Candidates for the District 12 Lake County Board seat have traded accusations and criticisms ahead of the Nov. 4 election, with Democratic incumbent Paras Parekh facing Republican challenger Andy Dalkin.
District 12 includes Bannockburn, Deerfield, and portions of Highland Park and Lake Forest.
Parekh accused his opponent of holding anti-LGBT and anti-government sentiments, pointing to social media posts Dalkin authored in 2021. Dalkin would “turn back the clock” if elected, Parekh said.
Dalkin denied the characterizations.
“I 100% disagree and deny that I am in any way anti-LGBT or anti-government,” Dalkin said. “I believe in limited government, but that’s not anti-government, and I certainly don’t have any issues with the LGBTQ community whatsoever.”
For his part, Dalkin accused the incumbent of not taking the board position seriously, alleging repeated instances of tardiness. He claimed Parekh had missed “nearly 20% of all meetings he was supposed to go to.”
“He has the worst attendance record on the board,” Dalkin said.
Parekh denied the accusation, and argued his attendance matched that of his fellow board members.
“I can only think of a handful of instances where I have missed meetings,” Parekh said.
Dalkin also said Parekh had gone back on campaign promises regarding keeping taxes down, breaking voter trust. Parekh challenged the accusation, arguing taxes were lower for the county over the last four years relative to inflation, and had gone up “significantly less” than other tax bodies in the area.
Paras Parekh
Parekh has served on the board since 2020, and was previously a West Deerfield township trustee. He’s lived in Highland Park for about a decade, and worked in Lake County for about 20 years. Beyond his positions on the County Board and Lake County Forest Preserves board, Parekh works in marketing.
Parekh feels Lake County is in a strong position as a community, pointing to census data which showed a population bump. The county also has a “ton of companies” and a strong sense of community throughout, he said.
He hopes to build off his four-year track record. That includes “significant” investment into transportation, keeping property taxes low — which he promised to vote for in 2024 — and numerous environmentally friendly moves the board has taken, such as banning the use of single-use plastics, increasing the use of solar and renewable energy and requiring bird-friendly windows on county buildings.
“We are in a strong position in Lake County, and I’ve been a big part of that,” Parekh said.
Looking ahead, Parekh highlights the need for affordable housing, pointing to a recent Lake County housing study.
“What we noticed here in Lake County was that attainable housing isn’t just an issue for residents, which clearly it impacts residents, but it also impacts our ability to draw businesses,” Parekh said.
He also discussed gun violence, pointing to the Highland Park parade shooting, but also gun violence concentrated in Zion, North Chicago and Waukegan.
Andy Dalkin
The campaign for the District 12 seat is Dalkin’s first time running for office. The Lake Forest resident was previously a prosecutor in Cook County for 21 years, serving two decades as an assistant state’s attorney. He later became a criminal defense attorney.
He served as a supervising investigator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, and is an attorney for the Policemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Committee, representing area law enforcement.
“My strength is I’ve had a career of public service as a prosecutor, representing victims of crimes and their families,” Dalkin said. “I currently represent law enforcement, who are out there trying to protect people. And I think they are getting a bad shake. They’re literally under attack.”
Dalkin’s primary concern for the county is its tax rate, which he argued is driving out businesses. He promises to work to lower taxes to attract more people and businesses.
He also highlighted crime, suggesting Lake County has seen an increase in retail theft and burglary. Publicly available data regarding arrests and charges in Lake County from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office only go to 2020, although before the pandemic retail theft had trended up compared to other common arrests and charges.
Dalkin said residents he spoke with are distrustful of the board, and feel it isn’t focused on local issues that impact residents.
“The Lake County Board really doesn’t have an effect on, say, gun control or abortion. They deal with local issues,” Dalkin said. “Issues I’ve heard from people are things like flooding in their front yard, or trains idling by their homes.”
He also talked about general fiscal responsibility, promising his decisions won’t be made for “a couple of votes in the next election cycle,” Dalkin said, but instead to “make sure there’s some responsibility.”
Dalkin praised the Lake County Forest Preserves, promising to keep them maintained for the benefit of all residents and, “if possible and responsible, expanding them.”
