It's time For a New Direction. I will vote for Cauley on April 7
--Cauley is pro-development and will work to re-vitalize our downtown, but will not “change the rules” to fatten the profit margins of developers seeking to build non-compliant structures. --
Luke Stifflear
The randomly chosen residents of the Caucus made the correct choice by endorsing Tom Cauley for Village President. During his two years on the Board, Cauley has been calling for restraint in spending, a fair and transparent process for all residents and a back to basics approach to village government. Cauley is pro-development and will work to re-vitalize our downtown, but will not “change the rules” to fatten the profit margins of developers seeking to build non-compliant structures.
On the other hand, Williams and Woerner have:
- Wastefully spent money on consultants and speech writers which could have been used to fix a portion of our roads.
- Initiated or supported unnecessary lawsuits against residents and the ZBA chairman, only months before his term was to expire. Again wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Spent $250,000 on studies and plans to build a power business, only to have it voted down by residents (they can’t fix our roads, how would they run an electric company).
Williams and Woerner have each been an elected official for 6+ years, they have put our Village in its current state. Additionally, the public endorsement of Williams by Follett, Schultz and Orler is a good indication of what four years with Williams as President would entail. These four Trustees have consistently voted together on wasteful spending, initiating lawsuits and ignoring Plan Commission recommendations.
Its time For A New Direction. I will Vote Cauley on April 7th.
Luke Stifflear
Hinsdale
Bill Seith is no Boy Scout
--[Bill Seith's] ambition is to use us for our fees and a step to higher elected office, not to selflessly represent our interests.--
Mike Smith
If you are considering voting for Bill Seith in the upcoming election consider these facts. When our BOT hired him, he said Hinsdale’s sewer system was completely legal and defensible against the Flag Creek Water Reclamation District’s complaints, yet it was best for all to negotiate a solution. I requested we get three things in return for whatever concessions we make and our full board agreed. 1. FCWRD drops it’s complaint to the IEPA. 2. The $8 monthly surcharge stops immediately. 3. FCWRD removes the restrictor at 3rd and Princeton.
Construction of Veeck Park Sewage Treatment Facility is under way.Where are we now? We’ve given up our leaf pick up service. We borrowed $3.5M to build a sewage treatment plant, and destroyed our newest park (Veeck). We paid Mr. Seith $133,000; so far. Yet, we are still paying $8 a month for nothing, raw sewage continues to flow out of the manholes at 3rd and Princeton during heavy rains, and FCWRD still has a complaint pending against us before the IEPA.
Bill’s ability to lie, with a straight face, as he did about the “public hearing at the IEPA before a final permit is issued for Veeck Park” is the mark of a true politician. His ambition is to use us for our fees and a step to higher elected office, not to selflessly represent our interests. Is there a merit badge for that type of behavior?
Mike Smith
Hinsdale
Who are Cindy's supporters?
--If Cindy Williams is elected, the last two years will seem like the good old days. --
Chris Elder
As a kid, my parents always told me to choose my friends wisely, that their actions and reputations would attach to me. I thought this was unfair as a kid, but as an adult, I see it's fair, and often accurate. The advice is particularly important for a politician. When you support a candidate your reasons are either altruistic or self-interested. If altruistic, you honestly believe that the candidate is a leader; that he or she is honest; you trust their judgment. A self-interested voter supports candidates because he expects something directly from that candidate once elected, or believes that their policies will indirectly benefit their interests.
Take Norm Chimenti, for example. He's a zoning attorney who over the years has made his living representing countless clients before the Village of Hinsdale regarding zoning issues. At one point, the rumor was, if you needed a variance, hire Norm, he'll make it happen. The fact that Mr. Chimenti is a public supporter of Cindy Williams and isn't a resident tells the story.
Richard Gammonley has placed many Williams and Seith/Chapello signs on his property at First and Garfield (see photo). He also sports them at his personal residence and has maintained a stock of extra signs for distribution on his front step. I don't know if he's donated money to her campaign, but he is working to get her elected, even making campaign phone calls to Hinsdale voters. His support seems to have paid off so far. The text amendment that the Plan Commission unanimously recently denied because of outstanding safety concerns was approved at the BOT level. The effort at the BOT was lead by Bob Schultz and Cindy Williams. Gammonley’s proposed Garfield III project has been very controversial. While in front of the Plan Commission, developer Gammonley said he wanted a vote--up or down--so it could move to the BOT. He was confident he had the votes there, and he was right. He's determined to get this project approved before the new board is seated. It is noteworthy to mention that the first time around, Cindy was against the Garfield Project and now she’s pushing it along.
