Endorsement: Foltyniewicz for Lombard village president

Lombard Village President Keith Giagnorio, a two-term incumbent, is facing a concerted challenge for the village's top job from two-term Lombard District 3 Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz.

While both candidates agree that helping the village recover from the pandemic is a top priority, Foltyniewicz, as chairman of Lombard's Finance and Administration Committee for the past six years, has taken action by championing the moratorium on financially struggling residents paying their water bills during the pandemic. And, making a case for more dynamic leadership, he questions why it took until November for board meetings to go virtual.

Foltyniewicz, an administrative sergeant for the village of Oak Brook, plans to make business development in downtown — which he considers the heart of the village — a priority. He sees a lot of potential for the downtown area, especially once snow removal, upgraded walkways, new pavers and pedestrian traffic are addressed. He's also a proponent of equalizing property rights, which he says the village has lagged on, as well as passing a six-foot fence ordinance and a tree-planting policy.

Regarding infrastructure, Giagnorio views flooding as the most vital issue that the village is addressing with the purchase of the Sid Harvey property, where the village plans to create underground flood storage. While Foltyniewicz agrees flooding is a problem that needs serious attention, he cites aging facilities (village hall and the police department) as a critical need that during this time of more remote work could be re-imagined using smaller spaces with upgraded technology instead of continually spending money on short-term fixes.

With communication, community engagement and building relationships as central tenets of Foltyniewicz's campaign — he cites the communications policy that he helped to get passed two years ago as trustee, plus hosting monthly meetings with residents and business members, being chosen many times to represent Lombard (whether it be for the taxi cab subsidy or the Westin) at a higher level and continuing to build on his established relationships with DuPage County and state leaders to promote Lombard in Springfield and the region, the challenger stands — and deserves — a real chance.

During the past eight years, Giagnorio has made some strides to advance the village in terms of development and flood control. As the owner of Giagnorio's Pizza & Pasta, he has felt the effects of the pandemic firsthand and plans to do more help get businesses back open, to promote Lombard as business-friendly and to make sure that the village receives its fair share of aid from the state and federal level

But Foltyniewicz has been an energetic, forward-thinking trustee and offers the potential to move the village forward at a time when it will be important to leave the pandemic behind and put renewed focus on village business. Now might be the time to consider a new leader to take the village into the future. Foltyniewicz is endorsed.