Two seeking supervisor seat in Kendall

Democratic endorsed candidate Jack Gillman will be facing Republican endorsed William Vick in the race for the supervisor seat in the Town of Kendall.

Political newcomer Jack Gillman said he is running for the supervisor seat in Kendall because it's a "great little town" and he wants to put his efforts into keeping it that way.

Water, in all forms, is an issue in Kendall, Gillman said.

"Having a fresh supply of water for the residents to drainage issues to the fact that the lake levels have been raised are all issues that need to be addressed by the board," Gillman said. "I've talked to many people while I've been out campaigning and know we need to work to resolve the water issues we are seeing here."

Gillman said he will bring fresh, unbiased ideas to the town board.

"I don't have any special interest groups that I have to worry about and I can treat everyone fairly," he said. "Because I'm retired, I can put a lot of time into the job - I don't look at the supervisor position as a part time job."

The residents would have access to him 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he said.

"Being a supervisor brings with it a responsibility to be available when the need arises within the community," he said.

Even though he has never held public office before, Gillman said he has served as president of the Coalition for the 14621 zip code. "We worked very well as a team and accomplished a lot in the way of keeping the streets clean," he said. "It was an interactive group that was available to all of the neighbors as a way to come together and better the community."

Gillman and his wife, Marge, raised four children, two in the town of Kendall.

"Because I don't have any ties politically, I would be able to treat everyone fairly," he said. "If elected I want residents to come to me with the issues, because if I don't know what's on the minds of the people in the community, I can't work to make it better."

William Vick, who served on the Town of Kendall board in the 1970s, said he is running because he wants to see changes in the way the board is run.

"First and foremost, the town board serves at the pleasure of the people," he said. "There are certain duties that are mandated by law but the board needs to go to the people for input and to gather the feelings of the majority before making decisions."

Public hearings aren't always the way to go when a board has to make a decision, Vick said, because they are not always well attended.

"Surveys, polls and referendums are one way to gauge the will of the people," he said.

Vick said there are issues that must be resolved in the areas of code improvement and code enforcement services.

"Code enforcement services need significant improvement," he said. "We need to work on cleaning up the appearance of the community. Most people adhere to the procedures of the laws but for those that don't, they can't be allowed to infringe on the rights of the people who obey them."

Even though it's a rural community, Vick said, like most municipalities it has suffered economic impacts by rising costs.

"We need to search for ways to implement realistic economic growth within the community or in concert with our neighboring counties," he said.

Vick is a lifelong resident and resides in Kendall with his wife, Sheryl.

"I'm running because instead of just complaining and wanting change, you have to get involved and become active in the community and the way things are done," he said.

October 9, 2005