The party once known as Unite Glenview has a new name and three new candidates running for village board. In a secretive selection process, members of Glenview’s political old guard named Plan Commissioner Jim Patterson, School District 34 Board Member Kerry Cummings and a political unknown, Kimball Woodrow, who moved here four years ago.

Patterson, a resident of Hollywood Avenue in east Glenview, works in his family’s Northbrook business as a vending machine broker. Cummings, who lives in Swainwood, is a lawyer who worked as an estate administrator for Northern Trust. She has served sporadically on the Comprehensive Plan Commission. Woodrow lives on Golfview Road near the intersection of Wagner and Glenview roads. Before going to work as the chief operating officer of the LaSalle Investment Management Group, a firm specializing in real estate investment, he was director of planning for an unnamed landscape and urban design consultant. He has a master’s degree in urban planning.

In choosing its candidates for the April 1 election, the newly-christened Citizens United for Glenview party passed over Plan Commission Chairman Howard Silver, who has served on that board for 18 years. A certified public accountant specializing in real estate, Silver has strong expertise in finance and a track record of independence. In more than a decade on the commission, he has raised important questions about development at The Glen and has taken several consultants to task for flawed financial impact statements on other proposed projects, such as the super Shell station on Willow Road and the new Abt complex on Milwaukee Avenue. He has also resisted the trend toward high-density development in Glenview, pressing builders to lower the number of units they plan in almost every case. Silver had no comment about CUG’s choice of candidates.

Of the three CUG candidates, only one has much experience in municipal government. Jim Patterson, an affable soccer Dad, was appointed to the plan commission by former village president Nancy Firfer two years ago after the board refused to accept his appointment as a trustee. Patterson said he was pleased at the opportunity to try out public service – to see if he liked it well enough to serve on the village board. Since then, he has struggled to understand the business of municipal planning. In June, 2000 he was asked for his opinion on regulation of homes that replace teardowns. "I can appreciate both sides of it," Patterson said. "I see, you know the, uh, I’m curious what some of the architects or builders would like. I mean if we said, ‘No rules,’ what would we end up with? I don’t know how far they would go. On the other hand, I see a lot of people that are suggesting that some of these things are monsters, and they are. You’re moving to a community where you have a lot of room, and suddenly you have a neighbor right next to you. So it makes sense to tone it down."

A couple of years later, he was still struggling. The commission had spent weeks debating and revising a residential development for the former Missionary Sisters’ property at Willow and Waukegan Roads. The developer predicted Haverford would appeal to young professionals and empty nesters. Village planners liked the idea because it would bring new tax revenue without putting additional pressure on Glenview Public Schools.

"I’m looking at all 40 of these houses here and questioning what would happen if you made these single-family homes with kids," said the father of three. "I mean if they were regular-sized homes as opposed to cluster homes. I don’t know if this is something the audience prefers," he said with a nod to the crowd of neighbors from Healtherfield, "but there aren’t any kids in here to speak of, and maybe there’s some balance between the school district, but there’s a place for them. Maybe you only have 20 homes or 15 – some other number, and it’s a very different approach, but I would like to hear a reason for what the direction is."

The developer explained that zoning and market research had dictated the decision, and Plan Commission Chairman Howard Silver pointed out that at such a busy intersection, families with teenagers who drive, school buses picking up children, and mothers running frequent errands would mean even more traffic on the road.

In remarks to about 50 members of the CUG party, Patterson praised planners of The Glen, calling the Navy base redevelopment "a great vision that needs care and patience to be realized. It’s something we need to nurture and protect as we move forward." He claimed the village was "fiscally strong" and said there is "a tremendous sense of planning for infrastructure improvements – water, roads, etc.," then added cryptically, "The improvement of the appearance of Waukegan Road in Morton Grove is going to effect us: Bredemann over on Dempster, the Loyola development over on John’s Drive, the MURC." Patterson described Glenview as "an awesome town" and concluded, "Have a great day!"

