Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the April 1 general election.
The race for village president in Sugar Grove in the April 1 election is between challenger Susan Stillwell and incumbent Jennifer Konen.
Konen, 49, is seeking her second term as village president and said that voters in Sugar Grove are concerned about property taxes, inflation and economic development.
“Property taxes are high. Sugar Grove is probably the highest or one of the highest property tax payers in Kane County. We, as a village, have done a zero property increase the past two years,” she said. “We are working through economic development to create additional revenue sources.”
Inflation is not a village issue, Konen said, although economic development is and said that there “seems to be a push-and-pull in our community” about it.
“Elections decide that (economic development) and they give us direction as folks,” Konen said. “I ran on economic development back in 2021 and I’ve been working towards that end and pushing economic development, and we’ve made great strides but I think there are some folks that don’t want that and I think it will continue to be a challenge for the community in general.”
If elected for a second term, Konen said she wants to focus on local infrastructure needs, continuing economic development in the neighborhoods and working on collaborative tax sharing.
“We have some infrastructure projects relative to water main replacement, storm sewer management and water and sewer relocation in addition to normal roadway and sidewalk repair,” she said. “The other thing with infrastructure has to do with connection and really connecting our neighborhoods via trails, and that has been a big part of our comprehensive plan.”
Konen said she likewise wants to continue to work on economic development in the village and also “continue my collaboration with my fellow taxing bodies.”
“When we cost-share on projects it makes that tax dollar extend a little bit further,” she said.
“Sugar Grove has done a great job in collaboration with other taxing districts and on some of our projects that we can collaborate on, I want to continue to do that,” Konen said. “We have great working relationships with the other taxing bodies, and we want to build on that in the next four years.”
Stillwell, 42, said she is running for village president for the first time and that voters are concerned about the current TIF proposal in town tied to the Crown Community Development project at Interstate 88 and Route 47, as well as taxes and the community climate which she sees as being divided.
“Recently the Kaneland School Board voted to mitigate regarding the TIF. There are a lot of environmental concerns. People are not wanting a data center and fueling stations right in their back yard,” Stillwell said. “They are also not wanting to give the developer – Crown Development – a large tax break for over 20 years. The deal that was made was very in favor of the developer and not the taxing bodies.”
Regarding taxes, Stillwell said that “people are looking for them to be reduced, if possible, but the development that is planned to come in (Crown) wouldn’t do that.”
“People are looking to bring in new high-quality businesses to help lower the tax burden,” she said. “We’re in pretty good shape right now, but people don’t want this huge development coming in that doesn’t reduce the tax burden.”
Stillwell said “the community is looking for peace” over the Crown Development project because “things have been very divisive. Everybody is looking for unification.”
If elected, Stillwell said she wants to work on “increasing the amount of native plants and gardens for a healthy environment and to attract new families here.”
“Some of the aesthetics of Sugar Grove are sort of problematic right now. There’s a lot of concrete on the main street and there’s nothing that looks pleasing,” she said. “I think we could fix that and it would attract some businesses and families as well.”
A second goal “would be looking to pursue some grants – one in particular for the park district,” she said. “There is a grant available from the state right now for them.”
Other goals, Stillwell said, would involve revitalizing the now defunct Sugar Grove farmers market and getting a place for a new village government building.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
