About 25 area residents came to last week’s park district meeting ready to fight for Bart the Bull, but before they could say a word, park district staff recommended that Bart leave Wagner Farm. They had contacted several experts, and the verdict was unanimous.

Dr. David Bromwell, a senior veterinarian with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, warned dairy bulls are highly unpredictable and can attack people without warning. "Most farmers don’t mess with a bull. They don’t want one because it’s an absolute nuisance," he told parks’ director Tom Richardson. Bromwell didn’t know of any statistics on the prevalence of bull problems but concluded, "They can all of a sudden go goofy and kill you."

A retired dairy farmer who works for the agricultural division of Eli Lilly was also consulted. He told Glenview: "Keeping a bull that would be accessible to the public is just asking for trouble [since they are] dangerous and unpredictable."

"Why have something around that is so dangerous?" wrote Roger Gilmore, manager of Schaumburg’s park district farm. A bull would be of little real educational value since "the act of mating would rarely be available for the public view anyway. It cannot be scheduled to occur at a specific time and so would be an inefficient educational tool."

From the University of Iowa came a terrifying tale of how two elderly farmers were killed by their young Black Angus bull including a photograph of the barnyard with arrows pointing to where each victim was found. An article written by two experts from Kansas State University also raised doubts about the safety of keeping Bart anywhere near the public.

"Bulls are involved in a considerable number of farm accidents, especially aged bulls that were docile as calves," wrote two men from the Kansas Cooperative Extension Service. They detailed one attack on a Kansas farmer who might have died had he not been rescued and taken immediately to an emergency room. These stark portrayals of bulls prompted Richardson’s confession: "We had somewhat of a Disney World view of farming."

Besides seeking expert advice on this subject, park staffers did the math and concluded that it would be far cheaper and easier to use artificial insemination for Wagner Farm cows. "Semen can cost $3-8 for the regular grade dairy bull," wrote Farm Manager Todd Price. "We currently spend $1,500 a year for Bart’s upkeep. To construct housing that would adequately suit the needs of a bull, we have estimated the cost to be $15,000-20,000."

Price also did an informal poll of agricultural museums and found none keeping bulls for breeding purposes. He dismissed the idea that for historic authenticity Wagner Farm should have a bull, arguing that safety necessitates certain compromises. "In the 1920's, the milk would not have been pasteurized to kill the bacteria," Price wrote. "It would be gross negligence to serve unpasteurized milk to the public."

In light of those arguments, park staff concluded that Bart "no longer fits within the program and interpretive goals of the farm. He is no longer able to effectively sire calves, and great care would have to be taken in his management."

Boarding an elderly bovine with one of the nation’s farm sanctuaries would cost $85-125 per month, according to a staff analysis, and boarding a bull could cost far more. Park staff recommended that Citizens Organized for Wagner’s (COWS), a support group for the farm, be given 45 days to raise funds for boarding Bart elsewhere. If the group could not come up with the cash, the celebrity bull could be sold at auction or put down.

Several members of the public spoke on Bart’s behalf. One man from Highland Park said risk was everywhere, and the decision to keep or banish the bull should not be based on that issue alone. Others felt the park board report was one-sided and asked for more time to review the proposed animal management policy.

COWS made no official response to the proposed policy, but several of its members spoke. Biff Thiele was angered by the way the park district seemed to dismiss strong public sentiment for Bart’s salvation. "The board has shown no compassion for the Wagner Farm livestock or their public advocates," he said, charging that the district had provided opinions in support of its position but had not included members of the public or Bart’s own veterinarian on a committee appointed to decide what should be done with aging animals.

In a letter to the Watch, Thiele also challenged the contention that Bart could not sire calves. "The only reason Bart is not breeding is because the staff decided not to breed him. That does not make him sterile. That makes him lonely. He has been locked in the barn’s basement for five years and has not come out. He can be sedated when any veterinary work needs to be done, and the farmer can avoid contact and still care for his needs. The space he is in is not accessible to the public. He has no history of being violent, and he also has no horns. Bart is doing nothing to hurt anyone," he wrote.

Thiele faulted the park district for failing to follow the Wagner Farm Master Plan developed by community volunteers. "Not endorsing the Master Plan is a slap in the face to nearly 70 individuals who poured their hearts and souls into this effort for eight months," Thiele said.

The master plan called on Glenview’s park district to "keep the farm as a simple, rustic spread," according to COWS Vice President Norma Morrison. Speaking only for herself, Morrison said "The farm should not become something it never was."

