Endorsement: Tom Hood for Gurnee village president

In the April 1 election, Gurnee Village President Thomas B. Hood, seeking a second term, is challenged by Trustee Quin O’Brien, who is in the middle of a four-year term.

O’Brien, a Realtor, says he has a love of Gurnee and a desire to promote it creatively to draw more visitors. “I am a dynamic speaker, a creative thinker, a marketer, and a problem solver,” O’Brien says in his candidate questionnaire. “In a town which pays its bills primarily via visitors and fun, having a marketer/PR person as mayor would be a good fit.”

He said he’s the only one on the board who speaks Spanish, which he views as an asset in a town where 17% of residents are Spanish speakers.

Hood, an attorney who grew up in Gurnee and served as trustee for eight years before being elected mayor, said he has delivered on his campaign promises to build a stronger, safer and more unified Gurnee.

“I led the most aggressive hiring of police officers in village history and added state-of-the-art safety equipment,” he says in his questionnaire. “We added 400 new businesses and provided assistance to our existing ones, adding to our financial base and helping our reserves recover from the pandemic.”

The village is in good financial shape, he says, adding that 40% of its revenue comes from “the big three” — Great Wolf Lodge, Gurnee Mills and Six Flags Great America.

Both candidates cite a desire to revitalize Gurnee’s east side. In 2016 there was a plan that never took off, according to Hood. But he says four new businesses have been added on the east side since fall 2024. Both candidates mention the need to continue work on infrastructure such as road resurfacing and replacing water mains.

O’Brien would like to add a free trolley service running on a constant loop between the attractions and businesses along Grand Avenue on either side of the tollway, and promote it to Navy recruits and their families. Hood says it’s important to bring the community together and has added new events such as block parties, a bonfire and a Christmas tree lighting, and is creating a Care Commission through which residents can assist others in need.

We admire O’Brien’s enthusiasm and ideas, but we agree with Hood that the primary job of a mayor is to make sure a community operates properly. Hood seems best suited for that assignment, and he gets our endorsement.