Antioch trustee candidates differ on ideas to better the community

Candidates vying for three 4-year trustee seats on the Antioch village board have differing ideas of what they would like to see implemented to better the community.

Incumbents Mary Dominiak and Ed Macek are being challenged by Daniel Yost and Christina Wojciechowicz in the April 2 election.

Dominiak, 65, a former assistant professor at Loyola University of Chicago, said communication and transparency are critical to the village's success.

"They are key to a successful working relationship between the board and staff," Dominiak said in a Daily Herald candidate questionnaire. "Additionally, we need to encourage resident participation in village plans."

Macek, a 53-year-old financial representative with Country Insurance Financial Services, said he wants to find a way to post cameras at public parks to protect children. He also will support intergovernmental cooperation with the Illinois State Police and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group to combat the opioid epidemic in Antioch.

"I would like to see the village of Antioch support the Lake County state's attorney's 'Way Out Program,'" he said in his questionnaire response. "(It is) a treatment program for addicted individuals seeking help."

Yost, 46, an employee benefit consultant, said he would like to see more partnership and communication between local homeowner associations and the village, and he would like to start a conversation about safety surrounding the railways in the village.

"I haven't heard a lot of discussion about the CN railroad and the traffic disruptions that result from their frequent stops on the tracks running through the village," Yost added. "These obstructions are more than an inconvenience, they are a safety concern."

Wojciechowicz, a 40-year-old operations manager for a logistics company, said the village needs to concentrate on redeveloping existing industrial parks and the village's business district.

"One good idea that I choose to disclose at this time is to stop wasteful spending on contracted, out of town, third-party studies, and start utilizing the resources within our own village in order to project a family-oriented image," she said.