Write-in candidate mounts challenge for Addison mayor
To help Addison fight the punishing economy, both candidates for village president say attracting retailers and industrial tenants is a key strategy.
Three-term incumbent Larry Hartwig says he offers the experience and long-honed business relationships to bring a larger sales tax base to the village.
But challenger Joseph Lullo, an Addison police sergeant and member of the Addison Elementary District 4 board, said current leaders haven't done enough to fill glaring vacancies.
Lullo is mounting a write-in campaign for mayor after he was removed from the ballot for errors in his filing petition.
"If you have driven through Addison in the last couple of years, it is starting to look more and more like a ghost town," Lullo said.
Lullo points to former businesses along Lake Street, such as Dominick's and Fannie May, that have been vacant for several years.
He said even the entertainment corridor on Addison's west end - which includes Marcus Theaters and Dave & Busters - isn't enough of a draw. Residents need more book stores and clothing shops to help diversify local business, he said.
"We need somewhere to shop so you don't have to drive 20 minutes to Stratford Square or Woodfield," said Lullo. "We are bordered by major highways and roads, and Addison is a prime spot for that."
Addison leaders must be more aggressive in marketing the village as an attractive base, Lullo said, and that includes making the permitting process more customer-friendly. He also said he would like to see the village Web site include a database of open industrial and retail sites, as well as a list of frequently asked questions for business owners who are considering setting up shop in Addison.
Hartwig agrees more clothing retailers should be part of the village's plan to develop a Town Center near Addison Road and Lake Street, on the village's east end. But he says Addison's retail goals should not be to compete with local malls like Oakbrook Center or Woodfield.
"We have to be realistic," Hartwig said. "We are looking for neighborhood shopping that will attract people from within a five-minute drive, which is a viable base from within Addison as well as with residents from Wood Dale and Bensenville."
Current village leaders are trying to attract mid-price retailers like Kohl's or Steinmart to the village, Hartwig said. He said landing such a retailer, as well as seeing through current agreements like the expansion or rebuilding of Jewel in the Green Meadows shopping center, would likely create a customer base that attracts other retailers to Addison.
"Because of this (economic) downturn, it has kind of put us in a bit of a holding pattern for the Town Center," Hartwig said. "But I have developed a lot of relationships with major developers in the Chicago area and I think it would be a challenge for someone new to step in."
Hartwig said he is proud of using his networking to bring convince Pampered Chef to base its headquarters in Addison several years ago, making it the village's second-largest employer and providing a large tax base for local schools.