Island Lake mayoral candidate blames village for troubles

At times, Island Lake's elected officials more closely resemble a dysfunctional family than a group of well-intentioned public servants.

Earlier this month, Trustee Rich Garling was arrested after police said he hit the wife of a political rival at a public meeting.

In October 2008, Mayor Tom Hyde was arrested after authorities said he illegally changed the name of the business owner listed on a village liquor license. The previous month, Village Clerk Christine Kaczmarek sued the village, claiming she was owed more than $182,000 in back pay.

And in 2007, after seemingly endless political bickering, the board failed to unanimously support a resolution to work positively and avoid personal attacks.

Hyde's not seeking re-election April 7. Three candidates are seeking to replace him: Trustee Deborah Herrmann, Trustee John Ponio and former trustee Sally Fleissner.

Herrmann and Ponio are leading opposing slates of clerk and trustee candidates, while Fleissner is running an independent, write-in campaign.

Herrmann, a trustee since 2001 and a former village clerk, blamed Ponio and his allies for much of the political squabbling and other problems. That includes Garling's arrest, which she said stemmed from a baseless allegation. The victim in the case is the wife of trustee candidate David Meeks, who's running a write-in campaign.

"My personal feeling is, the whole thing was politically staged," said Herrmann, who ran on a slate with Hyde in 2005. "All of those people are working together in a cause against what we're doing."

Herrmann also partially blamed the media for the village's black eye, saying news stories about the controversies have only featured "pieces of what's going on." Ponio and his allies, she said, are shaping media reports.

"Unfortunately, the other side of the story isn't always going to get reported," she said.

If elected mayor, Herrmann said there's "really nothing I can do" about the animosity and political shenanigans.

Ponio, a trustee since 2007, rejected Herrmann's accusations. The village's problems aren't his fault, he said; they began long before he joined the board.

Ponio accused Hyde and the other trustees of not releasing proper documentation for agenda issues. When he objects, he said, he's seen as bickering or being negative.

Ponio voted against the 2007 board pledge to act more civilized. He called it a "go along to get along" plan and said, "I'm not that type of person."

As for Garling's arrest, Ponio denied any involvement. He and David Meeks aren't political allies, he said. After all, Meeks' trustee bid pits him against Ponio's slate.

If elected mayor, Ponio said he would make department heads attend meetings and answer questions from the board and public. Additionally, he hopes to conduct meetings in a manner that would limit fighting on the board.

When Fleissner resigned from the board in 2005, she cited political games on the panel and a dissatisfaction with Hyde among her reasons.

Fleissner disagreed with Herrmann's efforts to blame Ponio for the board's problems. The arrests, lawsuit and other issues aren't related, she said.

Even so, Fleissner said the discord is worse now that it was when she was a trustee. The officials' behavior at one recent meeting reminded her of children fighting over a video game system, she said.

If elected mayor, Fleissner said she'd "step up to the plate, put a firm foot down and say 'enough.'"

"There are matters that pertain to the village and its residents, and they need to be taken care of," she said.