“Plain old support” is what brought about his victory, Anderson said.

“People know me and, I believe, respect some of the things I have done, and they made their voices heard,” Anderson said.

A lifelong Elburn resident and former owner of The Grocery Store downtown, Anderson will replace three-term Village President Jim Willey. Willey announced last fall that he would not seek re-election.

Romke, an Elburn trustee whose term ends in 2011, called Anderson last night to congratulate him. She is looking forward to working with him on the Village Board.

“I will fully support him for the next two years, and as a team, I hope we can get a lot accomplished,” she said.

Running for village president was “hard work but a great experience,” particularly being able to meet and talk to so many residents during her campaign, said Romke, a Realtor who has lived in Elburn for nine years.

Anderson said as soon as he is sworn in later this month, he will start working on “a lot of little things that will add up to major changes.” He declined to say what those changes will be.

He also plans to put a board committee structure in place, and said that pursuing the construction of the Anderson Road bridge and extension, and addressing stormwater issues, will be his top priorities after taking office.

Voters also elected three new Village Board trustees, Jeff Walter, Jerry Schmidt and Ken Anderson. The three new board members will replace trustees Tom Burgholzer and Jeff Humm, who ran unsuccessfully, and trustee Craig Swan, who did not seek re-election.

Anderson has been Blackberry Township Supervisor for more than 10 years, a seat that will be filled by Dave Richmond. Richmond was the only candidate for the position.

Anderson has been on the Village Board before, as a trustee in the 1970s when the Village Board established a land-use plan, built the wastewater treatment plant, and hired its first village administrator.

His public service also has included being the past president of the Kaneland School Board and a three-term member of that board; a member of the former Kane County Criminal Justice Commission; and a member of the Kane County Regional Planning Commission and the Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals.

Dueringer won the Kane County side of the village 107 to 84, but lost on the DeKalb County side, 92 to 51. He called it “one of those things.”

“I did the best I could. I have no regrets. I was honest,” Dueringer said.

Dueringer served as president for four years and in other capacities on committees for a total of 19 years.

“I’m done. I’ve been doing it for 19 years. That’s long enough. I’ll let somebody else have a chance,” Dueringer said.

He said it was a close race, but one that was conducted with decency. Curtis agreed.

“Ross and I both worked at it and kept it clean,” Curtis said.

Curtis has served as chairman of the Financial Committee for the last four years. She looks forward to taking on the role as president and working with the newly elected trustees, Debra Armstrong and Suzanne Fahnestock.

“The talent of the trustees is phenomenal. It’s a great group,” Curtis said.

She said that her first order of business will be to call the trustees together and appoint them to committees.

“It’s a big relief,” Michels said on Wednesday. “You just never know. I didn’t want to get over-confident.”

Michels said he and his family had worked hard on his campaign, walking door-to-door and making phone calls. This is the first time that Michels has been challenged for his position as village president. He said he also received a lot of support from friends old and new during the campaign, and called it a “humbling” experience.

Michels said he sees the results as confirmation from the residents that they like what he and the board have been doing for the village.

“I hope performance is a big indicator,” he said.

He said he thinks the residents are happy with how the town is growing in a controlled way. He also thinks the village needs to keep bringing in a variety of housing, not just “affordable” housing.

“We do need starter homes, but we also need higher-end homes,” he said. “Settler’s Ridge is a good example of that mix.”

He added that Sugar Grove wisely decided not to reduce its developer fees simply to bring in more housing. Michels said the village has always based its impact fees on professional studies of growth.

“I don’t know how to prove to people that the market dictates what type of housing will sell,” he said. “If impact fees alone sold housing, more developments would be full.”

Michels said that with the current housing slow-down, it is a good time for the village to re-evaluate its previous projections for growth and re-adjust fees based on what is needed for the future.

He said he realizes that the lack of infrastructure has been a weakness for Sugar Grove in drawing more commercial development. He said there will be a lot going on in Sugar Grove in the near future, with major resurfacing of roads such as Route 47, 56 and 30. He is excited about HondaJet coming to the Aurora Airport, and he thinks the Municipal Drive and Galena Boulevard extension will put the village in a good position to attract new businesses.

“We just need to get out and sell Sugar Grove over the next four years,” he said.

Although Clark was disappointed with the outcome, he said he was glad he ran and was able to bring his issues before the people of Sugar Grove.

“The results showed me that the community is looking for more of a slow growth-type mode,” Clark said.

Clark called Michels on Tuesday night to congratulate him. He said he backs him and wishes him and the new board well.

“I told him, ‘You’re my village president now,’” he said. “I’m part of a community, not the community,” he said. “I have to support that.”

Elburn Village President

David L. Anderson 666
Patricia Romke 167

Elburn Village Board

Vote for three
Robert P. Swartz 275
Kenneth N. Anderson, Jr. 394
Jeffrey A. Humm 250
Jeffrey D. Walter 307
David Gualdoni 281
Joseph (Jerry) Schmidt 374
Tom Burgholzer 288

Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District

Thomas F. Reynolds     1086
Richard L. Herra, Jr.     845

Sugar Grove Village President

P. Sean Michels    957
Perry “PC” Clark    514

Sugar Grove Village Board

Joseph R. Wolf    600
Robert E. Bohler    733
David Paluch    601
Rick Montalto    627
Thomas F. Renk    661
Mary E. Heineman (Write-in): 450

Sugar Grove Community House Board

Vote for three
Stan L. Schumacher    957
Dan Long    938
Lillie Adams    1077
Tim M. Wilson    875

Sugar Grove Public Library Board

6-year term
Art Morrical    1352

Sugar Grove Public Library Board

Unexpired 4-year term
Joan R. Roth    942
Sabrina Malano    545

Sugar Grove Public Library Board

Unexpired 2-year term
William Wulff    327
Julie K. Wilson    794
Christina Cella    389

Sugar Grove Public Library Referendum

Yes    770
No    1277

Maple Park Village President

Ross Dueringer    158
Kathleen Curtis    176

Maple Park Village Board

Vote for three
Debra M. Armstrong    133
Suzanne A. Fahnestock    120
Terry E. Borg    129

Maple Park Tax referendum

Yes    88
No    234

Kaneville Village Board

Vote for three
Nicholas P. Garifalis    63
Patricia M. Hill    114
Jon T. Behm    90
Rick Peck    67

Kaneland School Board

Vote for three
Elmer Gramley    2139
Cheryl Krauspe    1672
Pedro Rivas    1106
Jonathan H Berg    1192
Kenneth L. Carter    1419

Blackberry Township Supervisor

David C. Richmond    1068

Blackberry Township Clerk

Lisa L. Hodge    1084

Blackberry Township Assessor

Uwe Rotter    799
Bonnie Wilcox    497

Blackberry Township Highway Commissioner

Rodney L. Feece    1130

Blackberry Township Board

Vote for four
James Roy Feece    949
James K. Michels    938
Timothy W. Norris    925
Harley Veldhuizen    887

Kaneville Township Supervisor

Leon F. Gramley    246

Kaneville Township Clerk

Kimberly Wendling    251

Kaneville Township Assessor

Margaret Mangers    216

Kaneville Township Highway Commissioner

Dennis Long    158
Gary L. Koehring    133

Kaneville Township Board

Vote for four
Daniel Ebert    204
Daniel Kahl    236
Glenn Fuchs    210
Vernon Long    185

Virgil Township Supervisor

Judith K. Yagen    359

Virgil Township Clerk

Kenneth L. Gilkey    334

Virgil Township Assessor

Michael M. Yagen    354

Virgil Township Highway Commissioner

Larry E. Peterson    375

Virgil Township Board

Vote for four
James A. Diehl    278
Mary P. Kahl    289
David S. Stewart    180
Peter Fabrizius    299
Theodore A. Janecek    231

Virgil Township Road District Referendum

Yes     213
No    197

Vote for three
Colette Petit    40
David Kosarek    72
Penny Dyer    66
Robert Neisendorf    81

Dave Anderson
Anderson decided not to seek re-election in April to the Blackberry Township Supervisor seat he has held for more than 10 years. Instead, he is running for Elburn Village Board president at the encouragement of local residents, he said.

“I have been approached by so many people who have asked me to run,” Anderson said.

If elected, he will encourage more involvement by trustees, which is his style, he said.

“I am a hands-on type of person and would take a very active role in what’s happening in the village,” he said.

Another reason he is running for the office is that he loves the town and its people, he said.

Anderson owned The Grocery Store in downtown Elburn for 28 years. During that time and since, he has gone to the Kountry Kettle every morning for about an hour, talking with other residents about community issues, he said.

One issue that residents have asked him about is recreation in the village.

“I have been asked what my feeling is about a park district. I say, yes, someday we’re going to have one. No way at this point in time. It would require a referendum, and nobody is going to vote for another line item on their tax bill right now.”

Anderson is not a newcomer to village government. He was a village trustee in the 1970s when the Village Board established a land-use plan, built the wastewater treatment plant, and hired its first village administrator.

His other local government experience includes serving as past president of Kaneland District 302 Board of Education and being a three-term member of that board; as a member of the former Kane County Criminal Justice Commission; and as a member of the Kane County Regional Planning Commission and the Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals.

His other community involvement includes being a longtime member of the Elburn Lions Club and the Elburn Chamber of Commerce.

“I am an advocate of when new folks move in, they will come to some Lions Club functions and other Elburn events and observe the village and how it does things,” he said.

If elected, he will work toward updating the village’s land-use plan.

“That plan is over 15 years old. Does it, in fact, recognize what is going to happen in the future?” Anderson said. “We seem to be looking at what is going to happen next year. I don’t want us to do that. I want my grandchildren to have things molded for the next 20 years.”

Anderson wants residents to know that he is forward-thinking.

“Forward ever, backward never,” Anderson said.

He said the village needs improvements and has for some time in its stormwater system.

“We need to put some emphasis on it, and take care of it,” Anderson said.

Toward that goal, the village should do more basic maintenance of its infrastructure, which he feels has been lacking.

To help Elburn meet financial and other challenges, he wants the Village Board to return to its former committee structure so that trustees become more involved in the village’s operation and direction, he said.

“I’d like a finance committee and on the finance committee, I want the village treasurer, in addition to board members,” Anderson said.

Another board committee he wants to establish is development. He said he would expect the village development director and building and zoning director to be involved in that committee. He also would create a public safety committee that would include the police and fire chiefs.

“The more minds and the more people you get involved in the committee structure, the better,” Anderson said.

With the village facing declining revenue, he recommends that it do a needs assessment and zero-based budgeting.

“All village departments should establish a budget without looking at the last year’s,” Anderson said. “Maybe the board wouldn’t want that, but I would put it out there.”

When he was on the Kaneland School Board in the 1980s, the teachers were on strike. He said that during the negotiations, his main consideration was, will it be good for the kids?

