Three win narrow victories on Hampshire board of trustees

In an unofficial tally during Tuesday night elections, Martin F. Ebert, Michael John Reid, Jr. and George E. Brust won four-year terms on the Hampshire board of trustees.

Ebert received 115 votes.

Reid received 114 votes.

Brust received 111 votes.

Contender Deborah Mirandi received 84 votes.

Contender Connie Von Keudell received 89 votes.

Incumbents Brust and Ebert have served on the board since 2005.

Reid works as a technology coordinator for Carpentersville-based Community Unit District 300,

Brust is retired; Ebert works as a civil engineer,

Mirandi has a part-time job at the Jewel in Huntley and Von Keudell sits on the Hampshire Fire Protection District board of trustees.

Most of the candidates put economic development high on their priority lists, but disagreed on if reducing or waiving developer’s fees were good ways to spur development.

Von Keudell said she supported eliminating or reducing a developer’s impact and transition fees for District 300 in the case of a proposed active senior development,

Brust said such a decision shouldn’t be up to the village.

Reid was undecided,

Mirandi supported a discount and Ebert wanted the fees lowered in accordance with the village’s new property values that showed they had dropped $72,000 an acre from 2008.

Brust, Ebert and Mirandi were endorsed by the Daily Herald. Brust was praised for leasing instead of purchasing police cars, a move that saved the village lots of money.

Ebert won recognition for creating new positions that enabled the village government to work more efficiently.

Both Brust and Ebert “have been part of a board that has worked hard and successfully to keep village services stable during the economic downturn,” the endorsement said.