A long line is starting to form to try to grab three trustee seats on the Manteno Village Board in next year’s municipal elections.
Trustees Joel Geske, Todd Crockett and Annette Zimbelman’s terms are up in April and there figures to be a hefty list of residents who want to take over those hot seats.
Resident Karen Brzezicki is the latest to announce her intentions. She used the public comment section of the Oct. 19 village board meeting to announce she is running for a trustee position in the April 5 election.
“I feel like I can contribute to this board and help people and maybe bridge some gaps a little bit,” she said. “I feel like I don’t lean too far one way or the other and I would be able to work with multiple parties.”
The new Manteno Leadership party announced in late September that Eric Peterson, Jacob Carlile and Eric Urbanski will run in the April election.
The Manteno Choice Party, which features Geske, Crockett and Zimbelman, figures to announce a slate and the Manteno Freedom Party, which features Mayor Annette LaMore and trustees Mike Barry and Peggy Vaughn, also figures to announce a slate in the near future.
If all that comes to fruition, that would be at least 10 people on the ballot.
The mixture of the Manteno Choice Party and the Manteno Freedom Party has been combustible on the board in recent years.
However, the two meetings in October have been peaceful and controversy-free.
Paicz sworn in
Jim Paicz was sworn in as the village’s building director and zoning and code officer after a taffy pull with the board for Mayor LaMore to try to get him appointed.
He has already been on the job for a few weeks.
“Jim’s been doing a wonderful job and we’re lucky to have him,” LaMore said.
He took over for retired Chris LaRocque and originally the board voted 3-2 against his appointment because some questioned if the village had the proper funds to pay him.
He was officially approved at the Oct. 5 meeting.
Trick or Treat hours
LaMore announced that Halloween trick-or-treat hours in the village are 4-8 p.m. On Oct. 31, which is a little longer than usual.
The mayor said that the extended hours are a result of the holiday falling on a Saturday and young families requesting it.