3 incumbents not seeking re-election to Woodstock City Council

The makeup of the Woodstock City Council is poised to shift in April, as three incumbents are not seeking re-election.

Maureen Larson, Dan Hart and Mark Saladin plan to exit council seats without a fight at the end of their terms next year, the three said this week.

The three seats are up for re-election in the April 2 consolidated election.

Five people have filed to replace the incumbents: In the order they will appear on the ballot, Thomas Grell, Lisa Lohmeyer, Wendy Piersall, Darrin Flynn and Michael Stanard.

Lohmeyer is a local insurance agent.

Piersall is a writer and runs Woo! Jr. Kids Activities; owns Lake Marine and RV with her husband, Dave Piersall; and serves on the Promote Woodstock advisory council and Old Courthouse and Sheriff's House commission.

Flynn is a co-owner of D&A Salon Apothecary on the Square and serves on the Promote Woodstock advisory council.

Stanard is founder of Woodstock-based design and advertising company One Zero Charlie. He put in an unsuccessful bid for the City Council in 2017.

Information about Grell was not available Wednesday.

Larson has served on the City Council for 12 years, and she said it is time to move aside and let someone else take over.

“It makes sense for me personally, and maybe to get new blood in the City Council position,” she said Wednesday. “So it’s both a good time, personally, and made sense on the political side, as well.”

Larson is involved in the Real Woodstock campaign and said she has no plans to leave the area.

Hart, a restaurateur who owns D.C. Cobb’s in Woodstock and McHenry and Hart’s Saloon in Hebron, said his life has become busy over his term, and the position doesn’t work with his schedule anymore.

“I am engaged. I’m traveling a lot. I am doing restaurant consulting nationwide, so I am out of town a lot,” he said. “I am happy I chose to do it, and I love the city, but it doesn’t work with my life currently.”

Hart also expressed some frustration that he was required to recuse himself from votes and conversations about liquor licenses because he owns restaurants. He said he feels his industry experience could have been used during those conversations.

Saladin said he feels that his two terms were long enough.

“I have enjoyed my time, and hopefully given the city a different flavor of experience and provided an asset over the course of these eight years,” he said. “I feel the city is in a good position to reap the benefits of a lot of the things we have been doing.”