Lake County Gazette

Jim Walsh said the United Vision for Round Lake Beach candidates “looking to almost do a complete 180” with transparency.

Former Republican House candidate Jim Walsh is backing Round Lake Beach Mayor Scott Nickles' reelection effort.

His support will also extend to the mayor's running mates on the United Vision for Round Lake Beach slate.

"They're really looking to almost do a complete 180 with ... transparency," Walsh told the Lake County Gazette. "They're a nonpartisan slate running against a partisan slate trying to keep partisan politics out of town."

The elections Round Lake Beach will take place Tuesday, April 6.

Walsh is throwing his support behind Nickles seven months after the retired police officer was appointed as the chief executive by outgoing Mayor Rich Hill.

"The rest of their slate is fairly new also," Walsh said.

The United Vision for Round Lake Beach ticket includes Dana Hillesheim for clerk and Chuck Husk, Christy Davis, Slyvia Valadez and Martha Ibarra for trustees.

Hillesheim is the incumbent clerk, and Husk, Davis, Valadez and Ibarra are trustees on the Village Board.

The Village Board has seven trustees and a mayoral position.

The group touts itself as Round Lake Beach residents who "share a vision for the future" of the community working together to "elect residents to the Village Board that will pursue our vision of a great place to live, work and play."

Nickles told the Daily Herald he has been involved in the community since moving to the area years ago with his family.

"I've worked on neighborhood revitalization and beautification projects with my neighbors, [and] helped organize annual summer picnics to bring people together to meet their neighbors," he said, adding that before taking over as mayor, he served as a board trustee.

Another area race Walsh said he is keeping an eye on is in Avon, where Michelle Bauman is running for Avon Township supervisor as part of the Avon Focused slate.

"Basically, they're running against Terry Wilkie, who has not been good for Avon Township," Walsh claimed. "He's done a lot of legally questionable things over the last two years."