Hoffman Estates trustees well on way to reelection

A trio of incumbent Hoffman Estates trustees appeared headed for reelection to the village board, according to unofficial results late Tuesday night.

With all 27 precincts reporting, Anna Newell had 2,765 votes; Gary Stanton had 2,761; and Gary Pilafas had 2,619. Challenger Mark Mueller, a retired Hoffman Estates police lieutenant, had 1,813 votes.

Two years ago, the then recently retired Mueller unsuccessfully challenged longtime Mayor Bill McLeod, as part of a slate that included three first-time trustee candidates.

Though he ran independently in Tuesday's election, Mueller's platform again included criticisms of areas in which he believes the village could be doing better.

Those included the volume of bookings at the village-owned Now Arena; the speed at which a new user for the vacated Sears headquarters was being found; and the recent disconnection of more than 215 acres from the west side of the village, which he characterized as a lost opportunity for development driven by a lack of diplomacy with the landowners.

Newell, Pilafas and Stanton - running as a slate - countered Mueller's arguments by stating that the village is diligently looking after its operations, including the Now Arena, and that its interactions with developers and landowners was appropriate and in line with Hoffman Estates' best interests.

Discussion of the issues this winter revealed that a potential bid for the Sears property had come closer to fruition than had been previously disclosed. While the village needs to remain open to a number of realistic possibilities, that prior pitch most likely remains in the lead, the incumbents said.

More funding from or for the developer would be a key ingredient to that pitch going further, Stanton said.

That potential developer has gone as far as commissioning a ComEd study to see if the necessary amount of electricity could be supplied to the former Sears site, Pilafas added.

While not privy to those discussions, Mueller said a friend who is a top developer in the state had suggested a small college with housing around it could get other businesses to join in on the project as well.

The point, Mueller added, is that the village bears some accountability in finding people of vision to get the process of redevelopment moving.