Cindy Williams has aligned herself closely with Bob Schultz. Why? Is it for his lessons on how to renege on campaign promises? Or his warm-and-fuzzy (not!) manner with residents? If Cindy’s running on civility and fairness, why did she align herself with Trustee Schultz, even making him an officer of her campaign? I suppose his large donation bought some influence with Cindy. We know what Gammonley wanted, but what does Bob Schultz want? One can only guess he wants more control of the Board by having a close relationship with the president so he can continue to deliver for special interests.
If Cindy Williams is elected, the last two years will seem like the good old days.
Chris Elder
Hinsdale
Stop, Thief!
--Thieves in the night creeping around and pulling signs? --
Molly Hughes
I've received news that several Cauley and Geoga/LaPlaca/Saigh signs have "gone missing" in the past few days. Thieves in the night creeping around and pulling signs? Not only is this petty crime, but it is childish. I ask everyone in town to watch for this behavior, and report it to the police. Many of us are documenting such reports and will be informing the police of this campaign hooliganism.
This behavior is hardly a step toward improved "civility" in Hinsdale. Let it end.
Molly Hughes
Hinsdale
Candidates represent a new direction for Hinsdale: of civility, transparency, fiscal responsibility
The April 7th election is a very important one for the Village of Hinsdale. We will be electing a Village President and three new trustees to serve for the next four years. Please take some time to get to know the slate that has been endorsed by both the Hinsdale Caucus and by Hinsdale First. The slate is: Tom Cauley for president, and Doug Geoga, Laura LaPlaca and Bob Saigh for trustee. Each of these candidates has very relevant experience in our village government – as trustee, as a plan commission member or chair, or on the Zoning Board of Appeals. They have the expertise and dedication that is required to be effective. But more important, they represent a new direction for Hinsdale: of civility, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to listen to and learn from residents. I urge you to learn about them and to vote for them on April 7th. Watch for local forums at which they will speak, and check out www.hinsdaletalks.com , www.hinsdalemonitor.info, www.hinsdalefirst.com, and www.hinsdalecaucus.org.
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Laurie MacMahon
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Hinsdale
Put grand schemes on the back burner
--Should Hinsdale add another under-utilized venue? Where will we get the money to build it and find the tax dollars to sustain it? We can’t even afford to fix our streets or solve our flooding problems! It is time to put grand plans on hold.--
Karl Weber
Have you noticed the long term shopper parking (up to four hours), behind the GAP at First and Washington? It always has open spaces even at the busiest times of the week. You may not know that the waiting list for commuter spaces, which held 950 names two years ago, has disappeared. Commuter permits are immediately available. There are now open permits for merchant employees--for a fee, and free permits for employees, especially those who work part-time and used to shuffle their cars from one meter to another, blocking shoppers. We owe a thanks to our Police Department, who found a way to make more efficient use of existing surface spaces.
Police department helped solve Hinsdale's parking problemNow enter those who have grand plans for redeveloping our village center. The present administration and staff have conducted surveys and formed committees to promote the building of a performing arts center on the large village commuter parking lot, north of the tracks between Washington and Lincoln Streets. This center would house an auditorium for performances, practice rooms, offices for the center and of course a three story parking garage, guess-timated to cost $25 million to $35 million, all to encourage foot traffic and enhance shopping activity in our village. At the same time they want to increase the village sales tax. The Community House already has an underutilized performing arts stage. Western Springs has a theater which struggles to survive.
Should Hinsdale add another under-utilized venue? Where will we get the money to build it and find the tax dollars to sustain it? We can’t even afford to fix our streets or solve our flooding problems! It is time to put grand plans on hold. Real estate values are falling, scores of residents have upside-down mortgages and some are facing fore-closure. Others are losing or are threatened with losing their jobs. This is a good time to focus on essential services and the repair of our infrastructure. We need to rein in our government and put grand schemes on the back burner.
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Karl Weber
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Hinsdale
Giving Thanks
A huge thanks to Mary Angelo for her wonderful shared writing... [see Thanksgiving, Nov. 26/08>]
We are indeed blessed and should acknowledge what is good and great around us! And thanks for the "monitoring"!
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O. J. Mavon
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Hinsdale
Success in Western Springs
--In my opinion, you identified the key issues that led to the success of one referendum and the failure of another. --
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Roger Hendrick
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Trustee, Western Springs
Congratulations on presenting the information on the referendums in Western Springs and Hinsdale in such a clear and understandable manner. In my opinion, you identified the key issues that led to the success of one referendum and the failure of another.