She and other critics feel the district is turning Wagner Farm into a program-oriented place – a glorified petting zoo – when the community’s vision for the property is much more passive. Many members of COWS, for example, favored painting the barn to maintain its faded, tumble-down look and allowing elderly cows to live out their lives grazing freely on the land.

"Painting the barn red, permanently dividing the pasture and sending cows off for slaughter is a clear indication that the public’s wishes mean nothing," said Thiele.

COWS members continue to bristle over the park district’s attempt to impose rules on the support group and to insist that members never publicly oppose park district policy. In a note delivered to the commissioners after Thursday’s meeting, Morrison concluded it was time for the park district and COWS to end their short official alliance. "COWS can best serve the public by remaining an independent organization," she wrote, "free to advocate for the humble Wagner Farm as we have known it."

COMMISSIONERS PONDER THE POSSIBILITIES

As members of the park board ponder the possibilities, one has suggested that preserving Wagner Farm in its current state is simply not feasible. After all, said Judy Beck, "cows produce an average of 100 pounds of manure per day."

The Watch wonders: The park district is always looking for new revenue sources. Might these productive cows be a blessing in disguise? Would North Shore gardeners pay good money for organic fertilizer from Glenview?

The board gave the public until April 8 to submit written comments on the subject and is expected to vote on the new animal management policy at its next meeting, 7 p.m. Thursday, April 24 in Park Center. Letters and e-mail can be sent to Tom Richardson, 1930 Prairie Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025 or gvpd4fun@aol.com. After the meeting, President Doug Kaiser told reporters he didn’t think most Glenview residents cared one way or the other about Bart.

For those who don’t receive our weekly headlines and bulletins by e-mail, here are some news briefs we sent on Wednesday. If you’d like to receive breaking news stories, send us your e-mail address. We are glenviewwatch@aol.com.

-- Two months after gutting Glenview's ethics ordinance and freeing Zoning Board chair Ty Laurie to serve in that job while his law firm represents a developer in Glenview, Laurie has announced his resignation citing the desire to spend more time with his family.

--  In Tuesday's election, Larry Suffredin won the Democratic primary for Cook County Board to represent Maine Township, defeating incumbent Cal Sutker. Observers think Suffredin may join with Commissioners Mike Quigley, the newly-elected Forest Claypool and Glenview's Gregg Goslin to shake things up.

-- In Illinois House District 17, Pat Hughes of Wilmette held a very narrow lead (116 votes) over Skokie's Michael Bender in the Democratic race. The winner will face incumbent Beth Coulson of Glenview. In the 57th House District, Democrat Elaine Nekritz and Republican Mary Childers will duke it out, and Wilmette has voted narrowly to acquire Loyola University's Mallinckrodt campus, 17 acres of open space that had been eyed by the James Company of Glenview as a possible site for luxury housing.

-- In non-binding referenda, the voters said the Tribune Company, owner of Wrigley Field, should resolve issues with the neighbors before expanding the stadium. They opposed allowing Soldier Field to sell naming rights to a corporation and agreed that at least $25 million from the tobacco settlement should be used to strengthen local health departments and protect people from chemical and biological threats. For more on the election's outcome, visit www.voterinfonet.com.

In other election news, the political consultant who advised Larry Carlson and his Unite Glenview party in the last Glenview election was himself defeated at the polls Tuesday. Bill Darr lost his job as Maine Township Republican Committeeman by a narrow margin. The winner, former Township Supervisor Mark Thompson, blamed Darr and Township Supervisor Bob Dudycz for ousting him from the Supervisor’s office two years ago. Thompson works for the state’s Department of Professional Regulation. Darr is with the Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate.

State Representative Susan Garrett won a commanding victory over her opponent in the democratic primary for Illinois Senate. She will face State Senator Kathy Parker in the 29^th district this fall. Parker is said to have $80,000 in campaign cash, but Garrett told the Pioneer Press that there are times when money can’t buy votes. "I don’t think money will ever intimidate me in any campaign," she said. "I just have to work twice as hard."

While the Glenview Announcements has assigned an excellent reporter to cover local government here, some other communities are getting short shrift from its parent company according to the Chicago Reader. In 1997, the Pioneer Press employed 120 members of the newspaper guild. Today, there are just 92 union journalists, and only 41 are reporters. The chain covers 69 suburbs, so the Reader concludes there is just over one-half reporter per community, "guaranteeing coverage more like a thong than a blanket."

