Grayslake politicians running for new county board seat

Two Grayslake politicians say they plan to be in primaries for a newly created Lake County Board District 6 seat.

Veteran Grayslake Village Trustee Jeff Werfel formally announced Tuesday morning he intends to seek a higher office by entering the March 2012 Republican primary.

Lake County Board member Pat Carey of Grayslake followed Werfel later in the day by declaring she’ll be in the Democratic primary for the seat. Carey’s current district has been eliminated as part of a redrawn county board boundary map.

Portions of Grayslake, Hainesville, Round Lake Beach and Round Lake Park are part of the new county board District 6.

Werfel is a legislative aide for Republican state Rep. Sandy Cole of Grayslake and a village board member since 2003. He most recently was re-elected to a 4-year trustee term in April.

“As a county board member, I will focus on keeping county government taxes low while maintaining high service levels for our families and businesses,” said Werfel, who made an unsuccessful try to become Grayslake’s mayor in 2005.

If elected to the county board, Werfel said, his experience on a fiscally sound Grayslake village board would translate well on a regional level. He said he would push for county government to be innovative and cost-effective in operations.

Lake County Board members also serve on the forest preserve district board. Werfel said he favors restoring and preserving Lake County’s remaining open space.

Carey was elected to the Lake County Board in 2008. She launched her local government career in the late 1980s, starting with four years as a Grayslake trustee and eight as mayor before stepping down to concentrate on her corporate career.

She said her expertise in local government, economic development and business combine to make her qualified to work on regional issues as a county board member.

“I see the top issues facing Lake County as jobs, transportation, economic development and the environment. We need to make progress in all of these areas to ensure a high quality of life for all Lake County residents,” Carey said.

In a statement, Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor said the village and Lake County as a whole have benefited from what he called Carey’s effective representation.