Highland GOP chair: ‘We’re the shining star of the county’
When the Town of Highland’s newly elected Republican majority council is sworn in, residents can expect more transparency and “smart development,” though that development may not include the proposed senior assisted-living center on Cline Avenue, according to one councilman-elect.
Highland Republican Chairman Roger Sheeman, who beat 5th Ward Democratic incumbent Konnie Kuiper by 45 votes — 1,814 to 1,779, according to the unofficial Lake County Election results — said Tuesday night he and his running mates, Mark Schocke and Tom Black, were “happy as a lark” with their victory.
Their winning gives Highland its first Republican-led Council since 2007, and Sheeman said he wasn’t surprised they won.
“I call this a ‘wave election,’ and if we’d had (a full slate of candidates), we’d have won all five spots,” Sheeman said, acknowledging he had the toughest race of the three. “There’s a lot of happiness here tonight; (Lake County Republican Chairman) Dan (Dernulc) was just here, and he was ecstatic.
“(With winning the most seats in one election), we’re the shining star of the county.”
Sheeman said several issues, such as Town Council President Steve Wagner’s job-related absences since 2016, were big factors in the victory.
The proposed senior center was another.
“It’s a touchy situation. The town doesn’t have a lot of land left to develop — really, just the Scheeringa and Zandstra farms — and we can’t just rape all the taxpayers with tax abatements like the one given to the Cardinal Campus,” Sheeman said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to be ‘No, no, no’ to everything, but it has to be smart development.”
And without a lot of revision to its current plan, the senior center, which has caused much discussion on social media, may not make the cut.
“It’s dead as it stands right now,” Sheeman said.
James Wieser, the local attorney representing property owners Griffland LLC, said Friday that Iowabased developer
The Russell Group is planning to work with architects to incorporate changes suggested during an October study session, and that it offered to the Plan Commission both by letter and during Wednesday’s study session to withdraw and resubmit the “tweaked” plans for public hearing at a later date. The project’s overall scope, however, will not change, he said.
HIghland’s Democratic Party Chairwoman Marsha Novak, for her part, said she wishes the new councilmen-elect well and that Dems will continue to do their best for the town. She was especially proud that the candidates kept themselves out of the social media nastiness during the months leading up to the election.
“I believe our candidates have integrity, and we have our heads held high because we didn’t stoop to (naysayers’) level, Novak said. “If the people wanted to believe what they read, so be it.
“We worked with five wonderful men these last 12 years, and they’re disappointed with the outcome. But in four years, we’ll be ready again.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the PostTribune.