Staff unrest recently bubbled over when a sports reporter who had consistently covered Highland Park basketball was told he would not be sent to Illinois’ AA quarterfinals in Peoria to write about the big game. Instead, the Pioneer Press decided to send a reporter who covered New Trier sports.

"You are sending a message to Highland Park: You mean nothing to us, at least next to your neighbors in the New Trier District," wrote reporter T.J. Brown in a letter to executive editor Paul Sassone.

The decision came despite obvious interest in Highland Park where the Pioneer Press was able to sell three pages of extra ads to local merchants wishing the team well. On March 8, Pioneer Press fired three reporters and a sports writer and ordered Highland Park’s reporter Brown to divide his time between athletics and news.

In his letter of protest, the 26-year-old also attacked editor Sassone’s weekly contribution to the Pioneer Press papers: "Your columns say nothing, mean nothing and show no evidence that you invested more than ten minutes in them," he wrote. "If your job description is to ruin the product, destroy the morale of everyone in editorial and give the Daily Herald reason to expand into the North Shore, you can consider yourself a very successful man."

Soon after sending the letter to Sassone and sharing it with the Reader, Brown received an e-mail saying he was fired.

After accepting the resignation of Zoning Board Chief Ty Laurie, Village President Carlson complained that he’s having trouble finding people willing to serve on local boards and commissions. "People would like to think of this as a non-political job, which it should be," he told the Glenview Announcements. "When they feel that political attacks [may come with the job], that tends to discourage people."

Laurie was a key player in the campaign to elect Carlson. After the election, he became the focus of debate when Carlson and his political allies voted to remove a provision from Glenview’s ethics ordinance that would have barred Laurie from serving on the zoning board if his law firm were to represent clients before the village. One day after that vote, an attorney from Schiff Hardin &Waite, where Laurie chairs the Construction Law Group, appeared before the plan commission to argue for a high-density housing project here.

In his letter of resignation, Laurie cited the need to spend more time with his family and told the Pioneer Press that his departure proves the ethics ordinance was not changed for him. Questions remain, however, about other possible conflicts of interest that might have created more bad publicity for the law firm. Schiff Hardin & Waite represents Kemper, providing help in analyzing their real estate portfolio, the Society of the Divine Word in its developments at Techny, and before joining Schiff Hardin attorney David Grossberg, now one of Laurie’s partners, represented Mesirow Stein in its negotiations with the village.

Editor’s note: We are again amazed by Carlson’s small-town notions. The risk of special interests profiting from special treatment in Glenview is very real. Sure, volunteers who serve in government should be free from political attack, but not from criticism and certainly not from laws designed to assure that government is fair, impartial and clean.

Indeed, if anyone is playing politics it is Carlson. In making appointments to local boards and commissions, he ignores qualified candidates in favor of his political pals and complains of a lack of volunteers. In truth, there are plenty of people who want to contribute time and talent to the village, but they may be too independent for Carlson and his cronies.

For months, Trustee Rachel Cook has been trying to spark a discussion of serious policy issues facing the village. She has proposed a comprehensive look at neighborhood parking problems and wholesale reform of the boards and committees that advise the trustees. President Carlson has said he’s willing to talk about those things – but when? The board is so busy, he says, and their meetings so long.

Last week’s board meeting took just over an hour including the Pledge of Allegiance and swearing in of a new policeman, but the evening ended without a word about policy. Cook appeared unwilling to insist the important debate begin, and Carlson, who is either satisfied with the conduct of local government or does not understand its failings, made no move to raise the big issues that are routinely pushed aside in favor of village housekeeping.

Editor’s note: Carlson may be reluctant to discuss anything of substance without coaching beforehand from Village Manager Paul McCarthy, Village Attorney Jeff Randall and the more articulate members of his party. Spontaneous discussions by the board have sometimes led to actions which Carlson and friends later regret – such as the passage of a strong ethics ordinance which had to be undone so business as usual could continue here.

Despite the area’s recent cold snap, customers have been crowding into the new Oberweis dairy store just south of Waukegan and Glenview roads. Unique offerings include udderly truffle ice cream and drinks called the Pina Cowlada and Cowabunga Cappuccino, but the top seller so far is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The fourth generation, family-owned business was founded in 1915. There are 24 stores in the Chicago area, including the new Glenview shop which also sells a range of dairy products, eggs and thick cut bacon between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. except Sunday when the doors open at 10 a.m.

