ADDING INSULT TO INJURY

When Glenview's village board decided not to hike taxes in 2003, the trustees set about making small cuts in next year's spending plan.  Gone was $350,000 for signs at Gallery Park, $75,000 for a programming consultant to guide park development and $10,000 for the Glenview Historical Society. 

The society had not actually planned to ask for money from Village Hall, but the manager's office called and invited the group to apply for a grant. Since it was hoping to install air conditioning at its Waukegan Road headquarters to protect antique furniture, clothing, artwork and photographs, the group asked for $20,000. 

When the request went before the trustees, however, Village President Larry Carlson was reluctant. "We gave them a special grant of $20,000 last year.  I don't know that we would want to give them another grant of that magnitude. Twenty thousand dollars is a pretty big chunk," he said, adding that the group should do some fundraising of its own. Trustee Mary Beth Denefe agreed.

Carlson then asked if the board would consider a smaller donation.  Trustee Donna Pappo liked that idea. She cited the urgency of protecting historic artifacts, and Denefe proposed $10,000 be donated. Carlson concurred with a word of caution. "We have to be careful that people do not become dependent on us and think that each year they can come back to us when they should be going out to the community."

In fact, the society raises about $10,000 a year and might be sitting pretty had it not been for the year that the village was dependent on the society. 

In 1999, when Glenview planned to celebrate its centennial, former Village President Jim Smirles was charged with privately raising money for a big birthday bash.  He and other members of the Glenview Centennial Commission did business under the historical society's name and convinced the group not to do any fundraising so all donations would go to the year-long centennial celebration.  In exchange, the society was promised that leftover money would be given to them.

The centennial group proceeded to raise nearly half a million dollars with help from their historical society friends who donated hours of research and hundreds of photographs for a centennial book that Smirles sold to developers at The Glen. He openly pressured builders to buy a $20 copy for each new homeowner and eventually collected substantial amounts of money from the James Company ($10,000), Kimball Hill Homes ($6,000) and Concord Homes ($2,860).  Glenview State Bank, which built a new branch at the eastern gateway to The Glen, gave $12,500 for books while Groot Recycling and Waste, the company selected to haul Glenview's trash away, donated $10,000.  Gallagher Risk Management, Glenview's insurance consultant, kicked-in $5,000.  Cowhey, Gudmandsen, Leder – an engineering consultant to the village – also gave $5,000.

Then Smirles organized a Fourth of July Family Festival, collecting $12,000 worth of merchandise from Jewel/Osco, $5,000 from Dominick's and $5,000 from Mullarkey Distributors. Residents who turned out for the picnic were surprised to discover that burgers, hot dogs and beer donated for the party were being sold to the public by folks who volunteered to cook and serve.

In the end, donations for the centennial tallied more than $488,000.  So how much of that ended up in the historical society's treasury? About $1,100. The Centennial Commission records were never reviewed by an independent accountant, and no one at the historical society was allowed to see the books with the possible exception of Society President Brian Boyd.  A close associate of Smirles and other political insiders, Boyd is now said to be selling his house in Glenview – retiring to Ireland. 

Editor's note:  Memberships to the historical society are available for $20.  For more information, call 847-724-2235.

LARRY'S NOT LISTENING

Glenview's monthly newsletter had promised a public hearing on November 19 – a chance for taxpayers to comment on the 2003 budget,  but village management did not put that hearing on the board's agenda.  Instead, Manager Paul McCarthy offered a weak explanation.  "The reason why there is not going to be a public hearing on the budget tonight is that it is inextricably linked to the tax rate," he said.  "The truth in taxation law in the state of Illinois, which was amended last year and has been in place for the last four or five years, requires that public hearings on the tax levy be held in the first regularly scheduled meeting in December, which is December third.  So for us to hold a public hearing on the budget which was not also linked to the tax levy would be an exercise that would miss much of its meaning."

McCarthy then assured those who had come to Village Hall that they would be allowed to address the trustees during a discussion of the tax hike – item11-H on the agenda.  At least seven residents waited patiently for their turn, but when the board finally got to 11-H, about 90 minutes into the meeting, Carlson decided to change the schedule.  Rather than keep a developer waiting, he postponed the tax talk and invited representatives from Bethany Methodist to explain proposed changes to their senior residence at The Glen. Then there was a vote to impose a four-hour limit on parking in a village lot along Compass Drive where commuters have been leaving their cars – evading the daily charge at the Metra lot east of the station.

