Former longtime Huntley Trustee Harry Leopold due to be reappointed this week to fill vacancy

Harry Leopold might be returning to the Huntley Village Board.

Trustees are set to vote Thursday on whether to appoint Leopold to replace Mary Holzkopf on the board. Leopold previously served on the board for 20 years, from 2003 until 2023, when he decided not to seek reelection.

In his first stint on the board, Leopold was part of a number of projects, including a new Village Hall, the widening of both Route 47 and Algonquin Road and a new hospital, he told the Northwest Herald in 2022.

Leopold would serve through Spring 2025, when the seat is up for election. Leopold said he does not plan to run to retain the seat but agreed to complete the current term after Village President Tim Hoeft reached out about the seat. Leopold said running in 2025 wasn’t a stipulation for the appointment. Hoeft couldn’t immediately be reached Tuesday for comment.

Leopold is also a Sun City resident, according to Village documents. If Leopold is appointed, three of the six village trustees would be Sun City residents. Trustees Vito Benigno and Ronda Goldman also live in the Sun City development.

Holzkopf was forced to resign at the end of June because she did not fill out her Statement of Economic Interest form. The form is required for elected office holders as well as certain government employees.

Holzkopf isn’t the only McHenry County elected official out of office over not filing the form. McHenry District 15 board member Emily Jay also didn’t fill out the form, records show. Jay resigned her seat in July. County records indicate that several other office holders also failed to fill out the required form this spring and were compelled to leave office by the McHenry County State’s Attorney.

The form is due annually on May 1, but there is a bit of a grace period in May. Late filers must file on paper. If they file between May 2 and May 15, it’s a $15 penalty. After May 15, it’s a $100 fine per day and $15 penalty. After May 31, non-filers get turned over to the State’s Attorney, according to county documents released as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.