Scott Gartner became mayor of Antioch at a time when the village was under a national spotlight brought on by actions from then resident Kyle Rittenhouse.
While Gartner was not yet mayor when Rittenhouse, then 17, fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz with an AR-15-style rifle in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, he entered into the role in 2021 when the controversial trial became one of Lake County’s top stories.
The issues of racial equity and gun rights surrounding the criminal case helped to further divide an already polarized country and had Rittenhouse facing life in prison if convicted on all charges.
From the day of the incident, the country, including political party leaders, seemed to have chosen sides and declared villains and heroes based on their politics.
But Antioch officials say that after the initial furor of the incident, for them, it was business as usual.
“During the trial, the Antioch name was mentioned considerably, however, most people are able to understand that one person and their actions do not represent an entire community,” Gartner said.
After Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November, he moved out of state, leaving Antioch behind.
Officials are now looking forward to a year of prosperity and are focusing on promoting the village’s businesses and events and have those be the stories that fill the newspapers.
Gartner said in the past year the Village has hired a communications specialist tasked with its outreach and marketing.
He highlighted the Uncover Antioch scavenger hunt that took place in the fall as one of the events in a new marketing and events plan.
Village Trustee Brent Bluthardt said he doesn’t believe the community is tarnished at all by the events involving the Rittenhouse family.
“The village has a great reputation, but we are always looking for new and innovative ways to promote our community, but more importantly, I do not believe we need to do anything to turn an image around,” Bluthardt said. “Antioch will continue to strive to be a great place to live and raise a family.”
That marketing push into the new year will bring a promotion built around ghost signs in its downtown area in the spring, Gartner said.
Another thing residents can look forward to in the coming months of the new year is the launch of a new tourism website.