As the meeting dragged on, more than half of those who had hoped to testify got up and went home.  " I honestly think anything we want is a lost cause," said one. 

Mike Luxem was among those who stayed, and after more than two hours, was rewarded with the chance to address the board for no more than three minutes. "I'd like to thank my wife, first," Luxem began.  "I said I'd be right back."

He then urged the board to include some money in the 2003 budget to open the Air Station Prairie for school groups and the public next spring and proposed funding to move an old military helicopter, now in storage, to the new public safety training academy where it could serve as a memorial.

Resident Karen Rosenbluh asked the board to earmark some money in 2003 for establishment of a bicycle commission and comprehensive planning of paths and signs to make the village safer for cyclists.  Rosenbluh said she had nearly been struck by cars on two occasions and could not easily ride from her house in south central Glenview to The Glen.

A PLEA FOR PARITY WITH THE GLEN

Paul Mayer, president of a homeowners' association in the area just west of the Glenview Car Wash, brought pictures of its main access route – Monroe Street. "I describe this as a third world country road," he said. "There are no sidewalks, no curbs.  School children and parents with buggies have to walk in the street.  It's just a very bad situation."

The area was promised new roads in 1999 and again in 2003.  It was even listed in the village newsletter as a site for future road work, so Mayer was stunned to learn that it did not appear on a list of planned capital improvements. He was told by the village manager that a new street could not be built until the area was fully developed, and a number of vacant houses are sitting on Monroe, waiting to be torn down and replaced. If the road was provided now, Manager McCarthy argued that heavy construction equipment would damage it and force costly repairs or replacement in the near future. 

But what about The Glen, Mayer wondered. Hadn't the village paid to install decent roads there?  And wasn't Glenview now planning to improve those roads when construction was through?
Mayer pointed out that developers in his neighborhood had already constructed $14 million worth of homes and town houses, putting money into an escrow account for sidewalks, sewers and roads. "They paid the money," he said. "We want the road."

Village Manager Paul McCarthy claimed Glenview had not "put the finished course," on streets at The Glen, a claim that caught Trustee John Crawford by surprise.  McCarthy immediately conceded that the main roads at The Glen were finished and that the village planned to spend $4 million repairing damage done by construction vehicles.

"We have $4 million set aside to redo the streets in The Glen," said Crawford.  "I don't know why we can't do the same thing for Monroe Street.  They already have some money in escrow.  You don't have to put down a finished course, but put something down so they don't have to walk in the mud.  I really think that we owe it to the people outside The Glen to do something for their streets."

"You're certainly welcome to do that," said McCarthy.  "I could not, in good conscience, recommend that I can't justify going to the board and saying we're going to spend $200,000 paving a street, and by the way, in the immediate future it's going to get all torn up again.  If the board decides that's important, God bless. Go ahead and do it."

"If it gets torn up, then the contractor who tears it up should fix it.  We won't have to spend the money," said Crawford.

Trustee Jeff Lerner thought making a contractor responsible for damage to roads would further discourage construction in the neighborhood.  He proposed, instead, that the village offer some incentive to quickly develop the area, an idea seconded by McCarthy. "The project gets built and the road gets put in and the whole neighborhood's done.  That's really what we're after," said the manager. 

McCarthy noted that a prospective developer had decided not to proceed because Glenview would not let him build enough units on the property and implied that perhaps the developer, who was represented by the law firm of former zoning board chief and political insider Ty Laurie, would come back if the village allowed him to construct and sell more town homes. 

Village attorney Jeff Randall, who has been called "Trustee Randall" by various members of the board, was not asked for his opinion but decided to speak.  "You don't have to tie the road to development.  If you want to fix the street, go ahead and fix the street.  If someone does construction in the area and tears up the street, then that developer should be responsible for repairing the damage."

Lerner missed the point completely, repeating McCarthy's fear that a new road could be ruined by construction, and village money would be wasted. 

"It hasn't been wasted," said an exasperated Randall, "because the people will have a new road.   Once it gets developed, if the developer tears up the road, the developer will have to fix the road."

McCarthy fretted that the area might never be developed if builders were responsible for damage to public roads.  "If we burden the future development of that property with a bill to totally reconstruct the entire frontage of that block, how long do you think that will sit vacant?  We could be looking at boarded-up property for the next five years."

