Endorsement: Burghart in Geneva, Ward 1
Tara Burghart and Pat Lenski are running to replace longtime 1st Ward Alderman Charles Brown. Lenski is a lifelong Genevan working as a golf pro and who's served on the park district board since 2009. Burghart is a former journalist originally from the Champaign area and now working in marketing and communications for websites, one of which she developed herself. She has lived in Geneva for eight years and not been elected to political office.
Development in the city and preserving Geneva's historical character are ongoing issues for the candidates. Burghart also is interested in making downtown Geneva even more of a destination for people from other suburbs and the region. Free, Ravinia-style concerts would be one way to do that, she says. Lenski also is interested in pursuing alternate energy sources such as solar power for the city, particularly in light of disappointments with the Prairie State Energy Campus. And he's not happy with the zoning variances granted for developments such as the Park Place project.
Both candidates are well-versed in the doings of the city and would be good public servants. We see particularly good leadership qualities in Burghart, and she gets our endorsement.