Not many suburbs in the Chicago area grew as fast as Grayslake did in the 1980s. The village’s population jumped 40 percent in that period and stands at 8,500. Over the same time, the total suburban population rose 9 percent.
So it should come as no surprise that there is one major issue in the April 20 mayoral race in Grayslake between incumbent Marvin Smith and trustee Pat Carey.
Growth.
Choosing the type of growth for Grayslake is key to controlling it, Smith said.
“We have worked very closely with developers and have been able to get the kind of development that we want, like larger lot sizes, so our houses aren’t all right next to each other,” he said. “In the future, we want more variety in architecture.”
Carey agreed that growth must be better managed.
She said the development of light-industrial businesses should be encouraged to balance the tax burden of residential developments.
“The challenge ahead of us is to limit the effects of growth,” Carey said. “I think we need strong leadership and management skills to see us through the times ahead.”
Smith said his four years as mayor and 18 years as a trustee are best suited to shape Grayslake’s future.
The construction of a new Village Hall is an example of a successful project that came to fruition under his leadership, Smith said.
The hall cost $785,000 and was financed with building fees.
“It’s an example of growth that’s able to pay its own way,” Smith said.
The hall opened in December and was paid off in February, he said.
Smith, 52, a computer science teacher at Grayslake High School, has lived in the community since 1947.
Carey, 45, has lived in the village for more than 10 years. She is a manager for a large business travel agency in Northbrook. She said that at work she is known as a consensus-builder and that she would carry her skills to Grayslake.
“I believe we need a stronger leadership,” Carey said. “I’ve developed relationships with members of other taxing districts, like the school board and library board. As mayor, I would take a more active leadership role in bringing boards together to work for the common good.”
Carey said that she is a manager at her job and that she would be able to juggle her schedule to attend village meetings.
Smith “has been a full-time teacher and is not able to attend any daytime meetings, should they be necessary,” she said.
Smith, who said he spends at least two hours a day at Village Hall, said he is concerned that the distance between Carey’s job and Grayslake would affect her accessibility as mayor.
“I’m a big believer in voice mail,” Carey responded. “As a candidate, I had another line in my house, so people can reach me 24 hours a day and leave messages. And as mayor, I will be in constant communication with the staff at the Village Hall. (The mayor’s post) is a part-time job. We have a professional staff to rely on.”
The post pays $6,000 a year. Before this year, the position paid $3,000 annually for the four-year term. A raise was voted by the Village Board this year.
The village also should be concerned about community access to the decision-making process, Carey said.
The view that the board rarely disagrees is an aberration because most of the dissent is hashed out in committees. Those meetings are open to the public, but their starting times change often.
“If you want to know what is going on, you have to go to the committee meetings, and the times for them are always changing,” she said. “And there’s never any discussion on the board level.”
Carey said she would give residents an opportunity to speak at the beginning and end of meetings.
“We’re representatives of the people,” she said. “Any citizen should be able to come and hear what we’re saying and have some input.”
Political pageantry: Start looking for members of the Lake County National Organization for Women to show up at your village board or city council to fight the annual onslaught of beauty pageants that tend to accompany the first buds of spring.
As pageant directors start their fundraising and publicity campaigns with the municipal boards, NOW representatives said they also will be there, asking that local leaders not lend their support.
Town meeting: U.S. Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.) will be in Zion this weekend to hear what residents think about the North Chicago school crisis, the fight to save the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, and other topics. The two-hour forum is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Shiloh Center, 2600 Emmaus St., Zion.
