Endorsements: Hoefert, Korn, Rogers in Mount Prospect
With seven candidates vying for three seats on the Mount Prospect village board, voters have some tough decisions ahead of them in the April 7 election.
All seven candidates know the issues and all seven have solid ideas on how to solve them issues - though their approaches can vary widely at times.
The three incumbents - A. John Korn, Paul William Hoefert and Richard Rogers - offer many combined years of experience on the board and still demonstrate the energy and commitment to village business that effective board members need. They agree that downtown Mount Prospect needs the most attention from the village, but that continuing to develop Randhurst Village must also be a priority.
Challengers John Dyslin, Kevin Grouwinkel, Colleen Saccotelli and Kevin Nohelty each offer individual strengths. In particular, Saccotelli's fresh perspective and expert knowledge of the facts and figures impressed us. Grouwinkel also has useful experience as a library board trustee and member of the village safety committee.
There also are deep philosophical divisions between some of the challengers and the incumbents. That can be a good thing in reviewing a board's makeup, but here the frustrations sometimes expressed on issues pressing the village - notably the factors leading to a multimillion-dollar settlement of a dispute with Ye Olde Town Inn and questions surrounding the long absence of the village manager, both of which involve legal restrictions on the current board - seem misplaced and unduly harsh. That gives us some concern about how effectively the challengers would integrate into a board which generally has worked effectively and collaboratively. Korn, Hoefert and Rogers, on the other hand, offer proven track records of service.
We endorse them for their leadership experience and a sense of cooperation among them that will be needed in advancing downtown development, the future of Randhurst Village and returning the tower ladder to service at the main fire station.