Fox Lake's Kiesgen won't seek another term on village board

Citing ongoing health issues that are forcing him to take some time off from politics, Fox Lake Village Trustee Jack Kiesgen will not be seeking another term on the village board.

“I've had a lot of fun, and met a lot of wonderful people,” Kiesgen, 70, said. “But it's really become a young man's job and I just can't get the job done.”

Kiesgen earned his second stint on the Fox Lake village board in 2007, receiving the most votes of any trustee candidate. He previously served as a trustee from 1973 to 1979.

He also spent 43 years as a member of the Grant Township Highway Department, 25 of them as township highway supervisor, and 34 years as a trustee on the Fox Lake Police Pension Board.

“It wasn't an easy decision for me to make,” he said. “But in the past couple of years, I've had a couple of serious surgeries on my back and I can't get around as well as I used too.

“When you're elected, you are expected to serve the people who elected you,” he added. “But it's just too hard for me to get around and devote the time I'd like to spend.”

Mayor Ed Bender said Kiesgen told him about two months ago he wouldn't seek re-election.

“I would have liked to see him run again, but he's been dealing with some health issues,” Bender said. “He has a lot of history behind him in Fox Lake and Grant Township, and knows everyone in town. He'll definitely be missed.”

Three, four-year trustee seats are up for grabs in the April 5 election.

Trustees Nancy Koske and Greg Murrey have pulled petitions to run, along with zoning board member Robert Ebbert and planning board member Donnie Schmitt.