Lake County sees a mix of incumbent leaders seeking reelection and those voluntarily ending their runs
Several incumbent Lake County mayors are seeking reelection and some will face challengers who submitted paperwork Tuesday, the first day to file nominating petitions for local offices in the April 1 consolidated election.
Many candidates file when their local village halls open the first day to get a higher ballot position and there was plenty of activity with some mayoral candidates filing as a slate with incumbent trustees.
The filing period continues through Monday, Nov. 18. Elected offices for school boards, townships, park and library districts also are on the ballot.
As of Tuesday afternoon, challengers in municipal races filed to face incumbent village presidents, commonly referred to as mayors, in Gurnee, Libertyville and Round Lake Beach, but incumbent mayors in Fox Lake, Hawthorn Woods, Wauconda, Lake Zurich, Barrington Hills, Long Grove and Deer Park so far are unopposed.
Grayslake
In Grayslake, longtime incumbent Mayor Rhett Taylor is not seeking reelection and has endorsed Trustee Elizabeth Davies as his successor. Davies and Jeff Loffredo filed Tuesday for the top spot. Incumbents William Kornit and Lalena Zoe Magnetta, both appointed to fill vacancies on the board, and Pete Sahu filed for trustee.
Barrington
Barrington Village President Karen Darch, first elected in 2005 and reelected four times after, also is ending a career in public service that included 10 years as a village trustee.
Mundelein
The race for mayor of Mundelein also will be contested but Steve Lentz is not seeking a fourth term. Trustee Tim Wilson submitted candidate petitions for the post and is expected to face Trustee Robin Meier, who has said she’ll run for mayor but didn’t turn in paperwork Tuesday.
Vernon Hills
And in a twist in Vernon Hills, Thom Koch Jr., who has been a village trustee since 1993 — the same year then-trustee Roger Bryne was elected mayor — was the sole candidate filing Tuesday for the top spot. Incumbent Michael Schenk and former village employee Monica Lundeen filed for trustee.
Until recently, Koch served as mayor pro tem since February 2022, when Byrne was stricken with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and subsequent health issues. Byrne has presided in person the past few meetings but did not file Tuesday.
Libertyville
In Libertyville, incumbent Mayor Donna Johnson, who has been on the village board since 2007, is seeking a second term as mayor. She’s being challenged by village Trustee Matthew Hickey, whose four-year seat is up for contest in April.
Johnson has said she is committed to smart growth and good decisions for the village. Hickey in a Facebook post Tuesday said he’ll focus on “open dialogue, genuine collaboration,” and unwavering dedication to every resident.
Five candidates also filed for three available trustee positions: incumbents Matt Krummick and Katherine “Casey” Rooney were joined by Andrew Herrmann, Kara Macdonald and Patrick Scheibler.
Gurnee
Gurnee Mayor Tom Hood, a village trustee for eight years is seeking a second term as mayor. He cited safety as a priority noting the addition of a fire station and hiring new police officers as highlights of his first term.
Revitalizing Gurnee’s east side, hosting more events in neighborhoods and attracting new business and entertainment are goals going forward.
He's being challenged by village Trustee Quin O'Brien, who said he was asked to run because of his community engagement, creative ideas and vibrancy of message while promoting the community.
O'Brien says he will pursue a “dynamic and exciting vision” for Gurnee building on its accomplishments.
Round Lake Beach
Round Lake Beach Mayor Scott Nickles is running for reelection on the United Vision slate with incumbent trustees Sylvia Valadez, Chuck Husk, Christy Davis for four-year terms and Dana Hillesheim for a two-year unexpired term. Nickles is being challenged by Alejandro Martin Muniz.
Wauconda
In Wauconda, Wauconda Strong 2025 is being led by incumbent Mayor Jeff A. Sode with Matthew J. Brown and incumbents Tim Howe and Sam Stein for trustee.
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich Mayor Thomas M. Poynton is seeking a fourth term and is running on the Lake Zurich Together slate with Sujatha Bharadwaj and incumbents Greg Weider and Jake Marx, who recently was appointed to fill a vacancy, for trustee.
Hawthorn Woods
And in Hawthorn Woods, Hawthorn Woods for the People is led by Mayor Dominick DiMaggio with incumbents James W. Kaiser, Thomas Alan Rychlik and Jodi McCarthy for trustee.
Other races
In other races, Barrington Hills Village President Brian D. Cecola is running for a second term. No challenger surfaced early Tuesday.
Long Grove village President Bill Jacob filed to run for a third term and in Lake Barrington, Trustee Andrew Burke on Tuesday filed petitions for the village president’s post now held by Kevin Richardson, who is not seeking reelection and is overseeing Burke’s campaign.
In Deer Park, Mayor Greg Rusteberg filed paperwork to run for a second full term. He was appointed to the post in 2020 and elected in 2021.