Anderson said if he becomes Village Board president, the question he always will consider is, is it good for Elburn?

Patricia Romke
Romke, an Elburn trustee for the past two years, said after Jim Willey decided not to seek re-election to the village president seat, she would run for the position.

“Having been on the board for two years, I have gotten a feel for what the issues are, what we’re facing-and I thought I could help make a difference in Elburn,” Romke said.

Aside from her board experience, Romke would bring commitment to the position, she said.

“Whatever I tackle, whether it be working with clients, the community or on the board, has my full attention” Romke said. “I take this very seriously.”

If elected, her foremost goal for the Village Board is that it “maintain a vision of what Elburn is and can be,” Romke said. “We need to be visionary, be innovative, and look forward, to move the village to another level.”

She believes during the economic downturn, Elburn officials should take the opportunity to take a step back and consider the village’s future.

“While we’re not dealing with rapid expansion, we should plan carefully to make sure that when the economy does turn around, and it will-it’s cyclical-that we’re prepared and that we’ve made good decisions,” Romke said.

For example, when village officials are working with developers and going through the pre-annexation process, they should make sure to do planned unit development so that the village does not have sprawl and disconnected growth, Romke said.

“We need to work within the framework of the village’s long-range plan for where housing and commercial development are slated to go,” Romke said.

She said she wants the village to keep an “open dialogue” with developers who want to build in Elburn in the future.

“We need to try not to have any contention with their plan versus what we’re requiring. We have to figure out how to work together,” Romke said. “If we do that, I strongly feel if we do that and plan well, that when the economy recovers we will be perfectly positioned.”

One project Romke hopes that the village can do is to connect the Metra station and its proposed development to the downtown by building a pedestrian bridge at the end of Third Street.

“We have submitted a request for stimulus funds hopefully to construct a pedestrian bridge that will allow for pedestrians to walk from the train station to the downtown,” she said.

She wants the community to be more pedestrian oriented, as a whole.

“We need to continue to develop our bicycle route plan, to be able to move people around the village without having to drive, and let people know how they can get from one point to another,” Romke said.

Romke said the village should take advantage of all the resources it can to obtain information and funding.

“We need to work with our legislators, our congressmen, and our county, state and municipal officials,” Romke said.

“We have Northern Illinois University; we’ve got Waubonsee Community College; we’ve got Fermilab-all of these are sources of innovative thinkers.

Although the village does not have a park district, it could work with other communities on exchanging some recreational opportunities, Romke said.

Romke wants village officials to have a more open dialogue with the Elburn and Countryside Community Center Board, because the center has a lot to offer, she said.

A nine-year resident, Romke lives in the Cambridge subdivision, where residential flooding has been an issue. She wants the village to solve the problem there and elsewhere in the village.

“It’s time to take some corrective action, do whatever is necessary to correct the water leaking into the sewer lines that overwhelmed the wastewater treatment plant,” Romke said.

She said when the Village Board does its budget, it must prioritize paying for any needed stormwater and sewer system repairs.

The village should continue to seek government grants, Romke said.

“We need to be more proactive. We need to write legislators, letting them know what Elburn needs.”

In her job as a Realtor, Romke lobbied for tax credits for home purchases. What she learned was that what gets a response from lawmakers are phone calls and personal letters to them, she said.

Romke said revenue will be Elburn’s biggest challenge during the next few years. As Elburn’s village budget tightens, the solution should not be to cut staff, which she considers the village’s most valuable resource, Romke said.

Instead, she wants each village department to make the appropriate adjustments so that the village can get through this time, such as cross sharing, and group purchasing for supplies.

Romke said the village must make the most of its existing staff.

“If I am elected, something I will want to put into place is that every employee is going to write their own job description, what they do, how much time they spend doing it, and other ways they feel they can contribute,” she said. “I feel that that is critical. We may have some people that may have some talents that we’re not even aware of and not using.”

She also wants village staff to create a new policies and procedures manual for employees.

Before becoming a Realtor, Romke was in healthcare corporate sales and marketing for more than 20 years.

Romke said she gained experience that she brings to the Village Board.

“I am able to read and understand a budget, to work within budget constraints, and to bring creativity and insight to the board,” she said. “I bring a lot of enthusiasm and energy.”

To boost revenue, the village must bring more businesses to the village, and toward that goal, it will have to promote the village more, she said.

“We are going to have to start doing more getting out and sell Elburn as a place to bring your business, because we are the next western suburb,” Romke said.

She believes that the downtown could be revitalized by connecting it to Metra, with the pedestrian bridge.

“People could take the train out to Elburn for all the events that we have, and walk downtown.”

Sean Michels
Village President Sean Michels said he is running for re-election because he wants to continue working to realize the current vision of Sugar Grove. He said he thinks he has done a good job during his terms, but there is a lot more that Sugar Grove can do.

He cites the recent recognitions the village has received, including Business Week’s choice for best affordable town in Illinois in 2007, an increase in Sugar Grove’s Standard & Poor’s bond rating from A to A+ in 2008, the Governmental Financial Statement and Budget Award from 2001 to present, Environmental Protection Agency Conservation Design Award for Settler’s Ridge Subdivision and Chicago Region Public Works Project of the Year Award in 2007 for its innovative water system in Settler’s Ridge.

Among his accomplishments, he counts $65 million in capital activity in commercial infrastructure improvements, including the Galena Boulevard and Municipal Drive extension and the water main extension to the Kaneland Harter Road Middle School.

He prides himself on the village’s planning for the future, including the creation of water, transportation and land use plans. He said the village has worked aggressively to bring federal and state tax dollars to the community, and has obtained more than $5 million in grants for infrastructure improvement. He said the village has improved its water quality, resurfaced roads, built new wells, all without raising residents’ property taxes.

His top three goals, if he is re-elected, are to continue to work with retail developers and developers for the High Point business park to diversify the tax base; work toward a full interchange for Interstate 88 and Route 47 and find funding sources to attract additional businesses; and increase two-way communication with all residents.

He said he wants to link all of the bike trails in the area together, and build a bridge over Blackberry Creek. He said open space is important to Sugar Grove, and does not think the 40 percent requirement for every development has been a big issue.

He said that although many people think Sugar Grove’s fees are too high, the village can justify its impact fees with research on the costs of development. He said he wants to make development pay for itself.

“Residents are tired of paying higher taxes,” he said.

He said his banking experience has helped with handling the village’s finances and the budget processes. He said the village is in good financial shape, even with the down economy, and the village has a surplus because he and other village officials have been proactive in cutting staff and other expenses.

He said he has relied on his building experience to help establish standards for good architectural designs and features, and the village has created an architectural review committee to hold developers to high standards.

He said Sugar Grove is a very desirable place to live. He said high-end developers such as Forest City have recognized Sugar Grove for its median income, which he said is the fifth-highest in the area. He said he is not in favor of reducing the impact fees, which are needed to pay for infrastructure improvements, and that each household would have to spend $250,000 in Sugar Grove to offset a $5,000 reduction in impact fees.

Perry Clark
Clark said he is running for village president because he feels the processes by which developments are approved are too lengthy and costly to both the village and developers. He said the village of Sugar Grove is not looked upon as a business-friendly community, and it needs to change that image.

He said that in order to diversify the tax base, the village needs to aggressively market itself, and approve development that will increase the daytime population. However, he said that retail and commercial development will not come without rooftops, and so an emphasis should be placed on bringing in residential development. He said the demographic criteria for attracting retail development has only increased during the last 18 months.

If elected, he said he would work with the Village Board to create a negotiable and non-negotiable list for staff to use in working with developers. He would reduce the approval process to no more than 45 days, at which point the village would tell the developer yes or no. Then, the annexation agreement could be negotiated.

He said he would work to provide true quality of life in Sugar Grove, and would work to fix a failing storm water management system. He said the village needs to take the lead on these issues, and create a cost-sharing method to identify and fix the problems.

He wants to provide residents the opportunity to shop in Sugar Grove, and said the village will have to use incentives to bring retailers into the village. He said that there are creative ways of accomplishing this without giving away too much. Examples of this could include the provision of water and sewer systems, an incentive package based on bringing in stores within a certain timeframe, or a waiver of half the building fees.

He said he is the best candidate because he has been on both sides of the fence, both as a village trustee and as a businessman, and he feels he can speak on behalf of both. He said his strong leadership skills can bring people together to work on a shared goal. He believes he is a good communicator and a good listener as well as speaker.

He said he is enjoying campaigning for the job. He said with himself and Michels, the village has two passionate people that love Sugar Grove and have similar visions for its future. They just have different philosophies for how to get there, he said.

Sean Michels
• Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• 19 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: General contractor for McCue
Builders, Inc.; builds custom and
semi-custom homes
• Education: Associate’s Degree, Business,
B.S. Finance and Economics, MBA
• Family: Married, 4 children
• Community involvement: Coach,
Sugar Grove Park District, Board of
Directors, Silver Stars Girls Basketball,
Junior Achievement instructor, Sunday
school teacher, St. Mark’s; Elburn Lions
Club member, Metro West Executive
Board member, Kaneland School District
Finance Advisory Committee member.
• Previous offices: Sugar Grove Park
District trustee 1995-1997, Sugar Grove
village trustee appointed in 1995,
elected 1997-1999, Sugar Grove village
president appointed in 1999, elected 2001
and 2005.

Perry Clark
• Birthplace: Aurora
• 12 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: VP, Innovations Consulting
(helps convention and business bureaus
bring sporting events to town), President,
Coaches’ Backyard Grill, Inc. (owner,
several bars and restaurants). Executive
Director, Sugar Grove Economic
Development Corporation from
2004-2008.
• Education: Attended College of DuPage,
Western Illinois University
• Family: Married, one daughter in college
• Community involvement: Head Women’s
Softball Coach, Waubonsee Community
College, Sugar Grove Chamber of
Commerce and Industry member, Sugar
Grove Corn Boil volunteer, Past
President, Sugar Grove JayCees,
coached various youth sports for Sugar
Grove Park District, Sugar Grove Library
Friends member.
• Previous offices: Sugar Grove Village
trustee 6.5 years

Jonathan Berg wants to keep the core strong
With 35 years of experience in higher education, incumbent Jonathan Berg believes that education is the key to the success of our children and the well-being of our country. In the face of declining revenues, he believes the School District must keep the quality of education strong.

“The greatest challenge we have is not just to maintain, but to improve learning and achievements in our schools,” Berg said. “To do this, we will have to focus on our core-our core curriculum, our core instruction, our core values.”

Berg has served on the Kaneland School Board for four years. As a recent retiree living on a relatively fixed income, he is aware of the struggle to improve education while keeping taxes down.

“I am concerned about the high property taxes paid by all Kaneland homeowners. My purpose in serving is to strike the best balance possible between the needs of our students and the resources of our taxpayers,” he said.

