Continue Loffredo's leadership, vision as Lake Villa mayor

The names on the Lake Villa mayoral ballot will be familiar to most voters. Incumbent Frank Loffredo has led the village for 16 years, as well as serving as a trustee for eight years. Challenger Joyce Frayer was mayor for 12 years and trustee for a total of 16 years. The two neighbors have run against each other in the past.

Both candidates are committed to making Lake Villa the best it can be. Both are in favor of bolstering the village's economy through careful planning and controlled spending. And both want to maintain Lake Villa's small-town atmosphere while still providing the services their residents demand.

Given his long term commitment to leading the village, we endorse Loffredo. He is much more specific about his plans for Lake Villa than Frayer, who simply says she wants fiscally responsible government and for village officials to be more open. Loffredo, on the other hand, offers concrete plans for trying to lure medium-sized specialty stores to open in Lake Villa and a plan to replace the village's aging infrastructure.

In addition to the mayoral race, four candidates are vying for three four-year terms, including incumbents James McDonald and Darlene Hall. They are running against Kathleen Battistone and Ray Jelinek. Again, all four candidates are in agreement on most of the issues facing Lake Villa during these challenging economic times. All have a variety of experience in serving the residents, whether through volunteering, serving on boards or elected office. All of them care deeply about the future of their village.

To that end, we are endorsing McDonald and Hall, the two incumbents, who are already steering Lake Villa on a steady course. McDonald, who has served on many committees and boards over the years and has been a trustee since 1993, is a particularly strong candidate. Hall is a strong advocate of making environmentally friendly decisions.

As to the third spot, we endorse Jelinek, who is the chairman for the zoning board of appeals. Jelinek has a number of sound ideas regarding village road projects and downtown commercial development. Battistone, who favors a more aggressive strategy in marketing the Lehmann Mansion, is a worthy competitor in this race, but Jelinek has more experience.