Lake County House contest heating up

SPRINGFIELD — A battle for the Illinois House from central Lake County heated up Monday as both a Republican incumbent and Democratic challenger announced plans to run in 2012.

Rep. Sandy Cole, a Grayslake Republican, said Monday she’ll run for another term in the newly created 62nd District, which includes mostly central Lake County.

And Avon Township Supervisor Sam Yingling, a Round Lake Beach Democrat, said he’ll be running for the post, too.

The dueling announcements set up one of the suburbs’ first clear matchups for seats in Springfield as candidates throughout the area size up their chances and one another in the new political map.

Cole first took office in the House in 2007 and says she wants a third term because she enjoys local issues.

“I enjoy the community work when I’m home,” she said.

As the top Republican on one of the House’s budget committees, she worked closely on the sometimes bipartisan budget approved by lawmakers this year.

“It was a good start,” Cole said of Republican involvement in the Democratic-controlled budget-making process.

Yingling got some attention earlier this year when he — as a township official — publicly advocated the downsizing or even elimination of townships in Illinois as a means to save money. He said Monday that effort should show his interest in going against the status quo.

In his announcement, Yingling emphasized that his family has hailed from central Lake County for years.

“It was here that I developed a sense for the community around me and the diversity of people who live in it,” he said in a statement.

The primary election isn’t until March 2012, and primary opponents haven’t emerged for either Cole or Yingling.