Political rematch set for Lake Geneva's third district
Peg Esposito is challenging Alderman Richard Hedlund during the April 4 spring election in a political rematch from the 2021 spring election.
Alderman Richard Hedlund is sworn in by City Clerk Lana Kropf shorty after a previous election. Hedlund is being challenged for his District 3 seat on the Lake Geneva City Council during the April 4 spring election.
Many people visited Downtown Lake Geneva, Dec. 28, to enjoy the warmer winter temperatures.
A political rematch is set for Lake Geneva’s third district during the April 4 spring election.
Incumbent Richard Hedlund is set to face Peg Esposito during the upcoming election as a rematch from the 2021 spring election, which Hedlund won by three votes.
Esposito said she was surprised she lost the 2021 election by only three votes but hopes to have a different outcome this year.
“I was shocked to lose by so little. I don’t think I was very much of a known quantity at the time, and it surprised me that I only lost by three votes,” Esposito said. “This time I’m hoping to swing those three votes and maybe a few others.”
Hedlund said he was not as surprised by the close result because he did not do much campaigning before that election.
“I didn’t even campaign,” Hedlund said. “I didn’t even put a sign in my own yard.”
Richard HedlundHedlund said he was not going to seek re-election at first but changed his mind after being encouraged to run again by several residents.
“It wasn’t my first choice,” Hedlund said. “I really believe in term limits, but I also think some people on the city council have agendas, and I don’t other than to do what’s best for the City of Lake Geneva.”
Hedlund said he feels some of the issues that are affecting Lake Geneva include the budget deficit, lack of available parking, determining a use for the former Hillmoor Golf Course property and retaining quality city employees.
“I think we need to make a concentrated effort to keep the employees that we have that are good,” he said.
Hedlund said if re-elected he would like to help the city find additional sources of revenue such as possibly implementing a Premiere Resort Area Tax. The city has placed a non-binding referendum question on the ballot for the spring election asking residents if such a tax should be established for Lake Geneva.
“That way we don’t have to put it all on the property tax revenue. It can be paid by all the people who use police and fire and public works and our roads,” Hedlund said. “The people who use that should be paying for it. The people in Lake Geneva should not have to pay the full share of it.”
Hedlund said he also wants to help the city balance its budget and help solve the city’s parking issues.
“The $4 parking is not a permanent thing and if we can find other ways to pay for things we need to pay for, we can reduce that,” Hedlund said. “It’s not a money grab. Some people think it’s a money grab, and it’s not.”
Hedlund said he would like to help the city find a use for the former Hillmoor Golf Course property, which it recently purchased for $6 million. He said the property would be a good location for the Geneva Lakes Family YMCA.
“If I had it my way, we would do it as a property exchange and we would put a parking garage where the ‘Y’ is, which to me makes total sense,” Hedlund said. “If I do get re-elected, I’m going to work on that.”
Hedlund was appointed District 3 alderman by the city council October 2014 to fill out a term left vacant by Sturges Taggart who died that September.
He ran unopposed during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 spring elections before being challenged by Esposito in 2021.
Hedlund said he has enjoyed serving as a city alderman.
“I know I’m doing the best I can to make the quality of life in Lake Geneva better,” he said.
Hedlund has lived in Lake Geneva since 1985. He said he has enjoyed being a resident of Lake Geneva.
“I like the city. I like the people. I like the environment,” Hedlund said. “I go away a couple of times for like a week in the wintertime, but for the most part I like the climate of Lake Geneva. In the summer, there’s no place prettier that I’ve seen and I’m 76 years old and I’ve been to a lot of places.”
Peg EspositoEsposito said she decided to run for alderman to help improve communication between city government and the residents.
“I want to make it easier for the citizens of Lake Geneva to get information about the city,” Esposito said. “I’m good at communicating, and I feel that the city doesn’t do a really good job of letting people know what’s going on and when votes are coming up. That communication part seems to be lacking, and I tend to work on that.”
Esposito said if elected she would like to help city officials establish a newsletter for residents.
“It would be something within the city so citizens would be able to look and find things and get the information that is important to them,” Esposito said. “I feel the citizens don’t get the before the vote information often enough.”
Esposito said she feels some of the major issues currently affecting Lake Geneva include determining a use for the former Hillmoor Golf Course property, finding solutions to the city’s parking issues and developing more affordable housing.
“I think that’s something we really haven’t tackled well,” Esposito said of affordable housing.
Esposito said if elected she would like to help the city find a use for the former Hillmoor Golf Course property.
“I’s so glad they ended up purchasing Hillmoor,” Esposito said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to make just a great entrance into the city and a place for people to get to know each other. As the council gets to approve that stuff, it would be nice to be right there front and center.”
Esposito said she also would like the city to get residents more involved with decision-making processes. She said many residents have information that would be helpful to the city.
“For example the South Street pathway, if somebody said, ‘We got a grant and we want to spend a whole lot of money putting in a 10-foot path,’ I don’t think anybody would have said, ‘Well, South Street. Let’s put it in there,’” Esposito said. “There were other options. I think if they had asked the citizens where would be the best place to put this, I think that the citizens would’ve come up with a better solution.”
Esposito is a member of the Lake Geneva Board of Park Commissioners. She also has been involved with the Friends of Hillmoor group.
“I’ve always helped them out with the print materials and things like that,” Esposito said of the Friends of Hillmoor group. “I tend to offer my services as a marketing person when I can.”
Esposito ran unsuccessfully for District 3 aldermen in 2010 against then incumbent Bill Mott.
She has lived in Lake Geneva since 1990 and has enjoyed living in the community.
“What’s not to love? It’s a great city. It’s very much like the place where I grew up,” Esposito said. “I grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota which is a tourist town near a big body of water. This really feels like home in so many ways. The people here are really wonderful.”
