Barreto bringing fresh perspective to Lake in the Hills board

Lake in the Hills voters made history Tuesday, electing Denise Barreto as the first black person to hold a village trustee position.

Barreto, who also will be the only woman on the board, received 587 votes, according to unofficial tallies, enough for her to claim one of three four-year terms at stake Tuesday.

She joins incumbents Stephen Harlfinger and Bob Huckins, who earned 616 votes and 569 votes respectively.

Barreto centered her campaign on fostering a warm and inclusive environment at board meetings.

"My big thing is I think that the board we have ... I don't think they represent the number of younger, more diverse families moving into the area," she said. "I'm going to bring a perspective that's lacking."

Harlfinger said his and Huckins' victory proves residents support their efforts.

"I believe that people in this village are somewhat satisfied with the figures they have in the village board because, with all the turmoil we had in the past, we have a village board that's a lot more respected and works very well together," he said.

The winners agree that the economy presents the biggest challenge to the village's coffers, and say they'll have to watch the village's bottom line and focus on bringing businesses to empty spaces in town.

But they differ on whether the village needs more red-light cameras patrolling the village's streets - Huckins and Harlfinger want more, while Barreto doesn't.

Falling short Tuesday night were Shelly Forte with 510 votes, Joseph Wright with 312 votes and Jeffrey Siegel with 434 votes.