5 Candidates Vie for 3 Spots on Lake Zurich Board

Editor's Note: Over the next few days, Lake Zurich Patch will provide several articles which will provide the candidates' views on key issues within the village and what they think is most important. All five candidates were given a questionnaire and had the same amount of time to prepare and submit their answers, which will be presented in their own words in each article.

The order of their responses will be different in each article so that each candidate is fairly represented. Today's candidate profiles are being presented in alphabetical order according to their last names.

Five candidates are seeking to fill five available posts on the Lake Zurich Village Board in the Tuesday, April 5 consolidated election. 

Incumbent Tom Poynton and former Mayor John Tolomei are running as independents. Mark Ernst, Dana Rzeznik and Jennifer Talley are running as part of the LZ Vision party along with incumbent Kathleen Johnson, who is running unopposed for village clerk.

Mark Ernst           

Ernst, 62, has been a Lake Zurich resident for about six years. He resides at 60 S. Rand Rd.

Family information: Married to Nijole, with 5 children between us; ages 42 to 32 and five grandchildren ages 15 to 7 months.

Why he wants to serve on the Village Board

Over the past several years I have seen the village board cease to work together and instead of focusing on the people’s business focused on their own issues.  Interactions seemed to be characterized by pettiness, getting even, and not collaborating to get things done.

I teamed up with Dana Rzeznik and Jenny Tally, two very competent and professional women who have a track record of success and the ability to work together because I saw the choice facing the voters was to “go back to the future” by looking at politicians who have put forth failed plans.

I have a proven track record of working collaboratively to solve complex problems. I have earned the respect of my colleagues in the Chamber of Commerce, and I want to bring those skills to the Village board.

Relevant awards, community service or elected positions

I presently serve as a trustee of the Lake Zurich Police Pension Board and I am a member of the Board of Directors for the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce. I have been an active Chamber member and last year served as a vice president and co-chair of the LZINC networking group; and for the past two years I have served at the President of the Lake Property Owners Association. 

Throughout my career I have “given back” by serving on not-for-profit boards including the Orange County Urban League; Claremont University School of Behavioral and Organizational Science; and the Chapman University Business School/Masters of Human Resources Advisory Board.

Tom Poynton

Poynton, 64, has been a Lake Zurich resident for 26 years and resides at 980 Old Mill Grove Rd.

Family information: Poynton relocated to Lake Zurich from Pittsburgh, PA.  He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY.  He is the representative of the Countryside East subdivision. He is married to his wife  Jan and has a son Chris and two daughters Tracie (Brisbane, Australia) and Kim (Buffalo, NY). The Poyntons also have two grandchildren, Nathan and Morgan.

Why he wants to serve on the Village Board

I’m running for Trustee because as good as we are as a community, we can be better!!! And we deserve better! Lake Zurich is a fantastic Village full of interested, committed and concerned residents and businesses. Village government (Board and staff) has made great strides in improving our government. We can still do a better job of improving the trust, at all levels, between residents and government.  I’d like all of the residents and businesses of Lake Zurich to feel informed and involved. The next four years hold many challenges for the economy and our community and we’re going to have to do better.

In 2007 I ran on increased accountability, more transparency, the attainment of higher standards by Board, staff and employees, better customer service, a fairer shake for the residents and a desire to find equitable solutions that benefit all the residents of Lake Zurich first. Well, fortunately many of those things are happening. It’s sometimes messy and not very pretty but progress is being made.

As an elected official in Lake Zurich I have been fortunate to have been given great opportunities to involve myself with many behind the scenes issues most people may not see. I have immersed myself in the job for which I was elected. I’ve tried to listen and help any and all persons who have had concerns in our Village, to the best of my ability. I have always done what I thought was best to correct the situation and residents concerns. I have worked with residents, businesses, staff and other Board members in a collaborative manner for the betterment of the community and I will continue to do that.

When I ran for office in 2007 I had been very involved in local political and governmental activities.  My running mates and I thought that a change was needed in Lake Zurich. I felt that residents needed a more transparent Village government; That residents had a right to know how their tax dollars were being spent; That the accountability of the Board and the staff needed to be improved; That residents needed better “customer service” than they were getting; That the processes used in village government needed to be improved upon.  Giant strides have been made to address those issues.

When I was elected I was “Joe Resident” trying to find a “better way.” I never thought of myself as being a “politician.”  I only wanted to help the residents and community to the best of my ability. I hope I have lived up to the expectations that you the residents have placed in me when you elected me in 2007. I am still  “Joe Resident” trying to find a “better way”.

