News

Pam Capes: Continuing education and honest conversations with our students regarding cyber bullying and inappropriate content is ongoing. Removal of the cell phones during the day could potentially reduce those types of interactions significantly.

Richard Hilton on a top priority for Wonder Lake: Support policies and plans that will continue to protect and enhance the quality of life for Wonder Lake residents

Dennis Palys on a top priority for Wonder Lake: The newly annexed business district on Hancock Drive is an exciting opportunity for us. I support to providing services and incentives to enhance this area.

Julie Aitken: At the end of the day, we want each of our schools to have the necessary tools to reach the best educational outcomes for our students.

Samantha Johnson on a top priority for Wonder Lake: Clean water is the foundation of a healthy, thriving community. As our village grows, we must ensure that every family has access to safe, reliable water for drinking, cooking and daily life.

If residents desire an increase in road improvements then increased funding would be needed.

have personally seen how important it is to have our local township staff available for emergency services and situations.

Coral Township faces financial challenges related to maintaining its roads.

Coral Township has one of the lowest tax rates, so available funds for large scale and costly projects such as road paving are lacking.

Cole Regnery: I believe the district can improve reading, English proficiency, and state test scores by listening to our teachers, attracting and retaining top talent, and implementing a common-sense, data-driven plan that we commit to and follow through on over the long term

Steven Mortensen on top priorities for Marengo: Improve the infrastructure of our community, attract more business to the community and provide additional services to the members of the community

Michael DeVito: Student safety is the top priority. Every student deserves a secure and supportive environment, complete with strong mental health services and social-emotional learning programs

Heather Tomlinson: In order to continue with the standards Sycamore maintains, it is imperative the community and School Boards work together to set realistic expectations financially for the betterment of our students

Amanda Damisch: I think the shift towards multi-family developments and rentals in McHenry County is a reflection of the current market demand and the evolving needs of our community

Eric Jones: Sycamore’s advantage is in its community, both the public community as well as the educational community

Robert Kasper: In short, while my personal opinion comes down on the side of removing the dam, I believe that my role on City Council would be to evaluate the evidence on all sides, as well as to best represent the interests of my constituents

Ronald Silkaitis, St. Charles City Council candidate: The city must consider all possible options concerning the decision to remove the dam or keep the dam

We supported the RTA bus for a year. After checking the number of township residents that used the service, the board of trustees chose to discontinue the service.

Timothy Hoeft: The Village of Huntley’s Economic Development Team is constantly reaching out to businesses to make Huntley their home. Under my leadership, the VOH hired a national consulting firm who specialized in retail/restraint recruitment

What businesses should Huntley try to recruit? John Piwko: Higher end Restaurants, Full-service Bakeries, Destination Venues, Entertainment venues for both adults, kids and young adults.

Steven Morris on a top priority for Hebron: Clean up the village hall. Certain appointments by this administration have been disgraceful

Michael Embrey on roundabouts in DeKalb: Roundabouts can be useful in the right situation. The roundabout south of town in the industrial area has been helpful with semi-trucks moving more efficiently

Cameron Boudreau: The top three priorities that I have as trustee is to continue financial stability, improve transparency as a village board and reunite the town together

Peggy Vaughn: My top three concerns are the health and safety of our community; number two, infrastructure; and number three, economic development and growth

Paul Motel: The current administration’s most significant shortcoming is transparency. Many community members believe that their views are overlooked and undervalued, leading to a sense of being disregarded when they voice their concerns

Justin Carlson on a top priority for DeKalb: Safety - continue investing in our Police departments and first responders

Sherri Crawford: I believe the greatest weakness facing our community right now is the feeling that some residents don’t feel fully heard or involved in the decision-making process

Mike Barry: Our current administration has turned a blind eye to the residents on crucial decisions being made financially and safety wise

Christopher Moore: We need more single family homes, we have doubled our places that rent, apartments etc. We need to look at areas for parking and see what can be done, at times it hard to find a space.

Paul Hereley: I believe local law enforcement should be able to assist in identifying and holding undocumented migrants that are a threat to the safety of the public

Bruce Barker: I want to see more opportunities for resident input on major decisions and foster an increased line of communication between residents and local government.

Robert Plowman: Overall, I am satisfied with the current state of the village and the direction it is heading. I am equally pleased that the mayor and the village board appear to be working collaboratively towards common goals

Gina Parrilli: I don’t have prior political experience, I believe that’s a strength. I’m running to represent residents.

Kevin Haberzetle on a top issue for the district: There is overcrowding in our lower grades preventing children from getting adequate lunch and recess times. Our Children need to be allowed to exert more energy through out the day.

Betsy Keller: Teacher shortages are costly to students and the district. Conversely, by retaining and recruiting teachers the district can have several benefits

Jamie Freedlund: My role as a board member is to support the smart and insightful decisions that our successful administrators and educators are making while bringing in community input to those conversations

Stephan Moulton on a top issue for the district: Spacing, we are growing at a rapid pace and finding space within our aging buildings is difficulty.

Feedback received from a proposed outdoor police gun range being built behind the Manteno Public Works building has led to the plan being tabled.

James Farhrenbach on property taxes in Batavia: To solve this, for real, involves better coordination between local governing bodies in how much they raise or lower their share of property taxes in relation to each other

Read how the seven participants of the two-hour Kankakee School Board candidates' debate on Tuesday answered various questions related to education in this Q&A.

Mark Seaquist: The city-owned land on Green Street and the Wastewater treatment plant has so much potential, really the only of its kind in McHenry County

Bobbi Baehne: Because of the historical value and importance of Landmark School to our residents, I think the city should take an active role in assisting D15 with the sale and/or redevelopment of this property.

Kevin Werner: Public safety: protection of people and property is always our top priority; this is accomplished in a number of ways including partnerships with area law enforcement agencies to prevent crimes, to respond to emergencies and to ensure roads and buildings are safe

We have a wonderful Police/Sheriff Department. I walk often and these great officers patrol the park when I walk and make you feel secure and are there for assistance if needed.

Mark Kownick: Being an advocate for affordable workforce housing as well as affordable senior housing is critical to an overall healthy community

Kelly Sobusiak: School safety, building repairs, and student engagement are all top priorities

Jim Patterson on if students should be able to use AI in schoolwork: Yes, with the right training and education. AI is here and will be used more and more in teaching and learning

Kate Bell on a top priority for the district: Ensuring every student receives the education and resources they need to succeed remains a top priority

Howard Solomon: Because of the foresight of previous boards, District 428 has a dual language program. I suggest that graduates of that program be given job offers as classroom assistants immediately on graduation

The budget currently allocates funds for capital outlay projects, which would include maintenance and repairs to existing facilities. To the extent possible, I believe the Board should proceed incrementally in identifying and prioritizing needed repairs and facility upgrades.