Activist to run for Island Lake board

An Island Lake resident who recently garnered national attention for his role in a controversy about the Pledge of Allegiance said he plans to run for the village board next year.

Joe Ptak, a 58-year-old contractor, said people have been asking him to run for one of the three trustee seats that will be on the ballot in April 2011. All three seats carry 4-year terms.

Ptak gained some celebrity Oct. 21 following a debate between the candidates running for the 8th Congressional District seat. Shortly after the start of the event at Grayslake Central High School, Ptak asked moderator Kathy Tate-Bradish if the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited.

When Tate-Bradish said the oath was not part of the evening's agenda, Ptak and other audience members stood and said the pledge anyway, over her objections.

The incident was captured on amateur video and broadcast on the Internet. It later was picked up by national news organizations.

Locally, Ptak has built a reputation as a critic of Island Lake Mayor Debbie Herrmann and her allies on the board. He regularly posts comments on an Island Lake-themed blog run by Trustee Laurie Rabattini and at dailyherald.com.

A former U.S. Air Force reservist who also worked in construction management, Ptak has never run for political office before.

“It's not so much that I'm running against anybody, but that I'm running for something,” Ptak said.

When asked about his key issues, Ptak said he favors the long-proposed extension of Route 53 into Lake County. He also believes the village should have more year-round entertainment or recreational attractions, such as a dinner theater or a YMCA. Such operations would attract residents, he said, “and businesses will follow.”

The three seats that will be on the spring ballot now are held by trustees Don Saville, John Ponio and Don Verciglio.

Saville, who is in his first term, said he will not run again. His job as a truck driver interferes with his ability to attend meetings, he said. Saville also said he's sick of the way Herrmann and her allies on the board run the town.

“I'm running as far away from this village as I can get,” he said.

Ponio, who also is in his first term, unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2009. He could not be reached for comment about his political plans.

Verciglio lost a re-election bid in 2009 but was appointed to fill a vacancy shortly after the election. He said he hasn't yet decided if he will run again in 2011.