Endorsements: Weihofen for Lakemoor village president; Aguilar, McIntyre, Vavalle for village board

The village of Lakemoor is — literally — at a crossroads.

After being stymied by the Great Recession, economic development is returning to town with the pending construction of a major commercial center at the intersection of routes 12 and 120. That new center, to be anchored by the Woodman's grocery chain, is expected to become a beacon to draw more growth to Lakemoor, village officials believe. How that growth is brought in, managed and balanced with residents' needs will fall into the hands of the next village board.

Incumbents Alexis Aguilar, Colin McIntyre and Phil Vavalle are joined by newcomer Scott Cox in seeking three open seats on the board. Voters are fortunate to have a group of candidates so committed to the village and its economic health. But given the potential for growing new businesses and residences in the village, the experience of Aguilar, McIntyre and Vavalle is too valuable to lose at this critical time, and therefore, we urge voters to return all three to the board.

That said, we were impressed by Cox — especially with his thoughts on improving the recreational opportunities of Lily Lake — and urge him to continue to be active in the community.

In the race for mayor, incumbent Todd Weihofen is seeking a third term and faces a write-in challenge from Chris Savino. Efforts to contact Savino for an interview were unsuccessful, but given Weihofen's record and his push to attract Woodman's to the village, we're more than comfortable recommending his retention as mayor.