Wauconda hopefuls express their views

The six candidates competing for seats on the Wauconda village board have different goals if elected.

Some said the village board needs to develop a long-range plan; one said cleaning and improving Bangs Lake should be a priority; another said the board should strive to keep Wauconda family friendly.

The candidates are chasing three seats with 4-year terms. They are: incumbents Cathy Scott and Lincoln Knight and challengers Mark Kwasigroch, Danielle Zimmermann, John Barbini and Pamela Wahl.

Scott, Kwasigroch and Zimmerman are running as a slate led by incumbent Mayor Salvatore Saccomanno; Barbini, Wahl and Knight are running as a slate led by mayoral candidate Mark Knigge, a current trustee.

As they prepared for the April 7 election showdown, the candidates spoke about their goals and other issues in questionnaires for the Daily Herald.

Barbini, a retired educator, said the development and implementation of a long-range strategic plan should be a primary objective for the village board.

"Once adopted by the village board, this will give a focus to our decisions and resource allocations in the years to come," he said.

Citizen input on the plan should be key, he said.

Knight, a sales representative, also stressed the need for strategic planning.

Economic development in the village should be a necessity, too, he said.

"We need to work at this full time and help the businesses that are already here (and) work to attract new businesses," he said.

Kwasigroch, a corporate vice president, said keeping Wauconda "family friendly" should be the board's top priority, but he wasn't specific and didn't explain how that should be accomplished.

Scott, a business owner, said Bangs Lake needs to get some attention from the board.

"It is a beautiful, year-round jewel," Scott said.

The board should apply for grants to pay for needed improvements, such as channel clearing, Scott said.

Like some of the other candidates, Wahl mentioned long-range planning and economic development as top priorities.

"The survival of our village depends on economic development," said Wahl, a school secretary.

"All too often our residents find themselves having to travel to other communities for goods and services."

Hiring a full-time economic development director and forming an economic development committee would be steps in the right direction, she said.

Zimmermann, who works in new business development for a local firm, said improving communication with residents should be the top priority for the board.

"In the past I was misinformed and not involved," she said.

"Finding myself aggravated with local government, I asked my questions and got the answers (and) I found myself wanting to help."