He said the board has always tried to spend wisely and efficiently. In these tough economic times for Kaneland, Berg said the focus should be on cutting the budget as much as possible in operational areas rather than instructional areas.

The most important goal for the upcoming board, Berg said, is to address the standardized test scores. Scores remain too low, and the high school did not make its Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act.

“The district needs to continue to conduct its own thorough assessment of learning. It needs to review the curriculum to make sure it’s correct and comprehensive. It must ensure that instruction is of a high quality,” Berg said.

He said that Kaneland’s Strategic Plan needs to continue to be revised and further implemented.

“There is no point in having a strategic plan if we do not periodically revise it based on a changing environment and if we do not use it to guide our thinking and acting,” Berg said.

Berg said that effective board members do not bring an agenda or special interest to their seats. He believes that integrity, common sense and good judgment serve the interests of the district best.

“I believe the district is best served by board members who do not seek to micromanage or interfere with the day-to-day operations of the district,” Berg said. “We hire the best administrators possible and let them run the district. We provide oversight to make sure they are following our broad guidelines and objectives.”

Kenneth Carter says he has skills to move the district forward
As a contender for the School Board, Kenneth Carter is motivated by a desire to use his business experience to help the district meet its goals. He has lived in the district for four years and has two children in middle school and high school. He is employed by Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations as Vice President.

“I hope to use my business experience in budgeting, employee relations and project management as tools to help the district meet their long-term goals,” Carter said. “I believe my ability to research and make informed decisions and stand by them will be an asset to the board as we enter into a period of time in which the board will be making many hard choices.”

The biggest issue, Carter said, is the financial position of the district.

“As a result of the economic recession, our district, like many others, is facing a loss of revenue. If I’m elected, I would re-evaluate programs and discuss new ways to operate even more efficiently,” Carter said.

He also wants to continue to improve the quality of education that Kaneland already offers the community. The key to improving quality is recruiting and maintaining dedicated teachers and staff, improving standardized test scores and providing successful extra-curricular activities.

“I am running for this position because I am interested in helping the School District and community,” Carter said. “The role of a School Board member is to combine the wants and needs of community members, staff, administration and students as the district moves forward with its mission.”

Elmer Gramley wants to serve the needs of the community
Serving the community comes naturally to incumbent Elmer Gramley. He has been a School Board member for the past four years, a position he has found to be both challenging and rewarding. Prior to that, Gramley was on the Financial Planning Committee for two years, becoming president in his last year. He has served the community in other capacities as well.

“I have had experience with tax budgets and levies for 13 years with the Kaneville Fire Protection District. I was also an elected board member with the Farm Service Agency for nine years, three of which I was president,” Gramley said.

Gramley said that the most important issue facing the district is funding. Much of the board’s time is taken up with addressing the uncertainty of federal, state and local funding.

“The board, administration and financial advisors are working to make adjustments in the budget that will address the needs of both teachers and students,” he said. “To accomplish this will take all parties pulling together to not only balance the budget in the coming years, but to not end up with a huge debt.”

During his tenure on the board, Gramley said that a huge accomplishment was working with the administration to help bring the towns of Elburn, Maple Park, Sugar Grove, Virgil and Kaneville together in an intergovenmental agreement to negotiate with developers. The agreement benefited both the towns and the district, he said.

He also has seen the problem of overcrowding in the Meredith Road Middle School reach a solution in the building of a new middle school and the boundary discussions that accompanied it.

“I helped deal with the large number of students being housed in the Meredith Road Middle School. That issue will come to an end this fall with the opening of the new middle school. I have been a part of the boundary meetings for most of the elementary schools in an effort to keep the numbers as close to capacity as possible without making the bus time too long,” Gramley said.

He looks forward to getting the district not only financially stable but to continue to provide quality education for students and clear communication within the district.

“I hope to provide courses and programs that excite and encourage students to learn. I hope to provide a link between taxpayers, parents, teachers, administration and the board of education. I hope to keep Kaneland moving forward smoothly on sound financial ground,” Gramley said.

Cheryl Krauspe says she is passionate about public education
Incumbent Cheryl Krauspe values public education with a passion, she said. In the four years she has served on the board, the district has gone from managing rapid growth and a booming housing market to coping with an economic slowdown and negative financial markets, she said.

“The guardianship, stewardship and wise expenditures of scarce tax dollars are the biggest issues,” Krauspe said. “(We have to) provide the highest standards of education possible within the limited resources that we have.”

Some of the accomplishments during her term in office are completing the auditorium, gaining approval from the community to build the new middle school, completing two contract negotiations, approving a new teacher evaluation plan and increasing the monitoring of test scores and student achievement, she said.

“One of the most significant accomplishments was the district’s leadership in forming the intergovernmental agreement regarding impact fees,” she said. “(Also), the Kaneland community is to be congratulated for the new construction of the Kaneland Harter Middle School. What some don’t realize is that if that building referendum had not passed two years ago, we would still be in dire shape for space and desperately looking for places to simply ‘warehouse’ students.”

Krauspe said that she takes very seriously the expectations and trust of the community that elected her.

“I have found my service on the board to be hard work with lots of time committed, but I continue to be passionate about my value of public education. I work to study the issues and feel that I am prepared to give voice to those that I represent,” Krauspe said.

Krauspe said that during these tough times, the board needs members who have seen where the district has been and where it is going.

“My leadership will provide some needed continuity to the processes that we have undertaken. It would be easy to walk away and say, ‘It’s not my child; it’s not my problem,’ but that attitude does not serve a common purpose, nor does it define who I am,” Krauspe said. “Kaneland is my shared community. Excellent schools benefit all of us.”

Pedro Rivas wants to find answers by getting involved
As a resident of Sugar Grove for the past 16 years and a parent of two sons in elementary and middle school, Pedro Rivas has had the opportunity to ask questions about the district. Now, instead of sitting on the sidelines thinking about it, he has decided to run for the School Board, he said.

“I believe that parents should be involved at all levels, especially the board of education,” Rivas said. “Like many Kaneland residents, I have wondered ‘why?’ throughout the years. Rather than continuing to ponder, I’ve decided to get involved.”

Some of the questions Rivas is asking are why the district is in a financial crisis, why registration fees are so high, why some grades are blocked and others are not and why district test scores are not higher.

“These are just some of the many questions that I have had and have heard from those around me,” Rivas said.

The school system is not the only place Rivas has become involved. He was a basketball and baseball coach for the Sugar Grove Park District for five years. He has also volunteered with Junior Achievement, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and the Boy Scouts.

Currently, he works in the equities capital industry as a quality assurance analyst engineer. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a license in real estate.

Teachers mean a lot to Rivas because some good ones were there to support him when he came to the United States as a child and spoke no English, he said.

“I spoke no English and there were no ESL programs in my school. I owe so much to the caring teachers who spent time, much of it personal, teaching a scared and confused 7-year-old a language that was foreign to him,” Rivas said. “I respect teachers greatly and the energy and effort it takes to do their job.”

Rivas wants to represent the interests of parents with school-age children and wants to preserve the best interests of students in the school system. He said he will bring that perspective to the board.

“It’s time for a change, for a fresh look and a fresh opinion. I look forward to and am excited about the challenge. I hope to be a fresh face on the Kaneland Board of Education,” Rivas said.

Bob Bohler
Bohler said he is running for re-election to the Sugar Grove Village Board because he wants to finish assisting with commercial and retail growth once the economy recovers.

He does not agree with reducing developer impact fees or the open space requirement, believing that development should pay for itself and open space is crucial to Sugar Grove’s quality of life. He would agree with trading open space within a development for land or cash to purchase it elsewhere.

Bohler has been the vice president and president of a corporation, and has served as a Sugar Grove trustee for 12 years. He said he understands the village’s processes and that it is important to have people with experience in how government works and how it pays for itself. He wants to continue the path the village is on.

During the past 12 years, the village has grown from 3,000 to 8,000 people while remaining financially healthy. With a 30-percent cash reserve, he said the village has managed its money well and has not relied upon impact fees or sales tax to provide the basic services to its residents.

The village has successfully planned for the future and has done a tremendous amount of preparation for new commercial and retail development, with road and other infrastructure improvements, Bohler said. In addition to the current Municipal Drive and Galena Boulevard extension, he wants to see Municipal Drive extended all the way to Wheeler Road.
He said the Route 47 and Interstate 88 interchange is important to additional commercial growth to the north.

He wants the village to become a certified community in disaster emergency management and to make the most of the opportunity to highlight Sugar Grove to the world during the Solheim Cup this year.

Mary Heineman
Heineman decided not to run when she thought the poor economy would slow things down in Sugar Grove for the next two years. She changed her mind when she realized some other candidates want to reduce developer impact fees and the amount of required open space for developments, which she does not agree with. She is currently running as a write-in candidate.

She said the board spent a lot of time to determine the cost of development and does not believe impact fees should be reduced. This money goes to other taxing bodies such as the school, which relies on the village and impacts residents’ property valuesl. She believes that if impact fees are reduced, services will be diminished or taxes will go up, and current residents will end up paying for new growth.

She believes open space is important, and she is willing to negotiate for land or cash to purchase it elsewhere.
Heineman said her strong financial and strategic planning background can help make the board more fiscally responsible and keep the focus on the long-term vision without sacrificing it for short-term gain.

Heineman thinks it is important not to panic during the current economic downturn. She believes that development will come back, but it will be much slower, and the village has to readjust its expectations and come up with a new business model and a more realistic vision.

The board has carefully planned for future growth and set standards that should not be compromised to encourage more residential growth, she said. Trustees need to work to solve current budget problems that will not create bigger problems in the long run, she said.

“We are a society that wants everything quickly,” she said. “Sometimes it’s OK to take your time and get it right.”

She is convinced that with the extension of Municipal Drive and Galena Boulevard and water and sewer services out to the industrial park, the village will be in a much better position to support additional growth when the economy does pick up.

She said she believes strongly in continuing to support the Kaneland School District and other taxing bodies that provide services within the community.

She has worked with Kane County officials to obtain the funding and support for the improvement of the Bliss-Merrill intersection. Work begins this spring to make the intersection safer for motorists.

Heineman said that as a write-in candidate, her name will not appear on the ballot. However, voters will have the option to select “write-in” candidate and enter her name manually using the keyboard.

Tom Renk
After serving one term, Renk was defeated in 2003. He was appointed to serve on the Plan Commission, and then rejoined the board when he was appointed to fill trustee Perry Clark’s position when Clark resigned at the end of 2003. Renk was re-elected in 2005.

Renk said he is running for re-election because he enjoys serving citizens and being part of the creation of a larger, family-oriented community.

Sugar Grove’s fees are higher than those in surrounding communities, and developers have chosen to go elsewhere due to the high cost of doing business with the village, Renk said. Although he wants to protect citizens from paying for improvements, residents want the growth, and it is the village’s responsibility to find a median point, he said.

