And Then There Was None, Competition, That Is, in Crystal Lake

Three incumbent members of the Crystal Lake City Council, plus the mayor, will face no competition in the April election.

Mike Shorten, who had filed petitions for city council, has announced his withdrawal from the contest. His statement follows:

Mike Shorten

I have made the personal decision to withdrawal my name from the April 2011 ballot for Crystal Lake City Council.

While I believe that I would have been a good and faithful representative of the people of Crystal Lake, ultimately what was needed to run a successful campaign against three strong incumbents would be neither constructive for the citizens or for me personally.

I congratulate Brett Hopkins, Cathy Ferguson and Ellen Brady Mueller, as well as Mayor Aaron Shepley on their impending re-election and think that in general these officials represent the people well.

Whether it be running for office, serving on a volunteer commission, helping out at church or with one of our local non-profit groups, I believe that we all are better off if more people are involved and invested in the success of our community. While this race is not right for me right now, I will continue to pursue opportunities to serve.

The lack of municipal competition bodes poorly for a large turnout in park district, school district and community college board elections from Crystal Lake voters.


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