Endorsement: Magnussen for Hampshire village president

Hampshire wants to retain its small town appeal - where everyone might not know everyone else's name, but they do wave and say hi to each other as they pass by on the sidewalk. That's why people moved there. But when the 2008 recession hit, it stagnated both Hampshire's residential expansion and economic environment.

Longtime Village President Jeffrey Magnussen is running for his fourth 4-year term. While his name will be on the ballot, he will face a write-in candidate Katherine Basham.

The questions that will face the new village leadership focus on what the town will do to set a course for successful growth - growth both in population and in tax base. What will it do to bring business to Hampshire, and what is it going to do about its downtown?

It takes a strong, knowledgeable hand to guide a village back to economic strength and to make it once again an attractive home for people and businesses. Magnussen, with his long tenure and experience, is the best choice for this role.

While Basham has a fighting passion for her hometown and some of her ideas are laudable - for example revitalizing the downtown - she does not yet have the leadership experience or government know-how to be the village president. However, she is a fighter and she should get involved with the village so she can gain that experience and knowledge.

For these reasons, we endorse Jeffrey Magnussen for Hampshire village president.