For village president: Poynton

The race for Lake Zurich village president pits incumbent Thomas Poynton against political newcomer Alex Samoila. The candidates have defining views on a couple of key issues.

On downtown, Samoila, 36, who works in the financial services industry, questions whether the village board has a true vision, and says the village must add retail first to attract residents.

Poynton, 70, a retired sales and marketing executive and former small-business owner, says the market drives downtown development and developers believe retail follows rooftops.

On communication, Samoila says the village hasn’t kept pace with how people get information on different platforms and by being more interactive.

Poynton points to the transparency awards from good government groups as evidence of strides made to communicate with residents.

Voters are free to choose the approach that appeals to them most, but the fact is Lake Zurich has made broad progress under Poynton, who has served the village since joining the village board in 2007. During his first term as village president, the village has revamped and expanded communication efforts, including online and with live broadcast of village board and committee meetings.

It has restructured the administrative staff, strengthened its financial position to receive a AAA bond rating, outsourced some duties to save money, and created several popular downtown events.

It has created a multiyear strategic plan and updated downtown development plans. Some old downtown buildings have been demolished to create shovel-ready properties.

Samoila is a thoughtful candidate who offers some good ideas. However, overall village gains under Poynton have earned him another term.

For village trustee: Beaudoin, Halen, Weider

The Lake Zurich village board race features a little palace intrigue for voters to consider as they choose from four candidates to fill three, trustee seats.

Three candidates are incumbents, but only two are members of the Lake Zurich Proud slate led by incumbent Village President Thomas Poynton, who is seeking re-election.

The trustee candidates on the slate are incumbents Jim Beaudoin and Greg Weider and newcomer Mary Beth Euker. Incumbent Trustee Jeff Halen, who has been on the board since 2009, is running as an independent.

The lineup is not surprising, given that Halen, 48, who works in marketing and product management, has developed a reputation for often challenging the majority position.

All four candidates are thoughtful and involved in the community and pledge to hold the line on taxes and keep expenses under control. However, we see no reason to make changes on a village board that has worked well together to forge improvements in several important areas. Beaudoin, Halen and Weider are endorsed for the four-year terms.

Among the gains of the past four years, the current board has revamped and expanded how the village communicates with residents, improved finances to earn a AAA bond rating, created a multiyear strategic plan and updated a downtown development plan.

Beaudoin, 43, a business executive, stresses the need to continue to search for resources to invest in infrastructure, such as emerald ash borer tree replacement, and making repairs and improvements to roads and aging water and sewer lines. He cited continued use of grants and consortiums and prioritizing to address needs.

Weider, 50, the executive director of a nonprofit group who was appointed to the board in 2016, sees a need for the village to provide more civic service opportunities for residents. Educating residents about the workings of government and providing volunteerism to help meet community needs would be his top goals.

Halen wants to push for even more gains in trimming expenses to save money and free up funds for infrastructure needs, outsourcing and communication. He also questions the village’s development vision and plans to recommend the village hire a full-time economic development director to drive new business and help current businesses succeed. Halen provides an important check and balance on the board.

Euker, 57, is an attorney with extensive contacts in the village from her years of involvement, including creating an affordable not-for-profit children theater company. While her work has been impressive, it’s not enough to warrant changing the board makeup at this time.