Wauconda ex-administrator seeks Lake County Board seat

Former Wauconda village administrator Dan Quick says he wants to represent the area on the Lake County Board.

Quick, 56, of Wauconda, announced his candidacy Wednesday for a county board seat as a Republican. GOP county board member Steven Mountsier of Lake Barrington currently represents the southwestern Lake County region in District 17.

Mountsier said he was unaware of Quick’s intention to run in the Republican county board primary. The county board veteran said he has until December to turn in nominating petitions to get on the spring primary ballot.

“Right now, I’m on the county board and I haven’t decided whether I’m going to run or not,” he said.

Quick previously held elected posts for Wauconda Unit District 118 and the village’s park district, but this is his first attempt at a Lake County Board seat. He said he wants tap into his nearly 30 years of public administration and law-enforcement experience.

Helping to bring Lake Michigan water to Wauconda is one of the issues on Quick’s list in his county board campaign. He’s been involved in the process as part of the North-West Lake County Lake Michigan Planning Group.

“It’s a very important infrastructure piece to that (Wauconda) part of the county,” Quick said.

Quick was earning $120,000 a year as Wauconda’s village administrator when he retired in March after nine years in that post.

Wauconda Mayor Mark Knigge said he wouldn’t have reappointed Quick in May because the village was consolidating the administrator’s job.

A lifelong Wauconda resident, Quick started his village career as a police officer in 1982. He moved up to police chief in 1999 and shifted to village administrator in 2002.