Incumbent John Brezik is facing two challengers in the race for the 5th District City Council seat in the May 5 Democratic primary.
William “Bob” Krebes and Dave Spott are also hoping to win the primary.
Brezik, who is running with Mayor Brian Snedecor and other council members as “Team Snedecor,” said Hobart is one of a few cities in the region to be fiscally sound, adding its tax rate has decreased while enhancements have been made and roads have been paved.
He also noted that crime is down and a new garbage pickup program has been initiated under this council.
Brezik is one of the members of the Neighborhood Spotlight program, which is focusing on ways to bolster the city’s west side with the aid of a Legacy Foundation grant.
“We received a one-year grant, but we’re planning to expand it into a three-, four- or five-year scenario,” Brezik said. “The mayor has committed to me that there would be a focus on the west side.”
He wants to spruce up the looks of the area by putting in a welcome garden at Old Ridge Road and Missouri Street. He also initiated the formation of a vacant property committee, which is looking to address the vacant and blighted houses in the city by offering tax incentives to individuals who rehab and live in them.
He said he opposes any project that is considered detrimental to positive growth in the city.
Brezik has lived on the city’s west side for more than 40 years, works in Lake County Sheriff’s office and is Hobart Democratic chairman.
Krebes said the possible construction of a for-profit immigrant detention center on 49th Avenue is the most important issue facing the city, followed by the condition of the Cressmoor trailer park, saying some of the trailers are in deplorable shape.
He said he’d like to implement a program to help individuals maintain their properties or find ways to better enforce municipal codes.
Krebes said he’s been doing research on for-profit prisons and detention centers and discovered they’ve always had a negative impact on the communities they’ve located in.
Krebes said the city has wonderful police, fire and emergency medical services, but he’s disappointed that Fire Station 2 on the west side is closed.
“I’d rather have it stay open 24/7, if not just for fire. It could also be a warming center in winter,” Krebes said.
Krebes is a retired steelworker, a member of the Friends of Robinson Lake and is active with St. Bridget Church. He and his wife Anne have four children.
Spott cited vacant properties and overall maintenance on the west side as the most stressing issues facing the 5th District.
“I’d like to see more improvements on the west side. It needs some sprucing up,” he said.
“The downtown business section is decent at this point. The city should compromise its spending there a little bit and emphasze the west side more,” Spott said.
He said the Neighborhood Spotlight program is a good initiative that should open doors to new ideas and opportunities for the west side and the city as a whole.
He said he didn’t think the possibility of having an immigrant detention center in the city is a good idea.
“It’s not good for business and residential property values and wouldn’t help the city as a whole. It should be studied more in-depth,” Spott said.
He’s been a Hobart resident since 1998, has four children and is employed at an electric motor services company in Griffith.
Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter.