He said the 40-percent open space requirement might be OK with smaller developments. However, with 25 percent used up in streets and common ways, this only leaves 35 percent on which to build homes, which is not cost-effective, he said. He added there has to be common ground and some flexibility.

Renk said his accumulated experience of more than 25 years in business and as a local government official, both in Sugar Grove and Wauwatosa, Wis., puts him in a good position to serve the community. He said that with tough times ahead, experience counts and now is not the time to bring someone in who is not familiar with municipal government.

He said the most critical issue currently is how to make ends meet in this tough economy. With revenues from sales tax and building permits slowing down, he said the village needs to maintain its level of service to the residents in an intelligent way until the economy turns around.

He said he wants to try to diversify the housing mix so that families can come to Sugar Grove at all levels and would encourage the development of apartments. He wants to work for annexation of the Aurora Airport in order to reap the rewards of the commercial development in and around it.

He said he believes there are issues the village should be responsible for, such as police protection, storm water, water and sewer services, and fire protection. He said he thinks the village should take an active part in trying to resolve the problems in Mallard Point and to ensure that the residents of Settler’s Ridge continue to receive services.

He said the village needs to step in to maintain foreclosed property to maintain the integrity of the surrounding neighborhoods. He wants to work with the current developer bankruptcy issues and break the land into smaller and more useful parcels to make them feasible. He would approve smaller developments in the future.

He said he is against raising taxes.

He said he wants to grow the community in a coordinated manner, with a balance of residential, commercial and retail growth and a simplified approval process.

He wants to work with neighboring communities to develop the Interstate 88 and Route 47 interchange.

“I have been honored to serve the residents of Sugar Grove and I hope to continue to do so,” he said.

Joe Wolf
After serving one term, Wolf was defeated in 2007. He said his main goal in running again is to bring houses at a variety of price points into Sugar Grove. He wants to make sure there are some homes that a family of four with an income of less than $100,000 a year can afford.

He said he is in favor of reducing impact fees and bring more affordable housing to town; he wants homes that each family within its own economic position can afford. He said that Sugar Grove used to be a middle-class town, but most recent homes have been in the $400,000 to $500,000 range.

He said that with lower fees, there would be more housing, leading to more commercial development, which will bring in more sales tax to offset the lower fee structure.

He is in favor of being flexible with reducing the open space requirement.

Wolf said he was involved with his trade union for 30 years, serving as its president for four terms. He said that during that time, he helped negotiate quite a few contracts, demonstrating that he can work with people on his side or across the table.

He said he has been successful because he is willing to listen and present his side articulately and is willing to compromise for the good of all. He said these skills also make him an effective board member, with the ability to represent the residents of Sugar Grove.

He said that Sugar Grove has been business-”unfriendly,” and developers and other business owners have had continued problems dealing with some of the village staff. He said the village tried to protect itself from development excesses, but ended up strangling commercial growth.

He said that Sugar Grove needs a variety of restaurants and stores, not just the high-end centers like the Forest City development considered several years ago.

“But officials and staff need to be willing to change,” he said.

His recent accomplishments include helping to gain the Sugar Grove Board’s approval to participate in Ride in Kane, a transportation service for people with special needs. In addition, through his role on the airport advisory board, he helped open lines of communication with the Aurora Municipal Airport, he said.

He said his future goals include recommending increased funding for Ride in Kane to help more people, and working with the Village Board to bring about more consensus on issues affecting the village. A longer-term goal is to bring a Metra station to Sugar Grove.

“As times change, we need to change with the times,” he said. “You have to take a fresh look and be willing to change. Don’t fall in love with some of your own decisions.”

He said that with the struggling economy, it is unlikely that the housing and commercial market will rebound for another year or two. But he said there is much that can be done now that will allow the village to take advantage when the economy does rebound.

He said he wants to have an open dialogue during this election.

“If I don’t get elected because people don’t agree with my views, I still want my views to be heard,” he said. “That is more important than my being elected.”

Rick Montalto
Montalto ran for village trustee last term. He said he is running again because Sugar Grove seems stagnant, while other surrounding towns have a Walgreens and hardware stores. He said the streets in Sugar Grove are in bad shape, and the village does not seem interested in helping its own businesses. He said he thinks some trustees have been on the board for far too long; that they don’t have the ideas to move the village forward.

He said he does not think there is enough affordable housing in Sugar Grove, and that the village should concentrate on retail development to lower taxes. He said the 40 percent open space seems a little high; that the village should be flexible on its requirement.

Montalto said that his 30-plus years in law enforcement will enable him to provide valuable input for the emergency services that will be needed with additional retail and industrial growth. He said he is a good multi-tasker, having raised a family and worked full-time while pursuing his education.

He said he has dealt with people from all walks of life, from those that were homeless to professional people, and considers himself a good listener who works well with people. He said he and his family have devoted their lives to public service.

Montalto, a resident of Mallard Point, has experienced the drainage and flooding issues from a personal perspective. If elected, he would strive to resolve the village’s drainage issues, improve the road conditions within the village and work with the state and the county to improve their roads, and increase retail and industrial development.

He said he would look for additional ways to bring revenue into the village, such as implementing in-house adjudicated hearings for people who want to fight their traffic tickets. He said this would bring additional administrative fees to the village, instead of sharing them with the county and state.

He would work to change the things that make the village difficult to work with, making it more user-friendly, both to business as well as the general public.

He said he would like to televise the Village Board meetings, open up the lines of communication, and make the board accountable to the residents.

“I’m married to my high school sweetheart for 34 years,” he said. “I’m dependable. If I say I’ll be there, I will.”

David Paluch
Paluch said he is running because small business owners do not have a voice in Sugar Grove. He wants to make government more accessible and transparent. He wants to encourage more business and home development by making it easier to work with the village.

He said he is in favor of more affordable homes, where people can live for 20 to 30 years. He said Sugar Grove’s impact fees are too high. At $23,000 to $30,000, he said they are significantly higher than Wheaton at $10,000 and Yorkville at $19,000. He also believes the 40 percent open space requirement seems too high, especially with another 15 percent taken up in roads. He thinks the village should be more flexible.

Paluch said his work involves creating business solutions to help businesses grow. He also has had years of experience selling to the government, so he has many contacts at the county and state level. He said he has the ability to look at both sides of an issue, and can help change the things needed to help Sugar Grove’s businesses grow and thrive and improve the quality of life for its citizens.

He wants to make government more accessible and easier to work with. He would be more responsive to the needs of the businesses in town, such as being more flexible with what he said are unreasonable landscaping requirements, in some instances.

He said if elected to the board, he would make the village’s bidding process transparent, giving local businesses an opportunity to bid on projects within the village.

He would aggressively market the village to businesses on the fringe of Chicago that are currently paying sales taxes in the double digits. He said Sugar Grove has a lot to offer to businesses and that the village is losing a lot of opportunity for tax money and jobs.

He said he would like to bring in more retail and light industrial or manufacturing businesses, as well as professional offices, such as doctors or dentists.

He would also like the village to be more responsive to the needs of the citizens, such as with the drainage issue in Mallard Point. His goal is to have Sugar Grove be the place to live in Kane County. He said the key issues are transparency and accountability on the part of the village, creating a more business-friendly environment and working together with all governmental bodies.

“The government exists for people, not the other way around,” he said.

Bob Bohler
• 23 years in Sugar Grove
• 12 years on Village Board
• Occupation: Executive Sales, Aurora
Tri-State Fire Protection, former VP and
President, manufacturing company
• Education: Three years of college in
pre-medicine, additional coursework at
Waubonsee Community College,
National Institute for Certification in
Engineering Technologies (NICET) 2008
certification, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) ISO100,
200 and 700 2008 certification
• Community involvement: Sugar Grove Corn
Boil fireworks 2002-present, Corn Boil
volunteer 1994-present, President, Rural
Kane County Girls Softball League
1994-1995, Founder, Sugar Grove
Soccer League 1994, Sugar Grove
Athletic Association Coach 1986-1987.
• Previous offices: Sugar Grove Lions Club
President 2004-present

Mary Heineman
• Life-long resident of the
Kaneland community
• 4 years on Village Board
• Occupation: Corporate Secretary/
Treasurer, family business, Sync Energy,
Inc. Prior experience includes close to 20
years in corporate strategic planning and
business development roles in Fortune 50
consumer products companies
• Education: B.S. Accounting, U. of Illinois
1985, CPA certification 1985, MBA North-
western University’s JL Kellogg Graduate
School 1991.

Tom Renk
• 11 years in Sugar Grove
• 10 years on Village Board
• Occupation: Co-owner, Association
Enterprise Management Co.
• Education: B.S. Political Science and
Economics and one year law school,
Marquette University Law School.
• Community involvement: Board of
Directors, Fox Valley Girl Scouts, active
member, St. Catharine-St. Drexel Church,
six months on Sugar Grove Plan
Commission, volunteer, 10 Sugar Grove
Corn Boils, led committee to recommend
Sugar Grove acquisitions to Kane County
Forest Preserve.
• Previous offices: 4 years as alderman for
Wauwatosa, Wis., five years on Zoning
Board of Appeals, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Joe Wolf
• 48 years in Sugar Grove
• 4 years on Village Board
• Occupation: Retired tool and dye maker;
union official with the United Auto
Workers for 30 years, four terms as union
president for the local UAW.
• Education: High School graduate and
trade school
• Community involvement: Kaneland School
District Facilities Planning Committee,
Kaneland Foundation, Ride in Kane since
inception, 2005, Aurora Municipal Airport
advisory committee 2005 to present,
Active member of the Sugar Grove
UM Church for the past 40 years.
• Previous offices: Kaneland School Board
14.5 years, three years as president,
village trustee 2003-2007.

Rick Montalto
• 15 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: 31 years with suburban police
department; retired from law enforcement
side in June 2008
• Education: Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s
Degree, History and Political Science,
Master’s Degree, Management and
Organizational Behavior
• Community involvement: Coached youth
sports in Sugar Grove, AYSO soccer,
baseball and basketball; middle-school
and high-school music and sports
boosters; Public Safety Committee, Chair,
Police Commission; active member, St.
Gall’s and St. Katharine-Drexel churches.

David Paluch
• 12 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: Business account executive,
Comcast; previous positions with
Continental Cable Vision, Nextel and
US Cellular.
• Education: BA Fine Arts in radio and sound.
• Community involvement: Chair for United
Cerebral Palsy for Miller distributor;
volunteer for US Cellular United Way;
active member, Village Bible Church;
Community House volunteer.
The race for Sugar Grove Village Board
is evenly split between incumbents and
candidates not currently on the board.
They would each like to see more
diversified growth within the village, but
have differences in opinion as to how to
get there.

The two incumbents said that since the incorporation of the village, they have worked to build the foundation for the village government, created ordinances as a guide for how decisions are made and conducted a census so the village receives its appropriate tax money from the state.

