Endorsements: Mills, Gaeta, Arnet for Hoffman Estates village board
The six-person race for three open seats on the Hoffman Estates village board can be a little complicated to sort through.
On one side are three challengers of varying and useful experience vying for the chance to pursue their results-oriented, business-friendly vision for the future. On the other are three highly active and experienced incumbents who want to continue the results-oriented and business-friendly work they've been doing for a combined 41 years or more.
The challengers are Jim Murre, a real estate broker and retired Hoffman Estates police officer; Renee Robinson a bilingual educator with the Chicago Public Schools; and Gaurav Patel, a dentist with community service on both the village's Planning and Zoning Commission and its Police and Fire Commission. Each brings relevant, valuable qualities and experience to the contest, and all are able to discuss issues facing the village articulately and in some detail.
But for all the appeal each represents individually, none shows the kind of powerhouse promise that would seem to be required to unseat any of the three accomplished incumbents.
Indeed, Karen Mills - even after 29 years on the board - remains one of the most incisive, energetic and knowledgeable of all six candidates. And Michael Gaeta, a lieutenant colonel with the Civil Air Patrol who has advisory board experience in addition to his eight years on the village board, is also steeped in ideas for the village and understanding of the details needed to make them work. Karen Arnet, a customer service specialist and community volunteer, is just finishing up her first term on the board, but she, too, demonstrates sincere dedication to the village and an ability to build on the direct leadership experience she has cultivated for four years.
The challengers criticize village government as slow to respond to the needs and interests of local business. They say it needs better spending control, and they are particularly critical of its handling of the NOW Arena. But the village is in sound financial shape, it has weathered the COVID-19 crisis about as tolerably as can be expected and, despite occasional disappointments, continues to attract respected developments like the planned Microsoft data centers and the smaller retail, office and residential prospects beginning to take positions at the Bell Works Chicagoland project.
Incumbents Karen Mills, Michael Gaeta and Karen Arnet have been intimately involved in all this, and they have the background, energy and vision to keep things moving forward, They are endorsed.