Ashley Forman South, Democrat running for Naperville City Council, has been cited 14 times for speeding and reckless driving. | Facebook
Ashley Forman South, Democrat running for Naperville City Council, has been cited 14 times for speeding and reckless driving. | Facebook
Ashley South is a banking technology consultant-turned-magazine publisher.
But she might have been a race car driver.
The 41 year-old Democrat and Naperville City Council candidate has been charged 14 times for speeding and reckless driving, according to a review of DuPage County Court records by DuPage Policy Journal.
DuPage County Court records show Forman South was cited by Bloomingdale police for driving on the wrong side of the road.
| DuPage County Court
Records show officers in Naperville, Itasca, Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights, Lombard, Carol Stream and her native Wood Dale have cited South, a Fenton H.S. graduate whose maiden name is Ashley Forman.
In April 2006, a then 25-year old South was cited for driving more than 40 miles over the speed limit by District 2 Illinois State Police, who patrol state highways in DuPage and Kane Counties. Records show she was also cited for operating an uninsured vehicle and for "improper lane usage."
In Sept. 2001, Bloomingdale police cited South for driving on the wrong side of the road.
She faced a similar charge a year previous in Wood Dale, for "crossing the designated median" with her car.
After South's first six violations, including four speeding tickets and two diversions into oncoming traffic, her license was suspended.
Bloomingdale police cited South for driving with a suspended license in April 2002, records show.
"Diversify Naperville"
South is running with three other candidates-- 40 year-old incumbent, lawyer Patrick Kelly, 42 year-old "female leadership coach" Rebecca Malotke-Meslin and 54 year-old J.P. Morgan executive Allison Longenbaugh-- as a slate that is seeking to seize what they call "progressive" control of the Naperville City Council.
Among their goals: to end "structural discrimination" against Section 8 housing developers, transforming Naperville by attracting more non-white residents.
And, in the wake of George Floyd riots that destroyed parts of downtown Naperville in summer 2020, requiring Naperville police to prioritize the "mental health" of criminal perpetrators, allocating tax dollars for counseling and "community support" over traditional policing.
"I'm firm believer that we as a city need to support mental health as our #1 priority. Collectively, we suffered over the last several years and many of us struggled with loneliness," South told the Daily Herald.
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, South was registered to vote at an apartment in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood until Oct. 2019, when she moved to an "elegant Victorian" on Franklin Street in downtown Naperville.
South's husband, Thomas A. South, 54, is executive vice president and chief information officer for Northern Trust, according to his LinkedIn Page.
Ashley South also worked for Northern Trust, from 2015 to 2018.
In all, eleven candidates are running for four open seats on the Naperville City Council-- South, Kelly, Longenbaugh, Malotke-Mesclin, 44 year-old Josh McBroom, 55 year-old Jodi Trendler, 37 year-old Nathan Wilson, 47 year-old Meghan Bansal, 73 year-old Madhu Uppal, 53 year-old Nagender Prasad Jaiswal, and Ashfaq Hussain Syed, whose age is unknown.
Election Day is Tues. April 4.
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Ashley South's run-ins with the law
Police have cited Naperville City Council candidate Ashley Forman South at least 14 times for driving violations, including driving with a suspended license, driving 40 m.p.h over the speed limit and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Source: DuPage County Court
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