4 candidates vie for 3 seats in Gilberts

Election season in Gilberts has been fairly tame with no major issues polarizing the four candidates running for three trustee positions on the village board.

Incumbents Patricia Mierisch and Bruce Erbeck will try to hold back challenges from Louis Hacker and Daniel Corbett.

After two years on the planning commission, Hacker entered the race as an advocate for residents, he said. He moved to Gilberts in 1990 and retired from his job as a manager with the Federal Aviation Administration — a job he said gave him problem-solving skills that will transfer to work as a trustee.

If elected, Hacker said, he will focus on attracting more retail to town.

“I don’t think it’s going to come about without us going out there and knocking on doors,” Hacker said. “I think it’s something we have to pursue.”

Corbett, an 8-year resident of Gilberts, has a multipronged platform marked by the standard focus on improving the local economy and maintaining roads. But another is communication.

Corbett said the village board doesn’t communicate with residents as well as it should.

“I don’t want to see the board speaking for the residents instead of speaking on behalf of the residents,” Corbett said.

As someone involved in a variety of community organizations, Corbett said he could help bridge the gap.

Mierisch was appointed to the board in 2005 and will face her first contested election. Her main focus in her time on the board has been to coordinate the Citizen Emergency Response Team training program and found a Citizen Corps Council, which brings members of the fire and police departments together with residents for training.

Mierisch said she has seen the village change in her 24 years as a resident and has a unique perspective about how to prepare for the future. She also points to her gender as an important frame of reference.

“We do look at situations and things differently than our male counterparts,” Mierisch said.

Bruce Erbeck, elected to the board four years ago, counts the elimination of vehicle stickers among his major contributions. Erbeck said he was the driving force behind the idea to renegotiate a cheaper garbage contract and pass on the savings to residents by getting rid of the stickers.

He said its his vision for the community that separates him from other candidates.

“Without that is what we have had in the past — that was a bed and breakfast community that was happy with the status quo,” Erbeck said.

Erbeck has lived in the village for about seven years and is heavily involved in youth sports programs. He advocates development and growth beyond just homes.