Aldermanic rivals pitch Waukegan image, property base

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Updated: May 20, 2011 4:59AM

WAUKEGAN — The April 5 race to fill 7th Ward Ald. Patrick Needham’s seat on the City Council features independent candidate Lisa May, founder of the Friends of Waukegan Beach activist group, against Democrat William “Bill” Sarocka, a member of the Waukegan Park District Board.

Needham, a Republican who was first elected to succeed Phil Stevenson in 1999, did not file to run for a fourth term. Earlier this year, Republican Maurice A. Buhnerkemper was removed from the ballot by the Waukegan Electoral Board.

The 7th Ward covers the city’s northeast side, running from the lakefront to McAree Road on the west, and from the city limits on the north to a rough line of Glen Flora Avenue, Greenwood Avenue and Golf Road on the south.

May, a lifetime Waukegan resident who graduated from Waukegan East High School in 1982 and works in the title and mortgage finance industry, said she feels the critical issue facing the city is its image. “Image has the power to create consequences, both negative and positive,” she said.

“I’m well aware of the financial crisis facing our city, and it’s going to take a lot more than a tax hike or fee increases to ensure long-term financial health,” May said. “I will work towards improving and promoting our image. I hope to be part of a professional, accessible and responsible City Council that will conduct business in a manner that benefits the best interest of our residents.

“I will advocate for accountability and transparency in city government. I will build relationships that will create strong partnerships both within and outside of Waukegan to accomplish everything from volunteer projects and outreach to business development and recruitment.”

May added, “I will celebrate and promote every success we achieve, no matter how big or small, to create synergy and build a new reputation for our city. I believe in Waukegan.”

Sarocka, a former mortgage banker who moved into property management and was elected to the Waukegan Park Board in 2007, said he feels “plummeting property values and rising taxes” are the No. 1 issue facing the city.

“We in the City Council must have an eye on the future to address what this will mean for our future city budgets,” Sarocka said. “As everyone who has lived in Waukegan for the past 10 years knows, we have experienced a decline in property values which has led to an extraordinary amount of foreclosures and lost equities for our residents. For the people who have stayed here there is a large amount of uncertainty as to the housing market in Waukegan.

“For the City Council, it has and will continue to be the ‘large orange gorilla in the room’ that will be affecting future budgets as the equalized assessed valuations continue to decline ... Those effects on city revenues will have to be closely monitored and programs put into place that will specifically address our housing market. What I will propose, if elected, is a new committee that addresses the EAV, housing market, foreclosure issues, and their future effects to be ahead of the game, versus being reactive to these issues.”