There will be a primary election for Salem town chairman this Tuesday to narrow the field from four candidates to two candidates.
Those two will then vie for the two-year chairman term on the April 5 ballot.
Below is video of interviews with each of the candidates, presented in alphabetic order:
Dennis Faber’s family has lived in western Kenosha County since the 1800s, he said. He grew up in Silver Lake and attended Riverview School and Wilmot High School. he attended the forerunner of today’s Gateway Technical College, earning an associate degree in marketing. Faber worked for JC Penny, Gander Mountain and Herters in various capacities such as buyer. More recently he has worked as a construction equipment sales representative. Faber was originally appointed to the Town Board to fill a vacancy in August 2003 and has subsequently been re-elected supervisor each time, most recently in April 2010. Here’s his video interview:
Patrick O’Connell has lived in Salem for 20 years. He is married and has four children. He has been a town supervisor for eight years. He also is currently the vice president of the Community Library Board. In the past, he has served on the Board of Directors of The Sharing Center and was a Meals on Wheels volunteer. He ran unsuccessfully for county treasurer twice and for a county supervisor seat once. Here’s his video interview:
Diann Tesar has lived in Salem for 37 years. She is married and has two teen-aged daughters. Tesar is a graduate of Central High School and is a teacher, currently substituting in several local school districts. She was a town supervisor from 1991 to 2005, town chairman from 2005 to 2009 and supervisor again since April 2010. She also is secretary of the Hooker Lake Management District and has been a commissioner of the district as well. Here’s her video interview:
Linda Valentine has lived in Salem for 14 years. She has been the chairman since 2009. She is the current president of local Shoreview Improvement Association and is secretary and past treasurer and archivist of Western Kenosha County Historical Society in Trevor. Her post high school education is in education in law enforcement/criminal justice and materials management. Professionally, she has held supervisory positions in manufacturing, procurement and distribution, she said, working for Fortune 500 companies. Before being elected, Valentine points out that she attended six years of government meetings relating to Salem — a total she estimates at 250. Here’s her video interview:
Vote for Diann Tesar. I will!
I find it interesting that 3 candidates get right to the point, plain and simple,,,,,backgrounds visible for everyone to see, whether one agrees with their ideas or not.Then you’ve got Valentine sitting there pontificating her endless ramblings for 8 1/2 minutes,,,,,twice as long as the others. She’s had 2 years to prove herself, but instead, accomplished nothing, made this town look foolish to the surrounding communities,and intimidate anyone that doesn’t “follow” her .It’s time for her to go, and take her personal- self serving agendas with her.
ok i agree 8 1/2 minute about her and rambling i would just like to say that when i ran for town goverment and didnt make it i was a little upset and glad that the people who did get in hade past exsperice and i also would like to say to the person at the meeting that was the last that diane hade run as chair that said sounds like a last ditch effort well the eight and a half minute video sure sounds that way to me so i have to say diane has been a past teacher of mine and is a great canadate go diane and turn the town around get are imagie back and make salem better unlike the past chair
I think that each candidate is worthy of being chairman. I also think that what linda Valentine is saying here in this interview makes perfect sense. She is trying to lure a TYPE of ” Industry” that will see almost endless growth for the next thirty years. The aging baby boomer market. What she said was, that a facility like a nursing home or rehab center is an on going, job creating entity which takes very little away from the community while providing stable service jobs that go on and on. A nursing facility is a TWENTY FOUR HOUR business that requires three shifts of people to work at seven days a week, without putting out noise or smoke or endless trucks coming and going. Sure factories are good jobs but does any body think that Salem would have any chance to get a factory out here when in Kenosha they have existing buildings and people at the ready. So what she is promoting is a sensible industry that is also self fufilling. Most every one of us stands a chance to be in a nursing home or some sort of retirement community in the future. She’s just saying, ” Why not here?’ Do any of the other candidates have a Vision for jobs in our area or are they content with just making sure that the area stays nice and rural for when you get home from your job from who knows where? Each of the other cadidates talked about how things “Were”, Linda talks about how things could be.
It’s a Valentine vision not a board vision. No goals for the future. Instead of working with the rest of the board on what is best with for everyone in the town, Valentine’s personal decisions are shoved down everyone’s throat.
It’s too bad that what we have is one person making all the choices, hers. An example of this is MSB. Disagree with her one time there and she will kick you off of her Making Salem Better group. Board members who don’t do things her way or stand up to her way are “flamed” at meetings and on MSB where they can’t defend themselves. I voted for them and they are my voice, but my voice isn’t being heard.
It is for this reason I would never support Linda Valentine. I don’t want my community to become the next Schaumberg, IL or Lindaville.
Each cadidate talked about the future. Linda just so happened to use the word Vision. She articulated an idea. How can you say that she has no Goals for the future?
How can anyone say that Linda Valentine shoves anything down our throats. It is a five person board. There have been many item’s where she was the only one to vote no or in some cases the only yes vote.
Linda has taken the heat as much as she dish’s it out. The only decisions that she can make alone are to put things on the agenda. But then the others also can put things on the agenda when they want to.
I can’t comment on the claim that she has or has not ” Kicked” anyone off of MSB but, each board member can and do defend their positions at meetings. And if those members that you voted for are speaking for you then your position is being heard. MSB by the way is an example of whats called free speech. Anyone can start a blog like MSB and be the opposition voice. Any takers?
Each vote on the board is equal and from what I have read here and other places, those that are not supporters of linda Valentine seem to think that she have power beyond her vote. Right now it seems to be four votes against one. With that majority, why are you afraid of one Lady?
What she is saying here is that ” I have an idea to bring jobs to Salem.” Anyone can bring to the board a plan for a business. If someone came forward and said that they wanted to build a nursing home, would the board vote no? Would you encourage the board to vote no? If so, why?
One nursing home does not make us a Schaumberg. It just keeps you from driving that far to be in one.
well like i said now her supporters are making a last ditch effort to keep her in i can tell u what i hope happens i hope the two on the list after tommrow votes are two new names and the incumbent doesent even make the regular election
My vote is going to be for Linda.
After viewing all of the candidates videos I have to say Linda seems to be the only one that had some coffee before the taping. The others just about put me to sleep.
When I had a question about the recent property tax increases for Trevor I emailed Linda asking for an explanation. I was amazed at the extent of her explanation. She responded with a very interesting and lengthy reply. And for that I was very grateful.
Because of Linda I subscribed to “makingsalembetter” and enjoy the postings I have read so far. Sometimes the responses seem a little bit heated but I also understand people are passionate and they all seem too shake hands in the end.
I believe of all the candidates Linda will keep the public more informed of what’s going on at the local level.
Thank You Linda for the job you’ve done so far.
I see L.V. Pushing the button that ruins it all.
I attend a lot of meetings in the past , more so in the last two years, When Linda
got voted in , you could see that the board at that time was not going to support her at all. and every meeting Pat O’Connell would rant and rave for a half a hour during
the meetings and then blame Linda for dragging out the meetings. When you got four
Supervisor trying every meeting to make her look bad, instead of doing there job.
It looked like the four Supervisor had perplaned each meeting, To make Linda defend herself , There rotten sceem seem to work.Two Supervisor are up for reelection in April. They need to be replaced with the new ones running, Then Linda could have a even playing field. So in April retain Linda and vote for Dan Campion and Gail Peckler-Dziki. Try to make it to a meeting bafore the election and see for your self.