For North Shore Sanitary District Ward 4, Republican: Swarthout

For North Shore Sanitary District Ward 4 trustee, we endorse incumbent James Swarthout in the Republican primary. Swarthout has a long history as a public servant, most of it with the sanitary district. In fact, he has served on the board, representing the eastern part of Lake County, since 1973, except for a couple years off while he was mayor of Lake Forest.

After all that time, Swarthout's enthusiasm doesn't seem to have waned a bit. Still a Lake Forest resident, he routinely visits the district's plants and sludge facility, believing that things get done when they're inspected, not expected. He looks at the position as a job and the district as a business, and from that perspective, it's been a very successful one. The books are balanced, with only one loan that will be paid off in 2013. Residents haven't seen a fee increase in the last two decades.

There have been plenty of advancements during Swarthout's tenure on the board, and the association awards continue to pile up. These advancements - and the ones that surely will follow - will be critical in the immediate future as environmental law changes. Over the next five years, the EPA is expected to tighten sludge disposal restrictions to match those found in California, New York and some places in Europe. North Shore is ahead of the curve, already studying and implementing disposal methods used in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

Opposing Swarthout is Alan Santi of Lake Bluff, a retired sanitary district employee. While we commend his desire to serve the public, we think that Swarthout's experience and knowledge of the issues make him the superior candidate.