Incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk celebrated a big win over challenger Hank Perritt, a Democrat from Glencoe who got about 30 percent of the vote in the 10th Congressional District Tuesday.  Kirk was expected to win in the predominantly Republican district and outspent Perritt three to one.

Also claiming a substantial win, Democrat Elaine Nekritz who beat her opponent Mary Childers for a seat in the Illinois House from the newly-drawn 57th House District with 55 percent of the vote.  Nekritz has long been active in local politics and served as the chairman of the Northfield Township Democratic Party before running for the Illinois State House.

For incumbent Republican State Rep. Beth Coulson, the margin of victory was smaller.  She beat Wilmette Democrat Pat Hughes by about two percentage points in the new 17th House District. 

Democrat Susan Garrett won the 29th Senate District race against Kathy Parker by less than 4 percent of the vote.

In a closely-watched judicial race, Northfield Democrat Jim Wascher lost to Republican Sandra Tristano of Glenview.  He was endorsed by a dozen legal associations that rate judicial candidates.  Seven of those groups said Tristano was not qualified to serve on the circuit court, but she raised more than double what Wascher had to spend on the race.

The horror was real for two Glenview families Halloween night when children were hit by cars at two locations in the village. Six-year-old Kyle Gomez, 8-year-old Nikkole Gomez and 17-year-old Brian Streiff were struck while crossing the 1500-block of Milwaukee Avenue. Kyle and Nikkole suffered skull fractures. He is recovering at Christ Hospital where he was taken by helicopter. She was discharged from Lutheran General on Friday, and Streiff was treated and released on Thursday night.

Two minutes after the accident on Milwaukee, Glenview police were called to Pfingsten Road near Crestwood where a 14-year-old girl had been hit. Julia Panayioyou is recovering from internal injuries at Lutheran.

Editor’s note: Pfingsten Road is an increasingly busy route through northwest Glenview, taking cars and pedestrians to Glenbrook South High School, Glenbrook Hospital, the Plaza del Prado and Glenbrook Market shopping centers. It’s a natural route from Lake Avenue to the Tri-State Tollway and serves as an alternative to congested Waukegan Road, yet there are few traffic lights and few street lights on this busy thoroughfare between Lake Avenue and Willow Road. If Glenview had a traffic and pedestrian safety commission, it might have called this trouble spot to the attention of local officials before Thursday’s tragic accident. Instead, the job falls to Glenview Watch.

GLEN WATCHING

Last week we shared the story of a couple fighting to put a balcony on their million dollar home at The Glen. This week, another tale of trouble, tears and tantrums before The Glen Redevelopment Commission involving a couple intent on building a patio and bordering their driveway with brick.

The petitioners had purchased their James Company house from a previous owner after moving here from Dallas, a city where concrete is king. The lady of the house, Amy Jo Leszkinski, said she was having trouble turning into her narrow driveway without rolling onto the grass.

Looking closely at plans for the property, commission members pointed out that the Leszynski's house was already more than 400 square feet over the allowable maximum impervious surface – paving and building that prevent storm water from going into the ground. Under those circumstances, Commission Chairman Howard Silver was reluctant to allow any more pavement. "You're relatively close to the lot line, and you're going to fill-in what's not supposed to be filled in a side yard setback."

"What should I put there?" asked the homeowner. "I'm trying to get better at it, but I still roll off. I don't know what to do."

"You need a smaller car," said Silver. 

"Smaller than a Cherokee?" she replied. "I've got three kids."

Moving along to the subject of a patio, Silver said he had snooped around the yard and noted the house already had a back porch, taking up most of the rear lot. He worried that the Leszynskis might "open up a flood gate," prompting the neighbors to ask for patios.

Commissioner Mary Novotny again noted that the property was overbuilt by a substantial amount and had a front porch as well as the one out back. "To have two porches and a patio is excessive," she said. "The property is maxed out."

The commission suggested permeable paving, and the homeowner said she would consider that, but two weeks later the man of the house, Ed Leszynski, came before the commission to reject that idea. "Unfortunately, all the landscape architects we discussed it with pointed out safety concerns. They mentioned that quite frequently guests get their heels stuck in the gaps, and for little kids playing on various push vehicles or roller skates, it could be hazardous. Since Amy Jo couldn't be here tonight, I just thought it would be important to explain why safety is a big concern to her. At least once a week she is called into Glenbrook Hospital to operate on a broken hip or broken ankle of someone who either fell or tripped. As a result of her appearance last month, my wife has been approached many times – especially along the sidelines of last week's homecoming game – with people who recognized her from her past years of training in the community. I just want to say for the community and for her colleagues that she still is Dr. Patacik and not Mrs. Leszynski, and her office is here in Glenview with Illinois Bone and Joint, and for all those with foot and ankle pain out there in Glenview, I'm sure she'd be glad to help you out."

