Cook Memorial candidates hoping for a polite campaign
Now that the biggest political issue facing the Cook Memorial Public Library District - facility expansion - has been resolved, candidates in the race for the library board are hoping for a respectful, positive campaign.
That would be a switch for the Libertyville-based district, which for years has hosted races marred by negative mailings, annoying robo calls and other nasty tactics.
The hostility historically was geographic, with residents and candidates from the district's two largest towns - Libertyville and Vernon Hills - pitted against each other. They primarily battled over whether a second library should be built in Vernon Hills.
But in May 2007, the library board united behind a $14 million plan to build a second library in Vernon Hills while simultaneously expanding the main facility - and to do the work without raising property taxes.
That effort, which will begin in earnest this year, all but silenced the district's loudest naysayers.
"As far as I'm concerned, the library issues are all over," said Libertyville political activist Jack L. Martin, a former library board member who once was the agency's most vocal critic.
Board President Aaron Lawlor, one of five candidates in the April 7 election, expects the race will be more cordial with the once-incendiary topic off the table.
"I think, largely, the district is behind what we're doing," said Lawlor, of Vernon Hills. "And I think the lack of a divisive campaign speaks to the record and accomplishments of the board."
Three seats are up for election. All have 4-year terms.
In addition to Lawlor, the candidates are: Mary Ann Phillips and Ann E. Oakley, two first-term incumbents from Libertyville; and Nathan Johnson and Michael Rochow, two political newcomers from Vernon Hills.
When Oakley was elected in 2005, she was part of an opposition slate led and funded by Martin, who was seeking a second term on the board.
For many years, Martin fought against plans to build a Vernon Hills library, and he backed groups of similarly minded candidates.
Martin and his allies spent thousands of dollars on signs, campaign literature and other purchases on their campaigns, state records show - much more than normally is spent on a library race.
With the community divided, voters rejected construction plan after construction plan, and several of Martin's allies were elected to the board.
In 2005, however, Martin and everyone on his slate except Oakley lost. He has not run again.
Since then, Oakley has worked with the rest of the board on countless programs and policies - including the expansion plan, which didn't require a tax-rate increase and therefore didn't need to go to voters.
Because the expansion issue has been settled, this campaign will be more civil, Oakley said.
"People see it as a done deal and there's not much they can do about it," she said. "Overall, what we ended up with was a good compromise."
Phillips sounded giddy about what she expects will be a cordial campaign.
"We are running in a race with no rancor. It's wonderful," she said. "I think everybody's who's running is genuinely interested in the library and all the patrons in the district."
Johnson said it's great people won't have to fight over construction proposals anymore, but he suspects they'll find other issues to feud about.
"There are certain groups in Libertyville and Vernon Hills that seem to just like to argue with each other," he said.
As long as library officials stick to their no-tax increase pledge, Martin said, he'll be quiet on the construction plan.
"Should somebody (propose) a tax increase, you'll see Jack raise his ugly head again," he said.
Rochow couldn't be reached for comment.
The district serves parts of Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Green Oaks, Mettawa, Mundelein and Indian Creek.