Three Schaumburg trustees to seek re-election

All three Schaumburg trustees whose terms expire next spring say they will seek re-election, claiming the village is at a critical juncture between planning and realizing a series of redevelopments and other improvements.

Trustees Jack Sullivan, Marge Connelly and Frank Kozak confirmed Thursday they will be candidates on the April 4 ballot. No challengers have yet announced themselves.

"One of the reasons I'm running for re-election is I would like to see the redevelopment of the Motorola (Solutions) site through," said Sullivan, who's been on the board since 1993.

"I have some ideas I'd like to see up there," he continued. "I think that's really going to be spectacular. I can only see a great future up in that area."

Connelly, first elected in 1998, said now that she's retired she has even more time and energy for the position

"I don't have a pet project I want to complete, but I do have the experience and a perspective I think would be valuable to the board," she said.

Kozak, first elected in 2009, is the newcomer of the trio.

"I thought about it and my health is good, and there are still issues I want to address," he said.

Kozak added that he was stunned when the Great Recession forced Schaumburg to enact its first property tax the same year he was elected. He said he wants to continue lowering the tax.

"When I decided to run, it wasn't even an issue," Kozak said of the property tax. "It was an experience, but it gave me more insight into what the village is all about."

Kozak described himself as an advocate for public safety and road improvement.

Schaumburg and neighboring Hoffman Estates are among a small number of villages that have a potential for an earlier primary election on Feb. 28. A primary would be held only if the number of candidates who file exceeds four times the number of seats for a position. In the case of the three trustee seats available in Schaumburg, at least 13 candidates would need to file to trigger a primary election.