In her acceptance speech, Cummings said she has spent hours driving her four kids to soccer, hockey and baseball games. "I understand the traffic problems in Glenview better than anyone," she concluded. "Solutions are not easy, but we must tackle this problem to increase the quality of life in Glenview." She also listed downtown redevelopment, balancing the budget and establishing priorities for the village as challenges the trustees must meet. Cummings said her work on the School District 34 board "focused on budget and finance." She did not reference her support for a tax hike referendum which was twice rejected by Glenview voters.

Kimball Woodrow missed the Saturday morning campaign kick-off. He was vacationing in Arizona but sent a written statement. Outlining his professional experience as an urban planner, he claimed "an acute appreciation for the built environment." He praised Glenview as a community "which embraces fundamental family values" and promised to collaborate with fellow trustees. "The real power lies in working as a team," he wrote. "I am fully prepared to underwrite this approach."

While nothing is known about Woodrow’s positions on the issues, his wife Marilyn worked for the Unite Glenview party during the last election and is friendly with Trustee Mary Beth Denefe. In the debate over widening of Lake Avenue, she came down firmly on the side of the county, urging the board to approve 12-foot lanes without delay, calling the project "government planning at its best." Opponents pointed to studies showing wider lanes might attract more traffic and predispose drivers to speed, leaving Lake even more congested and dangerous.

Editor’s note: It is to the credit of Citizens United for Glenview that two newcomers to village politics were chosen as candidates for the village board, but we are not impressed by Patterson. CUG leader Tim Doron referred to him as "the third guy – a populist candidate," but another member of the party was more direct in his assessment. "To select Patterson, who was the laughing stock of the plan commission, rather than its chairman borders on insanity," he said.

We reserve judgment on the suitability of Cummings and Woodrow to serve as village trustees. Woodrow must come forward and provide details on which developers he served as a consultant and with which real estate interests he is now allied. Cummings must explain why, with all of her purported financial expertise, School District 34 faces such serious financial problems, and whether she feels higher village taxes will be needed to fund improvements to local roads and sewers.

We are also concerned by the way these candidates were chosen. Three well-known political operatives with a history of service to Glenview’s exclusive, pro-business, pro-development party cast secret ballots: Tim Doron, Allan Ruter and Mary Novotny. Doron, a paid consultant to developers, worked hard to elect Larry Carlson as village president. Ruter, a local high school teacher, was also active in the 2001 campaign and won appointment to the appearance commission after Carlson’s election. Novotny, who sits on the zoning board, was UG’s campaign manager and is an executive at Glenview State Bank.

In the last election, the bank’s owners gave $6,149 to the Unite Glenview Party through another of their companies, Cummins-American. While the Jones family may be generous to Glenview’s predominant political party out of personal loyalty or a sense of civic duty, we note that plans for a large new branch of Glenview State Bank at the eastern gateway to The Glen won easy approval from the village board, and a condo project endorsed by bank owner John Jones is pending. The village has several accounts with the bank, has purchased equipment from it, and the bank is selling bonds for the park district. In a symbolic show of influence, all four judges of the 2001 Fourth of July parade were Glenview State Bank employees or their relatives. They sat on the reviewing stand with long-time members of Glenview’s political establishment – former Village Presidents Nancy Firfer and Jim Smirles, former Trustees Bob McLennan and Emil Ulstrup. Despite impressive entries from several community groups, the judges awarded first place in the parade to Jewel for its giant shopping cart. In 1999, Jewel gave $12,000 to Glenview’s Centennial Celebration, which was organized by Smirles. Glenview State Bank donated $27,500.

In attendance at CUG’s pep rally were many familiar faces from past campaigns. In addition to Doron, Ruter and Novotny, former Zoning Board Chairman Ty Laurie was on hand. He will serve as this year’s campaign chairman. Former and current Village Presidents Larry Carlson, Nancy Firfer, Jim Smirles and Paul Thomas appeared along with former Trustee John Patten Jr. and former Plan Commissioner Jack Bevington. Current Plan Commissioner Steve Bucklin and Zoning Board member Ron Greco were on hand along with past UG supporters Jack Hotaling and Rita Planey. Absent from the Saturday morning kick-off were current UG Trustees Mary Beth Denefe, Mike Guinane and Jeff Lerner, former UG Trustees Kent Fuller and Joyce Schmidt.

