Endorsement: Loffredo for Lake Villa village president

Incumbent Frank Loffredo has served 16 years as mayor and wants to do four more. There seems no strong reason to discourage him. The village is in good financial shape, is actively looking for ways to increase development without disturbing the quality of life and is engaged in new initiatives through cooperation with neighboring towns. Challenger Mona Mustafa emphasizes her strong entrepreneurial background, which is impressive. But her complaints seem to belie a lack of specificity on the village’s circumstances, and she has virtually no experience in dealing with municipal issues at any level. She seeks to frame that as a strength, arguing that it allows her to approach issues with an unbiased eye, but the fact is that some direct experience is critical for anyone who would seek to guide a village through all the complications of planning, zoning, budgeting, economic development and more. Nor, ultimately, is Mustafa’s vision for the Lake Villa’s future all that different from what Loffredo is pursuing. The incumbent has a long history of commitment to the town, a solid record of success and a clear commitment to put in the effort and energy needed to continue it. Loffredo is endorsed.