The Passing of a True Friend to the Community

Chad Cantwell felt the full fury of how the government can impose its will on a business that is either targeted or is not liked, by the powers that be.  Chad understood that the only way to stop what he called “lawfare” was to change the board. The previous board decided to do nothing about the hired officials, and certain board members, who effectively allowed lawfare to impact the livelihoods of hard-working people just trying to run their businesses. 

Chad Cantwell and Steve Dunn started the Salem Lakes Area Business Owners Association (SLABOA).  They had a vision and turned SLABOA into a membership of 60-plus members and friends of the organization. Chad and Steve created a space where business owners and residents could voice their grievances about their treatment by the village. Chad and Steve helped organize the change the board needed in Salem Lakes when their issues fell on deaf ears.  Comments made by previous board members such as, “If you guys think you can change the board then f*cking do it.” That comment, in particular, motivated taxpayers to take action and inform the Salem Lakes community that change needed to happen. That action helped change the board by electing Rita Bucur, Bill Barhyte, Kelly Sweeting, and Jared Young, who committed to ending lawfare.  

Even after the election, Chad continued to be part of the Salem Lakes community. He cared about business owners and community members and was incredibly generous with his time and resources. Unfortunately, on November 7th Chad passed away unexpectedly due to health complications. Chad will continue to be missed by many. Below we have included some pictures and an article by the Kenosha County Eye to celebrate Chad’s life. 

 Sadly, we also lost Kelly Sweeting about one year into her term as she battled cancer. Kelly was a fierce fighter for the taxpayer. She sided with the citizens whenever she was able to. Her unfortunate passing led to the appointment of Pete Poli who was voted in by a margin of 5-1. Kelly supported Pete to replace her as trustee and he has proven to be one of the strongest members on the board. Pete is not afraid to push back against the administration when he feels it is warranted, just as his predecessor did. Please see the articles and pictures we have included of Kelly below.