Abboud to seek re-election as Barrington Hills president

Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud and Trustee Fritz Gohl will seek re-election in April, while Trustee Harold “Skip” Gianopulos said he’s strongly leaning toward running for another term as well.

Trustee Elaine Ramesh, the only other village board member whose term is expiring in the spring, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Village Clerk Dolores Trandel said nominating petition packets have been picked up by Abboud, Gohl, Gianopulos and a fourth, unidentified person. The filing period for candidates begins Dec. 17 and ends Dec. 24.

Abboud said he and Gohl, the board’s president pro tem, plan to run independently but in support of each other’s campaigns. He and Gohl have common viewpoints on some issues and believe they both still have something to offer the village he said. They do not intend to be part of a slate with anyone else.

The village historically has been successful in attracting candidates with different areas of expertise and from different walks of life, Abboud said, and he hopes that will remain true this election.

“I’d like to get a little more pension experience on the board,” he said, adding he’s less concerned with the village’s pension situation than he is with broader pension legislation.

Though no challengers have formally declared their candidacies, Abboud recalls the ferocity of the 2011 campaign that sprang from the village’s debate over the regulation of commercial horse boarding.

“It’s Barrington Hills, so there are no small issues,” he said dryly. “If you bring a knife to an intercontinental nuclear exchange, you’re fooling yourself. We’ll be prepared.”

Gianopulos said he believes he’s been of value to the village since his election to a two-year term in 2011 — especially for providing a viewpoint contrary to that of most board members.

He supports greater regulation of horse boarding, but adds he’s anything but anti-equestrian. The intensity of the 2011 campaign, in which the rest of his Common Sense Party slate lost hasn’t deterred him from another run, Gianopulos said.

“I really don’t mind the campaigning piece of it,” he said. “I like the debating of different issues and I have thick skin.”

Gianopulos said he knows of a couple other people considering running for the board, but they haven’t yet made a final decision.