Rep. Joe Walsh to open Fox Lake office

A U.S. Congressman is coming to town, and Fox Lake officials couldn't be any happier.

Mayor Ed Bender said he is “extremely pleased” that 8th District U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh has elected to open an office in downtown Fox Lake.

Bender said Walsh has picked a location at Grand Avenue and Forest Drive, across from Lakeland Plaza, for his new office.

“As far as I know, it's the first time a U.S. Senator or U.S. Congressman has opened an office here,” he said. “I'm very happy about it. We welcome him to town with open arms.”

Walsh said he was “ecstatic” to open his congressional office in downtown Fox Lake.

“It was really important to me to open the office in central to northern Lake County, and we wanted it to be in a downtown somewhere,” he said. “I love Fox Lake. I've spent a lot of time in Fox Lake and we found a great space on Grand Avenue.”

Walsh said the intention is to hold a grand opening at the new office in mid-February.

“We'll hopefully have another office located more south in the district, but northern Lake County — like Fox Lake — always gets ignored,” he said. “This is where my heart and soul is, and it's a great location.”

Bender said the benefit of having a Walsh office can be twofold for Fox Lake. He said having a congressman in town raises the visibility of Fox Lake and it's an opportunity for the village to show off what it has to others in the 8th Congressional District.

“This really could go a long way to raising the visibility of Fox Lake,” he said. “His staff will be here, and the people who need to see him will stop here and see what Fox Lake has to offer. This is excellent news in my book.”