Craig in Hanover Park - with Roberts, Cannon, Bakes, Corral

The politics in Hanover Park has turned ugly since Rodney Craig had the effrontery to not only challenge but defeat the old guard in a stunning upset for village president two years ago.

Largely, the cause of this dysfunction lies with the opposition faction on the village board. Craig may not be the most sophisticated politician to ever come down the pike or the most succinct, but he is well-meaning, generally collaborative and fairly innovative.

The opposing faction, including Trustee Lori Ann Kaiser, now running against Craig for village president, never granted him that. Dating back decades, the old guard had never lost, and it was as though it couldn't forgive Craig for beating them. Rather than trying to work with him, they childishly decided to ignore him and work around him.

That's a shame. Craig was elected by the voters, and he deserved the chance to carry out that mandate. Since the village board did not allow that to happen, it now falls to the voters to ensure that it does.

For village president, we endorse Rodney Craig for another term and advise him not to give up on leadership. If it is his mandate to lead, he must be relentless in searching out the way.

But it will be easier if he has the votes. For the three trustee seats up for election, we endorse two members of his Progress slate, Rick Roberts, veterans advisory committee chairman and an active youth sports volunteer; and Development Commissioner William Cannon. Both have solid grasps on the issues and positive approaches to problem solving. We also endorse Community slate member Jeffrey Bakes, development commission chairman with a long history of public service to Hanover Park.

Two strong candidates are running for village clerk. We endorse Progress slate member Eira Corral, largely because of the careful thought she has given the office and the many ideas she has offered for improving it. But in doing so, we regret that we cannot also support Margaret Blanford-Grandom, a friendly and engaging candidate who has a lot to offer.