Ritter, board incumbents can bring level-headed leadership

Carpentersville village board meetings have been as toxic to the village's image in recent years as gang violence and the deplorable condition of city streets. Just check out YouTube and you'll see.

And while the village has made progress toward fixing its crumbling streets and its financial situation during first-term Village President Bill Sarto's time in office, it's almost in spite of him that the village is moving forward.

Sarto has been a divisive force in the village, often seeking his own agenda in pursuing a criminal conviction for a rival trustee and floating policy on his blog rather than conducting village business in a normal manner. He often stands alone on issues and believes that anyone who opposes him is part of a cabal.

Local businessman Jim Krenz is not the answer. Krenz ran against state Rep. Tim Schmitz last year and was trounced in the Republican primary. Now he wants to be Carpentersville mayor. While he has done committee work in Algonquin and Elgin, he should get involved in a smaller capacity in Carpentersville before running for its top office. Krenz pledges to spend as much as 80 hours a week at the job, if elected. If anything, the village staff could probably use a little less daily intrusion from the mayor's office, not more.

Trustee Ed Ritter, Sarto's chief rival on the board, gets our endorsement. While Sarto can bring out the worst in him, Ritter is generally a level-headed man who is conversant on all issues and has shown an ability to build consensus. Polite debate and eventual agreement is something Carpentersville is sorely lacking.

There are seven candidates running for three trustee seats.

Incumbents Kay Teeter and Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski have more to offer the village and would do well in a more collegial atmosphere.

Challenger Pat Schultz, who is running on the Carpentersville Cares slate with Ritter and Teeter, has cut her teeth on the village's finance committee and the group seeking fiscal reform in the village. She also is chairman of the Carpentersville Improvement Committee.

Also running are Ken Andresen, Bradford McFeggan, Debra Lowen, Joseph Haimann and write-in candidate Kent Baldwin.