The April municipal elections are shaping up with a few surprising twists, including East Dundee Village President Jeff Lynam’s decision not to seek a second term.
“I’ve given it some deep reflection,” Lynam said. “I’ve been on the board for 18 years and felt it was time to step aside and give someone else a chance.”
He and his wife have a home in Arizona where they would like to spend more time, he said. “The role I played on the village board keeps me pretty grounded in Illinois. I decided to make a change,” Lynam said.
Plus, he’s been able to accomplish quite a bit in the last four years, he said, including spurring the effort to get a downtown parking deck built, the purchase of the Haeger Potteries and Doederlein Lumber Co. properties and the installation of a new fence at the Dundee Township Cemetery on Route 25.
“I’ve really been honored to serve East Dundee. It’s a town I’ve lived in for 50 years, and I love it,” Lynam said.
His tenure was rocky at times. Lynam clashed with his fellow trustees over things like development, committee appointments and last year’s election, where he backed a slate of candidates who lost. He also vetoed the board’s decision to approve the Elgin Mall relocation to the former Dominick’s grocery store on Dundee Avenue, an action trustees later overruled.
Lynam’s advice to his successor is “be patient but, most of all, be fair.” He said he’s tried to follow “the philosophy to leave the town better than I found it.”
As Lynam bows out, two candidates — Trustee Sarah Brittin and Daniel Pearson — will be vying for Lynam’s seat in the April 1 election.
Brittin was elected to the Village Board in 2021 and serves on the Community Events and Depot Committee. Pearson, an East Dundee Fire Protection District Board commissioner, ran unsuccessfully for village trustee last year with Lynam’s support.
There are three candidates running for three open village board seats, one of which is currently held by Brittin, who’s giving up a reelection bid to run for mayor. Incumbents Andrew Sauder and Tricia Savino and newcomer Mathew Oclon do face opposition for the four-year terms. A lottery will be held Nov. 25 to determine ballot placement.
Carpentersville
Carpentersville Village President John Skillman is being challenged by Trustee Brenda Sandoval as he seeks a third term.
Skillman, former chief of the Carpentersville Fire Department, grew up in the village and is the son of a former village president, also named John Skillman, who served in the 1990s. The younger Skillman became president in 2017 and says he has worked to maintain a flat tax rate and invest in the village’s infrastructure.
Sandoval became a trustee in 2021. She’s head of the village’s special events committee and has been a driving force behind Carpentersville’s successful Fiestapalooza, a celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
Three trustee seats are also up for election on the village board. Incumbent Trustee Jim Malone is running for reelection. The other candidates for the four-year terms are Sameer Gupta, Dennis Ernest, Billy Dean Saylor and Josephine Maniscalco.
West Dundee
Village President Christopher Nelson is running unupposed for his fourth term and incumbent trustees Cheryl Anderley, Dan Wilbrandt and Cheryl Alopogianis also do not face opposition in their bids for new four-year terms.
Dundee Township Park Board
Incumbents Erin O’Leary and John Meschewski are running for reelection and will not face challenges in the spring election.
The park board is still considering whether it will place a referendum on the election ballot for a new aquatic facility to replace the Sleepy Hollow Pool. Discussions are underway about whether the board should proceed with a pool or some other amenity and where it should be located.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
