Candidate Interviews: Northfield village president (2 for 1 seat) (Audio)

Two current Village of Northfield trustees are competing to become the next village president.

Tracey Mendrek’s first term as trustee is expiring, and Charles Orth is in the middle of his second term on the Village Board. Mendrek (www.traceyfornorthfield.com) is a communications executive and caucus endorsed, and Orth (www.voteorth.com) a retired firefighter of 45 years.

Click to view basic profiles of the candidates collected and published by The Record.

Each candidate was interviewed by The Record Editor in Chief Joe Coughlin and their responses were recorded and timed. Questions are listed in the order they were asked, and the candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot. You can use the navigation tools below to skip to specific questions. You can listen to the audio recordings grouped by candidate at these links: Tracey Mendrek | Charles Orth.

JUMP TO: Opening statements | Happ Road improvements | Economic growth | Police department | Leadership after turbulence | Closing statements

Opening statements

The Happ Road roundabout plan was scrapped, but a lot of work went into the project. How could the process have been improved?

Grade Northfield’s current economic vitality, and what is your plan to support economic growth?

The police department has had staffing shortages, leadership turnover and legal issues. What is the current state of the department?

The board over the past year has been criticized for limited transparency, poor communication and more. Why can the public trust it will be different under your leadership?

Closing statements

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