Two candidates seek Grayslake-area county board seat

Lake County Board member Pat Carey of Grayslake says jobs and the economy are top issues for her candidacy in the March 20 Democratic primary.

Carey is up against Grayslake resident Eric Daniel Lake in the primary for county board District 6. Grayslake Trustee Jeff Werfel, who’s unopposed in the Republican primary, will face the Democratic winner in the November general election.

District 6 covers all of Grayslake and Hainesville, most of Round Lake Park and sections of Round Lake Beach and Third Lake.

Carey addressed campaign issues during a Daily Herald editorial board interview this week and in a candidate questionnaire. Lake didn’t respond to invitations for the interview or provide answers on the questionnaire that was emailed to him.

Jobs and the economy are the top issues, said Carey, a former Grayslake mayor elected to the county board in 2008. She said a way she can accomplish her goal is by continuing to serve on the board of Lake County Partners, the county’s development arm.

“As a former economic development professional, I know what it takes to recruit and retain businesses,” Carey said, “and through Partners, I work with municipalities and Lake County corporations to retain existing and bring new jobs to the county.”

She noted a recent Partners success is a FedEx Ground facility that opened in Grayslake, where there are 200 employees. Officials said up to 500 workers are projected when the 214,000-square-foot operation is running at full capacity.

Carey also said she’d remain committed to protecting the environment in Lake County if re-elected. She said she’s participated in efforts on sustainable agriculture, encouraged increased recycling and supported reasonable alternative energy regulations.

Although Lake hasn’t run a visible campaign, Carey said, she’ll be out actively seeking votes for the March 20 Democratic primary.

“I’ve been around people who’ve taken races for granted and lost,” Carey said.

In 2006, Lake was sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to harassing then-Grayslake Mayor Timothy Perry. At the time, police said Lake left more than 20 obscene and sometimes threatening voice-mail messages on Perry’s village hall telephone. Lake told the Daily Herald in December the sentence later was converted to court supervision. The matter was expunged in 2011, he said.