READERS WRITE:

Executive Librarian John Blegen responds to questions about the need for more space: "I will be glad to conduct a tour of office space for any interested resident. Our staff office space is roughly 6,000 square feet, or 13 percent of the gross. That percentage varies a good deal from library to library, but ours is generally on the low side. Staff space at the new Des Plaines library is 20 percent of the gross. That library has 70 percent more usable space than we do and 166 percent more staff space. Another way to look at this is that we have less staff work space now than we did when the last addition opened in 1986, since we carved our computer training room (used for public and staff) out of a work area. And, of course, because of the increased use of the library since then, we now have more staff. There is a summary of the basic causes of our space needs on our web site at: http://www.glenview.lib.il.us/spneeds.html. The same information is available in a brochure at the library."

KNC writes about plans to develop the former home of the Missionary Sisters at Waukegan and Willow: "I am writing to provide a different perspective on the Active Living development. I applaud the plan commission for moving forward on this development, although I wish the earlier plan with less expensive housing options had been approved. Residents surveyed by the village were not looking for multi-family housing. Until you're confronted with the need for such housing, you don't realize how little of it there is in Glenview. In the spring and summer 1998 my parents looked for a home in Glenview. My dad was wheelchair bound. He had MS which afflicted him late in life. Their requirements were simple – one-level housing with the ability to move from the car into the home in a wheelchair. Despite several months of looking, they found nothing in Glenview. Even the high rise in Triumvera has several steps between the garage and the elevator lobby.

"My dad died before he was able to move into a home that enabled him to move freely about. As baby boomers age, more of us will find the need for accessible housing. There is a need for post-ADA developed multi-family housing in this town. We all hope this doesn't become an issue for us, but the reality is it might. It would be unfortunate to couple becoming disabled with forced relocation away from the community you've made your home. I am disappointed in the disapproval you voice over developers, such as Active Living, who are responding to anticipated changing demographics. We should encourage accessible multi-family housing that will be affordable to current Glenview residents upon their retirement, not rail against it."

The Watch replies: We have never criticized Active Living’s plan for including affordable housing. Indeed, we agree that Glenview needs many more places where seniors, teachers, firemen and police, artists, musicians, social workers and other working people can afford to live. We think the lack of affordable housing at The Glen is a scandal – further proof that for-profit developers have been allowed to control the process there. We are disappointed that the plan commission did not make an issue of this and saddened that the Missionary Sisters felt no obligation to direct the redevelopment of their property in a way that might benefit the community.

Henry Hill is puzzled by ‘developer arithmetic’: "Am I missing some nuance of language? Active Living says its 6.9 person/acre density compares favorably with the high density housing of Heatherfield, and if you compare the two developments together the density is 4.6/acre. How does the combination pull the average down if both have the same high density? Maybe I don't understand ‘developer arithmetic.’"

The Watch replies: While developer arithmetic can prove a challenge, this claim is pretty straightforward. Active Living averaged the density of Heatherfield and Haverford, including parks and single-family homes, to conclude that the total development was just 4.6 units per acre.

S. Ehrmann bemoans lost Midwestern values: "We have been in the area only a few weeks now, but we are not new to the North Shore. We have moved back to what we used to think of as home. After a 20- year absence, we were frankly appalled to find that the Midwest we knew and loved had all but disappeared, apparently absorbed by the greed and insensitivity of the rest of the country. Midwesterners used to be kind and welcoming people, reaching out to make newcomers feel at home, helping neighbors in need, caring about the greater good. Many over 40 still are such people. However, when I read about the developers versus the citizens and learn that the developers prevail, or when I call the Helping Hands of Glenview and get absolutely no response to my message, or when I hear the boom boxes of the passing cars over my television program, or when I try to cross in a pedestrian crossing and no car stops, or when I have to listen to someone's cell phone ring at the next table in a restaurant, or when I mistakenly expect a ‘thank you for your business’ from the realtor, then I wonder where I am.

"I also think that the homeowners on Crestwood should prevail over the day camp. Let the camp find other facilities and leave the homeowners in peace. After all, we moved to the burbs to escape many of the problems of the city. How far do we have to move to realize our dream nowadays?"

