Lake Bluff's representative on the Lake County Board could soon be chosen by appointment rather than election. That's one consequence of a wave of departures reshaping the 19-member body that controls a $676.6 million budget affecting every municipality in the county.

Board Chair Sandy Hart, who has represented District 13 (Lake Bluff, Knollwood and parts of Gurnee, North Chicago and Waukegan) since 2012, is the likely Democratic candidate for Lake County treasurer, according to the Chicago Tribune. If Hart wins in November, her board seat would be filled by appointment, leaving Lake Bluff without an elected representative on the county board. Hart faces Republican David Penaherrer of the Barrington area.

The transition accelerated Tuesday, Aug. 11, when Brandon X. Ewing, 34, was sworn in to fill the District 9 seat left vacant by the June 23 death of Vice Chair Dr. Mary Ross Cunningham. Ewing will serve only until Dec. 7, when the winner of a November special election takes over. He has already been named the Democratic candidate for the permanent seat; no Republican had filed as of Aug. 11.

Five board members are not seeking re-election: Linda Pedersen, Ann Maine, Jessica Vealitzek, Angelo Kyle and Michael Danforth. Maine has represented a district that includes portions of Lake Forest since 2002.

Ewing's priorities

Ewing, a former president of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education and a member of the Waukegan Planning & Zoning Board, told the Chicago Tribune he plans a "deep dive" into the county budget, which he called "a moral document."

"You can tell me whatever you want to tell me, what you believe in, what you want to invest in, but where you actually put your dollars is what you really truly value," Ewing said at his Aug. 11 swearing-in.

The county's current fiscal year budget includes $390.2 million in operating funds and more than $100 million for infrastructure improvements. District 9 covers Waukegan and North Chicago, not Lake Forest or Lake Bluff. But county board votes on infrastructure spending, public health programs and law enforcement funding affect all Lake County residents.

Shifting partisan balance

The board's partisan makeup stands at 14 Democrats to five Republicans. Three of the five departing members (Pedersen, Maine and Danforth) are Republicans, and every open seat has a Democratic candidate. The majority could widen after November.

At the Aug. 11 meeting, member Jennifer Clark was unanimously elected vice chair, replacing Cunningham. State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, the first Black senator from Lake County, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

How to weigh in

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff residents vote in the Nov. 3 general election, which will include races for seats in Districts 11, 12 and 13 that directly represent their communities. Key dates from the Lake County Clerk's office:

  • Online voter registration deadline: Oct. 18
  • In-person/mail registration deadline: Oct. 6 (grace period registration at the Clerk's office through Oct. 16)
  • Early voting countywide: Oct. 19 through Nov. 2
  • Election Day polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.