3 incumbents among the 5 vying for 4 spots

The Republican candidates running for a spot on the McHenry County Board to represent District 5 include three incumbents, a school board president and a newcomer to politics.

Also running is Democrat Paula Yensen, a current board member, and Green Party candidate Frank Wedig.

District 5 includes all of Dorr Township, parts of Grafton Township and a small section of Greenwood Township. Here’s a look at the five Republican candidates, one of whom will be weeded out after the March 20 primary.

Ÿ Board member Tina Hill, 52, of Woodstock, was first elected in 2002. She chairs the county’s planning and development committee, and serves on its building projects, and finance and audit committees. She believes the county must provide incentives to businesses to relocate there, and should partner with agencies like McHenry County Economic Development Corp. and McHenry County College’s Shah Center to bring more jobs. She also wants to ensure the county offers adequate services for returning veterans, and protect the quality and quantity of the county’s groundwater reserves.

Ÿ Board member John Jung Jr., 63, of Woodstock, was elected in 1994. He owns a small business. He serves on the board’s legislative, law and justice, and liquor and license committees. He believes in improving the county’s transportation infrastructure in order to attract new businesses, and believes in continued cooperation with local municipalities and neighboring counties to obtain federal funding. He also wants to protect the county’s groundwater, and preserve its farmland and open spaces.

Ÿ Board member Virginia Peschke, 74, of Bull Valley, is an executive director for a consumer credit counseling agency. Elected in 1990, she chairs the public health and human services committee, and serves on its transportation, and nature and environmental committees. She cites protecting the county’s groundwater reserves as the most important issue affecting the county, and believes this should be done by seeking cooperation from residents and local municipalities. She also believes in equalizing property assessments across the county, and in pushing for school funding reform.

Ÿ Michael Rein, 47, of Woodstock, is a former U.S. Marine who works as a chiropractic doctor. He civic involvement includes Habitat for Humanity and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce. He believes local units of government should be fiscally conservative and cut back expenses wherever possible. He also wants to analyze the county’s transportation plan to ensure it meets the needs of its workforce, a large portion of which commutes outside the county for work. He also wants all public and private construction projects to include a look at implementing green technologies and water conservation techniques to protect the county’s natural resources.

Ÿ Michael Skala, 40, of Huntley, owns a design engineering and hardware distribution company and serves as board president for Huntley Area School District 158. He is vice chairman of the government relations committee for the Tooling and Manufacturing Association. He believes the county needs to attract more businesses with incentives such as job training, tax rebates and low-interest loans, as well as by easing restrictions imposed by zoning ordinances. He also wants to streamline the organizational structure of the county’s various committees and subcommittees, and improve the efficiency and transparency of the county’s budget process.