Incumbent Jon Behm said the board recently approved a variance to the setback requirements on a property to allow room for a water and sewer line. Incumbent Pat Hill said the result was to enable the owner to turn a poorly laid out piece of property into a productive business in town, Linear Kinetics.

Both said the key current issue in town is to fix the sidewalks so people can safely walk around town and feel more connected as a community. The village obtained a grant to help lay the groundwork for the project.

Hill said she wants to help plan for smart growth outside and near the village, and determine how the village will provide services for the new subdivision when it is built. She has started a Neighborhood Watch Program, which will provide a more uniform way for neighbors to look out for each other.

Behm said he works well with people. He said he listens to everything and weighs all the impacts, both good and bad, before he makes a decision that will affect the village. He said being a parent has helped, because government takes longer than one thinks and it takes patience.

Hill said she wants to continue to be the voice for the community, bringing people’s concerns to the board.

The two new candidates bring their own ideas for improvements to the village.

Peck said he wants to replace the sidewalks and get the culverts cleaned out and replaced to help with the drainage, without raising taxes. He said his employment background has given him good management experience, and his education has provided accounting and business knowledge that he believes would help with decision-making and reviewing financial information.

He said he likes to pitch in and work to get things done. He said he has good family morals and beliefs and will serve where he is needed.

Garifalis said he thinks property taxes are an issue and he would like to help people understand how the money is allocated and where it goes. He said he thinks the residents are paying too much in taxes, considering they are on well and septic and have no sidewalks.

He said he would work to identify state and federal grants and other funding to assist the village. He would negotiate with the utility providers, such as waste haulers and water providers, to obtain bulk rate discounts. He wants to explore ways of generating more revenue for the village, such as holding festivals and farmer’s markets in town and leasing out the baseball fields and the gymnasium.

Garifalis said he has a broad skill set that makes him a good candidate for the job. He grew up in his family’s restaurant business, and was a manager by the time he was 17 years old. He said he started his own telecom business which installs telephone support for businesses.

He said he understands how to bring business into the downtown area. He has participated as a vendor in festivals and other events, such as the Blueberry Fest in South Haven, Mich., Greektown Fest in Chicago and the Olympics in Atlanta, Ga.

Jon Behm
Birthplace: Elgin
4 years in Kaneville
Occupation: Owner, plumbing company
Education: 2 semesters at Elgin Community College, 4-year trade school
program to become licensed plumber
Community involvement: Conducted the village census at incorporation

Pat Hill
Birthplace: Naperville
14 years in Kaneville
Occupation: Hill’s Country Store owner
Education: 2 years of college, criminal law
Community involvement: Kaneville Historical Society member, Friends
of Kaneville Library, Kaneville Baseball, Kaneville fest organizer, active
St. Gall’s church member and volunteer, past involvement with 4-H
and the Kaneville Fire Department fund-raisers

Nick Garifalis
Birthplace: Downer’s Grove
5 years in Kaneville
Occupation: Telecom sales business owner
Education: High School graduate
Community involvement: Appointed chair, temporary Kaneville Zoning
Committee, two years, Main Street Committee in Lombard to create
and organize festivals and shows to increase downtown traffic and
obtain funding from state government.

Rick Peck
Birthplace: Oak Park
Five years in Kaneville
Occupation: Telecommunications engineer
Education: Associate’s Degree in general education
Community involvement: Attends monthly Village Board meetings; helps
out neighbors and serves where he is needed.

The budget that the winners of these races will inherit will depend on whether or not the library referendum, also on this ballot, passes. Many of the candidates agree that they would like to bring back at least some of the programming the library cut at the beginning of 2007 after the fall 2006 referendum failed.

However, how much the board will be able to accomplish when the library moves into the new building this year will be affected by the referendum’s passing or failure.

Two Sugar Grove individuals are running for the full four-year term on the Sugar Grove Public Library Board: Sabrina Malano, appointed to fill an open seat in May 2008, and challenger Joan Roth.

Sabrina Malano
Malano said she is running for the position because she wanted more local input on decisions on how the funds for the new library are spent. Having served on the board during the past year, she said she has helped make responsible decisions on how to spend the building fund money. She said the project is currently under budget.

She said her financial background will be an asset to the board, as well as her marketing expertise. She said she could do the marketing for the library rather than pay someone external to do it.

Malano said the residents want more library hours available to them. However, she said that decision and the ability to add programs will depend on the results of the referendum. She hopes the residents come to realize that, especially within the current economy, they are getting a good deal with the services of the library.

“There is no bigger bang for your buck than a library,” she said.

She said the library has done a terrific job with the budget it has and she wants to continue to offer what it can. The children’s programs will continue, no matter what happens.

Her goals would include a continued responsible handling of the money approved in 2004. Many of the other decisions will depend on the referendum, Malano said. She would like to make the library a focal point of the community and have it work more closely with the school.

Joan Roth
Roth is running because she wants to see library programs reinstated. She would like to get the community more involved with the library, and make the public more aware of what it has to offer. She would also like to see more volunteer-run programs, which she feels will be more feasible with the additional space in the new library building.

She said her background as a classroom teacher and a department chair for social studies has given her leadership and management experience. She said she is a good listener and a frugal person who wants people to get as much value for their money as they can.

With the building referendum passed but not the referendum providing an increase in operating funds, the challenge for the board will be to find additional funds through grants, volunteer-led programs and other means of supplementing the budget. Her goals would include educating people on why libraries are still essential, even with the availability of the Internet.

“You can’t believe everything you read online,” she said.

She wants to let people know there is more to a library than just reading a book; they can obtain music, videos and more. She thinks the café will be a drawing card for the library and hopes that people will realize what a value the library is for the community, especially during these economic times.

“If I had to go out and buy books, I couldn’t afford to read,” she said.

Three candidates are competing for the two-year term position on the board. Library Friends Tina Cella and Bill Wulff are running against Julie Wilson, who was appointed to fill an empty spot on the board in July 2008.

Christina (Tina) Cella
Cella said she is running because the Library Board needs someone who understands the responsibilities of a board. She said the current board has missed an opportunity by not participating in helping to pass the referendum. Cella has put in many hours helping with communications for previous referendum attempts, she said.

As a consultant, she has worked with nonprofit boards to help them build strong boards and coach them on how to run board meetings, obtain participation and develop strategic plans.

Cella said the Library District’s top issues are funding, people’s perception of the library and what it is capable of doing for the community. She said she feels the board was misdirected in its tactic of cutting programs and that the measure devalued the library in the eyes of the community.

Cella said she hopes helping to pass the referendum will be something she does not have to address, but it might be. Her other goals are to help obtain recognition for the library within the community for the positive force it could and should be in Sugar Grove.

She wants a more formalized relationship with the schools, in which they can share faculty, staff, books and resources. She would like the library to help students with after-school projects, work with teachers and provide more programs for adults and seniors.

“I am very determined,” she said. “When I set my mind on something, I usually get it done.”

Julie Wilson
Wilson said she is running not because she is a politician, but an interested community advocate. The library was an important part of her childhood, and she said it is as important as any other educational program. She said every community should be so lucky to have one.

Wilson said her past experience and jobs have given her the opportunity to work with people of all ages. As a church secretary and through her involvement with the Sunday school program, she worked with both young and more mature people. Through the Kaneland schools, she helped out with the science program, working with teachers and students.

Wilson said the library’s top issues include the lack of hours of operation and programs since the referendum failed. She said she would like to be a voice for the young as well as to help bring back programs for seniors. She said the library staff should be encouraged to continue their education to help move the library forward in all areas, including technology.

Her top goals are to bring back and establish additional programs, encourage more community involvement with something for all ages, and to support the staff and the director. She said even with the cuts in hours, the staff continues to offer residents all the opportunities they can with limited hours and funding.

“With our economy, it’s a great place to go,” she said.

She said she feels the library is a real asset to a community, providing education when school is not in session and helping to bring growth to the community.

Bill Wulff
Wulff said he is running because the open spot provides an opportunity for him to contribute and have an impact. He said he wants to continue and build on what the present board members have accomplished.

Wulff said the experience and background he would bring to the board has nothing to do with a “library title.”

“Who really has library experience?” he said.

He said he is mature and qualified and wants to help build for the future.

He said he would have to listen to the people in the district to see what they want before setting specific goals, although he said the library should bring back some adult programs.

His goal would be to make sure the board accounts to the citizens for everything they give the district, to return to them more than it receives.

Library—four-year term
Sabrina Malano
• Birthplace: Chicago
• 1.5 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: Administrative role with the
Mid-America Financial Group; previously
was a financial representative
• Education: B.A. Marketing
• Family: Married; eight-month-old son
• Community involvement: Chair, sponsorship
committee, Sugar Grove Chamber of
Commerce and Industry; Communications
Committee member, Windsor Pointe HOA;
Chair, opening ceremony, Sugar Grove Corn
Boil 2008, 2009; appointed to fill Library
Board opening May 2008

Joan Roth
• Birthplace: Aurora
• 7 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: Retired 8th grade U.S. History
teacher, Aurora West High School
• Family: “I’m the last of my family; my
great-grandfather lived here.”
• Community involvement: Aurora Friends
Library Board; Sugar Grove and Elburn
Library foundations

Library—two-year term
Christina (Tina) Cella
• Birthplace: Bryn Mawr, Penn.
• 5 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: Retired marketing and strategic
planning consultant for small businesses and
nonprofits
• Education: B.S. in secondary education,
English concentration, MBA, technical and
e-communication concentration
• Family: Married, three adult children,
one grandchild
• Community involvement: Marketing chair,
Sugar Grove Chamber of Commerce and
Industry; Vice President, Sugar Grove
Library Friends; Farmer’s Market volunteer;
Chair, communications committee, Windsor
Pointe HOA

Julie Wilson
• Birthplace: Peoria, Ill.
• 18 years in Sugar Grove
• Occupation: Kaneland school bus driver,
former church secretary
• Education: Associate degree, medical
office assistant
• Family: Married, two daughters, one
granddaughter
• Community involvement: Advocate for
Farmer’s Market, Kaneland John Shields
Parent Teacher Organization member, VP,
Girl Scout leader,
• Appointed to fill open spot on Library Board
July 2008

William Wulff
• Birthplace: Aurora
• 16 years in Sugar Grove/Prestbury
• Occupation: retired credit manager for
Industrial Credit; former owner, Aurora
Greenhouse Company
• Education: B.A. business and economics
• Single
• 4-year Vietnam veteran, U.S. Navy,
1965-1969
• Community involvement: Heather Ridge HOA
member, 14 of 16 years in roles of president,
vice president and secretary, Sugar Grove
Library Friend

James Diehl
With 16 years on the Township Board, and 12 years as supervisor before that, James Diehl makes keeping up with the changes that occur in local government a priority. By attending classes, conferences and special meetings, Diehl knows one thing for sure: There’s more paperwork than ever.

