Huntley mayoral candidates have different leadership styles

A difference in experience and leadership styles are what set apart two candidates seeking to lead Huntley for the next four years.

Longtime incumbent Mayor Chuck Sass faces a challenge - the first in 20 years - from someone he brought to village government, two-term village Trustee Timothy Hoeft.

Sass said he hopes to secure one more term from voters on Tuesday, April 6, before handing over the reins.

Hoeft feels it's time for new leadership, touting his business background as a strength that will help shape the town's future growth.

Both are lifelong village residents with long records of serving the community in various capacities.

"There are still some things I'd like to get done in the village," said Sass, 69, who has lived in town 45 years and previously served four years as trustee.

Sass said he takes a hands-off approach as mayor. The village shifted from a strong mayor to a village manager form of government nearly 10 years ago.

"They get paid the big bucks to run the village," he said. "I don't go forcing my ideas on them. I work with everybody."

Though not critical of Sass's leadership, Hoeft believes the village needs a mayor who is transparent, trustworthy and leads by example.

Hoeft, 41, an engineer and excavation contractor, has lived in town 36 years and served as trustee since 2015. He was appointed by Sass to the village's zoning board in 2011 and later served on the plan commission. Running for mayor has been his goal for many years, he said.

"I give the mayor all the credit in the world for being there for 20 years. He's done a good job," Hoeft said. "But I also think there's some things that could be done a little different. Our end goal for town is probably real close. We just probably have two different pathways of how to get there."

If elected, Hoeft said, he would engage more with village trustees and be more involved in the decision-making that is now left to the village manager.

The candidates have similar views on several issues.

Both support Huntley getting a Metra or an Amtrak stop as the Illinois Department of Transportation moves forward with plans to restore passenger rail service between Chicago and Rockford. They have opposed allowing recreational-use marijuana businesses in town, but allowed for medical marijuana dispensaries.

They also support the annexation and development of 282 acres along Freeman Road, near Interstate 94 and Route 47 in an unincorporated area near Huntley, into a distribution center and office space potentially creating 1,000 jobs in 2022.

"Everybody's speculating, thinking it's going to be an Amazon, but they really haven't officially come out and said anything yet," Sass said. "It's gonna be a definite plus for the village of Huntley."

Future employees at the distribution center will provide much-needed lunchtime traffic to restaurants in town, he added.

Hoeft also is in favor of the distribution center project, as he was of a similar proposal to rezone the former outlet mall property across the street for industrial/office use. The latter proposal and rezoning request was turned down by a majority of village board members, prompting a lawsuit by the developer.

The village lost that court battle, which cost taxpayers roughly $370,000.

"We lost two years of business development," Hoeft added.