Incumbent Trustee John Crawford says he will run for re-election to the village board, but two other members of the original Glenview First ticket – Donna Pappo and Rachel Cook – plan to step down. The trio won a narrow upset of incumbent candidates in 1999 – reviving a two-party tradition absent from Glenview for 20 years.

This week about a dozen residents who hope to perpetuate that tradition are considering candidates interested in running with Crawford. They have also begun telephone polling of local residents to identify issues of greatest concern to voters.

Pappo, Cook, former campaign consultant Richard Day and Watch Editor Sandy Hausman, who were key players in earlier efforts to elect independent candidates, are not involved with this year’s organizing efforts.

The failure of more local people to come forward as independent candidates for election may be traced to the last local campaign in 2001. A ticket led by Village President Larry Carlson managed to raise $70,000 – seven times what their party had spent in 1999. That money bought professional polling services, strategic advice, a series of slick, professional mailings, misleading letters sent to key demographic groups and paid walkers from Chicago who went door to door just before the election handing out flyers.

Some of the money for this elaborate local campaign came from prominent businessmen in Glenview. Cummins-American Corporation, owned by the same family that owns Glenview State Bank, gave $6,149. Jennings Chevrolet, which last year got permission to build a giant new building on its Waukegan Road lot, gave $2,000. Steve Bucklin, who owns a security company and was appointed to the plan commission after the election, gave $1,250. Bill Zanoni, owner of the Glenview Insurance Agency, and James Kenny, a local builder, contributed $1,000 each.

Then there was a mysterious donation of $5,000 from Kenzie Financial Management – a Cary, Illinois company not registered with the Illinois Secretary of State, and $1,000 from Morton Grove resident Susan Lockett who, when called after the election, seemed not to know there had been an election. It turned out her husband was an executive with Guarantee Trust on Milwaukee Avenue.

Former Plan Commission Chairman Tim Doron and former Village President Jim Smirles each loaned $2,000 to the campaign, and Zoning Board Chairman Ty Laurie loaned $3,000. Laurie also gave $1,000, and Doron’s wife contributed $500. Candidates Larry Carlson, Mary Beth Denefe, Mike Guinane and Jeff Lerner kicked in a total of $4,200. Most of the other money – $23,000 – came from unnamed sources.

Editor’s note: We hope UG’s conduct and cash will not discourage independent candidates from taking part in the political process, but we believe many well-intentioned, qualified people were scared off by the prospect of mud and money thrown the last time around. Indeed, both parties have found it extremely difficult to attract good candidates for the 2003 election. This is, no doubt, a reflection of our times. Many of the best and brightest are simply too busy with careers and families. They may focus their charitable and civic activities on the city of Chicago, giving time and energy to national and international causes while paying scant attention to local concerns. They may not even know their neighbors. Those trends impact all suburbs, but Glenview faces an additional handicap. The dominant party in this village has a long history of nasty and exclusive conduct – its leaders appointing their friends to various boards and commissions while ignoring residents with stronger credentials. People who offered to serve were rebuffed unless they swore allegiance to political strongmen like Smirles. Those who attempted honest debate were shunned if they did not share the view of a pro-business, pro-development party variously known as Unite Glenview, Glenview United and Village United. Today, the entire community suffers because so few good people have been invited to participate at the lower levels of government. The proof lies just a few blocks from Village Hall at the park district. Untainted by the political stain of Smirles and his pals, the race for park board has attracted more than a dozen prospective candidates for three seats.

When Glenview’s Economic Redevelopment Director Don Owen told High School District 225 what it would get from The Glen’s TIF fund, the schools’ finance chief was dismayed. Based on projections provided by the village, Assistant Superintendent for Business Affairs Craig Schilling had expected close to a million dollars this year and up to $2.7 million in future years. Instead, he learned the payment would be less than $300,000.

Only 28 kids from The Glen attend Glenbrook South High School and 163 go to District 34 elementary and middle schools. Seventy-five attend private schools and 316 are under five years of age.

