McHenry candidates: Riverwalk should continue
By CRYSTAL LINDELL - clindell@nwherald.com
McHENRY – All the candidates running for McHenry contested elected positions can agree on at least one thing – it would not be a good idea to abandon the Riverwalk project.
Of the six McHenry elections, only two are contested – the alderman seats in Wards 1 and 3.
Incumbent Victor Santi faces former longtime alderman William Bolger, whom Santi unseated four years ago from his Ward 1 post. The ward covers the central east section of McHenry. Incumbent Jeffrey A. Schaefer faces Patrick Connor for the Ward 3 seat, which covers the northern section of the city.
All the candidates acknowledged that the economy has slowed the Riverwalk project, but none said they thought it was going to halt it.
“I’m very confident that the Riverwalk will work out OK,” Santi said. “The residents that I’ve talked to, they are restless, [but] they do understand it’s the economy that’s holding things back.”
Bolger said he hoped to improve communication with the public on the progress of the project if elected.
“McHenry’s Riverwalk is a classic, and we must pick up tempo,” he said in a Northwest Herald candidate survey.
Schaefer said the city was fortunate to have the Curtis development in progress and the Cunat development up next.
“The city is doing a good job managing this project, and the citizens of McHenry have been very supportive,” he said in his survey.
But Connor disagreed about the city’s management of the project.
“If I had to give the current management a grade, I would give it a C+,” said Connor, in his survey. “[But] now that the Riverwalk has been started, we cannot abandon it.”
Connor and Bolger said their top priorities, if elected, would be traffic issues.
Bolger, who is retired from the Illinois Bell Telephone Co. and prior to 2005 was an alderman almost continuously since 1957, said he wanted to give plans for a western by-pass immediate attention.
“This seems to be at a stand still, but it must be moved to front and center,” he said.
And Connor, a full-time brick layer with Connor Masonry, agreed for the need for a western bypass to relieve congestion on Routes 31 and 120. He added that the city also should pursue widening Route 31 north of Route 120.
Schaefer, a sales manager and MFR representative for the Industrial Supply Facility Maintenance and Food Services Industries, said his priorities also include Route 31 and Route 120 intersection improvements. But he added that he’d also want to focus on keeping up the current level of city services while maintaining a balanced budget.
“This will be especially important in the short term, considering reduced revenues,” he said.
Santi, a sales account executive for Comcast, agreed and said that the budget needed to be a top priority.
“There’s definitely going to be some tough decisions down the line,” he said. “We’re just trying to ... staff our daily public services.”
The other four McHenry elected position openings have only one candidate, and all are incumbents, including: Sue Low for mayor; Janice Jones for clerk; David Welter for treasurer; and Richard Wimmer for Alderman Ward 5.
The election is April 7.
