County board race simmers from past fight

The Republican primary battle for the Lake County Board District 5 seat is shaping up to be a grudge match.

Kirk Denz, a political newcomer, said incumbent Bonnie Thomson Carter is "failing at her duties" to serve residents in her district.

Carter, who has been in office four terms, argued Denz is waging a personal war against her that stems from issues the two butted heads over within the past two years.

No Democrats have filed to run in the Feb. 5 primary, but the winner could still face a challenge on the November general election ballot.

District 5 encompasses Fox Lake, Ingleside, Lakemoor Volo and Wauconda.

The bad blood between Denz, 39, of Fox Lake, said Carter, 52, of Ingleside, goes back to February 2006 over the issue of boating speed restrictions on Wooster Lake.

Citing environmental concerns for the lake, Carter asked neighboring Round Lake to approve a no-wake restriction.

Denz, who owns property with lake rights to Wooster Lake, favored allowing boaters to run above no-wake speeds. During the debate on the issue, Denz admitted to riding a personal watercraft on the lake.

The vote came after a study by the Lake County Health Department in 2005 that declared Wooster one of the cleanest lakes in the county.

Carter said she was acting in the best interests of the majority of people who use the small lake. Denz said Carter was pushing her own agenda.

Denz also said Carter "covertly" gave away valuable Lake County forest preserve land for potential use during the envisioned 2016 Olympics.

He said she should have looked at alternate sites for a potential equestrian center for the Olympics before declaring Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda a "done deal."

"If done correctly, this could have been great for Lake County," he said. "But, she didn't do it correctly and every opportunity to do it correctly is gone."

Carter said Denz had ample time to come forward to ask questions regarding the use of Lakewood at a forest preserve meeting.

"My opponent never came to a meeting to voice any opposition to Lakewood," she said. "It was approved unanimously by the forest board, and, as president of the forest preserve, I am carrying out the wishes of the board."