Caulfield for Antioch mayor; incumbents for board
Three candidates are vying to lead the way in Antioch during these difficult days when financial challenges, aging infrastructure, lost economic development opportunities and vital public safety concerns dominate the agenda of this town near the state's border.
Two long-serving trustees, lifelong resident and downtown store owner Larry Hanson and longtime resident and professional photographer Robert Caulfield both offer voters a decent choice for mayor. They both agree the current regime isn't cutting it and lots of change is needed. The how is another matter. Challenging them is Antioch High School senior Erik Peters who is running as a write-in. He did not participate in the endorsement process.
Caulfield supports economic development in multiple locations; Hanson wants to make sure it doesn't deprive downtown. The biggest sticking point seems to be over how to best provide fire and rescue services in a town where it's volunteer and lacking cooperative agreements.
Hanson hesitates to change it; Caulfield thinks like a village leader and - though clearly an unpopular move - is calling for agreements to be formalized. As it stands, a firefighter qualified as a paramedic can't help at certain scenes. And response times sometimes suffer. Caulfield's stance may cost him the election, but it's gutsy, vital good governance that shows he has what it takes to be the guy in charge.
Robert Caulfield is endorsed.
Five candidates seek three open trustee positions on the Antioch village board. The Daily Herald endorses incumbents Scott Pierce and Robert McCarty, who are both invested in village success and dedicated to turning Antioch into a strong challenger for business being lured away by Wisconsin. For the third open spot, we endorse James Jozwiak, whose financial background complements his concrete ideas for improving the village. Ted Poulos, a lifelong resident, has experience with the College of Lake County but may need more time to learn the board's issues. We hope Poulos will continue his involvement and possibly seek a position in the next election. Candidate Dave Dziki neither attended the candidate endorsement interview nor responded to requests to complete an online questionnaire. We are unable to recommend him.