ELECTION COVERAGE TO COME

While the League of Women Voters and the Glenview Chamber of Commerce hosted candidate nights last week for trustee and library board candidates, we will not provide coverage of those events until Wednesday, March 26. That will enable us to devote this edition to what was a busy news week in Glenview. We begin, however, with some disturbing notes on who pays for our elections and how.

A familiar pattern is emerging from campaign finance reports which must be filed with the state board of elections. Two years ago, Glenview’s dominant political party, variously known as Citizens United for Glenview, Unite Glenview and Glenview United collected $9,000 worth of loans from Timothy Doron, Ty Laurie, James Smirles and Lawrence Carlson. After the election, more than $12,000 in contributions arrived including $2,000 from Jennings Chevrolet and $6,000 from the parent company of Glenview State Bank. Loans to Doron, Smirles, Laurie and Carlson were then repaid.

This year, Citizens United for Glenview reports $12,000 in loans from Kathleen Doron, Ty Laurie, James Smirles and the three candidates Kerry Cummings, Jim Patterson and Kimball Woodrow.

We don’t like the idea of businesses like Jennings Chevrolet or Glenview State Bank giving money to local politicians, and we note with dismay that the bank’s parent company has contributed $2,500 to John Crawford. But we are doubly troubled when the public is not informed beforehand as was the case with Unite Glenview two years ago. When campaigns are bankrolled by loans from citizens who have been assured of eventual repayment, we simply don’t know who’s really behind the candidates and to what extent they are being bankrolled by special interests. What’s more, when companies give money to parties that have already won election, it’s hard to make the case that these are not, in fact, payments made with the hope of favorable treatment in future dealings with government.

AN UGLY SCENE AT VILLAGE HALL

Tuesday’s village board meeting was the last for Rachel Cook and Donna Pappo, and it began on a pleasant note as Village President Carlson gave gift-wrapped Waterford bowls to the ladies, thanking them for their years of public service. Cook and Pappo, in turn, said thanks for the opportunity and urged others to run for office, but within minutes they seemed ready to throw their crystal as the board dissolved into an ugly battle of words. Trustee Mary Beth Denefe – the attack dog for Unite Glenview – went after Trustee John Crawford with her teeth bared. He, in turn, attacked village attorney Jeff Randall’s latest bill for more than $16,000. Trustee Jeff Lerner compared Randall’s memos to the Gettysburg Address while Pappo and Cook begged Carlson to call a truce.

The trouble began when Crawford asked the trustees to reconsider installation of a four-way stop on Dewes Street. He had originally voted against the idea, but after visiting the area felt the signs might slow traffic on an increasingly busy thoroughfare. With Crawford’s support, the idea – originally backed by Pappo, Cook and Trustee Mike Guinane – passed, but attorney Randall said the vote didn’t count because the matter was not on the agenda. Crawford disagreed with Randall’s interpretation of the law and thought the vote was binding. "I’m getting tired of the village attorney telling me anything I want is illegal, and anything the majority party wants is legal," he said.

"I’m going to object to that," said Lerner. "I don’t think I’m gonna’ sit here all night again listening to Crawford on law. We have a village attorney who we pay for his opinion. I’m not going to sit here and debate the issue. I’m gonna’ say I agree with Mr. Randall, so that’s two lawyers to one! I am no longer gonna’ waste my time listening to Crawford on law. We have a legal opinion, and that’s what we should follow."

Crawford then moved that the matter be placed on the agenda for a future meeting, but Lerner and his political allies were not ready to let this opportunity for abuse pass.

"Before we move on," said Denefe, "I would simply like to point out that the last time Mr. Crawford disagreed with the village attorney it cost the taxpayers of this town $16,000 and some change, and that was in conjunction with the ballot placement issue that was raised by Mr. Crawford in his personal quest to become the top of the ballot. This was a significant amount of money that the taxpayers are going to have to pay because of Mr. Crawford’s initial refusal to accept the opinion of the village attorney and then his subsequent threats to sue the village, and it’s unfortunate that the taxpayers will have to bear this cost!"

"I thought the Unite Glenview trustees would take this opportunity to dig a knife in my back," said Crawford.

"I don’t see any Unite Glenview trustees doing that," said Carlson.

Earlier this year, Crawford submitted his election petitions at the same time as Citizens United for Glenview. He might have been placed first on the ballot as was the case for independent candidate Mike Guinane four years earlier, or there could have been a lottery to determine ballot position. Village Clerk and Manager Paul McCarthy wasn’t sure. He called village attorney Randall who checked a state handbook and decreed that independent candidates appear last. Based on his understanding of state law, Crawford disagreed.