"This is public television," said a smiling Chairman Silver. "We don't have commercials." 

Leszynski proceeded to argue that his property was unique because so many square feet had been devoted to the porches, and he quoted a village engineer who thought the addition of a small patio would not mean flooding for neighbors. He promised to remove a section of the turn around in his driveway and build a smaller patio.

Novotny continued to cite local building ordinance. "The house is just too big for the lot. Without touching anything, you're 426 feet over the impervious, and now you're asking for over 871. Anywhere else in the village, there is no way. The zoning board thinks twice even if people only ask for 2 feet, 5 feet if they're over. If you don't comply, you have to remove something."

Leszynski argued that lots of water seeps into the ground below his porches, and those should not be considered impermeable square footage.

Eventually, all of the commissioners but Novotny agreed to let the petitioner do what he wished with the understanding that he would remove a section of driveway and plant grass. 

Editor's note: Some landscape architects may recommend what they know – the tried and true plants and paving materials they have used for years. The Morton Arboretum must be extremely careful about public safety, if only to avoid lawsuits, yet it has opted to install a kind of permeable parking lot that does not put the public at risk. We urge Glenview's professional and volunteer planners to learn more about this environmentally-friendly option and to encourage its use in Glenview to reduce flooding and water pollution caused by the extensive paving of our town.

DISTRICT 34 SCORES IMPROVING

District 34 reports rising test scores. In a press release, officials say the number of students who met or exceeded standards on the ISATs (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) was up for the third straight year. The magic number in 2000 was 82.2 percent. In 2001, 83.3 percent made the grade, and last year there were 83.9 percent of students in those categories. 

NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS

– The Illinois Department of Transportation has approved warning lights for the Metra crossing at Dundee Road. Three people have lost their lives over the past four years after colliding with trains at the intersection.

– Cook County has stepped up to provide $1.8 million for turn lanes off Waukegan onto Walters Road in Northbrook after IDOT refused to approve the project. Local residents have argued the area was dangerous for children headed to Meadowbrook School, Northbrook Junior High and St. Norbert's.

– Morton Grove dispatchers are training on new equipment – preparing to team up with Des Plaines, Niles and Park Ridge at a joint emergency communications center early next year. The village board voted to go regional after a consultant said it would save Morton Grove $329,000. Officials also predict that the team approach will improve service.

– Anticipating the loss of tax revenue from Abt Electronics, Morton Grove trustees are considering a lean budget for 2003 with cuts of $1.6 million and a small increase in property taxes expected to cost the owner of a home valued at $150,000 - $200,000 between $26 and $36 per year. Forty per cent of Morton Grove's sales tax used to come from Abt. Local officials look forward to new revenue from the Acura dealership, which will move there from Glenview next spring or summer and from a new Menard's store.

– Riverwoods, a small residential community along Lake-Cook Road, is poised to raise its local sales tax by one-half a percent to fund maintenance of water, sewers and streets. That would put the total sales tax at 7 percent and could generate considerable new revenue when The Shoppes of Riverwoods opens at the corner of Milwaukee and Deerfield roads. 

FOOD, FOOD EVERYWHERE

– Viccino's will open Wednesday at the Plaza del Prado serving pizza, pasta, beer and wine at its new sit-down restaurant.

– The Italian Perk has finally opened in the 3300 block of Milwaukee Avenue next to Famo's. It features espresso drinks, gourmet Italian ice cream, pastries and pizza.

– The International House of Pancakes has broken ground on Willow Road in the shopping center anchored by Target and Kohl's.

...AND NOT A DROP TO SPARE?

The Northfield Township Food Pantry says its shelves are bare and 120 families are expected to stop by this month for assistance. If you'd like to make a donation or organize a food drive, call 847-724-8300.

READERS WRITE

John Ranz responds to the "seasoned observer" who said Ranz and two others were the only people behind a movement to stop School District 34 from raising taxes: "How predictable! Personal attacks and no ideas. No talk of the issues that we raised. I suggest a course in Critical Thinking 101. The issues, my seasoned friend, are quality education at an affordable price and honesty in government. Had the citizens of Glenview been presented with the real facts, they would never have approved the funds to build a school. They were misled! The district failed then, and they still fail to present an honest projection of student enrollment. We were correct then, and we are correct now. Based on real numbers, there is no need to open another school at this time. As long as the district treats cluster boundaries like the Berlin Wall, they will always be able to invent a space crisis where none exists.

