Gurnee trustee candidates on sales tax incentives, panhandling

Panhandling and financial incentives to attract businesses are among the issues addressed by four candidates seeking three Gurnee village board trustee seats.

Incumbents Jeanne Balmes, Thomas Hood, Karen Thorstenson and Don Wilson are competing for the three trustee positions in the April 4 election. That election quirk resulted because Thorstenson was appointed to fill two years of a 4-year trustee term that became open with Steve Park's resignation soon after he was elected in 2015.

Michael Jacobs, a former village board member, is the only candidate seeking the 2-year balance of the seat Thorstenson has occupied since Park's departure. Mayor Kristina Kovarik also is running unopposed.

Wilson, Thorstenson, Hood and Balmes addressed village issues in a Daily Herald editorial board group interview Thursday.

Last year, Wilson raised concerns about panhandlers seeking money from drivers stopped at Route 41 and Grand Avenue and in other parts of the village. He differs with the three other trustee candidates on whether panhandling is something that needs to be addressed in Gurnee.

Wilson, 45, a senior sales account executive and trustee since 2013, said the panhandling occurs mostly at busy intersections and creates safety problems. He said he's found ordinances that Gurnee potentially can mimic, such as one in Evanston prohibiting aggressive panhandling, and he has heard from concerned residents.

"When you take a look at Gurnee, where we derive our income from sales tax, we also have to be protective of our assets and make it so that (your shopping) or your entertainment experience is great," he said.

Balmes, 67, first elected as a trustee in 2001, said there is nothing the village can do if panhandlers are obeying the law.

Thorstenson said traffic has been cited as a top issue in village surveys, and panhandling is more of a social services problem.

Hood said the village is not overrun with panhandlers. He said he trusts the police to deal with the panhandlers and that their constitutional rights must be respected.

On the topic of the continued use of financial incentives for certain businesses, the candidates said they have become necessary to compete with nearby villages and Wisconsin. They said sales tax sharing agreements typically are preferred in the village, which does not levy a property tax.

Hood, 56, an attorney who's been on the village board since 2013, said Gurnee ideally would stand on its own when desirable businesses want to locate in town. He said the village likely cannot afford to expand incentives to small businesses.

"It's competition," Hood said. "There's no doubt that when we sit down with developers or other people that they'll tell us what they can receive from other communities, and we need to consider that."

Wilson said officials need to consider how much sales tax a business can create and potential runoff effect when weighing an incentive deal.

Balmes said sales tax incentives are all the village can offer because it does not have a property tax. She said Gurnee can collaborate with school districts and other agencies if property tax incentives are needed.

Thorstenson, a project manager, said return on investment is important to consider in a sales tax sharing agreement.

"That's the incentive I would hope we always advocate toward, because they have to make money in order to share it," she said.