Endorsements: Blair-Sherlock for two-year, no endorsement for four-year Villa Park seats
Voters in Villa Park will choose four new village trustees in the April 7 election, including three who will serve full four-year terms and one who will serve a two-year unexpired term.
The three-way race for the two-year term is the most competitive and features three legitimate candidates - Diane Blair-Sherlock, Nick Cuzzone Sr. and Catherine Sewell. All three have been active in the community, are thoughtful, have a good handle on the issues and see the need for the village to work to attract development to bolster revenues and keep the community moving forward.
Any of them would be a good choice, but Blair-Sherlock, an attorney, stands out from a strong field as someone who is not afraid to ask tough questions and is willing to delve into the intricacies of the budgeting process. She says her training as an attorney gives her critical-thinking skills and her involvement on at least a half-dozen boards and commissions, including the pride commission and chamber of commerce, gives her an excellent knowledge base and the ability to build consensus. She promises to be a hands-on trustee and, as long as she proceeds without being overly intrusive on the professional staff, that will be a valuable attribute. She is endorsed.
The field for the four-year term features incumbents Donald Kase, Albert Bulthuis and Chris Aiello along with newcomer Bradley Phillips. Kase, Bulthuis and Aiello chose not to participate in our endorsement process. Phillips did participate, but did not make a compelling case for why he should fill one of the three available seats. Based on the lack of information and participation from the incumbents, we make no endorsement for the four-year seats.