Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she will not run for re-election next year after 16 years in office.
In making that surprise announcement just before the end of Monday’s Village Board meeting, she said a number of things factored into her decision but kept returning to her desire to spend more time with her family.
Kovarik also has a full-time job in financial services, and runs a franchised business in Florida.
“As you serve, there is a great sacrifice that you make in your life to accommodate mayoral duties and responsibilities,” she said. “I have a family and a small business, besides a full-time job. As you serve a community, it takes away from all of those things, but mostly family.”
She added that with the responsibilities of the mayoral office behind her after next year, she will have time to, “step back, take a breath and focus on … family.”
In an interview, Kovarik said she felt, “happy and sad at the same time.”
With family living in Florida, as well as the small business that Kovarik owns in the state, she said she plans to spend more time traveling once she is finished with her term. She said that the COVID-19 pandemic made her realize that she wants to prioritize time with her children and grandchildren, although she had been planning since before the pandemic to leave office after her fourth term.
“It has been a wonderful honor to be able to lead the village these past 15-and-a-half years, almost 16,” Kovarik said during the meeting. “Gurnee is a remarkable place.
More Top Picks Best Amazon Prime Day Roku Tv Deals 2026
“It is a small-town with many big-city attributes,” she said. “We are fortunately blessed with particularly talented residents and business owners. They care deeply about this community, and will ensure a very bright future.”
Throughout her statement, Kovarik reflected on her past decade-and-a-half leading the village and what she learned throughout her time as mayor, including the help she relied on from her colleagues and fellow community members.
“The first thing that I learned as mayor is that you cannot do this all by yourself. You have to have the help of your trustees, village administrator and department heads and staff,” Kovarik said. “Over the years, I have had a tremendous, smart and dedicated team. The best in the state.”
Before being elected to her first term as mayor, she served on the Gurnee Plan Commission for two years and as a trustee in the village for six years. Additionally she has served on the boards of the Central Lake County Water Agency, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Lake County Affordable Housing Commission and Healthy Community-Healthy Youth.
“I have left nothing on the table,” Kovarik said. “Every term, I have given 100-percent energy and effort to this position to ensure that Gurnee is the best place to live, work and play.”
Her term officially ends on May 3. The 2021 consolidated election will be held on April 6. Candidates can run for mayor, village clerk or village trustee. The last date to circulate a nominating petition for any of the positions is Dec. 21.