Lichtenberger, Kurgan, Smith, Hernandez for Wheeling parks

The five candidates for four seats on the Wheeling Park District board all demonstrated they can do the job well. Given that, we endorse the incumbents - Brian Lichtenberger, Mike Kurgan and Vivian Smith - for re-election.

A year ago, Kurgan was involved in a controversy over whether he should have been present in a meeting on land acquisition, given his interests as a real estate agent. He says he could have handled the situation better and learned from the controversy; we believe him.

Smith is co-owner of her family's construction business, which is planning to donate land to the park district as part of a huge project at Lake-Cook and Milwaukee roads. That project may be years away and she said she leaves the room if it comes up. She sees the donation as a plus for the district and said if the project becomes one where she stands to benefit financially from it, she will quit to avoid a conflict.

For the fourth seat, both George Hernandez and Sue Stein bring the necessary credentials, interest and ideas for the job. Hernandez, an equipment operator for the state who sometimes operates the HELP trucks on the expressway, has an associate degree in ornamental horticulture, has been active in the Wheeling Garden Club and has worked for park districts in the past. He would bring needed diversity in elected office in a town where minorities make up a big part of the population. Hernandez gets our enthusiastic vote.