Incumbents sweep all three seats in North Aurora

Incumbents have won the three seats up for grabs on the North Aurora village board.

With all 10 precincts in town reporting, unofficial results show Mark Guethle and Laura Curtis were handily re-elected, while Mark Carroll retains the seat he was appointed to nearly a year ago to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Ryan Lambert. Guethle served from 2003 to 2005, ran for village president and lost, but was re-elected to the board in 2009. Curtis has been on the board since 2011.

Challengers Anise Hesson and Alan Cavendar barely received half the votes the incumbents received, according to results on the Kane County Clerk's website.

Demolition of the North Aurora Activity Center was a key issue in the race. Board members voted to demolish the building after it was closed because of structural issues rather than spend more money to salvage it.

Hesson was critical of the decision and suggested residents weren't given any alternatives to demolition.

Guethle, Carroll and Curtis said the village should have a new recreation center to replace the activity center. But they agree that any replacement should not be built where the NAAC stood, at Lincolnway (Route 31) and State Street. That corner is prime for redevelopment with commercial uses, or a mixed-use development, they agreed.

Curtis also said the village should try to get the North Aurora and Countryside Fire Protection District to move Station 1, which is at State and Monroe streets, so that site could be tied in to redevelopment.