Hampshire trustee hopefuls debate economic development

Many of the nine candidates vying for four open seats on the Hampshire village board believe the quaint, partially rural community is on the cusp of urban sprawl.

As the village faces the task of determining how to grow responsibly, the trustee hopefuls have different ideas about the types of businesses they should attract and where in the village they should focus those efforts.

Seven candidates are vying for three 4-year terms in the April 4 election. Those whose names will appear on the ballot include Carl Palmisano, Ryan Krajecki, Christine Klein and incumbent Michael Reid Jr. Incumbents George Brust and Michael Armato and challenger Don Edmonson are running as write-in candidates.

Newcomers Lionel Mott and Erik Robinson are seeking one unexpired 2-year seat.

When Krajecki moved to Hampshire in 2003, he saw the village's potential for industrial development, especially because of its proximity to several major thoroughfares: Interstate 90, Route 47, Route 72 and Route 20.

The village is close to O'Hare International Airport, he said, and has a lot of open and reasonably priced land.

"We sit on a really unique piece of real estate in the Northwest suburbs," he said. "It's that same sort of argument that we need to make to industrial companies to get them out here and build."

Several other candidates shared Krajecki's vision of the snowball effect manufacturing companies can have on the village's economic portfolio. Palmisano said industrial growth will bring in more jobs, leading to more retail and more residents. Robinson said commercial and industrial development would help to broaden Hampshire's tax base and ease the property tax burden on residents.

But starting that chain reaction is easier said than done, Palmisano said. He suggested the village offer financial incentives to recruit businesses to the area.

Reid said such programs are available, but Hampshire has not effectively promoted them. In his eyes, the village should use those resources to attract more grocery stores, restaurants and retail businesses.

"We need to find a way to bring residents things they need for their daily life," he said.

Noticing how few Hampshire residents are actually employed in the village, and vice versa, Mott said he wants to create a town where people want to live and work.

Brust said business-related amenities, such as a convention center and a landing facility for private business aircrafts, could make the village's unique location more attractive to major companies.

To Armato, economic growth efforts begin with attending conferences and forming relationships with developers.

He recently spearheaded Hampshire's efforts to create a business development commission tasked with recruiting, retaining and expanding businesses within the village. "We need the experience of people who have done it before," Armato said.

Reid and Klein added that Hampshire, which does not have an administrator, also needs a full-time staff member who could serve as a point person for communicating with potential developers.

"I think there's a definite opportunity to streamline and simplify that process," Klein said, "and I think it has to be done if we have any chance of economic growth."

Several candidates, including Mott and Armato, also said the village needs to reinvent its historic downtown, which is run down and has many vacant storefronts.

Edmonson said professional service businesses - those that rely on appointments rather than foot traffic - could help jump-start that revival. From there, the village could attract complementary businesses, such as coffee shops or small cafes.

But the downtown is just a small piece of the puzzle, he said.

"This is going to take some marketing to attract people to come in to Hampshire to establish their business or to bring in their factory or to bring in their distribution," Edmonson said. "We have a lot of things on our plate, and it's not going to be a quick fix."