"I don’t ever see us getting the money," Schilling said. "I think that field of dreams is gone. I don’t personally expect anything of any significance for us until after the TIF ends."

Since Glenview is paying lower amounts to schools than projected, he added that tax increment financing at The Glen should end sooner than planned. Village officials have said the TIF will close around 2012.

Using figures from consultant Mesirow-Stein, the Pioneer Press provided a tidy balance sheet for Glen Redevelopment – a project expected to cost $439 million. Expenses include $165 million for infrastructure, $74 million in payments to schools, the library and park district for services provided to new residents, $78 million in incentives to developers, $70 million for interest on bonds and $52 million for miscellaneous overhead.

Revenue comes from land sales ($139 million), taxes ($254 million), grants and interest ($46 million). When it’s completed, the village now predicts there will be 700 single-family homes, 500 multi-family units and 700 units for senior citizens. The total population will be around 4,850.

The Glen Town Center, a shopping center expected to provide much of the revenue needed to balance The Glen’s budget, will open October 18, 2003 if all goes as planned. Glenview has invested $76.5 million in public money for that project.

As the pace of construction at The Glen Town Center quickens, public traffic will shift to the two eastern lanes of Patriot Boulevard between West Lake and Chestnut avenues, while the western lanes are reserved for trucks. Planners say the coming of wet weather and as many as 200 trucks per day will make if difficult to keep the road clean. By changing traffic patterns, they hope to avoid accidents, keep local traffic moving through The Glen and allow the developer to scrape and sweep mud and rock left on the roadway by truck wheels. The re-routing will continue through summer, the speed limit will be lowered to 20 miles per hour, and there will be no parking on that section of Patriot.

St. Peter and Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, home parish to the flamboyant former President of Glenview Jim Smirles, will be back before the trustees Tuesday, January 7, to request exemption from a rule requiring the church to provide storm water detention in exchange for permission to add 1,200 square feet of pavement. In a letter to the project’s architect, Village Engineer Russell Jensen said the church might get a break – permission to detain half of the required volume – after a review of its plans by village staff.

The church, located at the corner of Wagner and Lake, wants a complete waiver, arguing that it is adding the covered walkway to accommodate disabled people. "We realize that this is the right thing to do for our faithful and are eager to begin, even though the cost exceeds $400,000," say the church’s pastor and parish council president in a letter to Jensen’s boss, development director Mary Bak. "We were advised that other parishes, such as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, had been required to achieve 50 percent compliance within 10 years, even though they did not increase any impervious surface. We respectfully suggest that the events that triggered compliance for other charitable organizations bear no resemblance to our project. . .We are simply attempting to follow our collective conscience, and the detention requirement will increase the cost of doing the right thing for our faithful from $400,000 to almost $600,000," wrote Fr. Angelo Artemas and Lee Poteracki.

Calling the project "morally beneficial," the church offers to contribute to a central detention fund if one is ever established, and says it will remove at least 2,400 square feet of pavement from some other part of its property.

In a hand written note to Bak, someone at Village Hall suggests the church is backing away from the bargain it originally struck on this matter. The author says church architect Steve Economou had agreed to provide 50 percent detention after receiving the village engineer’s original letter. "We are being played around by Mr. Economou," says the note. "Now another request, and all this after five months of wait."

The village public works department will be picking up and mulching holiday trees until January 14. After removing all decorations, residents should place uncovered pines and firs at the curb with the cut end facing the street. Mulch will be used in parks around town. For details, call 847-657-3030.

As Glenview State Bank shares some of its profits with Glenview politicians, its owners are asking for hand-outs from the taxpayers of a neighboring community. The Jones family owns Cummins-Allison Corporation, which has applied for an extension of property tax relief in Mount Prospect that could save it about $1 million over the next twelve years. The community is expected to go along in an effort to retain 300 jobs and about $740,000 a year in annual tax revenue.

