Fourth contender running for Wheeling presidency

The race for Wheeling village president will be at least a four-way contest after Dean Argiris, trustee and current acting president, announced he will also run.

Trustees Judy Abruscato and Pat Horcher, who also had turns as acting president after Greg Klatecki stepped down in midterm last year, already said they intend to run in April.

David Kolssak, currently a member of the Chicago Executive Airport board, also is a contender for the office.

Argiris has been a trustee for eight years and was on the plan commission before then, which he said - along with his accessibility and responsiveness to residents - makes him ready to take on the president job.

"I am passionate about what I do," Argiris said. "I work hard for the businesses and the residents in town."

Argiris said the decision was a tough one because his trustee seat is also up in April, so if he loses the president spot, he'll no longer be on the board.

"It's a huge gamble," he said. "But I think I have the experience and understand the finances, the business end."

Abruscato also touts her experience - more than two decades on the board - as a plus for the presidency.

"I feel that 22 years (as a trustee) and my 30 years of involvement in the community make me a good leader," she said in December when declaring her candidacy.

Horcher said he's always striven to be a rational voice on the board and would continue to do so as village president.

"I think I'll do a better job representing the village to developers and other villages," he said in December. "I think I can present an intelligent, reasonable face to Wheeling."

Kolssak said he has innate leadership skills and brings a fresh perspective to the board.

"I think you're looking at a completely fresh new way of looking at things under a 40-year-old man who has not had the time to really get entrenched in the local politics," he said last month.

Argiris said that although he has respect for the people he's running against, he believes he's been a pivotal part of the change that has been brought into Wheeling.

"I know I bring a lot to the table," he said.

Argiris said he's always backed development in town so that the village has a steady source of income, especially in the current economy.

One of his goals, he said, is to ensure that the Kmart property, which has been vacant for years, finally gets developed.

Argiris said he also wants to improve the village's relationships with the park district, library and school boards and develop a free-standing senior center, which Abruscato said she's also been working for.

Official filing for the April elections begins on Jan. 19.