"It could be 30 or 60 days too," said a skeptical Trustee Crawford.

The board finally decided to get more information – to find out what it would actually cost to build a road and how much money is in escrow – before deciding the matter.
       
OPEN SPACE MAY WIN VILLAGE PROTECTION

Glenview's Environmental Review Commission meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 12 to consider the future of two natural areas in the village – the Woodworth Prairie, a five-acre site on Milwaukee Avenue operated by the University of Illinois and the Techny Basin, an area of about 60 acres between the Chicago River and the Heatherfield development.  Under local ordinance, those properties could be designated "environmentally significant" – eligible for special protection from possible damage by neighboring development. 

The Environmental Review Commission is a group of people hired and paid by the village for their expertise.  Some have scientific credentials.  Others are professionals – an attorney, civil engineer and land planner – who know something about environmental matters. 

The Grove and the Air Station Prairie are Glenview's only designated environmentally significant areas, but Village President Carlson has proposed ESA status for Woodworth and Techny.

TRUSTEES DELAY HIGH-DENSITY PROJECTS

The village board sent a proposal for two condo and retail buildings adjacent to Gallery Park back to the plan commission.  The trustees want an opinion on whether one of the buildings should be moved further from Lake Glenview and its parking placed west of the building, hidden from the park by a berm.

The board reversed itself on a three-story building originally approved for 755 Milwaukee Avenue with offices on the first floor and six condos above.  Pappo, Cook, Crawford and Guinane felt the project was too dense for the site.  The proposal was sent back to the plan commission for possible revisions.

34CONNECT DRAWS CONCLUSIONS

After a year of public meetings, a group established to explore future options for Glenview School District 34 has announced its findings.  Among other things, the group suggested:

– Less emphasis on teachers obtaining a master's degree and more money going to non-certified classroom assistants.
– Possibly rewarding teachers whose students achieve high scores on tests.
– Looking for ways to better prepare students for high school.
– Checking the achievement of GBS students from District 34 relative to kids from other districts.
– Maintaining the current level of service for special education, gifted students and kids learning English as a second language.
– Searching for outside sources of funding.
– Educating the public about links between quality schools and high property values.
– Improving the district's newsletter and website.

34Connect did not recommend specific student/teacher ratios but expressed a preference for smaller classes, noting class size is significantly larger at all grade levels when compared with other districts that feed into Glenbrook South High School. "Studies make it hard to argue that reducing class size makes no difference and suggest improvement in classroom discipline and productivity under certain circumstances such as greater diversity and significant reductions in class size," the group wrote.

Ninety-four Glenview residents attended at least one of 13 meetings, and more than 135 received mailings from the planning group. Organizers say a core of 25-30 people were ultimately responsible for the recommendations.

Editor's note: It would be useful to know just how significant class size reductions must be to achieve meaningful improvement.  The Watch has already reported that in affluent suburban communities, students in classes of under 30 do about as well as kids in smaller groups and that class size reduction is very expensive relative to the modest academic gains that can be seen.

IN OTHER SCHOOL NEWS

– District 34's school board voted unanimously to add seven certified teachers and six non-certified staffers so they can open the new Attea Middle School next fall.  

– Administrators are recommending a 10-cent hike in the price of school lunches next year to help pay for kitchen improvements.

– District 34 is still looking for school board candidates. Five seats will be available in April 2003.  If you'd like to run and want consideration by the district caucus, contact Babette Sanders at 312-908-9405 or 847-657-6431.

– High School District 225 is seeking volunteers for its caucus and candidates for its school board.  For more information, call Todd Heller at 847-498-5163 or James Carney at 847-729-7309.

– West Northfield District 31 has three spots open on its school board.  For details, call 847-291-9861.

Editor's note: A former member of the District 225 school board once pointed out that the real burden of having so many small school districts in this area is the demand for intelligent, energetic and willing people to sit on boards of education.  It's alarming to note how many jobs are now begging and worrisome that many of those positions will not be filled by the kind of people we want to run our schools.

IN OTHER VILLAGE NEWS

– The village board approved plans for redevelopment of the former Missionary Sisters' property at the corner of Waukegan and Willow Roads.  Active Living of Illinois will build single-family homes, town houses and a three-story condo building at the site.  Their plan won the blessing of neighborhood leaders Connie Conway and Jim Kubik who fought earlier proposals for higher-density development.