The Western Spring's finance committee considered the five options on how to finance our road construction problem. Only a general obligation bond restricted the money specifically to road projects and had a fixed period. All the others permanently increased taxes. Also, the revenues could be spent on any project if future boards chose to do so. It appears that our approach was the one that appealed to voters. And as Trustee Dahl noted, a sales tax increase would hurt our business community. This is especially true since Cook County raised the tax last year to the highest in the country.
The staff had done extensive work to identify which roads would be repaired. This was communicated to the residents so they could see when and where the work would occur. The work will occur throughout the village. We did scale our bond request back from the initial proposal of $10 million to the eventual $6.5 million. We will be issuing our bonds in two parts to minimize the impact to the taxpayer. This also allows us to spread the work over the 10 year period.
Sincerely,
Roger Hendrick
Trustee
Village of Western Springs
"Make it go away"
--I am beyond elated that Residents are finally getting angry with the Board and their lack of response to the ongoing sewer and water problems
in Hinsdale.--
Mary Miles
Thanks so much for your extremely informative summaries of Village News and Board Meetings. I am beyond elated that Residents are finally getting angry with the Board and its lack of response to the ongoing sewer and water problems
in Hinsdale. After reading about resident Sam Eddins' grilling of facts to the Board Members, I was floored at the still obvious lack of interest and concern by Board Members of this very serious problem in Hinsdale (such as the statement,
"Will this (Treatment plant) make it go away" when referring to FCWRD. Not, "will it fix the problem", or "will it improve the degraded sewer and sanitary conditions in our town", but "How do we get them off our back" attitude!) I could not believe such an attitude still exists on that Board. It is exactly that type of thinking that has our town in the current situation it is in with the sewers; not to mention the streets.
What arrogance. Pure arrogance on the part of the Board and its Members. Good for you for continuing to show the public what our "elected" Board isn't doing for the residents of Hinsdale. Thank-you!
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Mary Miles
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Hinsdale
Why a double standard for developers?
--"I know if I had a lot in Hinsdale, the Village would require that it be kept up."--
James Healy
An unfinished "Sedgwick" house with torn "Tyvek" wrap and sagging awning at 55th St. and S. County Line Rd.
I have a few questions concerning "Sedgwick" [Editor's note: "Sedwick" is the name of the unfinished development at 55th St. and S. County Line Rd.]:
1. When will the builder bring the site up to finished grade? (It looks like a war zone.) Why would anybody want to buy a lot and build a home there the way it looks? I know if I had a lot in Hinsdale, the Village would require that it be kept up. If you take a look at Woodland Park Club, you will see how Sedgwick should look; the construction company there completed the site work.
2. When will the builder finish construction of the streets? The final layer of the pavement is still to be done.
3. I guess the real question is when will the Village of Hinsdale and the Board of Trustees require that James Construction finish the site development? They stopped construction a couple of years ago and they need to at least finish site development work. If you go to the James Construction web site, then to “Sedgwick,” they indicate that there are 36, half-acre sites for sale on 24 acres. If you go to the "Sedgwick of Hinsdale" web site it shows the following quote:
On March 11, 2008, the Village of Hinsdale Board of Trustees failed to approve our proposed age-restricted, empty-nester, planned development. While we are very disappointed that our plan to provide high quality empty nester housing at 55th Street and County Line fell one vote short, we still own the property, we still have development rights, and we have a patient partner. And we will continue to work with the community toward building a better future in Hinsdale.
Please check back on the website for additional information.
Sincerely,
Warren A. James, Principal
EDWARD R. JAMES PARTNERS, LLC
2550 Waukegan Road, Suite 220
Glenview, IL 60025
It appears that they are not making any attempt to sell the lots or finish site development work. The question becomes: what is the Village and the Board of Trustees going to do to get them to finish the site work? Cook County shows 36, half-acre sites on the tax rolls, as opposed to one single piece of property. They show that the streets have been turned over to Hinsdale, which isn't true because the site work on the streets isn't finished. Is James Construction getting ready
to ask for a third change in the zoning? I'm tired of looking at the houses they stopped building a few years ago. If I understand the building code, their building permit is void because they haven't done any work in 60 days on these homes. When is the Board of Trustees going to get tough with James & Partners--like they would with a homeowner in the Village?
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James Healy
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Hinsdale
Woerner's "Big Plans"
--' The problem with the “Big Plans” approach occurs when big plans fail. Once that happens, bankrupt and unfinished projects are called by another name – "Blight." ' --
Sam Eddins
Vacant lot with unfilled soil boring holes, site of the failed "Garfield" development at Garfield and 1st Streets
Simple economics and common sense reveal the orchestrated attack on Mike Smith was a Red Herring.