“I keep up on all the changes, so I know exactly what’s supposed to be done to keep things legal,” Diehl said. “The paperwork has increased immensely.”

Diehl would like to see the township buy some land and build a new facility for meetings, offices and equipment. When he was supervisor, he had been setting aside money for a township hall.

“So many things are make-shift. Some of the equipment is stored outside. We’re renting meeting space from Maple Park,” he said. “We’d like to have it all in one place.”

He envisions offices for the clerk and assessor and a meeting room for the board, along with indoor space to store the road equipment.

Getting increased revenue for the roads is another priority for Diehl. He said water drainage problems have come about in the last two or three years and need to be dealt with. He plans to attend Kane County Water Resource meetings as often as possible and find out about available resources.

“There’s not much the township can do. This way when people come to the township about their water problems, we will know where to send them,” Diehl said.

Diehl commends Highway Commissioner Larry Peterson for his work maintaining the roads with limited funds. He fears that if the road referendum does not pass, the only recourse will be to tear up hard surface roads and return them to gravel. He wants the board to keep trying until the referendum passes.

“I hope the referendum will go through. If (the board) quits trying to get it passed, then (the public) thinks (the board) is getting tired, so therefore it doesn’t need the money,” Diehl said.

Peter Fabrizius
With 16 years bringing his business experience and community involvement to serving on the Township Board, Pete Fabrizius has a vision of what the township needs now and what it will need in the future.

“I would like to see us get out of maintenance mode and start moving forward,” Fabrizius said.

But first he would like to stabilize the roads.

“We are in dire straits. We need to pass this road referendum,” he said.

Fabrizius said that the people who live on those roads want the referendum to pass, but a bigger proportion of the voters live in the villages of Virgil and Maple Park, some of whom feel it doesn’t affect them.

Another concern for Fabrizius is fiscal responsibility to the people of the community.

“I want to make sure we get the best bang for the buck and that we’re spending the taxpayers’ money wisely,” Fabrizius said.

In the future, Fabrizius would like to see equipment and buildings updated and work done on the roads and bridges.

“We have aging equipment and aging buildings. I’d like us to keep them up-to-date,” he said.

He also envisions a township building not only to store equipment, but to serve as a center for the community.

“In the big picture, I’d like to see us put up a township building. In the long-term vision we could offer a park and a community center,” Fabrizius said.

Theodore Janecek
A lifetime community member, Ted Janecek is looking forward to getting involved in local government and bringing a fresh outlook, he said. He has been self-employed in the construction business for the last 15 years, building and remodeling houses. He thinks it’s time for the younger members of the community to step up.

“I’m 35 years old and I’ve lived 31 of those years in the township,” Janecek said. “I’d like to get the younger people involved in the government.”

The roads are the biggest issue for Janecek. He recognizes the difficulty of maintaining them without enough money.

“The township is so large. It has lots of miles of roads. I’d like to see improvement on the roads, but it’s a hard time with limited funds to work with,” Janecek said.

He said that with the majority of the voting public living in Virgil and Maple Park, rural residents are at a disadvantage.

“The people who live in the country are hung out to dry,” he said.

With water drainage issues also at hand, Janecek is in favor of passing the road referendum.

He hopes that by getting involved now, he is paving the way for a time when current board members retire or go off the board.

“I want to help the future of the community. I want to bring in younger people on the board. When the older people retire, who are we going to get in there? They need to be in for a period of time; otherwise you’re throwing fresh people in without experience,” Janecek said.

Mary Kahl
For 20 years, Mary Kahl has been using her skills of prioritizing and scheduling to do the best with what the township has to offer. She wants to continue to work on the projects that the board has been tackling during the last four years.

“We’ve been trying to get a building up to put plows and equipment and offices into. The garage we have is right in the middle of Maple Park, and we’re using the Civic Center for offices,” Kahl said.

Kahl also supports the road referendum, even in a tight economy.

“We have to get the roads in order,” she said. “I hope the referendum will pass, but the way the economy is, I’m not counting on it. People can’t pay their mortgages.”

She added that where she lives in Maple Park, the people who do not use the country roads do not think the referendum affects them. Not many attend the town meetings on the subject of roads, she said.

During the last term, Kahl said they were able to obtain catastrophic insurance for general assistance, a program required by the state for people who have no home and no income. Each request for assistance must be proved and is only a last resort when all other services are exhausted. The township needed to protect itself if an extreme case arose, she said.

“In case someone got really sick, and we were found to be responsible, it could bankrupt us,” Kahl said. “We have some money but with medical costs the way they are, it would be too much.”

Kahl said they obtained the catastrophic insurance after watching developments in other places.

David Stewart
As a current trustee, David Stewart is seeking re-election to the Virgil Township Board. He has 26 years experience as a building contractor and six years experience in municipal construction with a local engineering firm. He considers it a privilege to continue to serve the community as it faces the challenges in its future.

“I will continue to seek effective and responsible solutions to the numerous township issues,” Stewart said.

Stewart said that because the township uses its funds efficiently, it is able to respond to the needs of the community.

“We maintain a level of service and response which truly symbolizes the spirit of the most representative form of local government,” Stewart said.

The issue of biggest concern to Stewart is the roads. He said that even without money to maintain the roads, the township provides adequate service.

“The township continues to operate with limited funds for the Road District, while maintaining service and efficiency throughout the township,” Stewart said.

He said the board has been instrumental in addressing drainage issues with Kane County officials and township residents. In addition, it administers General Assistance funds and services to senior citizens that provide valuable services to the community, he said.

“(I want to) thank (the community) for the opportunity to address these township issues,” Stewart said.

The responsibilities of the highway commissioner include maintaining the roads and ditches, mowing and maintaining roadsides and culverts, making sure roads are salted and plowed in the winter, and keeping the equipment maintained.

Long said he tries to keep the roads blacktopped and in good shape. Within his budget, he said he is able to pave one mile a year. He said he has gradually been widening the roads from 18 feet to 22 feet. Kaneville also has four miles of gravel road, and Long said he keeps them well-graded.

He said he does everything himself except pave the roads. He said Kane County puts out the bids and Aurora Blacktop has been doing the work.

He said that even though it is a part-time job, he is on call 24 hours a day, if trees go down across the road or other emergencies happen. The job pays $25,000 a year.

He said he has years of experience with the job, has good communication with the Kane County Highway Department and knows most of the people in town.

Koehring said the biggest problem in the township is the standing water caused by years of silt in the ditches. He said that 90 percent of the culverts are clogged up with brush and trees growing in the main drains. He said to fix the situation would not cost that much. He said he would clean out all the ditches to get the water moving again.

He said the snow plow tears up the easements in front of people’s property and he would reseed those areas. He said his mechanical skills would allow him to maintain the equipment himself.

Dennis Long
Occupation: farmer
28 years as highway
commissioner

Gary Koehring
Occupation: construction and
concrete business; black-top
for five years
New candidate

Tom Reynolds
Reynolds has been a Fire District trustee for one six-year term.

He ran for trustee in 2003 to contribute to the community in which he has lived since 1971 and is seeking re-election for the same reason.

“Elburn has been good to me, I wanted to give something back,” Reynolds said. “I like the Fire Department, and being on the board. It’s been a real challenge.”

Since he became a Fire District trustee, the number of full-time firefighters in Elburn has doubled, and the department added an ambulance and staff to the station on Hughes Road. The district also started a pension plan and began updating its manuals, Reynolds said. The district obtained a government grant to help pay for additional firefighters.

Reynolds would like to help the district meet the needs of the future. He wants the Fire District to add another station on the near south side of town. The reason is that now, if there were a fire just south of the tracks and a train held up the firefighters, it would take too long for the Hughes Road station firefighters to get to the scene, he said.

Also Reynolds wants to increase the number of “dry hydrants” on the village’s outskirts, which connect to bodies of water to help put out fires.

Among its achievements during the past six years, the Fire District increased salaries to keep firefighters who otherwise would leave the department after gaining a year or so of experience, he said.

Reynolds enjoys community service. He is a member of the Delnor Foundation, which raises money for the hospital; he belongs to PRIDE (Proud Retired Individuals Dedicated to Education); and he has sold raffle tickets for the Fire Department for many years. In addition, Reynolds volunteers for the American Dream program, which takes groups of children with cancer to Disney World every two years. He has made nearly 20 trips.

Reynolds previously served for about a year as a fire commissioner, making personnel-related recommendations to the trustees.

He worked for Amoco Oil for more than 30 years, with his last position being general manager of the asphalt division. He also was involved in the startup of some local businesses, including the Kaneland Bank, which later became American Bank and Trust.

The skills he brings to the board from his background include managing people and budgets, Reynolds said.

He helped the Fire District get a referendum passed a few years ago to get the tax rate up, but this year the department did not request the full levy amount.

“We figure people were hurting and we have a surplus in the bank. We don’t spend money that we don’t have,” Reynolds said.

If the declining economy causes budget constraints within the Fire District, he would want to cut back on some overtime or purchases, but not staff.

Richard Herra, Jr.
Herra was among the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District’s first group of fire cadets, and remained with the department until 2004.

He also worked as a training officer with the Sugar Grove Fire Protection District for 18 months, and worked for the past 16 years as a member of the Naperville Fire Department.

An honorary member of the Elburn and Countryside Fire Department, he is seeking the Fire District trustee position to help the village in which he has lived his entire life.

“I take a lot of pride in the community and want to become more involved,” he said.

He wants to follow in the tradition of his family, which has a long history of service to the Fire Department in Elburn; his father, uncles and cousins have been firefighters in the village.

If elected, Herra will strive to make sure the Fire Department can keep its staff during difficult economic times.

“A lot of firefighters in other districts are being laid off. I want Elburn to be able to keep all of its employees to ensure the protection of the citizens of Elburn,” Herra said.

Having a well-staffed Fire Department also is important for firefighter safety, he said.

“If you look at line-of-duty deaths in other fire departments, one of the reasons is that they did not have enough staff at the scene,” Herra said.

Herra wants to help the Fire Department be ready for future growth in the village.

“Growth has hit the breaks now, but it will pick back up, and I want us to be in a position to deal with it,” Herra said.

Herra said with his experience, he will provide a firefighter’s perspective to the board when it makes decisions such as where to locate an additional fire station. In addition, he can offer insight on equipment purchases.

“I am familiar with it and what it is capable of doing,” Herra said.

Editor’s note: The above story has been altered to correct errors published in the April 2 print edition. The information for candidate Richard Herra, Jr. has been changed to correct his employment history. The Elburn Herald regrets the error.

“I can’t guarantee, but I expect most assessments will come down,” she said.