– Active Living is one of the developers expressing interest in building housing for seniors in Wilmette where a portion of the old Mallinckrodt property has been sold to that community's park district.  Belmont Village, which recently built a facility near the corner of Shermer and Golf in Glenview, has also submitted a proposal to build on the old college campus.

– Former military personnel, distraught by the demolition of so much of Hangar One at The Glen, have asked to have the property taken off the National Register of Historic Places.  Mike Luxem, who serves on the Hangar One Foundation board, described the request as a "slap on the hand.  A lot of veterans' organizations would like to see this done. They don't want people coming to see Hangar One and finding a Borders Books."

– The former Carson's restaurant, which reopened with the same name but an Asian menu, then closed after less than a year, will reopen with a new owner and a new name – Yamado.  The business came before the village board Tuesday, and President Carlson, who presides over a village that is about 10 percent Asian asked, "Is that Japanese or Korean?" After a moment of quiet discussion on the dais he concluded. "Whatever. It looks good."

PARK NEWS AND NOTES

– Three members of a foundation established to raise money for the Glenview Park District have announced their resignation. The departure of Brian Boyd, Paul Jones and Leo Stek may create problems for the group which is required to have at least 15 members. The park board issued a call for volunteers at this month's meeting, but at least one member of the community group COWS recently applied and was told no volunteers were needed.

– Wagner Farm is calling for volunteers to assist with holiday tree sales on December 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 and with the preparation of dishes from the new Wagner Farm cookbook. The district plans A Taste of Farm Cooking with samples of favorite Glenview recipes on December 7, 8, 14 and 15. To offer your assistance, call Dee Hilbert at 657-1506.

– The Grove staff has finished building a new blacksmith shop, and local boy scouts are lining up to get the rare Blacksmithing Merit Badge.  Meanwhile, Wagner Farm has begun offering school tours and scout programs.

– The park district is posting minutes and agendas for its monthly meetings on its website: www.glenviewparkdist.org.  Also listed there, a description of The Grove's holiday program Dessert with Santa (December 1-5) featuring crafts and cookie decorating and a free program of holiday music sponsored by the Glenview Senior Center December 4.

– Cultural Arts Supervisor Amber Hirt offers rave reviews for a new toddler program at Park Center called "Live on Stage."  The latest performance featured Jan's Clan puppets who "rocked the house with song and dance.  The Lakeview Room looked like it had been transformed into a rock concert for three-year-olds," Hirt writes. Park district staffers "had to play security guards as we tried to keep kids from climbing up on stage."

HOLIDAY TRAIN WILL PASS THIS WAY TO HELP FEED HUNGRY RESIDENTS

The Northfield Township Food Pantry reports its cupboards are nearly bare as a growing number of Glenview, Northbrook and Northfield families struggle through the current recession. Next month officials hope for help through a special holiday promotion organized by the Canadian Pacific Railway.  The company has decorated eleven cars to carry Santa and a group of musicians to dozens of communities along the railroad lines of America.  The holiday express will stop at Glenview's downtown station from 5:35-5:55 Sunday, December 8 – long enough for Santa to present Township Supervisor Jill Brickman with a check for the food bank  Brickman asks residents to come by and bring donations of their own: boxes of pasta, rice and Hamburger Helper, canned fruits, vegetables, meats and soup, fruit juice and jars of pasta sauce, peanut butter and jelly for local families who visit the food pantry. For more information, call 724-8300.

WHERE THE GRASS MAY BE GREENER

As Glenview begins the search for new trustees, we took some interest in the tale of a politician from Maryland.  Here's what David Snyder of the Washington Post had to say about Lennie Thompson, a "Development foe on the road from unruly to ruler."

Writing about Lennie Thompson this summer, a group called Citizens for Quality of Life said he "can be brash, volatile, arrogant, argumentative, erratic, rude, abusive and even explosive, sometimes treating citizens as personal enemies rather than people with a differing viewpoint."

This was a campaign endorsement.

The pamphlet goes on: "He has been unrelenting in his efforts to stop the county from assisting or underwriting any aspect of development, and he has been steady in his efforts to preserve a livable quality of life for Frederick County."
Thompson, the endorsement concluded, deserved a second term as county commissioner. He got it, and got it big. John L. "Lennie" Thompson Jr., an ardent slow-growth advocate with a knack for ticking off even his biggest fans, won the most votes of any candidate in the Nov. 5 election, becoming president of the five-member Board of County Commissioners. Now comes the weird part: How does a man who has built a career on being an unruly, anti-developer maverick fit himself into a role that demands a certain dignity, a levelheadedness, a willingness to compromise?

