Five candidates seek top spot
By Tara Becker -
tbecker@svnmail.com
FRANKLIN GROVE – Voters Tuesday will find four familiar faces – and one new one – in the race for village president.
Longtime incumbent Bob Logan faces village trustees Ed Uphoff, Diane Nicholson and Tony Schaneberg, and newcomer Marilyn Spangler.
The village president is its chief official and legal representative. The part-time, 4-year position pays a stipend of $3,600 a year.
Village trustees also serve 4 years. Uphoff’s term is up this year, Nicholson and Schaneberg have 2 more years left to serve if they lose this race.
Bob Logan
Logan has been village president 16 years, which makes him the standout candidate, he said.
“What most people don’t realize is that being mayor is very much about taking care of business,” Logan said. “I’ve been involved in planning and zoning and things like that for years. I’ve been a business owner, so I understand business development.”
Among the biggest accomplishments that he and the board have achieved over the years is keeping tax increases to a minimum and improving the village assessed valuation by 169 percent, which amounts to about 10 percent a year, Logan said.
If re-elected, he intends to see that the village remains financially stable by keeping a close eye on the budget and the worsening economic climate.
“While the federal and state governments are in shambles, I have provided our community with experienced, knowledgeable leadership that has led to responsible, debt-free government,” Logan said.
He also wants to work with the board to implement an emergency warning system in Franklin Grove and encourage more community members to participate in local government.
Ed Uphoff
Uphoff has served on the village board for 6 years. As chairman of the community development committee, he oversaw the creation of the recently completed comprehensive plan, which lays out future development goals for Franklin Grove.
If elected, Uphoff said he will make sure the plan is being implemented.
“Now that [the village] has a comprehensive plan, we need to keep striving to accomplish the goals set forth in the village’s plan of action,” Uphoff said.
One of the biggest issues facing the village is the declining infrastructure in Franklin Grove. The biggest project the village needs to undertake is to update its sewer plant, which could cost more than $1 million, he said.
“In the past, we’ve just made do with patchwork here and there,” Uphoff said. “We have to continue to look for help from the state, especially on larger projects.”
Uphoff said he also would like to see the park district become more active throughout the year; help improve communication between the board and surrounding governments and school districts; and develop and adopt an ordinance for disaster management.
Diane Nicholson
Nicholson has been a village trustee for 4 years. She’s not running “for the title,” but is “looking down the road for our future,” she said.
“Like other small towns, it’s not all that rosy right now,” Nicholson said. “I believe that we have the talent and tenacity to work together to accomplish any goal we set our minds to, and we need leadership that will tap those strengths and set the course.”
Supporting local business is one of her top priorities, she said.
As executive director of the Lee County Tourism Council, she is experienced in keeping an eye on trends in the county and determining how to best market tourism resources, Nicholson said.
“We need to get more people into town. If we can do that, they will spend more money, which will increase the sales tax revenue – and the money generated from that can be used to do more things here.”
Tony Schaneberg
Schaneberg has served two terms as a village trustee and heads the solid waste and the properties subcommittees for the village.
He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005, when Logan was re-elected 120-108.
Schaneberg did not return phone calls or an e-mail seeking an interview.
Marilyn Spangler
Spangler said her main priority will be to focus on tourism and better marketing of Franklin Grove.
“I’d like to see us continue to improve the area, so that we are more inviting to younger people, as well as small businesses,” she said. “We need to focus on the things we have right now and work with the historical society to promote the village more.”
She also wants to strengthen the working relationships between the board and other governmental agencies, she said.
She also plans to get out into the community and speak with constituents, which is needed to improve communication between residents and the board, she said.
“Having attended several village board meetings, there is maybe only five people in the audience,” Spangler said. “I have been out into the public and have talked with people who have major concerns but are just not coming to meetings. I think that needs to change and improve.”
CANDIDATES AT A GLANCE
Bob Logan
Age: 55
Employment: He is a habilitation technician, providing care for adults with developmental disabilities, at Kreider Services Inc. in Dixon.
Other offices: Logan has been Franklin Grove village president since 1993 and was a village trustee from 1991-1993. He also is vice chairman of the Lee County Plan Commission; a past commander of the American Legion Post 497; and past president of the Lee Center Community Unit School District 271.
Education: He is a 1971 graduate of Franklin Center High School.
Family: He and his wife, Cindy, have three daughters and a son.
Ed Uphoff
Age: 46
Employment: He is project manager at Professional Graphics in Rockford. He also is a volunteer firefighter and an emergency medical technician for Franklin Grove Fire Protection District.
Other offices: Uphoff has been a village trustee for 6 years. He is chairman of the village community development committee, which developed the village’s comprehensive plan. He also is the chairman of the planning commission.
Education: He graduated from Franklin Center High School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in production agriculture from Illinois State University in 1984.
Family: He and his wife, Kathy, have a son and a daughter.
Diane Nicholson
Age: 57
Employment: She is director of the Lee County Tourism Council.
Other offices: Nicholson has been a Franklin Grove trustee since 2005. She also served on the board of directors of the Blackhawk Area Waterways Convention and Visitors Bureau and is a founding member of the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition. She also is a founding member of the North Central Rail Alliance and the Lee County Sheriff’s Merit Commission.
Education: She graduated from Franklin Center High School in 1970 and took courses at Sauk Valley Community College.
Family: She and her husband, John, have two daughters.
Tony Schaneberg
Age: 50
Other offices: Served two terms as village trustee and is chairman of the Solid Waste and Properties subcommittees.
Marilyn Spangler
Employment: She is a physical education teacher at Oregon High School.
Other offices: She is a member of the Franklin Grove Park Board and a member of the community infrastructure committee for the community planning program.
Education: She received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.
Family: She and her husband, Scott, have a son and a daughter.
