Pingree Grove candidates on businesses, water rates

The five candidates vying for three open seats on the Pingree Grove village board have different opinions on a water rate increase and what businesses should be encouraged to come to town, but they agree a village administrator is needed.

The candidates are Amber Kubiak and Joseph "Joe" Hirschbein, who serve on the village's community events committee, and Raul Lemus, an academic administration manager, Patricia Dulkoski, an assistant business manager, and Kevin Allen, a real estate broker and sales manager.

Trustees Chuck Pearson and Ray LaMarca are not seeking re-election, and former Trustee Nick Campbell moved to Florida in January.

Fostering economic growth to fund services for residents is crucial, Kubiak said, pointing to upcoming road repair expenses.

Hirschbein agreed it's important to bring in additional tax revenues because of the village's steady residential growth. He'd like to encourage retail businesses to come in and create more of a "downtown feel," he said.

Retail businesses are especially needed, Lemus agreed, saying he'd like to look for grant opportunities to hire economic development consultants.

Dulkoski objected to plans for another truck stop across the street from Starks Corner at routes 72 and 47. "That's not what people wanted to see coming in," she said.

The village needs a CVS or Walgreens, especially for seniors who need regular prescriptions refills, Allen said. "We don't have an effective way to market our town to those businesses," he said.

Some of the candidates criticized the board's decision to raise water and sewer rates by 50 percent effective September 2015, the first increase in a decade. The board recently hired a consultant, at a cost of $43,000, to review its rates.

The board should have rescheduled its rate increase vote, which took place during the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final won by the Blackhawks, Allen said.

The village should have done more to inform residents than sending a letter in advance, Lemus said. "There were missteps in terms of delivering information," he said.

The real misstep was not building up reserves years ago, Dulkoski said. "It's all corrective action right now."

Kubiak and Hirschbein agreed, pointing out those revenues pay for maintenance and improvements to the water and sewer system. "We had to front expenses," Hirschbein said.

Allen said the village needs to communicate better and re-establish trust with residents. He proposed circulating village board agendas on social media to solicit residents' opinions.

All five candidates said the village needs an administrator - the last one was fired in late 2013 - to oversee operations and manage department heads. The board decided to change the village's organizational structure, but that hasn't been working well, the candidates said.

"I do feel very strongly somebody needs to be there to be managing staff," Kubiak said.

Hirschbein said there have been times when residents found village hall unexpectedly closed during business hours.