Politics & Government

Second Candidate Enters County Board Race

Laura Lambrecht will run as a Republican against Councilman Steve Mandel.

Laura Lambrecht filed to run as a Republican for Lake County Board this week, giving an opponent and making the race a contested one.

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A Highland Park resident and system administrator at AT&T, Lambrecht started mulling a run in January when she heard there was no Republican candidate.

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"People have to have a choice," Lambrecht told Patch this week.

Lambrecht spent a few months asking around to find out more about the Lake County position. Though she's never run for office before, she's been involved with the Republican party. Her goal, she says, if elected, is "to maintain and improve the quality of our life in Lake County, in a fiscally responsible manner."

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The Highland Park native graduated from the same high school class as and . She's worked for Fortune 100 companies in the past 16 years, with a focus on cost-cutting strategies.

"I always find ways to do things creatively," Lambrecht said. "I hope to bring that skill to the board."

Along with her father, Carl, Lambrecht became involved with the community group that organized against District 113's renovations referendum last year.

"We need to have people at all levels of government watching the dollars," Lambrecht said. "We've got to watch the bottom line."

A fiscal conservative, Lambrecht is quick to point out she has an open mind on other fronts, like the environment.

"I'm not a hard liner," she said. "I just want to do what's best for the community."

Lambrecht said that after raising her two children, who have since left home, she no longer wants to sit on the sidelines.

"I thought maybe I could this," Lambrecht said.

Over the past few months, Lambrecht has asked Lake County residents what they thought of the idea of her running. She says she was encouraged by what she heard, both about her and about her opponent.

"As I've been talking to people on the train, people have told me that his reputation is kind of iffy," Lambrecht said about Mandel. "There's a lot of people who don't particularly like him."

Mandel, who is currently serving his fourth term on the Highland Park City Council, also serves as a board member of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. He doesn't think there's much truth behind Lambrecht's claim.

"I know everybody doesn't love me," Mandel said, "But I think most do."

The councilman said he was happy to have a contested race, something both he and Lambrecht agree on.

"I think it's always good that people have a choice," he said.

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