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Meet the candidates for Huntley’s village board

Huntley voters will have a choice between four candidates for three seats in next week’s election. Two of the candidates, Jayant “Jay” Kadakia and John Piwko are familiar faces, while Ronda Goldman and JR Westberg are active in the community but new to board politics.

Kadakia served on the board from 2007 to 2011, when he lost his bid for re-election. He was hoping for an appointment to a vacant seat on the board months later, but the board decided on someone else.

Even so, Kadakia is undeterred by the previous rejections and is determined to get his seat back.

“I’d like to provide them with the best thing that I’ve got, which they’re probably not going to have otherwise,” Kadakia said, referencing his background as a chemical engineer.

If elected, Kadakia would like to help the village expand its existing water utilities and update its plans for adequate potable water. He says these things will be needed to accommodate the village’s growth, new businesses that the completion of the Route 47 interchange on Interstate 90 will likely bring and the addition of Centegra’s new hospital, which will start accepting patients in 2016.

Piwko, the lone incumbent, has been a village trustee since 2007. He was originally appointed in Jan. 2007 and ran for a two-year seat the following April. In 2009, he ran for a four-year term on the board.

Piwko would like to focus on transportation issues with another term. His main project would be creating east and west routes to alleviate traffic on Route 47.

“We’ve basically got Route 47 widened moving traffic north and south, but there’s not been any east-west routes through town,” Piwko said.

Goldman is on the village’s zoning board of appeals, serves as vice president for the Huntley Civilian Police Academy and the Huntley Historical Society, sits on the financial advisory committee for Huntley School District 158, and is involved in several Sun City-related groups.

Goldman wants to bring more dining, shopping and business options to the village.

“In Huntley, because of the burgeoning population we need more places of choice,” Goldman said. “ ... More choices, more residents — it’s a greater revenue stream.”

Westberg is on the village’s plan commission, serves as vice chairman of the board for Trinity Lutheran Church and is senior vice commander of American Legion Post 673.

“Having been on all those different boards, I thought that I could expand the residents’ voice up to the board level as well,” Westberg said.

His main goal in office is to keep taxes down for the residents by keeping the property tax levy frozen, securing more businesses and jobs, and encouraging developers to absorb more of the expense for their projects.

Jayant [Jay] Kadakia: Candidate Profile

JR Westberg: Candidate Profile

John Piwko: Candidate Profile

Ronda Goldman: Candidate Profile

John Piwko
Jayant “Jay” Kadakia
Ronda Goldman
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