Zirk wins Gilberts village presidency; Farrell, Clark and Zambetti on board

Rick Zirk beat out incumbent Tom Wajda for village president of Gilberts in a lopsided victory Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting unofficial results, Zirk led with 641 votes to 287 for Wajda.

Zirk, who served as South Elgin village president from 1997 to 2001, said his top priority is to encourage commercial development and strengthen the village's tax base.

He pointed to the success along Randall Road that helped lay the foundation for development in South Elgin. He also was critical of Gilberts' existing long-range plan, saying it is too much like a Christmas list with no road map for implementation.

Wajda had maintained that he was working hard to foster more development, but the economy was slowing him down.

"Congratulations to Rick Zirk," he said. "Thanks to everyone who supported my candidacy. The voters have spoken and I respect their choice."

"This is a pivotal time for our village," he added. "We need all the resources we can muster for the greater good of our community. The key issue is I hope he (Zirk) can honor all the promises he made."

The village board was going to get a minimum of one new board member because Trustee Ron Mengarelli didn't run again.

With all five precincts reporting, newcomer Nancy Farrell led with 643 votes, followed by Everett Clark with 608, and Guy Zambetti with 555, landing the three openings for four-year terms. Incumbent Gordon Mueller trailed with 412 votes.

Farrell said her goal was to get the board to work more as a team. She shared Zirk's concerns with the village's long-range plan, adopted in October, saying it is too vague.

Zambetti said his priorities were to place more of an emphasis on recreational programs and amenities.

He and Mueller also had said they reached out to residents to help formulate the village's long-range plan, which spells out a set of goals to accomplish by 2014.

Clark, a former Gilberts trustee and president, said he had experience and could bring a fresh look to the board.