"The seasoned citizen questions the validity of the positions that CARE has taken, but tax cap-busting referenda were rejected in 1993, before CARE was founded, and two additional times. The number of people in CARE is not the issue. The number that are willing to get slammed around in the press with personal attacks from people that can't or won't do the math is small indeed compared to the total membership and following. Again, count the votes and look at the facts. All of the ‘improvements' that were behind the rejected 1993 referendum were accomplished without a tax increase. Trust this seasoned observer. All students and programs can be accommodated without a change in our tax rate. 

"I also want to condemn the seasoned observer's slam against Larry Miller. Any community member who is willing to commit his or her time to serve on any of our boards deserves our respect, even if we disagree with them on certain issues. Larry has proved many times over that he is one of those rare individuals that is able to think outside of the box and therefore makes a valuable contribution to any undertaking. Larry knows more about school finance and the budget than most board members and was a resource to his fellow board members while on the board."

GH attacks efforts to justify the architecture of Attea: "An attack on the lavish middle school at The Glen prompted District 34 supporters to scurry around and locate a comparably opulent middle school in the area. They couldn't find anything like it in the wealthy North Shore suburbs but were able to find something fancy in Park Ridge. Residents of that community will tell you that Emerson School, built five years ago, was a mistake. We Glenview taxpayers should not be bamboozled by this disingenuous and misleading comparison, but get back to basics and ask District 34 to build a realistic middle school with funds derived from the sale of Attea to a private company in search of a headquarters. We would have a new school and plenty of money left over for operating expenses instead of facing a hefty tax increase."

Big Swede has a suggestion for the new park land along Milwaukee Avenue: "How about a bmx track for the bikers on that part of the property not yet developed. The park district has 56 acres of the old Town and Country parcel adjacent to the developed portion. Elgin has a bmx track (dirt hills with turns, moguls, jumps) off Route 20, which has starting gates etc. I'm sure that with all the area construction, someone would love to 'donate' the excess dirt necessary to build such a facility, which would allow the bikers to have their own facility rather than trying to sneak time at the skate park. Why is it those who are being paid such high salaries can't think of these things?"

HB adds to our list of executives who drive vehicles paid for by taxpayers, maintained by taxpayers and filled with gasoline at taxpayer expense: "The supervisor of public works and his assistant also have personal village vehicles." 

Two weeks ago, a reader asked why there were no lights along John's Drive south of The Glen's Metra station and suggested the situation was unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. This week, the department of public works replies: "[A new bike path] makes the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, [but] lighting is not funded in the current village budget or five-year capital plan. . .Providing lighting for all bike paths would be a costly standard to meet. Many areas of bike paths in the metropolitan region are not lighted, including the Cook County Forest preserve path that runs through Harms Woods."

The Watch responds: This argument misses a critical point. Unlike forest preserve paths that are recreational in nature, paths leading to a train station are clearly intended for commuters who should be rewarded for attacking traffic congestion and air pollution in a very personal way. Glenview trustees should make their protection a priority.

Biff Thiele worries about the impact of The Glen on Glenview: "I don't blame the residents of The Glen for Glenview's woes. I blame the people that made The Glen more important than the concerns of Glenview itself. I blame the individuals who are attempting to create a new downtown at the expense of the existing downtown. Developers are making a killing at The Glen off the backs of Glenview taxpayers, compliments of village managers. First those managers surprise us with major cost overruns for infrastructure at The Glen. Then they screw our schools, park district and library out of millions of dollars in impact fees and drop $70 million into the MURC to guarantee that other investors don't get cold feet. Now, we find them stealing the 20 percent from Glen land sales that they promised would go directly into capital improvement projects outside of The Glen. 

"Village Manager Paul McCarthy wants to sink our money into his new police station and village hall – inappropriate expenditures at this time. Storm sewers are more urgently needed. The current police station is adequate for Glenview's current needs, and the only thing inadequate about Village Hall are the people directing this shell game. Year after year, they tell us whatever we want to hear in order to get those bulldozers in to lay waste to every available square foot of green space in Glenview. Then comes the smoke and mirrors with regard to revenues and our tax dollars. When asked for answers, Glen Redevelopment Director Don Owen and Village Manager Paul McCarthy dance a mean two-step around the tough questions, but the fact is they took our capital improvements money and applied it to their own pet projects at The Glen. Instead of getting a pulse on public concerns, village staff has a stranglehold over public will and our elected board endorses it. With them holding the purse strings on our finances, they are choking the life out of this community."

YOUR TURN: 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. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors.

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