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Sugar Grove candidates talk development

The five candidates running for Sugar Grove village board see economic development as the biggest issue facing the community.

Incumbents Rick Montalto, Sean Herron and Ted Koch and newcomers Alison Squires and Karen McCannon are seeking three four-year terms in the April 4 election.

McCannon has lived in town the longest, and her late husband's family is in its sixth generation living in the area.

A retiree from Cargill, she also is known as "JoJo the clown," leading informal Fourth of July bicycle parades for children. McCannon also organized a recent effort to have a lighted Christmas tree near village hall.

One way the village government could improve, she said, is by increasing communication with residents. She says the village does "a pretty good job of transparency" with what it posts on its website.

"But I deal with a lot of seniors that don't even touch a computer," she said. "The sad thing is, the only thing they get (from the village) is their water bill, if they get a water bill."

The village is "not friendly" to businesses looking to locate there, she added.

"I have heard that statement," McCannon said. "I guess I have three things to say: Menards warehouse. Pier 1 warehouse. Water park. These are three things we could have had and don't. "We need to be a little more friendly and a little more happy about having people come into our little town."

Squires wants the village to focus on small businesses as opposed to big-box stores.

"We have to be careful with it, (development)," Squires said. She said she worries the village could be stuck with empty storefronts, as chains close stores or go out of business.

Squires said she is OK with the Ace Hardware that opened in 2014, even though it is a chain, because it is owned by franchisees. Ace Hardware; the Jewel-Osco store; a gasoline station; and a Culver's restaurant are all receiving sales-tax rebates from the village.

She praised Koch for voting against the incentive for Culver's.

Koch, who was appointed to the board in July 2015, said he wants more incentives for mom-and-pop businesses. He believed Culver's could afford to develop without incentives, unlike the gas station rehabilitation project, of which he voted in favor.

Squires also opposes the use of tax increment financing, such as the district the village board created for farmland near the airport. She fears the TIF district hurts other taxing bodies, including the fire protection district.

Montalto, a board member since 2009, said trustees want industrial uses built on the site, which would not generate as much need for service as housing. And the village isn't taking money away from other local governments, he said.

"If there is no revenue to begin with, you are not losing anything," he added.

Herron, who's finishing his first term on the board, said he would not vote to create any more TIF districts.

"Two is enough," he said. "In general, overall, they are not great."

Koch said it is too soon to tell if the TIF district, established in 2015, is successful. It can last as long as 23 years.

Montalto said trustees can't just rely on the village's community development director to seek out businesses. Trustees should be involved, too, he said, including pointing out to businessmen that there are 20,000 trips a day on Route 47 attributed to the presence of Waubonsee Community College.

Squires, a mathematics tutor, ran because she heard people talking about dissatisfaction for all levels of government, while she was campaigning for other politicians last year. They also complained about road conditions. She said she wants to work more with the Illinois Department of Transportation to improve the maintenance of medians along Route 47.

Koch also sees hounding IDOT about maintenance as important, since it controls three highways through the town.

And Herron and Montalto said some issues with truck traffic might be alleviated once a full interchange is built at Interstate 88 and Route 47. That will help with business development also, they said.

Herron is an educator with the Kaneland school district. Montalto is a retired police officer. Koch is a banker.

Rick Montalto is running for his third term for Sugar Grove village board.
Alison Squires is a candidate for the Sugar Grove village board.
Sean Herron is seeking his second term as a Sugar Grove village trustee.
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