Longtime incumbents and slates vie for control in Western Lake County towns
A mix of longtime incumbents, newcomers and slates are vying for control in Fox Lake, Round Lake and Wauconda mayor and village board races on April 1.
FOX LAKE
Incumbent and lifelong resident Donny Schmit is seeking a fourth term. The former planning commissioner and village trustee was elected to the top spot in 2013 and has run unopposed the last two elections.
He's challenged by political newcomer Sean R. Stochl, a professor at Judson University in Elgin and village business and property owner. His father, Ron Stochl, is a village trustee and former Schmit running mate.
“My record speaks for itself,” said Schmit. “It’s been a lifelong commitment for me to serve this community.”
Schmit says he is most proud of creating the new $12.5 million Lakefront Park as a generational family venue and community hub. He wants to build off that success and continue to revitalize downtown and attract new development.
“We’re really going to start marketing our village,” he said. “We've got a lot of interest from developers.”
Stochl contends the village has considerable untapped potential in the lakefront area and undeveloped spaces but has missed opportunities. Fox Lake is at a critical crossroads, he said, and should be a destination not a drive-through.
“One of the biggest things in Fox Lake is we’ve been so stagnant for so many years as the surrounding communities have passed us by,” he said. “Residents drive to other towns for entertainment, dining and shopping taking their tax dollars with them.”
Lakefront Park is beautiful, he acknowledged, but is critical of the cost of a venue that can’t be fully used year round.
ROUND LAKE
Proven leadership and real results are the mantra for Russell Kraly as he seeks a second term as mayor. Kraly, who has 44 years in public service, including stints as village administrator and trustee, says if elected this will be his last term.
He ran unopposed in 2021 but is challenged this year by Trustee Brian Brubaker, who is finishing an elected two-year term and will be off the board if he loses. Brubaker heads a slate including incumbents Kevin Strine and John Boyk and newcomer Howard Schultz for three 4-year trustee terms and Juan Antonio DeLuna Iniguez, who is running unopposed for a 2-year term.
Incumbent Trustee Sanjay Patel is seeking a third term and is running with Kraly. Attorney Elisabeth Efird also is running for trustee.
A Kraly ally contested the use of Round Lake Forward as the slate’s official ballot name as a new political party. The name was struck but the candidates were allowed to remain on the ballot.
That’s one of the points Kraly highlighted in a mailer saying election rules are clear and the opponents failed to file correctly.
“If they can’t handle election paperwork, how can they run the village?” he asks.
He also said a ski hill proposed for 94 village-owned acres north and west of Townline and Fairfield roads was inherited from previous leadership and the property’s lease won’t be renewed.
The emergence of the proposal, defeated in September 2022, lured Brubaker back into public office. He previously served one-term as trustee but wasn’t reelected in 2009.
While the ski hill proposal was the catalyst that brought the slate together, the property itself was a potential opportunity lost.
“For 20 years, we've really not done or brought any economic development to our town that’s significant to our sales tax base,” he said.
Kraly noted the planned realignment of Cedar Lake Road through downtown will boost growth and development but Brubaker said the village needs to work with existing businesses and those that will be displaced to keep them viable as the project is built.
WAUCONDA
Slates of candidates are dueling for all four available seats on the village board.
Incumbent Mayor Jeff Sode is seeking a second term. He heads Wauconda Strong 2025 with trustees Tim Howe and Sam Stein and newcomer Matthew J. Brown.
Mayoral challenger J.R. (Robert) Meyers leads Wauconda Screams 4 Ice Cream with trustee candidates Wende Walker, Lisa Noga and Sandra Mosak.
Sode said there are several projects and initiatives to enhance the village that he wants to see through.
“We all have the same vision for the village going forward,” he said of his running mates. “We’ve got a lot of things in the hopper, so to speak.”
Among them is an agreement with a developer to build a Starbucks and make improvements in an area south of Route 176 and east of Route 12, and establishing a special financing district for the downtown area.
Meyers, a business owner, spoke on behalf of residents who supported a code change to allow ice cream trucks to operate in residential areas, which was voted down by the village board. He also advocated for food trucks downtown and has been critical of other board actions, such as the home rule request in 2023, which was defeated.
“I understand growth has to happen but I don't want to step on the small businesses’ toes,” he said. “I’m a small business supporter.”
Sode said the village has nothing against food or ice cream trucks. They are allowed on private property but barred from public streets to protect existing businesses, he said.