Lake County Board members Diane Hewitt and Steve Snarski have been on a collision course since the county completed its redistricting process late last year, approving a new map that shrunk its membership from 21 to 19 seats.
The board moved Hewitt’s old district to encompass most of Wauconda and drew her into Snarski’s inherited District 8, which was expanded from a Waukegan-only district to include parts of Beach Park, Zion and the northeast part of Gurnee.
Snarski, a 32-year-old Realtor, was appointed to the board in April to replace Bill Durkin after he resigned his seat.
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The southern part of Snarski’s district was shaved off in the remapping, with the border now stretching along Glen Flora Avenue instead of Sunset Avenue, and extending out to North Beach Park on the lakefront.
Voters will define what is shaping up to be a generational battle when they head to the polls on June 28.
In office since 2008, Hewitt has fended off multiple primary challenges, winning a three-person primary in 2012, and she also won in 2016 and 2020’s general elections with more than 70% of the vote.
“When they vote for me, they have many years of experience, and I’ve served on, I believe, all but one of the committees (on the County Board), which gives me a lot of experience,” Hewitt said. “I know who to call when something comes up, something happens. I know what to do.”
Snarski, the youngest member on the current board, said many young residents in the area don’t feel represented in local politics and he wants to be their voice.
“These people have continued to see, from my age and younger, they may not think there’s someone they can relate to,” Snarski told the News-Sun. “I know when they talk to me, I can help them better understand and paint the picture for a brighter future if we get more people involved in politics that want to hold people accountable, and know they can have a voice than can be represented at the county level.”
The winner of the primary will face a to-be-determined Republican nominee in November’s general election. Lake County Republican chairman Mark Shaw told the News-Sun the party will decide on a candidate by July 25.
Snarki’s top priorities are furthering infrastructure improvements, pollution mitigation and ensuring more green spaces as Lake County continues to develop.
“Focused more so on clean air, clean water and pollution mitigation,” Snarski said. “I think that is huge and goes hand-in-hand with creating more green space going forward. Converting facilities that have the capabilities to go to a lower emission is always going to be beneficial for the environment. And then when it is new construction, to see as the forest preserve is doing, creating a zero-emission facility and going more green into the future.”
Among her accomplishments, Hewitt touted more than $53 million she helped raise for drainage and road projects over the years in her old District 2, and her leadership in establishing a Lake County Forest Preserve trail and dog park on the edge of the Waukegan Savanna.
Hewitt stood by her “no” vote on the four-cent-per-gallon gas tax the county enacted in 2021. She was the lone Democrat to join six Republicans in voting against the measure, which passed, 14-7.
“I didn’t think it was the right timing,” Hewitt told the News-Sun.
At the time, Hewitt stressed the disproportionate impact the measure would have on lower-income residents, including many in her district, and said she got more than 250 emails from constituents urging her not to support the tax.
Snarski didn’t explicitly say he would’ve voted for the tax had he been on the board at the time, but cited dollars it brings for “extremely valuable” infrastructure improvements.
“It has a lot of benefits behind the headline,” he said. “People need to dig deeper and understand what that means.”
Snarski described his first month-plus on the board as an “excellent experience,” and added that he has learned a lot from people throughout many county departments.
“I know I can bring a breath of fresh air to the district and provide the energetic and unclouded voice I believe the constituents of the district deserve,” Snarski said.
In addition to working as a Realtor, Snarski has worked for the Waukegan police department as a community service officer, interned as a Lake County employee and worked for several years as a lifeguard at Waukegan Municipal Beach.
Hewitt cast Snarski as inexperienced and hand-picked to join the board’s Democratic majority.
“Snarski’s running against me, I’m not running against him,” Hewitt said. “There’s a big distinction in that. I’ve been around serving people for, in December it’ll be 14 years. He’s been around a month-and-a-half at best.”
Snarski was appointed to serve the heavily Latinx district over four other applicants, including two applicants who could’ve become the first Latinx Lake County Board member in county history. Both Snarski and Hewitt are white.
Hewitt has also knocked Snarski for living with his parents, saying he lacks knowledge of property taxes, “hiding behind a county email” and not being responsive enough to constituents.
“Believe me, I know what property taxes are,” Hewitt said. “I know how hard we work at the county, turning over every penny 10 times before we spend it. I know how much work staff puts into financing, puts into developing a budget we can all be part of.”
“I return every phone call,” she added. “If I’m not here and they leave me a message, I get back to people.”
Snarski took exception to the criticism over property taxes, noting that he pays his parents rent and the exorbitant price that comes with purchasing a home in the current market.
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“That’s a slap in the face to anyone who rents, if you ask me,” Snarski said.
A Facebook page with nearly 1,000 followers created an online stir by criticizing Snarski for not being a homeowner, arguing it makes him unfit for office.
The page linked to an unsigned post that said Snarski “lacks the foundation and experience necessary to make decisions affecting our property tax bills,” and advised him to “spend some time out in the world and gain some experience.”
The post drew 70 comments in response, many of them offering staunch support for Snarski.
“This is clearly coming from the other side of who I’m running against,” Snarski said. “Sure, I live at home. My parents live here. Been here a long time. I have helped my mom as she has struggled for the last year and a half battling cancer, going through radiation and chemo, but I would never bring that up. I have always been someone who loves and cares for my family. To see her slap that out there, the comments clearly speak for themselves.”
Snarski said Hewitt has essentially shunned him since he filed in the district, and he believes he is more involved in the community.
“Diane has never met me. She has never asked to meet me. She won’t look at me,” Snarski said. “She chooses to not want to know me and has never met me, as I have never seen her out and about at any community events, cleanup, anything. I have been a Realtor for five-plus years. She claims I know nothing about taxes, whereas I have helped senior citizens who hit 65 understand how they can get a senior freeze exemption on their taxes. I’ve helped people understand how to get a homestead exemption.”
Hewitt said it’s important for county commissioners to hold the part-time position as their only job so they can give it all their attention.
“It’s not my third job, it’s my first and only job, which I think makes a difference,” Hewitt said.