Mountsier won’t run again in Lake County

Veteran Lake County Board member Stevenson Mountsier won’t seek re-election in 2012.

Mountsier, an 81-year-old Republican from Lake Barrington, is in his 15th year on the board and serves as its vice chairman.

He announced his decision not to run again in a news release. It gave no explanation.

Mountsier also used the statement to endorse Republican Nick Sauer, a Barrington Unit District 220 school board member, to succeed him.

County board Chairman David Stolman was quick to praise Mountsier on Monday. He talked about Mountsier’s reputation for fiscal responsibility and reasoned, levelheaded thinking.

“He’s been an absolute friend throughout the course of time that we’ve served together,” said Stolman, a Buffalo Grove Republican. “I know Steve’s heart has been in this from the moment he got elected, and we’re certainly going to miss him.”

The county board doubles as the Lake County Forest Preserve District board, and Mountsier is the leader of that panel’s land acquisition committee. He formerly led the forest board’s finance committee.

Mountsier represents the 17th District, which includes much of the Barrington area and nearby towns. The district is being reshaped after the 2012 election because of population changes discovered in the 2010 Census.

Sauer, of North Barrington, announced his candidacy Monday, moments after Mountsier emailed his news release to the media. He’s a partner in a family business and has served on the school board since 2009.

Ex-Wauconda Village Administrator Dan Quick also is running as a Republican for the job. Quick has served as the town’s police chief and on local school and park boards.