Endorsement for Tower Lakes trustee: Kierig, Mena, Skurla

Tower Lakes is one of those communities that seldom has a contested municipal election. This year, that's changed. A slate of three candidates is running along with two incumbent trustees for three seats on the village board.

Even with a contest this April 2, it's a fairly congenial one.

The challenger slate's primary campaign message is that it's time for "the next generation" to carry on the good works that village boards traditionally have provided in Tower Lakes. Politics doesn't get much more pleasant than that, and it is, we have to say, a reflection of the kind of neighborly, rustic countryside community Tower Lakes always has been. (Next generation, we should note, is a bit of a misnomer, given that two of the three members of the TL3 slate are well into their 50s. Younger, granted, than the recent retirees who are running for re-election, but certainly not to be confused for Millennials by any stretch.)

All five of the candidates strike us as good and capable people, active in town. Any of the five no doubt would serve the community well on the village board.

Our endorsements go to incumbents Paul Kierig and Joseph Skurla and to TL3 challenger Christine "Chrissie" Mena.

Kierig is a valuable asset beyond the exhaustive contributions he made to manage the town's $3.7 million water improvement project, but also because he's an attorney, an exceptionally helpful background for a community with little paid staff, none of it full time.

Skurla, a longtime resident long involved with the Tower Lakes Improvement Association, has been a member of the board since 2012 and that experience gives him a leg up on understanding how to deal with roads and mosquitoes and flooding, as well as the preservation of the village character.

Of the three challengers, Mena is impossible to overlook. The Barrington Area Development Council's 2018 Barrington Citizen of the Year, she's a long time resident, owner of one of the most historic homes in the village and tirelessly active in the community and the Barrington area in general.

Caroline Milne and Randall "Randy" Spiess are qualified too, but we think Tower Lakes would be best served by electing Kierig, Mena and Skurla. They have our endorsements.