Palatine Village Council Bids Farewell to Del Mar, Welcomes New Members

Swearing in of Tim Millar, and incumbents Mayor Jim Schwantz, Clerk Marg Duer and councilmen Greg Solberg and Brad Helms was held Monday night. A resolution and thank you was given to outgoing Councilman Aaron Del Mar.

The proverbial changing of the guard occurred for the Palatine Village Council at its meeting Monday night. Newly elected Councilman Tim Millar was sworn in, along with incumbents Mayor Jim Schwantz, Clerk Marg Duer, and Councilmen Greg Solberg and Brad Helms. Outgoing District 1 Councilman Aaron Del Mar also was officially thanked for his service to the village over the last four years. “During Aaron’s tenure, we have been able to reduce staff while maintaining village services,” said Mayor Jim Schwantz. “We had back-to-back reduction in levies, maintained our bond rating, and were able to construct a new police headquarters on time and under budget-our new fire station in District 1 has reduced response times for our residents.” Schwantz…

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Palatine Councilman Del Mar Won't Seek Reelection

Aaron Del Mar won't return to the Palatine council, the Daily Herald reports.

Village of Palatine Councilman Aaron Del Mar announced he will not seek a second 4-year term to represent District 1, the Daily Herald reports. According to the newspaper, Del Mar cited his family, a need to spend more time with his children, as the reason for his decision to not run for reelection. Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz, will run for a second term in office. District 4 Councilman Greg Solberg and District 6 Councilman Brad Helms will also run for reelection, the Daily Herald reports.

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Cook County GOP's New Hispanic and African-American Outreach Committee Chairs

Aaron Del Mar of Palatine, announced Cook County GOP Hispanic and African-American outreach committee chairs

Aaron Del Mar, Cook County Republican Party Chairman announced at the appointment of Chairmen to two new coalition committees within the county's GOP Wednesday night. Ramiro Juarez will serve as Chair of the Hispanic Outreach Committee and Darnell Macklin will serve as Chair of the African-American Outreach Committee for the Cook County Republican Party. “When I was elected, I promised to work to grow the Republican Party by reaching out to minorities that so rarely hear the Republican message yet naturally agree with many of our conservative principles,” said Del Mar, a Philippine-American and the first minority to hold the position of Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party. “Ramiro Juarez and Darnell Macklin will serve the Party …

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Palatine Councilman Del Mar Named Cook County Republican Chairman

Aaron Del Mar, 33, is a village council member in Palatine.

Palatine Considers Tighter Restrictions On Group Homes

The Palatine Village Council is considering lowering how many people can live in a group home from eight to four.

The Palatine Village Council is considering lowering how many people can live in a group home from eight to four. The proposed zoning changes are not related to any specific proposal, but the subtext of the discussion is a group home planned by NeuroRestorative, a residential rehabilitation provider based in Carbondale. NeuroRestorative focuses on rehab for people with brain and spinal chord injuries and plans to open a home near Northwest Highway and Dundee Road. Among the populations it serves are veterans and military personnel. "There are several factors that we really need to hone in on and discuss," District 1 Council Member Aaron Del Mar said during the Monday village council meeting. "First and foremost is the impact the group home…

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Del Mar Named Cook County Republican Deputy Chairman

Palatine's Aaron Del Mar has been named Cook County Republican deputy chairman.

Palatine Township Comitteeman Aaron Del Mar has been named deputy chairman of the Cook County Republican Organization. Newly-elected Cook County Republican Chairman Sig Vaznelis announced the appointment Tuesday. “During last week’s election process I heard a call for more representation for the Northern Suburbs. I am pleased to have such a young, diverse, and energetic Deputy Chairman in Aaron Del Mar," Vaznelis said in a press release. "Aaron will not only provide the Northern Suburbs with strong representation and leadership in our organization but all throughout Cook County. He will be responsible for coordinating our committees and providing strong leadership in outreach to all objectives of our party.” Del Mar also serves on Palatine…

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Shawn

9:29 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bill, His vote for pawn shops may have had some personal interest as he owns a jewelry store in town that buys Gold and Silver similar to a Pawn shop.   more ›

Palatine Rejects Proposed Used Car Lot

The Palatine Village Board Monday rejected a proposal for a used car lot on Northwest Highway.

The Palatine Village Board rejected a proposal for a used car lot on Northwest Highway, citing concerns that had been raised by nearby residents. The business, Japan Auto Services, was proposed for 1408 E. Northwest Highway. It would have been located on the same parcel as Aspen Exteriors. District 5 Council Member Kollin Kozlowski said that nearby residents on Williams Avenue had expressed concerns about possible test drives on their street. "[The neighbors] know its zoned for business . . . it's just probably the wrong use for that area right now," Kozlowski said. The council rejected the proposal 4 to 2–Council members Aaron Del Mar and Jim Clegg voted in favor of it. The business would have had 25 cars in its inventory. Most of the …

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Palatine Rejects Request For Pawn Shop

Palatine Village Council rejected a request by Palatine Jewelry and Watch Shoppe to offer pawn loans.

The owner of Palatine Jewelry and Watch Shoppe said pawning already occurs in Palatine – it's just done illegally and not regulated. Kelly Swisher made the comments after his request to be allowed to offer so-called pawn loans was rejected Monday by the village council. "They've made it pretty clear they have no intention of allowing a pawn shop," said Swisher, owner of Palatine Jewelry and Watch Shoppe, 293 N. Northwest Hwy. "They should just take it off their ordinance completely and say they don't allow it. Why is it on there if it never gets approved?" Swisher had asked the council to allow his business to make pawn loans limited to jewelry and watches. A pawn loan allows a person to buy back an item. For example, a watch could be …

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Palatine Council Member's Business Fined For Pawning

The state cited Exquisite Jewelers, 1590 N. Rand Rd., in February for pawning with out a license.

A jewelry shop partially owned by District 1 Village Council member Aaron Del Mar was cited by the state in Feburary for operating as a pawnbroker without a license. State regulators issued a cease and desist order after an investigator contacted the shop on Dec. 9, 2010. A second order from the state assessed a $1,000 fine against Exquisite Jewelers, 1590 N. Rand Rd. Although Del Mar founded the store, he said he now is a minority owner in the business, only owning about 15 percent of it. "None of this had been brought to my attention," Del Mar said. After being contacted by Palatine Patch Tuesday morning, Del Mar said he talked to the person who operates the shop on a day-to-day basis. "Apparently one of our employees made a poor …

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