Costin makes Schaumburg contest official

Schaumburg Village President Al Larson has to go back more than 15 years to recall the last time he had a challenger, but a local political activist has made good on his promise to turn the 2011 election into a real race.

Brian Costin, who declared his candidacy for mayor in January, filed his paperwork Monday, the last day of filing for Schaumburg municipal offices for the April 5, 2011, election.

A self-described fiscal conservative who is friendly with local tea party forces, Costin is laying the groundwork for a campaign based on a rollback of local taxes. He said he wants to eliminate the village's new property tax, cut salaries at village hall and privatize the convention center, Schaumburg Airport and Alexian Field, home to the Schaumburg Flyers.

His candidacy indicates the campaign will come down to anti-tax sentiment versus the protection of village services that residents expect to continue to receive.

Given the current climate, Roosevelt University political science professor Paul Green said the Schaumburg election is one that will test the longevity of the anti-tax anger that defined many of this month's congressional races.

“All the good Larson has done in the past could become subsumed by the property tax,” Green said. “Used correctly, it becomes a meat ax.”

Costin intends to lead a slate of trustee candidates containing Peter Dombrowski, Robert Garrett and Ralph Roller against Larson and trustees George Dunham, Hank Curcio and Mark Madej, all of whom are running for re-election.

Costin said his slate is united by a desire to responsibly reduce spending and lower taxes in the village. He points to the village's recent need to sue the Flyers for unpaid back rent as evidence local leaders have stepped too far into the private sector.

“The village of Schaumburg has shown they are not qualified to manage things that are best left to the private sector,” Costin said.

He believes that by selling off the three properties, the village can begin to reduce its spending to make the property tax unnecessary. He also pledges to look into the cost of the village's IT department and the overall salaries of the village staff, which he says are higher than at municipalities of similar size.

“The amount of money you need is dependent on your spending, and spending is out of control in Schaumburg,” Costin said.

Costin says he won't touch staffing levels in the police and fire departments, but Larson is skeptical of Costin's ambitions and his ability to roll back village spending as much as he promises without affecting public safety, as other cash-strapped communities are having to do.

“I think it's important to maintain the integrity of our police and fire departments,” Larson said. “I'm against the property tax, too, and I did something about it,” referring to his tiebreaking vote against a property tax in 1989.

Larson said his change of heart in 2009 was necessary to address the impact of the longest and deepest recession the commerce-dependent village had seen in its 54 years.

Larson, meanwhile, believes the baseball stadium, airport and convention center are assets that attract visitors and drive commerce to Schaumburg.

“I'm not sure he wants any activity in the public sector,” Larson said of Costin. “He's talked a lot about what's he's against. What is he for? He's been campaigning for a year and a half already about half the time he's been in Schaumburg.”

Larson also reminded Costin that Alexian Field is only half-owned by the village. The Schaumburg Park District is also an owner.

“How can he, as mayor, just say, ‘Sell the baseball stadium?'” Larson asked.

Green, meanwhile, says an important lesson incumbents can learn from tea party-backed Joe Walsh's recent defeat of Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean in the 8th Congressional District, is that incumbents must work as hard to define their opponents as the challengers do to define them.

Larson, whose last opponent was Judy M. Pietrucha in 1995, said he intends to run a vigorous campaign of his own. He said he's confident the service residents have come to expect from the village board has already demonstrated its members' effectiveness.

“I think it's interesting that someone who's lived in town for three, 3½ years is an expert on municipal government,” Larson said. “The solutions that he offers aren't solutions at all.”

Costin grew up in Elk Grove Village, but he said Schaumburg was always the community in his backyard that he admired. He finally made it his home about three years ago.

“I've always liked Schaumburg,” Costin said. “I think it's a great place to live. Unfortunately, I think many of the things that made it great are under assault. I think Schaumburg has a lot of great things going for it, but I'm thinking of the future.”

He said he and his slate will offer Schaumburg residents the opportunity to vote for something different from what they've been getting.

Because not enough candidates filed to trigger a Feb. 22 primary, Schaumburg voters will next go to the polls on April 5 for the consolidated general election.

In Hoffman Estates

Six candidates have filed to run for Hoffman Estates trustee, with the close of filing Monday afternoon. Three seats will be elected.

The next election in Hoffman Estates will be the April 5 consolidated election, since there aren't enough candidates to trigger a February primary.

Hoffman is one of three Northwest suburbs that has a primary system and neither Schaumburg nor Palatine have enough candidates to force a primary, either.

Robert B. Weitzel filed for trustee about 3 p.m. Monday, joining five other candidates: incumbent trustees Anna Newell and Gary Pilafas; Gary Stanton, chairman of the Hoffman Estates plan commission; Craig Bernacki, a park district commissioner; and Alison Hertz, a west-side resident for six years.

Besides Newell and Pilafas, the third seat open belonged to Cary Collins, who stepped down from the board on Monday night, about five months before his term expired. He is not running for re-election.

Pilafas, Newell and Stanton will form a slate with Mayor William McLeod's support. McLeod himself is not up election until 2013.

In Palatine

No further candidates filed to run for the Palatine village council Monday, the last day of the filing period.

That leaves only the three incumbents and one challenger who filed a week earlier on the ballot.

District 2 Councilman Scott Lamerand and District 5 Councilman Jack Wagner are running for re-election, while District 3 Councilman Jim Clegg is seeking his first election to the seat he was appointed to last year.

Resident Kollin Kozlowski is the only non-incumbent running, challenging Wagner for the District 5 seat he's held since 1987.

Not enough candidates filed to trigger a Feb. 22 primary, so the next election in Palatine will be the general election April 5.