Abboud, Gohl, Wessel, Cools in Barrington Hills

There are two groups of passionate candidates running for village offices in Barrington Hills. All say they want to preserve what is unique about the community - its open spaces, equestrian heritage and 5-acre zoning.

How to go about that is the question in this volatile race. More specifically, the style of the current village president is the overriding issue.

On one side is a slate led by Village President Robert Abboud. Elected four years ago when he beat a longtime incumbent, Abboud has taken on the role with vigor and some say abrasiveness. Abboud makes no apologies for his leadership style. If someone wants to challenge the Barrington Hills way of life - be it through a development or pushing more freight trains through town - then Abboud is ready to take them on.

But those fights can be costly. And Abboud's opponent, Trustee George Schueppert, says some of those costs could have been avoided if Abboud took a more reasoned approach.

Hindsight is 20/20. Schueppert, as a trustee, approved the legal costs budgeted and incurred along with the rest of the board. In fact, Barrington Hills has a long history of fighting battles in court. If Schueppert's campaign was based more on his own ideas and less on why he doesn't like Abboud, we might have been more inclined to endorse him.

Instead, we think Abboud is the best choice because of his tireless efforts on behalf of Barrington Hills. However, our endorsement comes with some reservation. We encourage him to reassess how he works with the rest of the village board. He takes opposition very personally and allowed some unsavory negative campaigning to take place.

For three 4-year trustee seats, we think Abboud ally Fritz Gohl deserves a third term. We are very impressed with Peter Wessel, a Barrington Countryside Park District commissioner who has a strong independent streak despite running on Abboud's slate. Finally, for the third slot, we choose Pamela Cools, who is on Schueppert's slate and would bring a different perspective to the board. She regularly attends village board meetings, has been involved in several grass-roots efforts and is on the communications committee. Also running is incumbent Elaine Ramesh, a former village clerk who was appointed by Abboud last year, Plan Commission Chairman Kenneth Bosworth and political newcomer William Hannay, both Schueppert allies.