Parks, patrols among issues in Volo village board race

A pair of incumbents and two political newcomers are seeking three open trustee seats on the Volo village board.

Trustees John Buttita and Carol Porter are joined on the April 4 ballot by Lesa Northam and Lauren Plescia. All four are seeking four-year terms.

Buttita, 36, a sales adviser for CDW, was appointed to the board in 2015, while Porter, a realtor, has been a trustee since 2007. Porter did not give her age on a Daily Herald candidate questionnaire.

Northam, 56, is an educator in Palatine Township Elementary District 15, and Plescia, 37, is a stay-at-home parent with a master's degree in natural resources management from Antioch University in New Hampshire.

Plescia and Buttita each say more needs to be done to bring parks and recreation to Volo residents. Both say they'd like to work with neighboring park districts to create more opportunities.

Northam agrees more parks programs would benefit the community, but costs and resident answers to a community survey should dictate the direction the village goes.

All four candidates said they are at least content with the police services provided by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. However, Northam said she'd like to expand the sheriff's office coverage from 16 hours to 24 hours per day service.

"While I wouldn't say we're displeased, I think there are some improvements we need to work on," Porter said.

Plescia also is seeking a position on the Big Hollow School District 38 board in the April election. She said she is seeking both positions because she "wants to represent my demographic."

"I have the time to commit to the position, I care about where I live and care about my community," she said. "The average age of constituents in Volo is 37.1 years of age, and I'm 37 years old."