Hoffman Estates trustee running for mayor
Hoffman Estates trustee Raymond Kincaid publicly announced Tuesday he is running for mayor.
“I believe that I’m qualified and I believe there’s a need for a change,” Kincaid said.
In August, Kincaid had said he would run for re-election, seeking either a third term as trustee or going for the mayor position, which has been held by William McLeod since 2001.
“Bill’s been here too long,” Kincaid said, adding that his decision was also influenced by encouragement he received from some residents to run for the position. “And obviously I’ve been upset for quite some time about the transparency of things.”
Kincaid said besides increasing transparency he would like to give residents more opportunities to make their opinions heard.
Craig Bernacki, a former Hoffman Estates Park District commissioner who said earlier this year he planned to run for mayor, said Tuesday he now intends to run for a trustee position instead.
“I’m not going to file for mayor because I’m not going to split the anti-incumbent vote,” Bernacki said, adding that he and Kincaid talked about the situation before Kincaid made his public announcement.
Bernacki said he knows Kincaid has a better shot at becoming mayor because of his time as trustee.
Candidate petitions must be filed between Nov. 19-26. A primary will be triggered if there are at least four candidates for either mayor or clerk, or 12 or more candidates for trustee.
If needed the primary would be held Feb. 26, 2013. The general election is April 9.