LITH Village President Ed Plaza Will Not Seek Re-Election

Long-time Lake in the Hills village president Ed Plaza will not be running for re-election this spring.

When his term ends in May 2013, Plaza will have been the village president for 12 years. Before his election to village president, Plaza served as a village board trustee for two years.

Plaza said Tuesday he will not seek a fourth term as village president in the April 2013 elections.

“It is just time,” Plaza said.  

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Although Plaza would not elaborate on any specific reasons for not running, he said he had spent a quarter of his life involved with village government in Lake in the Hills and that he planned on spending more time in his practice as a civil attorney with Michling Hofmann Plaza & Wick PC once his current tenure as village president ends.

During Plaza's first six years in office, the village of Lake in the Hills experienced rapid growth. Plaza is credited in helping promote commercial development in Lake in the Hills during this time.

“With the influx of commercial revenue, President Plaza was able to then sponsor initiatives which led to the removal of utility taxes on natural gas and electricity,” according to Plaza’s bio.

But for Plaza, one of his proudest points during his time with LITH has been the professionalism he says residents have credited him with bringing to the village board.

“In all actuality, something that is not readily visible, is what some of the e-mails I have been getting from people have been pointing out — that the village government became very civil during the time I was there which was something we didn’t have before,” Plaza said.

Bringing civility to the board is why Plaza originally ran for office, he said. And he credits that type of environment with fostering a place where the village board can create initiatives that promote growth.

Other initiatives Plaza is credited with include:

• Negotiating the airport agreement with Crystal Lake allowing for federal and state funding for safety improvements at the Lake in the Hills Airport
• Negotiating boundary agreements with Crystal Lake and Cary formally defining the village's boundaries for the future.
• Helping to negotiate the land/school donation which brought LITH Lincoln Prairie Elementary School and the purchase of the property where the current LITH village hall stands at 600 Harvest Gate. 

Plaza said he has no plans of running for any political posts in the future.

Meanwhile, Lake in the Hills village board trustee Paul Mulcahy told the Northwest Herald he plans to run for the village president in the April election. He has begun collecting signatures for his election petition, according to the NW Herald. 

History of Village President Race

• In 2001, Plaza was first elected as village president in Lake in the Hills. During that election, he beat opponents Joseph Murawski and Scott Berg with 1,240 votes over Berg’s 794 votes and  Murawski’s 723 votes, according to county election records. 
• Since then, he ran and won again in a three-way race for the village president seat in 2005, beating Joseph Murawski and Kris Ranallo.
• He ran unopposed in 2009, bringing in 1,101 votes.
• Plaza will not seek a fourth term as village president during the April 20123 elections.