Candidate: Island Lake needs a village manager; foes say no

Island Lake mayoral candidate John Ponio insists the village needs a manager now and should find the money to hire one.

A manager could apply for grants and help the town find new revenue from the state or federal government or other sources, said Ponio, now a trustee.

The other two candidates for the village's top elected post, however, don't believe hiring a top administrator is a priority for the town of roughly 9,000 residents.

Candidate Deborah Herrmann said a manager would help the village, but the village simply doesn't have the money to afford a manager's salary.

"Unfortunately, we do not have the (retail) tax base to be able to fund that," said Herrmann, now a village trustee. "In order to pay for that, we need more tax dollars."

The third candidate in the race, former trustee Sally Fleissner, also said the money isn't in the budget for such a hire.

Fleissner said the mayor and trustees should "pick up the slack" and perform some of a manager's traditional duties, such as applying for grants.

"I would be willing to put in additional hours, if necessary, to apply for grants (and) do whatever it takes to bring the village up to speed," she said.

Hopefully the village eventually can afford a manager, she said.

The candidates spoke about this issue and others Monday during a group interview at the Daily Herald's Lake County bureau.

Ponio acknowledged the village can't afford a manager with its current $7 million budget but said officials "really need to look for the money now" to hire a full- or part-time manager.

A retired administrator might be able to do the job part-time, he said. A recent college graduate looking for a start in municipal work might also be a good candidate, he said.

Village leaders should develop a job description and then work with a job recruiter to search for potential candidates, he said.

Island Lake's current mayor, Tom Hyde, is not seeking re-election.

Although three candidates are running, only Ponio and Herrmann will appear on the April 7 ballot in the mayor's race. Fleissner is running as a write-in candidate.

The seat comes with a 4-year term.