An article in the March 26 Elburn Herald stated that based on the median home value for the previous three years, Wilcox said some assessments would go up.

view original story >>

Kathleen Curtis
Since Kathleen Curtis was elected to the Maple Park Village Board in 2005, she has served on every one of the board’s committees. She attributes her financial, account management and supervisory skills to her success, in particular as Finance Committee chairman.

“I want to use my skills to help the community because I care about it,” Curtis said.

The biggest issue that Curtis sees facing the village is the aging infrastructure. She said the village needs to find funding to fix and maintain streets and stormwater sewers and to build stopped revenue streams.

“We have to do whatever we can do. We have to sit down at the table and apply for every single thing that Maple Park is eligible for,” Curtis said.

Another issue that Curtis said is important is to form a committee to review the resumes and make recommendations for a police chief. She said that the lack of leadership on the Police Committee has delayed the hiring process.

“It would have been easier if we had gone into the interview process right away and not delayed,” Curtis said. “A police chief would provide leadership and goals.”

She supports the police referendum because with a minimal budget, the Police Department has had difficulty finding part-time officers and scheduling them. She advocates putting the question to the public and letting them decide.

“The board couldn’t stop arguing about money, and other departments keep suffering. Let’s put it out to the public,” Curtis said. “If it doesn’t pass, then live within the budget. It’s not that the department wants too much. We just want to know what are the priorities and how will we spend the money.”

Curtis takes credit for organizing the department budgets and introducing monthly reporting. By her keeping track of revenue streams and expenditures, the village now has a clean audit, something Curtis said it never had before.

“You get a clean audit when you know where your money is,” she said.

If elected village president, Curtis looks forward to an open communication style and working as a team with the other board members. She envisions each trustee taking up a different issue and taking ownership for it.

Curtis said that running against current President Ross Dueringer gives voters options.

“I’m willing to give this a try. Ross and I both care about the community. At the end of the day, Ross and I still are going to be neighbors. We may have different styles, but it gives the residents options. And that’s good,” Curtis said.

Ross Dueringer
When Ross Dueringer was elected village president in 2005, he took on the responsibilities that went with the job. He’s proud of what he has accomplished, knowing that he did the best he could do. He likens the role of village president to being CEO of a corporation.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, just like a small corporation. We spend a couple of million dollars every year,” Dueringer said. “I’m proud of what I’ve done. I do my best. It’s the only thing I can do.”

Dueringer cites a list of 20 specific accomplishments that he has been a part of during his term. At the top of the list are the annexation agreements that resulted in the village getting developer fees and the promise of a school for Maple Park in the future.

“I was instrumental in the annexation of land for school property with the promise from the (Kaneland) School Board that if we get enough kids, we’ll have a school here,” Dueringer said.

He said the board, under his leadership, annexed two subdivisions with 1,500 new houses, three farm properties and a retail development at Route 38 and County Line Road.

“We got developer fees that would go to the School District, the village, the fire department, the library and police. It was millions of dollars,” he said.

Also during these years, the village replaced two miles of sidewalks that were dangerous and broken, replaced the old water main, surfaced streets, hired two public works employees and a new village attorney, purchased a new squad car and truck, and got a newsletter going.

“It takes a team,” Dueringer said. “Some of it was mine. I might have gotten myself in trouble a little bit with the school, but they did annex in, and they made the commitment of a school.”

The biggest issue for Maple Park and why Dueringer wants to run again is the flooding that has plagued residents. He wants to find ways to settle the issue and drain the water away from the village.

“I hate to see people’s property damaged,” he said.

He also said the police referendum is needed, and he hopes it passes.

“When the board wasn’t able to give the police any more money, I pushed (the referendum) along. We take in $16,000 a year, but we’d like to have more,” Dueringer said. “(The officers) are not overpaid. They get $16 an hour to take a bullet.”

Dueringer also supports hiring a police chief, something that he said has been put on the back burner since the former chief’s contract was not renewed. He sees the necessity of the on-call policy even though it has problems.

“I’m not happy with it. There are not a lot of funds to do the on-call. But we’re doing the best we can,” Dueringer said.

As he looks forward, Dueringer said he hopes eventually to make progress silencing the train whistles, but until Union Pacific puts in new circuitry, nothing more can be done for now, he said.

Dueringer said that he takes the responsibility of representing the residents seriously.

“I have been honest and fair and tried to conduct myself with the idea that the village comes first and foremost. Personal gain is not my forte,” Dueringer said. “An important part of our freedom is to vote for who spends your money and represents you. I’ve done my best and that’s the only thing I can do.”

Deborah Armstrong
As national director of Human Resources operations for RR Donnelly, Deborah Armstrong, who moved to Maple Park in 2005 from West Chicago, is well acquainted with budgeting and completing projects during tough economic times.

“I have experience with budgets, projects, multi-tasking and being a change agent, especially with the economy and having to deal with plant closures. We’re doing more with less,” Armstrong said.

She said that her experience with policies and procedures will be helpful as she assists with bringing the village’s documentation up to speed. She also wants to work on communication between the board and the community by making the newsletter and website as timely as they can be.

Armstrong said flooding problems need to be resolved in order to keep residents in Maple Park and attract others to come. She wants to explore alternative ways for the village to generate money, perhaps by looking into wind farms and turbine power. Having grown up in Nebraska, she has seen a town the size of Maple Park put up wind turbines and partner with energy companies to sell electricity back to residents.

Armstrong is eager to be on the board and serve the people of Maple Park.

“I hope I can make a difference. I am interested in what the residents have to say. We can’t all get what we want—there are financial concerns—but at least people will understand the answer they get,” Armstrong said.

Terry Borg
Incumbent Terry Borg has served as village trustee for eight years. He has been part of dealing with the rapid development that the village saw in those years and the boundary lines that needed to be drawn with Cortland.

“We did all right for the residents by annexing and getting fees to protect the citizens from costs,” Borg said. “Now that we see slowed growth, we can give considered thought to how we want to grow.”

Borg said the village is continuing to search for ways to fund and organize the Police Department. He said that internal politics has slowed efforts to hire a police chief. Although he voted to put the referendum question on the ballot, he himself will not support it.

“Until this board gets our act together, until we exhaust all avenues of aid from the county, we can’t expect anybody to vote for increases in taxes,” Borg said.

Borg said that the board is in a better position than it was, and shows more professionalism. He looks forward to working together on planning for the future and standardizing policies and procedures.

“My hope is that we as a board would like to be with each other, that we would have open meetings and workshops, and that we have planning time,” Borg said.

Suzanne Fahnestock
With her first priority to preserve the quality of life she has experienced since moving to Maple Park in 2003, Suzanne Fahnestock sees the village as being at a turning point. She hopes to use her experience as a grant coordinator for the Kane County Sheriff’s department to benefit the village.

“My experience with finances, government, politics, intergovernmental relations, education and grant writing (will) help our community address (the) challenges,” Fahnestock said.

Fahnestock said the village needs to focus on strategic planning. By understanding what has and has not worked in the past, the board can get a realistic assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and use that to develop a plan of action.

With public safety, infrastructure and road issues facing the village, Fahnestock would bring her knowledge of federal and state funding to take advantage of these opportunities.

Fahnestock does not support the police referendum, stating that an increase of $16,000 does little to address the problem of public safety.

“I don’t think this is the last we will hear of the problem. I see this as a planning initiative and a serious consideration for the near future, even with additional funding,” Fahnestock said.

Penny Dyer
Dyer did not respond to requests for an interview.

David Kosarek
When David Kosarek moved to Virgil 12 years ago, it was a small rural town. He would like to see it stay that way. He has since become involved in the Planning Commission for the last two years and served as chairman.

“I want to keep Virgil the way it is, rural with small growth,” Kosarek said.

Kosarek is all for fixing up the downtown, but not adding the 4,000 to 5,000 houses that B&B proposed. He’d like to seek funds to build a village hall and to fix up old buildings.

The biggest issue for Kosarek is water drainage. He wants the village to go after grant money that might become available with the federal stimulus package.

“If we fix one person’s problem, we have to fix everybody’s. Let’s work on fixing the drainage,” Kosarek said. “We’ve still got run-off problems. There’s nowhere for the water to go.”

As a field service technician and someone with hands-on experience, he said he could bring more practical understanding to the existing board.

Colette Petit
The year Virgil became a village, 1992, Colette Petit began serving in local government. She began on the Zoning Board of Appeals and then was elected a village trustee for the last eight years.

The biggest challenge she sees for Virgil is the lack of resources.

“We don’t have a lot of money. We are stretching the dollar as far as it can go,” Petit said.

During this past term, she has been working to find grant money to resurface the roads.

“It’s a cloud of dust out here,” she said.

She has also been a part of updating and aligning the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, serving as the chairman of that committee. When the Kane County Forest Preserve purchased the land north of the village, maps had to be re-drawn. The committee is taking the opportunity to edit the plan.

“It’s really just tweaking it. It finishes the ordinances to match what we designed and laid out in the Comprehensive Plan,” Petit said. “We’re getting it to match the vision of a traditional neighborhood and conservation design for future development.”

Petit would like to see more townspeople come to the meetings. She said she is open to everyone’s point of view and that unless people attend meetings, it’s difficult to know what they are thinking.

She will continue to use her background, experience and love of the community to serve as trustee if re-elected.
“I serve because that’s the type of person I am. I am concerned for and committed to my neighbors, and I have a lot to give the community,” Petit said.

Robert Neisendorf
A lifelong resident of the community, Bob Neisendorf ran for trustee and won four years ago when B&B proposed a large development. Even with the Kane County Forest Preserve buying the land, Neisendorf wants to remain active.

“I ran to stop B&B Development. I have no love for large developments. It could still be a possibility,” Neisendorf said.

Since his election to the board, Neisendorf has been working on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The committee is updating the original document and creating a vision statement of how it wants growth to occur.

“It is a completed plan. I’m not a proponent of it. It called for high-density housing. We’re toning it down,” Neisendorf said.

Neisendorf said that he would like to see the plan keep open spaces and farms.

“I prefer a larger area and more agricultural use rather than a Mill Creek-type development,” he said. “The village should grow at a pace we can sustain and makes sense for a town our size.”

Neisendorf said in order to fix the roads and update downtown, the village should jump on stimulus money. He said I.C. Trail needs re-paving and the bank area upgrading.

Controlling growth remains his biggest concern.

“I grew up in the Virgil area. It’s home to me. The values of rural towns mean a lot to me. My attempt is to maintain it,” Neisendorf said.

The Village Board members agree that the department does not have enough money to operate effectively. They are asking for what amounts to taxes of $16 more per year on a $100,000 house for the first year and small increases through 2012.

Currently, five part-time officers provide 56 hours of patrol coverage each week. Additionally, an officer is on-call for one eight-hour shift every 24 hours. If an emergency arises when no patrol coverage is provided, Maple Park relies on the Kane County Sheriff’s Department to respond to the scene and stabilize the situation until an on-call officer from Maple Park can arrive.