Mike Luxem thinks Larry Suffredin’s victory in the democratic primary for Cook County board could at last bring reform to the Mosquito Abatement District: "Two-term County Board member Cal Sutker lost to a newcomer from Evanston, Larry Suffredin. The vote – Suffredin: 20,904; Sutker 16,489. A month before the vote, I met with Suffredin at his campaign office with my years of documents, newspaper clippings and research on the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District – NSMAD. Larry has pledged that he will go after the taxpayer abuse and the bloated budget of the NSMAD. He told me the district is one of his priorities. We both are planning to drop in on the NSMAD Board of Sutker appointees next month. The new era has started – five years of work, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

AB writes about Bart’s celebrity: "Now that Bart is famous, can't we get him a contract with Jerry Krause's Bulls (Bart could be a Luvabull) or perhaps Merrill Lynch. Don't they have a bull logo? Have any other famous bulls been retired somewhere? Should we run an ad to see if someone would adopt him? Wouldn't Brookfield Zoo like him? We could always give him to George W. and maybe he would give him a pardon like the Thanksgiving turkey. Having worked years ago for Union Carbide, I know that farms have long lived without an actual bull on the premises. One of Carbide's products was frozen nitrogen that allowed bull semen to be sent via express mail to your favorite farm."

Fred Bjorling thinks Bart’s lucky to have a name: "I wonder what his status would be if he didn't have a human name? ‘Save the bull!’ doesn't have quite the same emotional impact. (We never named our bulls or cows, boars or sows, on the farm I grew up on. We knew they would not respond by name. I suggest that the park district offer the ‘Save Bart’ shouters the opportunity to buy Bart and arrange super pet accommodations for him elsewhere. They could then worship the rather dull (but possibly dangerous) creature at that site to their hearts' content, but not at the Farm's expense. As I understand it, Bart does not meet the functional needs of the Farm and will be a drag on the operation if he is kept there. Those assigned to manage the Wagner operation have my great sympathy, as some relatively few, uninformed, but very loud, overly-emotive citizens will seek to interfere and micromanage every aspect of the Farm. Other, probably more numerous people who believe that the managers of the Farm should be given practical goal guidelines and left alone to demonstrate that they can do the job, will not be heard screaming at meetings."

JAS keeps watch over fire department affairs: "Regarding Village Manager Paul McCarthy’s remark that ‘he would rather lose a body part than Fire Chief Joe Robberson,’ perhaps he is losing a body part! It seems to me the two of them have been joined at the hip for a long time. They did a mighty fine job of messing up our emergency fire system by dropping from RED Center, losing all our fantastic dispatchers and endangering the town. Now there is talk of closing the Glenview Road station. I believe that to be the one we just put all that money into for dispatch. As soon as they talked about two new fire stations the handwriting was on the wall. Once more out of the village and on to The Glen. Good Luck Wilmette!

"When reading the letters in the Glenview Announcements this week, I noticed several references to the total lack of common sense in our village. I have been on that gig for a long time, so glad to see other people noticing. All the brains in the world cannot replace every day common sense. I cannot believe the number of people who don't seem to even know what those two little words mean."

ST has an idea for keeping order in Park Center’s pools: "It’s a regular circus at the Park Center come Sundays with lots of kids under six in the pool. Aren't we hurting to raise more funds at the Park Center? Why not raise the Sunday price so we can pay our bills and stock up on pool diapers to keep the Baby Ruths wrapped up! Blow that whistle to keep kids from swimming in the lap lanes or hanging on the lane lines. Start enforcing some of the pool rules by getting lap swimmers to share lanes with others!"

KB wonders where are the Park Center towels: "What's up with the lack of towels in the workout center at the Park Center? For the past month or so, the Park Center never has any towels, especially red towels. I've overheard the staff saying that people have lifted them, which is probably true. So, why don't they buy some new ones? And implement a system where you hand over your membership card to get towels, like hotel pools do? I feel like I've paid a lot of money to belong there, and I can't even get a towel. I can't believe a new set of towels would even cost as much as one membership. Hey, there's a new club opening in Old Orchard. They send out a neat fitness magazine, too. Maybe they will have towels."

The Watch replies: The park district says theft is one reason for the shortage and asks for the public’s patience on this matter. New towels will be purchased along with a second washer and dryer to speed the laundering process and assure a steady supply.

LM writes about the park district’s plan to sell bonds to buy open space along Milwaukee Avenue without raising taxes: "If those bonds can’t be paid back with existing revenue, taxes could be raised. Hold on, it's only just begun. What about cutting services? Notice that they were careful not to mention that possibility."

BP urges a new ethics law in the wake of Zoning Board Chairman Ty Laurie’s resignation: "Now that Laurie has resigned, how about a campaign to write a new ethics ordinance for Glenview -- one that isn't a shell? People have to be held accountable for their actions. 9/11 taught us that. Come on people – get on your trustees about this."

And get in touch with us to share questions and concerns. Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a contribution to support The Watch. Non-deductible checks should be payable to Glenview Watch. Thanks for your support and for reading.

– Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott, Co-Editors of The Watch.

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