Incumbents, challenger in Grayslake trustee race differ on recreational marijuana sales

The lone challenger running against a slate of incumbents in the race to fill three Grayslake village trustee seats said the board missed an opportunity to expand the commercial tax base when it voted in 2019 to put a one-year moratorium on recreational marijuana sales.

Newcomer Laura Dias is on the ballot with Shawn Vogel, who has been a trustee since 2005; Adam Shores, who was appointed to the board by Mayor Rhett Taylor in 2016; and Lalena Zoe Magnetta, who was appointed by Taylor last summer.

Dias, a small-business owner, said she would support the opening of a recreational-use marijuana dispensary in Grayslake.

"The village could place parameters on its location and even create a tax on the sale of cannabis products," Dias wrote in her Daily Herald candidate questionnaire.

Dias noted the village already has opened the door to allowing the sale of products similar to smoking and tobacco products because vape stores that sell to anyone over 18 operate in Grayslake. Dias also said she would want the owner of a Grayslake recreational-use marijuana dispensary to be a minority.

The incumbents, who are running on a slate with Taylor, each noted a willingness to pick up the discussion of recreational-use marijuana sales again, but none expressed support in their questionnaires. Taylor does not have a challenger in the April 6 election.

Shores and Vogel voted with the 5-to-1 majority of board members in favor of the yearlong moratorium in 2019.

Shores, who works as a vice president of state government and political relations for Chicago-based American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said the planning and zoning board has been reviewing the issue, including a plan to allow limited sales in certain areas zoned for retail in town. However, a public hearing on the topic was postponed due to the onset of the pandemic.

"As an elected official, citizen input is a key part of my decision-making process and it is important to hear additional feedback from the public on this issue before moving forward," he wrote in his Daily Herald candidate questionnaire.

Vogel, who works as an engineering manager for the Elk Grove Village-based Parker Hannigin Corp., said the moratorium was another example of the board's taking a cautious approach. He said he will continue to listen to constituents in conjunction with the zoning board's report and statewide data.

Magnetta, who works as a senior training specialist for Siemens Smart Infrastructure Academy, was not on the board when the moratorium vote happened and wrote in her questionnaire that the yearlong delay will allow the village to learn from other villages' experiences.

Early voting is underway for the April 6 consolidated election.