Need for growth needs to be balanced with preserving charm Libertyville candidates say

Managing development while keeping Libertyville’s small-town charm is among the challenges noted by village board candidates.

Five candidates are running for three, 4-year terms.

Incumbents Matt Krummick and Casey Rooney are part of an informal slate with newcomer Andrew Herrmann. The other candidates in the race are pharmaceutical sales director Patrick Scheibler and Kara Macdonald, a human resources consultant.

In an interview with the Daily Herald, candidates were asked what they thought was the most serious issue facing the village in the coming years.

Krummick, a commercial real estate developer seeking a second term on the village board, said redevelopment and continued progress in the downtown area is important.

He said there is a need to spur growth, but the village should respect property rights while looking for collaborative relationships with real estate developers.

Libertyville has a vibrant downtown and brand that’s different from Vernon Hills, Oak Brook or Lake Forest, Krummick noted. Keeping it is the key.

“Some people don’t like change, but sometimes you have to grow,” he said. “How do we keep the engine running downtown without offending too many people?”

Rooney, who was appointed to the village board in August 2023 and works in financial client services, said balancing opportunities while preserving the elements that make the town special is the biggest challenge.

Thoughtful development is one way to keep longtime residents engaged and encourage new families to move in, she said. But not having a lot of buildable space is another challenge, said Rooney, who served on the comprehensive plan committee.

A $25 million development to include “attainable” senior apartments being built on Peterson Road is an example of what the plan envisions, she added.

“We recognized where we need to see some growth and where we’d like to see some growth, but keeping what is special about our charming downtown is a challenge,” she said.

Herrmann, who serves on the economic development commission, said the village needs to maintain its charm and vibrancy through strategic growth.

He said he’d like to see more engagement from the community and get more residents involved to determine what constitutes strategic growth without changing “the character and vibe of our town.”

“We really are the envy. We have something very unique that most communities like,” he added. People don’t like change but the village needs to figure out how to maintain that status amid competition.

Macdonald says she doesn’t disagree with other candidates but added Libertyville is “notoriously difficult for developers and businesses to work with.”

“We don't make it easy and so I would like to see us do a better job of helping them be successful,” she said.

She said the comprehensive plan should be refreshed and officials need to really get to know what the residents “would like to see in the community,” and then design it.

“Bringing those people together to collaborate a little more effectively, I think would be very, very helpful,” she said.

Scheibler said the village needs to be “very intentional” in how it approaches residential and commercial development.

Some smaller homes need to remain, for example, to help keep things a bit more affordable “without forcing affordability platforms on people,” he said.

Scheibler said the village’s comprehensive plan for the downtown area looks more like a wish list than options to pursue.

“There needs to be aggressive approaching of developers and saying, 'Here's our vision,’” he said. “What can we do to work together to meet that vision as well as satisfy what you’re looking for in terms of commercial development in our community?”