East Dundee candidates differ on Wal-Mart departure
Incumbent East Dundee village board candidates believe it's long past time to roll back efforts to prevent Wal-Mart from leaving time. But at least one challenger, a face from the village's recent political past, believes continuing the legal battle is the best first line of defense against a major loss of village tax revenue.
The Wal-Mart at 620 Dundee Ave. is the largest single generator of sales tax revenue in the village. It pours a little less than $800,000 a year into village coffers.
The big-box retailer announced it would jump the border and set up shop just about three miles away in Carpentersville as soon as its East Dundee lease expires in a little less than two years.
Village officials went to court to block the company from leaving in belief that it is illegal for Wal-Mart to bolt to a shopping center that's less than 10 miles away from a competing center when the tenant, Wal-Mart, will receive tax increment finance district assistance - property taxes above a certain point diverted from local governments and into redevelopment - to relocate.
Former Mayor Jerry Bartels is running for the village board with a promise of continuing that court battle.
"I don't want to think that this is East Dundee versus Carpentersville," Bartels said at a Daily Herald endorsement session. "I want to think of it more as making sure that the law is followed and the residents of East Dundee are represented. We're just defending their interests as the law is currently written. The revenue loss would have a devastating impact to our community."
But incumbents Allen Skillicorn and Jeff Lynam said it's time to think about how to replace Wal-Mart rather than keep it.
Skillicorn said the ongoing legal battle makes the village look weak. He's also upset about the $100,000 of legal fees spent so far.
"I think that's quite egregious," Skillicorn said. "The fact is the law has a gaping loophole. All Wal-Mart has to do is say this building doesn't make enough money for us, and then they can leave. Right now it looks like we lost Dominick's, lost Wal-Mart, and the best the village can do is sue Wal-Mart. That's kind of silly. The question is are we going to approach new people to come in, or are we going to sue people who want to leave?"
Lynam went so far as to say Wal-Mart leaving is "a good thing for the town." He, too, believes times spent trying to save the village's marriage with Wal-Mart is time that could be better spent wooing a new retail relationship.
"I don't think we've gotten a lot of cooperation from Wal-Mart," Lynam said. "They are going to be going. I don't think they are going to change their minds."
Lynam said the village has had multiple discussions with possible new tenants that would not only occupy but expand the footprint of the building Wal-Mart operates in. He said there have been no commitments made or letters of intent signed by any of those new prospects yet.
That fueled ongoing doubts by Bartels about how quickly the village could adjust to the tax revenue loss.
"I doubt there is a big-box store that's just sitting and waiting," Bartels said. "Until it's 100 percent known what's happening with Wal-Mart, most places say they aren't interested. I think if Wal-Mart doesn't have a place to go in Carpentersville, or they lose the lawsuit, they'll re-up their lease."
Carpentersville officials said they plan to break ground this summer on new retail space for Wal-Mart. The building will be complete in December 2016.
The fourth candidate in the race is Alan Hall. In a separate interview, Hall said the loss of Wal-Mart would hurt the village, but it would also open up space to redevelop the shopping center.
Hall is opposed to the creation of any new TIF districts, but he said the existing money in the Wal-Mart could be used to revamp the site and attract new tenants.