During a village board meeting, Latrofa questioned Mayor Craig Johnson about the potential for a hyperscale AI data center at the WGN site, which Johnson dismissed as unlikely given the land size requirements. Latrofa also criticized the board's decision to extend an annexation agreement with Nexstar, arguing that public sentiment on data centers had shifted. Mayor Johnson defended the extension, stating it maintains the village's regulatory control over the property and prevents Nexstar from reverting to a previous proposal for a trucking logistics facility. Johnson also mentioned a door-to-door survey where residents near the site preferred a data center over a trucking facility.
Construction at the site has been delayed due to a lack of electrical capacity, with ComEd purchasing properties for a new substation to power the location. Elk Grove Village Plan Commission Chair Kitty Vanderweel Weiner countered Latrofa's calls for greater transparency, highlighting his access to all relevant information as a sitting zoning board commissioner.