Juracek will seek second term as Mount Prospect mayor

Mount Prospect Mayor Arlene Juracek will seek another four years in office in next year's municipal elections, the first-term mayor announced Tuesday.

Juracek, who served six years as a village trustee before being elected mayor in 2013, cited several successes of her first term in her announcement, ranging from the creation of a new strategic plan to historically high occupancy and sales numbers at Randhurst Village.

"It's not enough to 'dream big,'" she said in her announcement. "We are acting on those dreams and bringing real results."

Juracek said under her leadership the village has forged alliances with the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Merchants Association, the Mount Prospect Public Library and Randhurst Village, along with developers and entrepreneurs. Other successes include a vacancy rate below 10 percent at the Kensington Business Center, she said.

She said her goals for a second term include responsible spending and less reliance on property taxes; maintaining infrastructure and quality services; building an accountable and approachable leadership team and staff; and providing a continuum of opportunities for the village's diverse population.

"As we commemorate Mount Prospect's centennial throughout 2017, the energy level and opportunity in this village are worthy of celebration," she said in her announcement. "I want to continue to lead this village into its second century. I recognize the challenges we face in an atmosphere of state and national political uncertainty. I bring the commitment to public service, depth of experience and demonstrated leadership capability to address the complex issues we face."

Besides the mayor's office, three village trustee positions will be at stake in the April election. They're currently held by trustees John Matuszak, Steven Polit and Michael Zadel.