Lake County Board District 1 candidates square off for open seat

Republican John Muellner and Democrat Jose Martinez are facing off for the seat of outgoing Lake County Board member Linda Pedersen, with Muellner pledging to check “egregious government overreach” and Martinez pointing to his blue-collar background and political experience.

The outgoing Pedersen, a Republican, has represented District 1 since 2008. The district includes all or parts of Antioch, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek and Wadsworth.

‘Incredibly prepared’

Muellner is an Antioch resident and previously an elementary and early childhood teacher. He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in education and business, and has a master’s degree in public administration.

He’s finishing up a term as an appointed member of the Veterans’ Memorial Commission in Lindenhurst, and says he’s “very active” in the community through various clubs and county organizations. He currently works for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, as a grassroots engagement director.

It was the “out of hand” cost of living and rising taxes that brought him into the county board race, he said, pledging to work to eliminate “wasteful spending” and limit “government overreach.”

Muellner pointed to the county’s bird-friendly design requirements, which took effect in the spring of 2024. New county facilities, as well as renovations or additions to current structures, must use at least 80% bird-friendly glass on their exteriors from ground level up to 100 feet to help reduce bird collision deaths.

It is a “ridiculous” policy, he said.

He also criticized “extra special projects” like one in Waukegan aiming to bring free public Wi-Fi to downtown, arguing it’s “not the function of government,” and that many spaces, such as businesses and libraries, already offer WI-FI.

Muellner raised two District 1 issues he wanted to address on the board: the overuse of Wadsworth’s streets by large semi trucks avoiding tolls, and the hundreds of homes he said are dumping sewage into the Chain O’ Lakes. Both will require coordination with state leaders, he said.

“If that issue isn’t fixed, the long-term consequences will be incredibly detrimental to all of Lake County,” Muellner said.

Pedersen has been mentoring him for a year now, Muellner said, and he said he is “incredibly prepared” and knowledgeable about the district.

Muellner called Martinez “another rubber stamp” for Democrats, and accused him of using his election to the Antioch Village Board as a “steppingstone” to the county board.

“He’s abandoning his constituents,” Muellner said. “He’s breaking his promise to voters.”

‘Blue-collar union man’

An Antioch resident since 2001, Martinez said he comes from a multigeneration railroad family. Professionally, he’s a conductor with Metra, but he’s been involved in candidate organizing work with the Democratic Party for some time, he said.

This is his first race as a partisan candidate — the Antioch village board seat he won last year is nonpartisan. If he wins the District 1 seat, Martinez said he would step down from the village position, something he’s already discussed with Mayor Scott Gartner.

Responding to Muellner’s accusation, Martinez said he had no way of knowing Pedersen would decide to step down when he was running for trustee.

“I find that is uncalled-for criticism,” Martinez said.

Martinez has a nearly 30-year career with Metra, including as an on-site foreman for large infrastructure projects and as a union officer, building connections with local leaders.

Martinez has raised affordability as an issue. As a homeowner raising a family, he said he has felt it as much as everyone else.

“People are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

In Antioch, there’s been local outcry over congestion and traffic gridlock at the railroad crossing near routes 173 and 83, two major thoroughfares for the community. Martinez, who has worked on underpass projects elsewhere in Lake County, said he has the experience and relationships to bring the project forward.

“I look forward to championing the possibility of having that in the future,” Martinez said. “I’ve seen this before, and I know what it takes. It takes allies in Springfield and (Washington,) D.C.”

Martinez argues he’s a more home-grown option for voters, with a better understanding of the struggles neighbors are facing. He pledged to serve the district’s residents regardless of party politics.

“I’m a blue-collar union man who is just trying to bring their perspective forward on the county level,” Martinez said. “I’m doing this for my community.”

jstates@chicagotribune.com