Endorsements: Our choices for Lake County Board

Voters in the Northwest Suburbs face choices in six contested races for the Lake County Board.

Three of the races involve Democratic incumbents defending their seats. The other three have new candidates from both parties on the ballot.

County board members also serve as forest preserve commissioners.

Here are our choices for those seats.

District 1

Republican John Muellner faces Democrat Jose Martinez for a two-year term representing District 1, which includes parts of Antioch, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek and Wadsworth.

The seat is open because Republican Linda Pedersen, who has represented the area since 2008, is not seeking reelection.

Muellner, 28, is a former educator from Antioch who works for the nonprofit Americans for Prosperity. He says he is running because District 1 residents “are feeling the strain of high taxes, rising costs, and a county government that too often overreaches.”

Martinez, 46, has worked for 26 years as a Metra conductor and was elected to the Antioch village board last year. He believes his public service experience has given him “firsthand understanding of the challenges working families, seniors, and local businesses face every day.”

That experience is precisely what gives him an advantage. Martinez is endorsed.

District 9

In District 9, which covers parts of Waukegan and North Chicago, Democrat Brandon X. Ewing is seeking a full term after being appointed to fill the seat of the late Mary Ross Cunningham. Ewing is being challenged by write-in candidate Dashawna O. Phifer. The Republican candidate, Jorge E. Sanchez, was removed from the ballot.

Ewing, 34, is former president of the Waukegan Unit District 60 school board and member of the Waukegan Planning & Zoning Board.

District 9 is one of the most ethnically diverse in the county.

Ewing has said beyond racial representation, there is a need for a diversity of ages on the county board. His background in banking is an asset. He is endorsed.

District 10

Democrat Nicki Sullivan and Republican Jeff Issel are vying for a four-year term representing District 10, which includes Indian Creek and portions of Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Mundelein, and Vernon Hills.

After eight years in office, Democrat Jessica Vealitzek of Hawthorn Woods is not seeking reelection.

Sullivan, 46, of Mundelein, served seven years on the Diamond Lake Elementary District 76 school board. She also chaired the citizens committee which helped to pass the Mundelein High School referendum in 2024, and has worked on a variety of other issues including pushing for fair impact fees, changing state law on illegal restrictive covenants, and fighting to prevent a gun store from opening near an elementary school in Mundelein.

Issel, 72, also a Mundelein resident, is a committeeman and vice chair for the Fremont Township Republicans. His reasons for running are to instill “responsible spending, accountability, addressing property taxes and growth while protecting the quality of life.”

Sullivan’s years of governing experience as a school board member and community advocacy are big pluses in her favor. She is endorsed.

District 16

Incumbent Democrat Esiah Campos is seeking reelection to his seat representing District 16, which includes Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights and portions of Round Lake and Round Lake Park. Challenging Campos for the two-year term is Republican political newcomer Katherine Rodriguez of Round Lake.

District 16 includes Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights and portions of Round Lake and Round Lake Park.

Rodriguez, 63, seeks to be a voice for seniors on the board. She says as a low-income senior herself, she brings “a vital, underrepresented perspective” and is committed “to protecting residents from being taxed out of their homes.”

Campos, 30, of Round Lake Beach, is a Navy veteran and pension analyst for Teamsters union Local 705. He says his priorities are “investing in infrastructure, supporting immigrant families, ensuring working men and women have a strong voice and fair representation, and making life more affordable for everyone.”

Campos is the first Latino representative of the largely Hispanic district. He is passionate about being a voice for the Latino community on the board and deserves a chance to fulfill the promises he made to constituents. He is endorsed.

District 17

Political newcomers Republican Joe Salvi and Democrat Mary Mesa are running for the District 17 seat currently held by Republican Michael Danforth.

Danforth has represented the district, which covers Barrington and other communities along the county’s far south and west borders, since 2017 but is not seeking reelection.

Salvi, 32, an attorney from Barrington, said he is primarily motivated by the rising cost of living that is squeezing everyday people. He seeks to ease county residents’ tax burden from rising property, sales and motor fuel taxes.

Mesa, 61, of Lake Barrington, is running to ensure Lake County has safe neighborhoods and residents have access to public services, seeks to protect its air, water and natural spaces, and maintain its strong financial position.

While neither has any political experience, both candidates are determined to make Lake County better for future generations.

Salvi’s legal qualifications might prove an added asset on the board. He is endorsed.

District 19

Incumbent Democrat Marah Altenberg of Buffalo Grove is being challenged by Republican Nicole Ziomek, a precinct committeeperson from Long Grove.

Altenberg, 59, a small-business owner and former journalist, said keeping communities safe, easing the tax burden, addressing rising costs and limiting the impact of data centers are priorities.

Ziomek, 53, said saving money and improving efficiency are her priorities before looking to increase taxes on residents. She supports reviewing county programs and contracts “to identify waste, duplication, and opportunities to negotiate better pricing.”

In Altenberg’s more than six years of service, she has chaired the county’s Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee, leading on issues of sustainability and climate change, environmental health, and reducing the county’s carbon footprint. Under her leadership, the county adopted a moratorium on building data centers in unincorporated areas to ensure residents and the environment are not adversely affected.

She deserves to see these actions through for the betterment of county residents. Altenberg is endorsed.

District 19 includes Deer Park, Wheeling and portions of Buffalo Grove, Kildeer, Lake Zurich and Long Grove.