Sugar Grove voters get plenty of choice on April 7
This isn't a reprint. It turns out we initially missed interviewing some Sugar Grove trustee candidates in our endorsement process. For that we apologize. After speaking with incumbent Trustee Thomas Renk and challengers Richard Montalto and David Paluch, it is clear that Sugar Grove voters can't go wrong at the polls April 7.
In fact, with six candidates running for three open seats, voters will have a dilemma as they try to narrow the field.
As we stated in our initial endorsement, incumbents Mary Heineman, running as a write-in, and Robert Bohler are fierce advocates to protect that quality of life and open space that make Sugar Grove unique. Her financial savvy will stand the village well during a tough economy, and he has a good long-range view of the community's needs. And former trustee Joseph Wolf is a reasoned, experienced voice.
After interviewing Renk and reviewing his record, it's clear he also brings much to this village. A village trustee for 10 years, he touts his experience, strong business background and vision, noting this is not the time to put untested trustees on the board. He wants to focus on the revenue shortfall and aggressively attracting commercial growth. He says the village needs to be flexible in dealing with developers during these difficult times while holding the line on the village's quality of life requirements.
Montalto, a law enforcement official about to retire, is also a strong choice. He says he'll have the time to dedicate to a town he loves. He thinks his fresh perspective, creative financial suggestions and management experience can aid this community which needs to spur economic growth to offset the property tax burden. He also wants to aggressively pursue commercial development, and tap into the potential of the Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport. But first he wants to focus on communications.
And Paluch, a business account executive for Comcast, says he, too, wants to see better communications to let residents know the village is there for them. In addition, he wants a strong push for economic development to ease the tax burden on residents and. like all the challengers, wants to reach out to developers who may feel Sugar Grove has been difficult to work with.
It's rare that we can say every candidate running for a particular office is qualified. Sugar Grove voters are lucky indeed to have such strong candidates offering to serve their village. We think, however, that experience is crucial during these times and gives the edge to those who have previously served on the board. In addition to our original endorsements of Heineman, Bohler and Wolf, we also endorse Renk.