Shortly after achieving full occupancy for the first time in a decade, the Plaza del Prado lost a major tenant. Kinko’s closed its doors, referring customers to its store on Waukegan Road. Meanwhile, the shopping strip near the corner of Willow and Pfingsten boasts a new retailer. Kiefer’s Swim Shop features suits, caps, ear plugs, fins and other water wear along with cover-ups and beach bags. The regional chain chose Glenview for its proximity to high school swim teams in numerous North Shore communities.

We’re pleased to report that the new Yamado Restaurant is open – offering excellent sushi, teriyaki, tempura and other Japanese favorites in the space once occupied by Carson’s -- 1320 Waukegan Road. Meanwhile, the art and antique store Gabriel’s Trumpet at 1015 Waukegan Road is closing.

The first office building to open at The Prairie Glen Corporate Park is finally occupied. About 80 people from A.C. Nielsen in Deerfield moved into second floor offices, and YKK USA, maker of zippers, buckles and hooks, has moved into first floor space at the corner of Patriot and Willow. The third and fourth floors of the building remain vacant.

Glenview’s Hangar One Foundation holds its annual meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday, January 12 in The Glen Club’s main ballroom. This year’s speakers are landscape architect Jeffrey Berfeld, designer of the memorial park to be built in front of the hangar, and a representative from the development company Oliver-McMillan. Refreshments will be served. For details, call Ace Realie at 847-567-0305.

Feeling chilled? Spend an evening hearing about travels in Cuba. Rosh Kagan who visited the island nation in 2000, will show slides and speak about her experience on January 8 at 7 p.m. at Glenview’s public library. To sign-up for this free program, call 729-7500, extension 112.

Also at the library, free career counseling continues. Get help with your choice of work, writing resumes and sailing through job interviews at no charge. For details, call 729-7500, extension 112.

Glenview’s new children’s theater holds auditions for boys and girls in grades 4-6 on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 7 and 8 from 4:15-6:15 pm at Park Center. Kids should prepare a song and bring sheet music. For the acting part of the audition, they’ll read from the script. For details, call 724-5670.

The next meeting of the Gardeners of the North Shore will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 7 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Alan Schulman will present a slide show and lecture entitled "All American Seed Selections for 2003." There is no charge to attend. For details, call 847-291-9434 or visit the club’s website: www.enteract.com/-gns .

The Glen Redevelopment Commission meets Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the board room of Village Hall. Proceedings will appear on cable channel 17.

PLS responds to our report that the RED Center in Northbrook has an experienced team of dispatchers while Glenview’s team is fairly green: "I hear what you're saying regarding the RED Center. Two weeks ago a parishioner attending mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church collapsed during the service on Sunday morning. Frantic parishioners called 911 to get emergency personnel to the scene and were repeatedly asked where Our Lady of Perpetual Help is. It's across the street from the Glenview Fire Station on Glenview Road. Duh! I think a dispatch center should have the location of public buildings, churches and schools at their fingertips considering the confused state people may be in during an emergency."

The Watch replies: Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade reports that, as a matter of standard practice, dispatchers ask callers for an address to confirm information that appears on their screens when a call comes in. In other words, the dispatcher may have known exactly where help was needed but was following a procedure designed to prevent any possible mix-up.

DKG was also disturbed to read about the real costs of emergency dispatch in Glenview: "Let me get this straight. Village Manager McCarthy told us not to participate in the regional emergency center (RED Center) because it would be too costly for the new ‘palace’ to be built in Northbrook. So we broke away and established our own emergency center with Wheeling for $500,000. Now we learn the new RED Center only cost $888,000, paid for by nine member towns over 10 years. Apparently Manager McCarthy is much better at fast talk than fact talk. To top it off, a state grant came through to cover the entire $888,000 RED Center cost. Thanks again to McCarthy and the spineless trustees who are afraid to challenge his poor judgment, the Glenviewtaxpayers are taking another financial hit. Malfeasance? Incompetence? Poor arithmetic? No. Just business as usual from our egocentric village manager and rubber stamp trustees."

Biff Thiele comments on the caucus system which turned away some incumbent school board candidates: "It is a shame that Andy Olson was turned on after all the wonderful things he has done, but the public had the last word when the District 34 caucus dumped Anastasia Usher. She won hands down without the caucus endorsement."