In scuttling the Hinsdale Club, Foxford LLC exercised their only option. Seizing credit, falling real estate, and bad timing rendered the project untenable. Risking $250M in capital to develop 145 condos, 35 town homes, a four star hotel, and 50,000 sq ft of retail space would be foolhardy.
Woerner’s administration knew failure of this project required a scapegoat. Recall that the Hinsdale Club was not widely supported and over sixty residents were sued by the village to clear the way for approval.
Trustees Smith, Follett, and Cauley all rightly questioned if revisions to the plan were consistent with the “gateway” project envisioned under the original agreement. Only Mike Smith was singled out for later board ridicule.
Trustee Orler’s comments at the board meeting and in the press are particularly troubling. He purposefully ignores that Foxford’s proposed revisions are inconsistent with his own 2025 survey, the Ogden Corridor Plan, and resident wishes as expressed in village meetings. His anguish over lost revenue is either disingenuous or delusional. Hinsdale lost the projected $3.2 Million in tax revenue from this project months ago due to deteriorating economic conditions.
The site of "The Hamptons" project in south Hinsdale - stopped because of a law suit
This board now wants to divert attention from their own failed initiatives. By recklessly following Daniel Burnham’s advice of ”Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood”, they have exposed residents to too many partially completed or failed projects: 111 S. Lincoln, The Sedgwick, The Hamptons, and now The Hinsdale Club.
The problem with the “Big Plans” approach occurs when big plans fail. Once that happens, failed or unfinished projects are called by another name – “Blight”.
Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility not to expose taxpayers to undue risk. As such, they should review all decisions, including planned developments, with a critical eye toward both the upside potential and downside risk. As economic conditions change, risks change. Orchestrated attacks to discredit fellow board members and divert blame display a complete disregard for this vital responsibility.
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Sam Eddins
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Hinsdale
"No New Taxes!"
--“Hinsdale is not revenue poor. Over the four fiscal years through 2008, annual village revenues increased by approximately 37%. Why aren’t we better off?" --
Jerry Hughes
Hiking sales taxes in Hinsdale is imprudent and untimely. We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem.
And this is a terrible time to raise taxes. Hinsdale is not revenue poor. Over the four fiscal years through 2008, annual village revenues increased by approximately 37%. Why aren’t we better off? Where did the money go? Profligate spending on special projects and legal warmongering are the principal culprits.
This administration is a gold mine for lawyers and consultants. Our board has never met an idea that didn’t merit a task force – and a bevy of paid advisors to go with it. Add needless litigation to the total, and we’ve spent just over $5 million in the past four years on professional services, mostly lawyers and consultants. This past year alone we’ll have spent $1.8 million, compared to $421,000 in 2004, before President Woerner took office.
What suffers? Infrastructure. Village propagandists scare us with photos of crumbling, 80-year-old water mains. But 80-year-old water mains are just 75-year-old mains that were neglected for five years while we were torturing surveys to justify controversial projects, plotting grand school relocation and downtown redevelopment schemes, and steam rolling opposition to the luxury hotel at the Hinsdale Club that this board was warned would never be built.
The village bills us approximately $4.5 million annually for water and sewer service. These fees cover the cost of acquiring water and upkeep of the system. Let’s hear more clearly why this board hasn’t managed our water and sewer utility to deliver reliable service without a bail out from new sales taxes.
And let’s be frank: higher sales taxes will hurt local merchants. Our independent merchants are facing off against national chains and a struggling economy. They don’t need our government creating more reasons for shoppers to go to other communities, where sales taxes are lower, or online, where they’re often zero. Let’s not put imperil our merchants by saddling them with this competitive disadvantage.
Reject this bad plan on November 4. Next year we can elect new, sober-minded trustees who will eliminate the waste and spend our money wisely on the basics. And if we need a new revenue plan, let’s have one that doesn’t put downtown Hinsdale at risk.
Enlightened outdoor lighting
-- “A comprehensive outdoor lighting code befitting all applications would allow the entire town of Hinsdale to proceed in a more respectful and efficient manner." --
Debra Lazar Pearl
Initially read at the October 8th Plan Commission Meeting, Lazar Pearl’s letter raises health, safety and quality-of-life effects of excessive nighttime lighting and the benefits of a comprehensive outdoor lighting plan. She is a Hinsdale resident and the founder of the Astronomy Nights Program at the Hinsdale Public Library.
Wide-field, long exposure photo of the Milky Way. Light pollution evident on the horizon.
