Roselle board candidates share views on economic development

Candidates in Roselle's village trustee race say the town is making progress on economic development, but they would like to see more.

Five candidates are running for three seats on the village board. Incumbent Barbara Sarno, who was appointed to the board last May, is joined in the race by Thomas Piorkowski, Cheryl Lenisa, Lydia Galante and Tom Della Penna.

During a recent endorsement interview, Sarno and Della Penna said the village is taking steps in the right direction with development, including the recently approved Metro 19 apartment complex.

Metro 19 will be adjacent to the Roselle Metra Station and include a five-story, 293-unit apartment building with a parking garage that would be used by residents and Metra commuters.

“Roselle has done a good job of getting people out of the city to live in the village,” Sarno said. “We're gonna have more restaurants and more retail shops, and it's going to bring people together in this great community.”

Galante said she sees the benefits of Roselle's three tax increment financing districts. In a TIF district, as redevelopment boosts property values, the extra tax revenue that otherwise would go to taxing bodies can be used to pay for improvements to the area for up to 23 years.

“The taxes that we're gaining from those sales and businesses are only helping to keep Roselle beautiful and make it a desirable place,” she said.

Piorkowski says Roselle would be better off catering to more boutiques and smaller businesses rather than large corporate entities. He said larger stores like Target or Trader Joes aren't feasible for Roselle, and smaller businesses would attract people from out of town.

“They aren't going to be a home run with their sales tax revenue but they will contribute to the bottom line of the village and add to the sense of community of the village,” Piorkowski said. “I believe that we can be a good magnet for those types of businesses.”

Lenisa said she wants the village board to support more local businesses.

“It's important for people to feel like they can support the businesses locally and find what they need locally,” Lenisa said.

Della Penna said the village needs to “figure out different ways to get different stores to open here that keep our money here.”