Lake Zurich bids farewell to departing trustee
Lake Zurich Trustee Jeffrey Halen's eight-year village board tenure has essentially ended.
Mayor Thomas Poynton recognized Halen for his service at Monday night's village board meeting and presented a certificate of appreciation to him. Halen's term officially ends April 30, a day before the next village board meeting when two incumbent trustees and a newcomer are seated.
Halen finished last in a four-way race for the three village board positions earlier this month. The winners of the 4-year seats were Mary Beth Euker and Trustees Jim Beaudoin and Greg Weider, who all ran on the Lake Zurich Proud political slate headed by Poynton.
Halen thanked Lake Zurich residents for letting him represent the village since 2009.
"When I started out, I had a simple goal: to make sure residents are informed of what is happening in the community, why something was being voted on and to make the best decisions for the future of Lake Zurich," he said.
Poynton said while he did not always agree with Halen's positions on village issues, he found the departing trustee took his job seriously.
"Jeff has been a quality public servant and a member of a team that has seen incredible successes over the past four years, as processes and the way we do government here has changed for the better - and dramatically," Poynton said. "Like all of us on this board, he has been an advocate for the residents of Lake Zurich."
Halen cut against the grain on some major issues in the past year or so, including his objection to a proposal for apartments as part of redevelopment of the site of a long-closed Kmart on Rand Road just north of Route 22.
In addition, he was the lone dissenter in a 5-1 village board vote in November 2016 in favor of a redevelopment agreement with Foxford Communities to build 48 one- and two-bedroom apartments on the northwest corner of Old Rand Road and Main Street.
Halen, who said he plans to stay active in the community, ran on the CARE political slate headed by former Mayor Suzanne Branding when he first was elected as a trustee in 2009.
In 2013, Halen won his second trustee election when he ran as an independent but loosely aligned with Poynton.