Read more about this timely issue:
National Geographic November, 2008 Cover story: "Our Vanishing Night", by Verlyn Klinkenborg >
And the Editorial >
See also, the Illinois Coalition for Responsible Lighting >
June 11, 2008 your commission denied the recommendation to install new light poles on the west field of Pierce Park. Your collective findings state “that the direct impact of lights and the additional evening games that would result, would be burdensome on surrounding residential areas (#4, #5 Plan Commission finding ) Now in October, the matter of approving these very lights in the same district arise again. However, now you are asked to recommend or deny a change to our core zoning code in all open spaces.
Why? In June no one recognized that existing pole height pertaining to lights was non-compliant. However, your decision 4 months ago did not hinge on an issue of pole height variance – it was solely because the lights and additional games were “burdensome” to our community. The reasoning you submitted for denial then certainly still holds true today. It was not until June 23rd, at the Zoning and Public Safety commission that a single resident considered the application of the height to lighting. No trustee, no commissioner, nor any task-force member apparently was previously aware of this aspect to our “exterior lighting” code. Is this what our goal for outdoor lighting should be? So obscure and inter-mingled that no one realizes it exists? Looking into this matter would benefit us for more than the proposal today. A comprehensive outdoor lighting code befitting all applications would allow the entire town of Hinsdale to proceed in a more respectful and efficient manner.
In addition to defining pole height, it is pertinent to consider the aspect of the actual lights. Currently none exists. There is no information that designates a) allowable outdoor light not hitting designated target, b) overall efficiency of fixture design c) allowable lumens per application, or d) allowable lumens per size of land parcel. Our only “exterior” lighting code states a permissible .5 foot-candles of trespass at a residential lot line, and no direct glare allowed from light source. Stadium lights placed on top of 60 foot poles will present a tremendous amount of glare to many residences near and far due to their design and the fact that they will hover well above tree canopies. Also, it should be taken into consideration that .5 foot-candles is nearly 2.5 times greater than what is shown by the Harvard Medical Center to disrupt circadian rhythm leading to possible depleted melatonin production (hormone tumor suppression). In terms of environmental stewardship .5 foot-candles is 5 times greater than the allowance the United States Green Building Council/LEEDS recommends at a residential lot line.
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, wrote to our Hinsdale trustees of the Environmental and Public Safety committee and co-chairs of the Zoning Rewrite Task Force on April 23 encouraging the adoption of a comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance. He expounds on these same benefits – health, energy, environment, and the need for dark sky initiatives “that point the right amount of light where it is needed and when it is needed”.
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Debra Lazar Pearl
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Hinsdale
Abandonment of Hinsdale Club
"The economic viability of the development project has always been a mystery to me . . ."
Jack Uretsky
"Trust me. I have a lot of experience at this." General Custer's unremembered message to his men, just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley
The recent abandonment of the Hinsdale Club Development project has all the elements of high comedy. Developer Peter Brennan, of Foxford, at a time when the world's economy is in the process of spinning, crashing and burning, tells the village that he is pulling up stakes because, to paraphrase freely, his feelings have been hurt by the opposition to his plan to change the character of the village. Trustee Orler, mourns the loss of his pie-in-the-sky expectations of bountiful revenues from a project which, if it failed, could leave the village saddled with a half-finished structure that could provide a shooting gallery for drug addicts from nearby communities, and, in any event, impose substantial law enforcement and fire prevention burdens on the village. The economic viability of the development project has always been a mystery to me; we have at least 3 hotels in the vicinity which are not, as far as I can tell, cash cows. Trustee Orler's expectations of abundant riches strike me as being grounded in the same kind of unrealistic expectations that have led this and other nations into the present economic crisis.
- Jack Uretsky
- Hinsdale
Let them play
--"Yes, there will be light spillage, noise and traffic, but not while we are sleeping."-- Pete Perkins
We have all these nice parks. We have more school age children than ever. We should be thrilled that we have a place and time for them to pursue their athletic interests instead of hanging out some where. Erect the 60-foot poles and turn on the lights! Don't throw clutter arguments at the effort such as increased noise and traffic. Every time an idea comes up, we always hear there will be more noise and traffic. Yes, there will be light spillage, noise and traffic, but not while we are sleeping. As to the argument that good comprehensive thinking, planning, and experimenting will produce a better overall solution, such as was the case for the parking issues, I cannot agree more. But simply stating that there will be light spillage and increased noise and traffic does not reflect good, comprehensive thinking.
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Pete Perkins
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Hinsdale
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In response to the Oct. 2 Hinsdale Monitor article, "Bright Lights, Small Village" (Read Article)