Meet Manhattan Village Trustee Candidate Erin McDonough

MANHATTAN, IL — The upcoming election is less than three weeks away, and early voting has already started. In Manhattan, one of the contested local races is the race for village trustee. There are three open spots on the board in the upcoming election on April 2. Erin McDonough is one of the five candidates running for a position.

McDonough and her husband Michael have two children. She has a degree in psychology from Eastern Illinois University and works as a Customer Service Representative for BMO Harris. McDonough was appointed to the village board in 2016, and was elected for a 2-year term in 2017.

She believes the most pressing issue facing the village board is bringing in new business.

"Until recently, franchise businesses did not feel our town had enough people to support them," McDonough said. "I will always support reasonable incentives to bring new business to town."

Another issue McDonough is concerned about is warehousing.

"I have maintained my stance on the industrial warehouses," she said. "I have a proven track record of protecting our town from the impacts of warehouses and trucks. I approved the lawsuit we filed to stop the project and the formal objection to Will County. I have helped to minimize the impact on our town."

McDonough said as a current board member she has realistic and attainable goals.

"I am a resident of this town too, so any decision I make, affects me and my family directly," she said. "I am a mom, who wants a great community in which to raise my family. I don't want to be someone on the sidelines. I want to be the one who helps bring positive changes to our town."

There are three open positions on the Manhattan village board in the April 2 election. The other candidates are incumbents James Reeves and Michael Naughton and newcomers Robert Dilling and Howard Young.

If you are a candidate in the upcoming April 2 election, you can email andrea.earnest@patch.com for a candidate questionnaire.