Gurnee Vice Mayor Running In Mayoral Election

GURNEE, IL — Longtime Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik will not be running for re-election next spring and the current vice mayor Tom Hood announced Monday he would run for her open seat. The spring local election will be on April 6, 2021.

Hood, in a statement Monday, said Kovarik is supporting Hood in his mayoral run.

“I am very happy that Tom is running for mayor and has my full support. Several years ago he
expressed his interest in running for mayor when I was ready to step down. Tom has a long
history of serving the Village and has received good hands-on experience as Trustee and Vice
Mayor," Kovarik said in the statement. "It’s a big role that takes a lot of time and knowledge. I know Tom is ready to take over as mayor.”

Hood, a practicing attorney in Gurnee for more than 30 years, was the vice mayor in Gurnee for the last year and has been trustee for eight years. He was chairman of the Gurnee Zoning Board for more than 20 years before that.

“Over the years I have built a network of relationships across the Village of Gurnee and surrounding communities," he said. "This has enabled me to bring us together as a community and initiate programs like the ‘Gurnee Teacher of the Year Awards’ to reward excellence in each of our school districts and the ‘Gurnee Paying It Forward’ and ‘Bringing Me Home’ awards to recognize businesses that enrich our community.”

He said as mayor, if elected, he'd be focused on helping Gurnee move forward past the financial strains caused by COVID-19.

"The loss of revenue is especially difficult for Gurnee, since Gurnee has maintained for the last 21 years a commitment to not tax its residents through a real estate tax. I will continue that commitment," he said. "I am committed to maintaining and strengthening Gurnee’s strong financial condition. Gurnee’s most recent 5 year strategic plan is drawing to a close. As Vice Mayor I am currently reaching out to residents for input in the formation of our new 5 year strategic plan which will be finalized in the fall of 2021.”

Listening to residents’ concerns about the environment, Hood initiated and chairs the
Environmental Sustainability Committee, which investigates and gathers information focused on improving the environment and presenting that to the village board.

“ I want to see Gurnee get out in front of environmental issues that impact us as residents. This is of critical importance to each of us in the village," Hood said.

Hood was raised in Gurnee and has been married to his wife Pam for 39 years and
raised his sons Zak and Dan in the village.