"I would hope that Lennie will rise to the occasion," said fellow Commissioner Jan H. Gardner, frequently a Thompson ally. "I will remain optimistic that he will."

In a county where the population grew by 30 percent in the 1990s, to 195,000, a county where schools are crowded and the public-service infrastructure is taxed by the rush of newcomers, Thompson rose to countywide office in 1998 by pledging to wage war on developers. No more breaks for builders, he said. "If developers win, you lose," was his campaign slogan.

He has shouted them down at public meetings, challenged them to legal duels and routinely hurled mild pejoratives at the slightest provocation. "Lowlife scum bucket," for example, is how he described one lawyer for a developer in a recent conversation.

Thompson, 48, served 13 years as a town commissioner and mayor of Walkersville, where he lives with his wife, Suzie, and two children, Jake, 14, and Hannah, 12. A self-described "damn idiot" in high school, he returned to the classroom at age 28, receiving a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business from Hood College, then a law degree from the University of Maryland in 1993.

Watching his one-acre lot in Walkersville turn from "the middle of nowhere to the middle of everything" because of the area's rapid development, Thompson became more fervently anti-developer each year. His impassioned vow to hold developers in check helped him win a seat on the board of commissioners in 1998.

Now, as head of the county's highest governmental body, Thompson pledges to temper his temper -- and his locally legendary disregard for sartorial norms. No more shoelessness at important public meetings, he says. No more T-shirts. The suits and the ties are coming out of the closet.

"My policy views will not change one iota," Thompson said in a recent interview in his cluttered office. "But I'm in a new role now, and you have to be more conciliatory, a forger of compromises, trader of ideas."

Will his tactics change now? Thompson smiled, with just a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You're seeing a kinder, gentler Lennie Thompson," he said.

READERS WRITE

Lt. Chris Lienhardt, public education director for the Antioch Fire Department, wrote to inquire about our story that local firemen were buying trading cards at a cost of $936: "Are you taking issue with a $936 expenditure?  You should know that the bill reflects the cost for six sets of trading cards, showing six different vehicles.  These cards are used throughout the year during various public education activities, including block parties and school visits. Before you complain about $936 (which by the way is much cheaper then other companies), you should find out how long this supply lasts (a full year) and what they are used for. Why not applaud the efforts of the fire department instead of raking them over the coals? And as a side note, is the retired fire chief not allowed to collect a pension?"

The Watch replies: Our report was not intended to be critical. The expense, as listed, piqued our curiosity. Why, we wondered, were local firemen spending more than $900 on trading cards?  We found the answer interesting and thought the public would like to know about the fire department's commendable efforts to educate Glenview residents about fire prevention and safety.

HB again writes about benefits provided to certain people on the village payroll: "Glenview's  public works  employees not only enjoy  paid medical coverage, they also have unlimited sick days each year!  These are paid days off at your expense. There are certain employees who have had over 35 sick days in one year!  Ask Public Works Director Bill Porter how many days are used each year.  He earns $107,000 annually and does nothing about this abuse. What a village!"

CA writes: "What is the average pay raise for 2003 for the high level managers and why do we need a development and redevelopment director? Can't that job be done by one person and a lower paid assistant? Oh wait, I see we already are paying a lower paid assistant! Personnel costs up 17%? How can that be? Is it due to higher medical insurance? When companies are downsizing and trimming, Glenview is becoming more bloated with development specialists. I don't get it!"

The Watch replies: Insurance is one reason personnel costs will rise.  Two new people are being hired by the water department, two caretakers will be added at The Glen, and someone is being employed to coordinate Lake Avenue reconstruction.  Glenview will also pay half the salary for a new police officer to be stationed at the Attea Middle School when it opens next fall.

Andrew Frankel wonders: "Do you know when ground breaking on the new North Glenview Metra station will begin.  It seems to be getting a little crowded in the small station now.  Also, I think it would be a great opportunity to have a temporary newspaper, coffee, food stand or truck in the parking lot at the current station.  It's going to be a long, cold winter!"

The Watch replies: The new station is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2003.

YOUR TURN: Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. 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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