Familiar faces returning to Lake in the Hills village board

Familiar faces are returning to the Lake in the Hills village board after voters elected incumbents Raymond Bogdanowski and Suzette Bojarski and newcomer Diane Murphy to three, 4-year term seats Tuesday from a field of five hopefuls.

Bojarski garnered the most votes, 610 out of a total 2,435 votes cast, followed by Murphy with 540 votes and Bogdanowski with 514 votes. Newcomers Jeffrey Jakubik received 289 votes and Alan Wilson received 264 votes, according to unofficial results.

A sixth candidate, Michael Schneider, who dropped out of the race early on but whose name appeared on the ballot, received 218 votes.

Bojarski, a product stewardship manager at Sherwin Williams Company, was appointed to fill a board vacancy in October.

During the campaign, she talked about attracting new development and businesses as key to bringing in needed tax revenue to support village programs and services.

Bojarski said she would welcome destination retailers such as At Home - a home décor superstore that opened in February in the long-vacant former Dominick's property at Algonquin and Randall roads - that draw regional customers to patronize other village businesses and restaurants. She also supports having community events, such as movie nights, in the village's 32 parks to highlight their amenities, and perhaps partnering with Crystal Lake and Huntley park districts to expand residents' access to programs.

Murphy, a sales assistant at Guaranteed Rate, said filling a vacant medical building at Algonquin and Crystal Lake roads is a priority. She said the village should continue to maintain the quality of its parks and solicit residents' input on improvements, such as new equipment based on each neighborhood's specific needs. She supports adding a 33rd park on the east side of town and reviving some park programs that were cut, such as lifeguards at the beach and dance programs.

Bogdanowski, a chief operations officer who has served on the board since 2001, said the village needs to address empty storefronts, such as the medical building along Algonquin and Crystal Lake roads and within strip malls in town. He said parks and recreation programs should be focused on filling residents' needs based on a survey of what's popular.