Libertyville Township voters will need to be extra careful during the upcoming April election, with two O’Connors unrelated to each other running for the supervisor seat.
Candidates Kathleen O’Connor and Robin O’Connor are good-natured about the somewhat unusual circumstances. Robin O’Connor said she’s reminded voters to choose “the right O’Connor.”
“With all my involvement in the community for many years, I am well-known,” Robin O’Connor said. “But some I have heard asked if we were sisters.”
Some of her musician friends had even joked about making a jingle titled, “She’s not my sister,” Robin O’Connor said.
Kathleen O’Connor said anyone looking at the ballot might assume it’s a case of family tension, but “thankfully that’s not the case. We were just blessed with the same last name.
“I encourage folks to make sure they look closely at that ballot,” Kathleen O’Connor said. “My opponent’s name will be listed first.”
Incumbent Kathleen O’Connor, who grew up in Libertyville, has been township supervisor since 2009. She points to her lengthy track record in local government. She served as a trustee, has a master’s in social work, worked in subsidized housing in Waukegan for 12 years, served on various county commissions, and was chair for the Lake County Coordinated Transportation Services Committee for about 10 years.
Kathleen O’Connor said she knows her opponent from her time serving as a trustee. Kathleen O’Connor hopes her own work speaks for itself, saying she has been transparent and put the township first.
“Hopefully they’ll feel confident that I’ve been a good steward of their resources,” she said.
Kathleen O’Connor emphasized the job of supervisor is a non-political position, with both candidates running as independents.
“You’re really helping your neighbors, and there’s a lot of freedom in that,” she said. “You have a lot of flexibility.”
The township plays several roles, including assessing taxing parcels, taking care of 27 miles of unincorporated roads and, in the case of the supervisor’s office, providing for those in need in the community, Kathleen O’Connor said.
That can range from monthly stipends, a publicly funded emergency assistance program, a community food pantry and eviction assistance.
Libertyville Township has about 1,500 acres of open space, and is one of a handful of townships in Illinois with an open space district, Kathleen O’Connor said.
She thanks residents for their past support, saying it has been “such an honor to serve” in the role. She also reassured residents that, looking ahead, the township has finally obtained a federal permit for the Donnelly Prairies and Oaks Preserve Wetland mitigation bank, a process that has taken nearly seven years.
Robin O’Connor, a longtime Libertyville resident, has previously served as the Lake County clerk, manager for a forest preserve in Lake County and was a Libertyville Township trustee for 12 years.
“I understand the logistics and what the job entails, and I have done a lot of interesting (jobs) from when I left that position until deciding to run for supervisor,” Robin O’Connor said.
She felt it is important for a new voice to be brought to the position, and bring “new looks and different perspectives. Elected jobs should not be career positions.
“I’m committed to enhancing transparency, accountability,” Robin O’Connor continued. “I promote fiscal responsibility, and I’m known for embracing technology. I’m quite an innovator.”
She also emphasized her willingness and track record with utilizing technology. There are “lots of avenues” that technology can be used to, “increase fiscal responsibility and innovation,” Robin O’Connor said.
“I’m the kind of individual that looks at a total system and says, ‘What can we do better? How can we do this better? How can we do it more efficiently, and maybe use technology to help us bring some innovation,” she O’Connor said.
Libertyville’s specialty is its expansive open land and many lakes, Robin O’Connor said. Both require preserving and care, especially the lakes.
“We have a lot of lakes, and a lot of them are really not healthy, and a lot of people don’t understand that,” she said.
Robin O’Connor highlighted her time as Lake County clerk, which she said required managing extensive records and a high level of responsibility. Her tenure, which included the period of the COVID pandemic, was focused on making “over 100 changes,” from “very, very small” to “very large.”
