Lake Villa trustee candidates set goals

Nobody is getting rich as a village trustee. Most candidates seek the position for altruistic reasons. They have goals and hopes for their towns.

Candidates running for the Lake Villa village board each have ideas for success.

The four candidates are vying for three open seats in the April 7 election. These are four-year terms.

They shared their ideas via a Daily Herald questionnaire and through interviews.

Incumbent Darlene Hall, 53, is running for her second term. She says the village needs to focus on creating a healthy environment while saving money.

"We need to be going green," Hall said. "The village needs to be more energy efficient such as having squad cars that are friendlier on the environment as well as our tax dollars. Saving money during these tough economic times and using our resources more efficiently should always be a couple of the board's main priorities."

Current board member James McDonald, 50, has been a trustee since 1993. A residential property manager, McDonald says the village needs to continue to increase revenue sources.

"Economic development is critical to enhance our tax base," he said. "The village hired a marketing and development firm to address it. Our goal should be to stay within the budget. Roads and street improvement programs should be kept on schedule."

Kathleen Battistone, 46, has a long history of volunteering for community groups and her church. She says the village should strive for balanced growth.

"We need to explore and investigate business expansion within the village," she said. "It's important to maintain a small town feel while trying to expand commercial tax base."

Raymond Jelinek, 40, a residential contractor, says increasing village revenue is extremely important.

"We need to attract more commercial and residential development to increase the tax base," he said. "We need to maintain village responsibilities through depressed economic times."