Endorsements: Sweet, Richmond, Sauceda for South Elgin village board

In South Elgin, five candidates are competing to fill three seats on the village board. A ballot challenge removed incumbent Bill DiFulvio, who has since filed as a write-in. He’ll be joined by incumbents John Sweet and Scott Richmond and challengers Robert Sauceda and Jennifer Barconi. The village is on the cusp of becoming a home rule community. Both Richmond, a longtime trustee, and Sweet, who is in his second term, see home rule as good way to shift some of the property tax burdens to sales taxes. When the village board approved the controversial Waters Edge housing development, Sweet and Richmond voted in favor of it, citing the landowner’s right to develop the land. They handled a difficult situation well by addressing the concerns of residents. Challenger Sauceda opposed the development because of concerns he had about the developer’s other, similar properties. But he is no one-issue candidate; he also has ideas for annexing parcels into the village to bring in more revenue. He has closely followed village government and would be an active, engaged village trustee. Barconi did not return phone calls in time for an interview. Sweet, Richmond and Sauceda offer a good combination of background, experience and energy to make South Elgin prosper.