And BM comments on Thiele’s last letter to The Watch: "Kudos to Biff Thiele and his synopsis of Glenview vs. The Glen. My sentiments exactly."

Fritz doubts the park district’s claim that eggs from Wagner Farm cannot be sold unless they’re graded by the USDA: "I used to work at Little City in Palatine, and we sold eggs to the public that were candle graded by the developmentally-disabled residents. "

WCM feels some readers have been too critical of The Glen: "Why not remind, from time to time, the severe critics of the Glen about the ‘what ifs.’ What if the village had not annexed The Glen? What if the 1,100 acres had been bought piecemeal by developers with no control over it by the village? Too bad the county, state or some other entity with deep pockets did not buy the 1,100 acres and keep it undeveloped? I doubt the local taxpayers would have supported or could afford any such proposal. The bottom line: Glenview had a challenge to solve: What to do with 1,100 acres of prime real estate. The solution worked out by the village may, in the long run, be better then the severe critics would have us believe and much better then letting the developers do their usual ‘magic.’"

The Watch replies: You pose some interesting questions, and I guess we will never know what might have been. Be aware, however, that the village had the legal power to annex all 1,100 acres and then, using existing zoning laws, to regulate exactly what developers could and could not do. It is simply wrong to suggest that Glenview would have had no control if our village fathers had not traded their role of regulators for the role of developers. In so doing, we believe they ignored their first responsibility – to protect residents – and began the quest for profit. They also took on undue financial risk for the community. As for whether the property might have been retained as open space, much of the base was already developed and lent itself nicely to redevelopment. The tragedy is that most of the 200 acres that had natural beauty and value was also redeveloped. The prairie area could have been 100 acres, but the village fathers wanted an office park there. Now, in a painfully slow market for office space, they’re giving away tax dollars to encourage construction. As for the northern triangle that sports a new Costco and a massive parking lot, it was once wooded land, home to rare short-eared owls. The trustees-turned-developers saw no tax advantage to that and sold the property to retailers. Finally, there is the old Navy golf course which has become prime real estate for the James Company at the expense of many mature trees. The Glen is far from a disaster area, but we suppose it might have been a nicer place had more open space been retained and less development been allowed.

And we continue to hear from those who read Sid Kavin’s defense of The Glen. RGW writes: "Sid Kavin's myopic, rose-colored glasses view of The Glen begs the question, 'Does Sid really know where he lives?' Has Sid noticed the two-story houses packed in together on postage-stamp size lots or the ugly, ill-conceived alleys? Has he noticed the two and three-story townhouses only 16 feet wide on lots 20 feet wide? Their detached garages are actually wider than the townhouses! Sid must be shilling for various Glen developers who favor high-density housing that packs in humans with the efficiency of the proverbial sardine can, all blessed by McCarthy and his board of trustee buddies for the benefit of developers and the detriment of village taxpayers. No wonder the real Glenviewers call Sid’s new digs ‘Sardine City.’"

Richard Feit wonders: "What ever happened to state of Illinois plans to widen Willow Road? Widening Willow Road from the tollway to Waukegan Road makes absolutely no sense while the Sunset Road to River two-lane bottleneck remains. Unless, of course, the planners objective is to divert western lanes of Willow traffic onto already gridlocked Waukegan Road and then south to four-lane Lake Avenue and, worst of all, to two-lane Glenview Road for Edens Expressway access, further exacerbating traffic congestion. Widening of Golf Road is no solution for Glenview residents because most western Willow traffic would already be siphoned off, adding more congestion to Lake Avenue and Glenview Roads. Widening the Willow Road bottleneck from two lanes to four lanes would smooth out and speed up west Willow traffic flow directly east to Edens Expressway without widening Willow to the tollway to six lanes and cost the taxpayer much less. Common sense, you might say. And it begs the question, is our Village government lobbying state government for this long overdue solution to an ever-increasing traffic problem?"

The Watch replies: State of Illinois finances are so precarious that a major reconstruction like the widening of Willow Road is probably years away and may never come to pass.

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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