Former trustee fills vacant Lake Zurich board seat

Jonathan Sprawka didn’t seek re-election to his Lake Zurich trustee seat in April, but he’s back on the village board.

Sprawka was selected to fill the final two years of the trustee term Thomas Poynton vacated this year when he became mayor. Poynton’s appointment of Sprawka was ratified by trustees in a 5-0 vote Monday night.

Sprawka won a village board trustee seat in 2009 when he ran on the CARE political slate led by ex-Mayor Suzanne Branding. Poynton, a former Branding political ally, defeated her in a three-way mayoral race in April.

Sprawka said he decided against seeking re-election, in part, because of concerns with Branding’s ability to move the village forward on issues such as downtown redevelopment. He said the changes in the village board resulting from the April election led him to apply for the remainder of Poynton’s trustee term that expires April 30, 2015.

“I’ll tell you, I was really discouraged by the lack of cooperation on the old board and the lack of direction by the previous leadership of the village,” said Sprawka, 32, who works for a major financial services firm.

Poynton said five residents formally submitted letters of intent or resumes for the trustee post. Other potential candidates expressed interest but never provided the necessary paperwork, while another turned out to not be a Lake Zurich resident.

Although all of the applicants would be “extremely competent,” said Poynton, Sprawka received the nod for several reasons. The mayor said Sprawka is intelligent, well-informed, immerses himself in village issues and works in the residents’ best interests.

“Mr. Sprawka will be a terrific addition to the energy dynamic and obvious intelligence of the new village board,” Poynton said.

Similar to Poynton, Branding was a trustee when she won a three-way race and replaced John Tolomei as mayor in 2009. Dana Rzeznik was appointed to fill the final two years of Branding’s trustee term and won election to a four-year term in 2011.

On the current village board, Trustee Jeffrey Halen and Sprawka were elected as part of Branding’s political team in 2009. Halen, who was re-elected in April, supported Poynton for mayor.

Sprawka said the need to start significant downtown redevelopment is one of his top issues.