Three Lakemoor presidential candidates look toward clean break from past
By KURT BEGALKA - kbegalka@nwherald.com
LAKEMOOR – Two veteran board members and a newcomer will vie April 7 for the presidency of Lakemoor.
Nine-year resident Ryan “Todd” Weihofen said allegations of financial mismanagement by outgoing village President Virginia Povidas and dwindling public involvement prompted him to run.
“I’d like to see our village move ahead. It’s stagnant. We have committees that don’t meet because no one wants to be involved,” he said. “We can’t get enough people to volunteer to have a soccer program.”
Weihofen – the 33-year-old vice president of commercial pool builder Maverick Pools Inc. of Palatine – said his goal was to change the culture.
“We’ve had 2½ years of infighting,” Weihofen said. “Now everything they can do is done behind closed doors. I want true open-door policies.
“I plan on being there one day a week and have the village open a half day on Saturdays. ... Like any business, you have to keep changing and moving ahead.”
But opponent Ralph Brindise bristled at Weihofen’s call for more transparency. Village meetings are posted, and the public is invited.
“I don’t understand what this is all about. I know the board. There is nothing [secret] going on that I’m aware of,” he said. “Typically what happens is that people who are coming in and running with no experience, they have to create something like this to make it seem change is needed.”
Brindise and candidate Robert “Bob” Koehl, each with two years remaining as trustees, have lengthy public service résumés. Koehl, 45, is a former village president now on his third stint as trustee. He has lived in the village since 1992 and manages litigation and forensic accounting for the family business – Camille J. Koehl & Associates in Lakemoor. Brindise, 60, a Snap-On tool dealer and 33-year resident of the village, has spent a dozen years on the board.
“I don’t know why he didn’t run for trustee when there were three positions available,” Brindise said of Weihofen. “He has no previous experience anywhere in government.”
Brindise anticipates a “challenging four years” ahead. He believes his experience will give him an edge in dealing with economic stagnation.
“We had a development planned similar to The Glen, at the old air base in Glenview, but that was torpedoed,” he said. “One of the tricky things is to try and get the commercial guys to commit to building in the next four years.”
Koehl said construction-related revenue from things such as building permits and annexation fees were at 40 percent of projections for the fiscal year ending April 30. Weihofen blames that, in part, on an inability to move more quickly.
“I’ve talked to different business owners in town, and they seem unhappy,” Weihofen said. “They don’t feel the village is proactive. Nobody ever calls to follow up. Nobody ever asks, ‘What do you need? What are your plans?’ ”
Brindise and Koehl defended their track record with the village and promised changes in the way the board interacts with its department heads. Brindise pointed to changes made during his board tenure that limited the president’s appointment powers. He added that Povidas’ penchant for “micro-management” hamstrung staff.
“I would definitely make the department heads a little more in charge of the departments,” he said. “I’m not afraid of stepping on toes, but I think they should be held more accountable in running their own departments.”
Weihofen believes that they should have done more.
“Our departments are not getting the leadership they need. They are kind of acting on their own,” he said. “My two opponents ... what can they say? They have both been there 12 years. This is product of their making.”
Weihofen said he had no intention of removing police Chief Wally Fraiser, but would expect to see changes in how the department runs.
“There are issues with the police department, infighting and unprofessionalism,” he said. “I’d like to see us become an accredited police force to ensure that it is operating by trusted policies and procedures.”
All the candidates want to restore confidence in village government.
“When you knock on doors and tell them you are running for village president, the first thing they ask you is, ‘Are you corrupt?’ ” Weihofen said. “It shouldn’t be that way.”