“The police referendum that is on the ballot, if passed, would be a revenue stream that would support the Police Department in general,” Trustee Kathy Curtis said.

With a police budget of $93,000, the department faces the issue of not only paying the costly on-call hours, but also retaining enough officers to staff the force.

“They are not overpaid,” President Ross Dueringer said. “We’re giving them $16 an hour to take a bullet.”
While all the trustees agree that the question should be placed on the ballot, trustee Terry Borg does not support its passage.

“Until this board gets our act together, until we exhaust all avenues of aid from the county, we can’t expect anybody to vote for increases in taxes,” Borg said. “I did vote to place the referendum (on the ballot). I believe citizens should have the opportunity to vote on it.”

He sees problems with the use of on-call to operate the Police Department.

“The on-call policy is a budget-breaker for us,” Borg said.

Dueringer is not happy with the arrangement, but said they are doing the best they can with limited funds. He advocates passing the referendum to help solve the issues.

Borg said that internal politics have gotten in the way of hiring a police chief.

“Why do we not have a police chief? I continue to ask that question. We’ve spent $1,000 or more on ads,” Borg said.

Curtis said that since the board could not stop arguing about money and that there simply is not enough, the best thing is to put the issue to the residents.

The voters approved the increase in funds in 2004 to build the library, but have rejected a referendum that would increase funding to pay for the operation of the new building eight times. According to Library Director Beverly Holmes Hughes, the bond rate that residents are paying for the building is less than half the projected rate. However, the money from the approved building fund cannot legally be used for library operations.

The library is asking for an operating increase of 20 cents per $100 of assessed equalized value, which translates to an increase of $67 for the homeowner of a $200,000 house. That owner currently pays $188 in annual taxes for the library.

When the operating expenses referendum did not pass in November 2006, library hours were cut from 58 to 47 hours per week. Some of the children’s programs and all adult programs were suspended, due to staffing, scheduling and budget restraints.

Hughes said it was difficult to make the cuts and changes in the library’s hours, and if voters fail to pass the current referendum, additional cuts are likely.

This is because the same funds that are available to operate the current 6,000 square-foot building are what is available to operate the new 27,430-square-foot building. The new building will bring with it an increase in the utilities, insurance, staffing, maintenance and other operational costs.

Hughes said that even if the referendum passes in April, the library will not see the additional level of funding until July 2010.

According to a Kane County tax computation report from April 2008, the Sugar Grove Library’s operating rate is one of the lowest in Kane County. At 9 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value of a home, it is only higher than one library, Maple Park, which has a rate of 5 cents per $100. By contrast, Elburn’s Town and Country Library’s operating rate is 21 cents per $100, and Geneva’s operating rate is 26 cents per $100.

Passing the referendum will mean the library will be able to meet the insurance, maintenance and utility bills for the new facility, the addition of at least 11 hours to the library’s schedule, more staff added for providing services, additional library programs for the community and more books added to the collection.

For additional information, visit www.sugargrove.lib.il.us.

Virgil has the lowest tax rate in Kane County, with roads that may have to be turned back to gravel because they can’t be fixed and flooding problems that have required some residents to use a boat to get in and out of their driveway, Township trustee James Diehl said.

Highway Commissioner Larry Peterson wondered what it will take to get the referendum passed.

“Twenty to 30 percent of people vote ‘No’ just because it’s a referendum,” Peterson said. “I get so frustrated at the apathy. I’ve given all the evidence I can give.”

The referendum question asks for the limiting rate (under the tax cap) to be increased by the amount equal to .09 percent above the limiting rate for the levy year 2008 and equal to .2705 percent of the equalized assessed value (EAV) of the taxable property for 2009.

In other words, the owner of a house with an EAV of $100,000 will pay $30 per year more in property taxes.

Residents of the villages of Virgil and Maple Park stand to benefit from the extra funding if the question passes, Diehl said. Often, they do not realize what they will get out of the road referendum passing, he added.

“People who live in the villages say they don’t use the township roads. They only use county or state roads. They don’t understand that 50 percent of the amount levied goes back to the village to help defray the costs of maintaining their streets,” Diehl said.

Peterson has made attempts to educate the public on the need for money to maintain the roads. The most recent was a town hall meeting.

“We put up 70 fliers. Not one person from Virgil or Maple Park showed up,” Peterson said. “There were 12 people at the meeting.”

If the township does not have the money to resurface the road or repair potholes, one recourse is to tear up the hard surface and return the road to gravel.

Flooding is another problem the township faces. Freeland Road often floods during heavy rains, and past efforts to pump the water cost the township too much.

“It needs to be tiled. If the water goes over the road, then I have to close the road,” Peterson said. “I have to cheapen up the job I’m doing and take money away from other things.”

Diehl said that while Peterson is doing an excellent job prioritizing what needs to be done, he has been forced to cut back. Mowers don’t go all the way to the fence line, snow is pushed back only as far as needed to clear the road, unless another big snow is coming, and less salt is used on snow-covered roads.

Diehl said he hopes the referendum will pass, but remembers how he felt before he got involved in the township.

“I used to complain about my tax bills until I found out as supervisor (of Virgil township) the small amount of funds we have to work with. The tax bill is so high,” Diehl said. “No one understands that it’s broken down. Not all the money goes to the township. They need to take the time to look at how it’s itemized.”

He does not want people to get the idea that if it does not pass, Virgil Township officials will quit trying. Because roads take money to maintain, they will continue to try to pass the referendum.

The three positions on the board are president, secretary and treasurer. The elected board decides how to split the responsibilities.

The Community House is a public facility open to the community for meetings, parties and sports events. It has a gym, kitchen and large gathering areas. The board maintains and makes improvements to the building, oversees its operations, keeps it stocked and schedules its use.

The election involves two long-term board members and two new candidates for the three positions.

Lil Adams, who has served on the board for more than 30 years, said she has the maturity and the sense of responsibility to successfully handle the responsibilities involved. She said it is a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day-job. She said she has a strong feeling for the building and has worked hard to keep it updated. She would like to continue providing her services to the community, keeping the building accessible to everyone in the community.

Stan Schumacher, who has served on the board for approximately 25 years, said that with his background in finance, he is equipped to handle the budgets and has been successful in organizing and running projects to improve and maintain the building.

His other community involvement has included organizing girls’ softball in Sugar Grove. He was coach and board member for the Northern Illinois Thunder, a girls traveling fast pitch team. He is a past commander of the American Legion.

He said the Community House is a fixture in the community, and he takes a lot of pride in its upkeep and use. He wants to make sure it stays well-maintained and presentable. His company, Midwest Ground Cover, designed the landscaping for the building and upgraded everything a few years ago.

Dan Long said he has a lot of energy and would like to help expand the activities and programs offered for children, as well as generate some new activities in the gym, such as an adult volleyball league. He has coached grade school and high school sports and was a successful fundraiser for the girls’ basketball team.

Tim Wilson said that owning a home for 16 years has given him a good understanding of what it takes to maintain a building and hire others for some of the work. He lives directly across the street from the Community House and said his proximity is a plus for keeping a watchful eye on the building.

He said he would like to make the building even more accessible and available than it is currently. He said he considers the building the crown jewel of Sugar Grove and wants to keep it in good shape.

The candidates

Lil Adams
• Currently board treasurer and
community house scheduler
• Adams makes reservations, collects
money from users and pays the bills.
She keeps the building supplied and
works with maintenance people
• 41 years in Sugar Grove
• Served on the board for
more than 30 years
• Retired telephone operator for AT&T

Stan Schumacher
• Current board president
• Schumacher oversees the building
operations and coordinates with
township, manages projects for
capital improvements, creates the
budgets and tax levies
• Served on the board for
approximately 25 years
• VP of Finance for Midwest Ground
Covers, St. Charles

Tim Wilson
• 16 years in Sugar Grove
• Outside plant technician for AT&T,
Sugar Grove area

Dan Long
• 13 years in Sugar Grove
• Material handler for parts distribution
center for International Truck and
Engine, West Chicago

Rotter has lived in the village for 12 years and Wilcox has made it her home for 11 years.

Both candidates are certified Illinois assessing officers.

Uwe Rotter
Uwe Rotter has been assessor since 2007, when the Blackberry Township Board appointed him to the position to replace Karen Becker, who retired before finishing her term.

Previously, Rotter worked for the township for five years.

“Over these years, I have established close ties not only with a lot of constituents, but also with key people of the agencies that are funded through property taxes,” Rotter said.

Rotter’ goals, if re-elected as assessor, include monitoring the market and applying assessment changes to reflect declining property values; educating taxpayers on how to lower their tax payments; and improving the visibility of assessment details so that taxpayers can compare theirs to others, locally.

“I hope to eliminate the misconception that many taxpayers have about the property tax system,” Rotter said.
Among those misconceptions, he said, is that lowering assessments will lower property tax bills; he said that is not necessarily true.

Rotter said even when a property’s assessment goes up, its owner could pay less in property taxes than the year before; an individual’s property taxes are dependent upon how much a taxing body levies compared to the total worth of all properties within their community, he said.

Rotter said skills he will bring to the assessor’s job include expertise in electronic data systems. He wants to improve the township’s website to provide property taxpayers what their assessments are composed of, by line item.

He said he wants taxpayers to be aware of, and use, any possible exemptions they might qualify for to help reduce their tax payments.

“Nobody deserves to be over-assessed,” Rotter said.

Toward that goal, Rotter started monthly taxpayer workshops this year at the township building. Topics include the property tax cycle, how assessments are being developed, the Board of Review Process and what the future will bring.

Bonnie Wilcox
Bonnie Wilcox said she will bring extensive experience to the township assessor position, if elected. For more than 15 years, she has been a deputy assessor for Milton Township in DuPage County, which includes Wheaton and Glen Ellyn.

“I am running (for Blackberry Township Assessor) because I think it’s time for me to bring my expertise to this area,” Wilcox said. “I have the willingness and the experience and the knowledge to work with property owners and provide better services.”

In her position at Milton Township, she has measured homes for assessment, worked with homeowners, and gone in front of the DuPage County Board of Review and the Property Tax Appeal Board, she said.

“I get great enjoyment from my work. I like comparing properties to other homes, and the whole mathematics aspect of it,” Wilcox said.

She said her biggest passion is helping seniors review their assessments, to make sure they are being assessed correctly and obtain the exemptions they deserve.

“If I can help anyone, seniors and others, to lower their assessments if I see just cause, I will,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox said that by state statute, assessments must be based on the past three years of property values. So if she takes office in January 2010, at that time the assessments would be based on 2007 through 2009 values, which will bring up some assessments, she said.

Letting the public know about how assessments work is one of her priorities.

“I would like to inform residents by meeting with homeowners associations and working with them. I really want to get out there and educate,” Wilcox said. “I feel communication between the assessor’s office and residents has been a little bit lacking.”