Anticipating Roscoe's District 3 trustee election

We asked each candidate to tell us why he should be elected District 3 Trustee.

In November, there will be a new trustee for Winnebago County Board District 3, which includes much of Roscoe. 

In the June 28 Republican primary election, former Winnebago County trustee John M. Guevara and Roscoe Zoning Board chairman Jay Durstock are vying for the District 3 seat.

Read more about Jay Durstock

Read more about John M. Guevara

No Democrat has filed to run in the predominantly Republican District 3

Daily updates from Roscoe and Rockton: subscribe to our free newsletter.

Steve Schultz decided not to run for re-election to that seat, but instead to run for Winnebago County Treasurer against Sue Goral and Randy Johnson.

Durstock's leadership of Roscoe's Zoning Board of Appeals could become a campaign issue. The vast majority of their decisions are routine and unpopular decisions are actually very rare. But a recent decision proved controversial: recommending the Village of Roscoe approve the rezoning request that is expected to turn a cornfield on Roscoe Road into the multi-family Townhomes of White Oak. In fact, Guevara and Durstock spent 2 1/2 hours discussing the decision over lunch.

Guevara disagrees with the vote to recommend the zoning request. He says, "I would never vote for a project that was opposed by my constituents."

Of course, the Emancipation Proclamation was unpopular and opposed by most of Abraham Lincoln's constituents, but most local issues are less weighty than that.

When asked to respond to Guevara's comment, Durstock seemed to agree with the basic philosophy: "Yes, the first concern is the constituents' needs and wants, and will always be." 

But he explains that since the Zoning Board of Appeals is supposed to be impartial, it doesn't have constituents. An appointed member of the Zoning Board is required to act differently than an elected official, or else it would be a conflict of interest. But Durstock stresses, "As an elected official I will have constituents and their voices will be heard and I will represent them." 

On the County map, District 3 is colored "thistle green" and includes the Rock River, Riverside Park, Hononegah Forest Preserve, and many Roscoe restaurants.

Durstock is a retired sales representative for Rockford Autoglass. He studied at Rock Valley College.

Guevara is an account executive at Lucky Street Gaming. His website is johnmguevara.org.

More News from Roscoe

• Melissa Stucky will never be forgotten Melissa was a speech language pathologist at Ledgewood and Stone Creek Schools in Roscoe, IL.
• Whiskey Hotel Barbecue’s grand opening is a smokin’ success Roscoe's new barbecue business at 5522 Elevator Road is open from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Thursday - Sunday.