My candidacy secures diversity of thought on behalf of the residents and helps eliminate the possibility of a "rubber stamp board”.

It has been my honor and privilege to serve the residents and businesses of Lake Zurich Trustee.

Relevant awards, community service or elected positions

I am a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a bachelor of science degree in business management. I have participated in “Elected Officials” training offered by various municipal attorneys including Holland & Knight and Ancel, Glink, as well as the Lake County Municipal League, Illinois Municipal League and Northwest  Municipal Conference. I have attended Texas A&M Continuing Education seminars on: Public Information Officer, Senior Officials All-Hazards Seminar and a Mayoral Institute Seminar in order to better understand my role as a Trustee and to better serve the residents and businesses of Lake Zurich.

In my role as Trustee I am a member of the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce’s Government Committee. I have been chairman of the Village Board’s Public Safety Committee, as well as a member of the Board’s Finance Committee; liaison to the Building & Zoning Department; liaison to the Police Department. I am also a member of Citizens and Police Advisory Committee (CPAC). I was in the first class to complete the Lake Zurich Police Department’s Civilian Police Academy.  I am the village board representative on the Board of Directors of Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO). And I am a member of the Lake Zurich Citizens Corps. I have immersed myself in Village government and issues and I will continue to do so.

I am a member of St. Frances de Sales Parish, a Vietnam era Army veteran, and retired sales and marketing executive as well as a former small business owner.

 I have been active in the community as a booster and volunteer – Sarah Adams School, Lake Zurich Middle School South and Lake Zurich High School, Lake Zurich Quarterback Club, and Ela Area and Lake Zurich High School Soccer Programs in addition to volunteering in Lake Zurich Parks, Kids Kingdom, 4th of July Picnic, and the annual Lake Zurich Triathlon.

Dana Rzeznik           

Rzeznik  resides at 865 Warwick Lane and has lived in Lake Zurich for 18 years.

Family information: She has been married to her husband Joe for 28 years and they have two sons.

Why she wants to serve on the Village Board

I have been a Lake Zurich resident for over 18 years and I deeply care for the future of the Village. Having grown up in a communist country, I feel very lucky to be able to live in a democratic society – I want to give back through community involvement and public service.  Through my education and professional experience I have a lot to offer to the residents of Lake Zurich as their representative on the Village Board as we face very difficult issues in the years ahead.

Relevant awards, community service or elected position

Elected for two consecutive years as president of the Board of the Emmaus House of Hospitality – a local charity dedicated to fighting hunger and homelessness in Lake County,

Chosen as a Lake Zurich Citizen of the Year in 2009.

Profiled as a “Volunteer of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune in August 2009,

Active supporter of the Lake Zurich High School Quarterback Club, LZBSA, LZ Flames,

Active member and volunteer at the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce,

Volunteer at too many community events to list.

Jennifer Talley

Talley, 38, resides at 413 Prairie Lane and has been a Lake Zurich resident for 12 years.

Family information: married to her husband Geoff. The Talleys have two sons: Braedon, 11 and Reid, 10.

Why she wants to serve on the Village Board

I am raising a young family and feel it is time for me to become more involved in the community as my children get older. Lake Zurich has been voted one of the top places to raise a family; we need to continue to live up to that. 

There are some very tough decisions coming forward in the village and I feel with my experience in running a company, I will be able to bring creative leadership, new ideas, a positive attitude and out of the box thinking to the Village Board. 

I have no personal agenda; my goal is to listen to what our residents and local          businesses have to say and work on bringing their concerns or ideas to the table

Relevant awards, community service or elected position           

I am treasurer and an active volunteer of the Carolyn Gable Expect A Miracle Foundation in Lake Zurich.  We help children of single working parents by paying for their extra curricular activities such as team sports, dance, music lesions, swim lessons, etc.

John Tolomei

Tolomei, 57, resides at 190 N. Old Rand Road and has been a Lake Zurich resident for 24 years.

Family information: He is married to his wife Sharon.

Why he wants to serve on the Village Board

Lake Zurich is a great community. I worked for many years to continually improve our Village facilities and infrastructure.  As a Trustee I believe my years of experience can provide valuable insight as we work to build a business friendly environment and a downtown with places to visit and things to do.

Relevant awards, community service or elected position           

Elected Village Trustee in 1995, 1993 and 2003. Elected Mayor of Lake Zurich in 2007. Member of Foglia YMCA Board of Directors. Member of Downtown Revitalization Committee.