Barrington candidates offer ideas they'd pursue on village board

Barrington's village trustee candidates each have what they consider good ideas to improve the community that they haven't heard being discussed by others.

Voters will select from four candidate for three, 4-year seats on the village board in the April 2 election. Trustees Ryan Julian and Jason Lohmeyer are joined on ballot by first-time candidates Kate Duncan and Emily Young.

Duncan, who was appointed to the advisory plan commission and zoning board of appeals in September, is running with Julian and Lohmeyer under the "Barrington Proud" banner.

All four candidates participated in a joint Daily Herald Editorial Board interview and addressed issues in questionnaires. The candidates distinguished themselves by offering what they see as good ideas that have no none else seems to be talking about in public.

Duncan, 40, a partner at the Akerman LLP law firm in the land use and development practice, said sidewalks need to be enhanced in Barrington neighborhoods so students can get to school more safely.

"For example, my neighborhood does not have a bus route so the students have to walk to school," Duncan said. "The issue is that there are not sidewalks connecting to the school, so the children have to walk on the street, which creates safety concerns. We need to ensure safety is a top priority for our students and adding in more sidewalks not only is a benefit for students, but for all residents."

Julian, 69, is a retired telecommunications and finance professional who won a 2-year trustee seat in 2017. He cited a need to get Barrington's funding of public safety employee pensions "back on track."

"As our state-mandated pension obligations have significantly increased over the past several years, we have had to make tough choices," Julian said. "We have deferred needed improvements for some our streets and sidewalks in our neighborhoods."

Young, 25, a development and communications manager at Impact Behavioral Health Partners, said the village should create a human services or mental health commission in an effort to prioritize and allocate funding for the health and wellness of residents.

"I have not heard health, especially mental health, being discussed enough at a municipal level," Young said.

Lohmeyer, 48, a director of finance at Lifeline Vascular Care, said elected officials should consider new telecommunication laws passed at the federal and state levels that will affect aesthetics in the village.

"Previously, local governments had a big say in where and how various towers were placed," Lohmeyer said. "Recent laws advocated by the telecommunication industry for the new 5G service will strip local governments of most control and gives (companies) the right to utilize public infrastructure with nominal monetary compensation. We will need to develop unique ways to incorporate these antennas into the look and feel of our village."