Fox Lake mayor aids local businesses with an owner’s perspective

Donny Schmidt looks out for local business owners because he knows what it’s like to be one.

When Schmit, part-time owner of a Waukegan construction company and mayor of Fox Lake, was approached by Fox Lake Mexican restaurant owners, he wanted to help them.

Joao Alfaro, owner of La Cocina Restaurant, 22 East Grand Ave., told Schmit in 2013 the restaurant had lost half their business because of a local ordinance that did not allow sidewalk signs.

“The village code was set up to allow a business to have a sign on the sidewalk only three times a year,” Alfaro said. “As a business, we needed an attention-grabbing sign. Even with two ‘open’ signs, people thought we were closed. We voiced our concerns to the mayor and he came back and said they’d be working on it. He’s a great guy.”

Schmit, elected in 2013, said the Alfaro family put their life savings into this restaurant.

“Business died down from 20 to 25 customers per day to eight or nine,” Schmit said. “I took the point of view that they have sandwich boards up and down the sidewalks in many other communities and convinced the [village] board to allow the signs.”

Two weeks after the sign went down, it was back on the sidewalk, Schmit said.

Alfaro said his family was pretty shocked to get so much help from the mayor.

“We’ve had businesses in nearby towns and have not received as much help as we received in Fox Lake,” Alfaro said. “It was definitely a surprise to receive so much help from the mayor.”

Schmit said he wanted to help La Cocina because “It seemed like a simple enough thing to do, and it was greatly affecting their business.”

“You’ll see signs out on our sidewalks now, and people do anchor them and clean up around them,” Schmit added.

Schmit’s drive to help local business owners comes from a place of compassion, he said.

“I’m a business owner myself. I know their struggles, and I want them to succeed,” Schmit said. “I like to help honest, hardworking people succeed because it helps the village succeed. Until you’re a business owner, you don’t realize how many lives you affect.”

Carol Ward, deputy clerk, office manager and FOIA officer for Fox Lake, said “If you want something done, go to Donny. He will work through the system, find out who needs to be contacted and bring it to the board.”

“He definitely cares about local businesses,” Ward added. “He hand-delivers business licenses and liquor licenses every year. That’s around 260 [licenses] that he personally delivers.”

Schmit, previously a trustee for Fox Lake, knows the village inside-out because he grew up in the boating town and graduated from Grant Community High School in 1971. Four generations of Schmit’s family have lived in Fox Lake, from his father to his grandchildren. “It’s a great place to raise a family,” Schmit said. “I’ve grown through all the changes and development.”

Donovan Day, community development director for the village of Fox Lake, said part of the reason he joined the village team was Schmit’s passion for residents and businesses.

“[Donny] said his mission was trying to change the culture of what residents had come to expect from the village, and trying to create more of a sense of community,” Day said.

Schmit said he is proud of Fox Lake’s rich history including Al Capone, the Mineola Hotel, and the village’s legacy as a summer escape for Chicagoans. Photos from the Fox Lake Historical Society hang around his office.

“Every so often, the historical society stops by and changes them out,” Schmit said.

Schmit decided to run for mayor when a group of residents asked him to, he said.

“I’ve always been a volunteer since grade school,” Schmit said. “I never had any idea of running for office. I’d volunteer for the fire department, coach youth football and wrestling, and in high school I volunteered with a blind bowling league for the Lions Club.

Schmit said it was “both flattering and overwhelming [to be asked to run] because it’s a big responsibility.”

“Winning an election doesn’t make you a good mayor,” Schmit said. “But we’ve done quite a few good things since 2013.”

He said a major goal of his was to change the culture of the building department to be more welcoming. “Before, Fox Lake had the reputation of being hard to work with and having mountains of red tape to get a permit,” Schmit said. “Now, you’re greeted with a smile and a ‘How can I help you?’ New businesses say it’s a pleasure doing business with us. That’s a big step toward revitalizing our downtown community.”

Since he’s been mayor, Fox Lake’s Lakefront Park has been expanded, as was the route for a Pace Bus for low-income and handicapped residents, Schmit said.

When he entered office, Fox Lake’s facade program had been eliminated. “We brought it back because we wanted to upgrade the appearance of our town,” Schmit said.

Schmit can be found at community events, often cooking. He cooked for the Grant Township Fish Fry, which nearly 1,000 people attended, and also for the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Illinois.

“When you can help someone out with a problem, that’s when it makes the job worthwhile,” he said. “It’s when you’re attending events and hear from people and see that you’re doing some good.”