The dispute triggered a series of memos from Crawford and Randall to the board. Randall referred to several cases. When Crawford requested copies of those rulings, Randall refused on the grounds that Crawford might file suit against the village. As a candidate for re-election, Crawford said he had no time for lawsuits. What’s more, he was astonished when Randall sent the village a bill for more than $16,000. "I can’t remember how much the village attorney is charging us, but at $300 an hour, that would be about 50 or 60 hours he spent on this," Crawford said at Tuesday’s meeting. "This bill is atrocious. It’s completely unwarranted, and I think it was submitted for political reasons."

Seeing that Randall wished to respond, Carlson opened his mouth and inserted his foot. "President Randall," he said. Carlson has often called attorney Randall "Trustee," perhaps because Glenview’s attorney is such a close political pal, but this is the first time the village president has awarded his own title to the lawyer.

"No, no, no. I’m not ..." said Randall.

"Did I do that again?" said Carlson.

Moving on to defend his latest bill Randall began: "There were four attorneys that worked on this matter. The total hours were 104.5 over a period of approximately three and a half, four weeks. Now Trustee Crawford conveniently leaves out what precipitated my response to him. Mr. Crawford threatened the village with litigation on two separate occasions, and on the third occasion he requested that the village join him in litigation against the state board of elections. Let me go over my chronology."

"Please do," said Carlson.

Randall said his preliminary research would have cost the village about $700, but Crawford then challenged Randall’s opinion in a couple of e-mails sent to a state election official. This alarmed the village attorney. "The board has to know Mr. Crawford and where he’s coming from, because I interpreted those e-mails as a prelude to Mr. Crawford starting to think about suing the village, because it was in 1996 when Mr. Crawford was not a trustee that he did sue the village attempting to stop the financing for the Glenview Naval Air Station. It took us three weeks to knock him out of court on that."

Randall went on to describe a voicemail he got from Crawford. "The tenor of that indicated to me that I had better prepare because Mr. Crawford was on the road again towards litigation," he said, adding that a subsequent memo arrived on Crawford’s legal letterhead in which the trustee said he saw no reason why a court order should be needed to compel compliance with the law.

The village attorney said a lawsuit by Crawford would have required speedy action, and he needed to be prepared. "I don’t have the luxury that Mr. Crawford has. I can’t shoot from the hip. What I say has to be accurate because I represent the village," Randall said, adding that the work he did was authorized by Village Manager McCarthy.

Editor’s note: In 1995, Crawford and several other citizens felt the open meetings act was violated when, without public notice, at an early morning meeting, Glenview trustees voted to sell $60 million worth of bonds to begin building The Glen. There was no public discussion of the matter, and taxpayers did not find out about it until the Glenview Announcements carried a story more than a week later. Crawford and his friends did, indeed, sue the village. So what? We find it outrageous that because Randall thought Crawford might sue the village he and the village manager felt $16,000 worth of legal work was in order. Do Glenview taxpayers really care who appears at the top of the ballot? What if Randall had simply let his opinion and his $700 bill stand? In our experience, Crawford is a man of his word and would not have sued. But let us assume he had. At worst, a judge would have ordered the village to hold a lottery, and John Crawford’s name might have appeared at the top of Glenview’s ballot on April 1. Again we say, so what?

Not content to let this outrage die, Trustee Lerner took his turn, saying Crawford’s interpretation of the law "was clearly wrong if I can render an unwanted opinion." Continuing to argue that trustees should always accept the advice of their legal counsel he added, "I’m the only practicing attorney sitting up here besides Mr. Randall. I’m not here to render a legal opinion, even on subjects that I’m an expert in. I’m here to follow the advice of the gentleman we’ve retained!"

Noting Crawford had attacked Randall’s charge of more than $16,000 for a few pages of memos, Lerner added his own admittedly gratuitous remark. "Since you’re counting the number of pages per memo, there was the implication that since they weren’t 100 pages, they weren’t worth the money. I remind you the Gettysburg Address was written on the back of an envelope, and that seems to have gone a long way for a small paragraph."

"Mr. President," said Pappo, "Can we move along please?"

As Glenview residents approach another election on April 1, the question we confront is whether our village is any more united than it was two years ago. That's when one political party called itself "Unite Glenview" and promised to do just that. A look at the record since shows a Glenview more divided and our local democracy in decline. One party has three candidates for the three open trustee seats. A lone candidate from the other party vies for one of those seats. Why isn't the field of candidates larger? Fear and money are the reasons.

Many people considered running for election this year, but they remembered the spectacle that Unite Glenview put on with tens of thousand of dollars raised from business interests and the demeaning, scurrilous attacks that campaign contributions financed. Unite Glenview's clear intention was to divide, outspend and conquer. Unite Glenview won, but Glenview lost and continues to lose.

And what has transpired since Unite Glenview gained control of the Board of Trustees hardly serves as a model to bring the disparate parts of this village together. Rather the ruling party has driven wedges deeper into the community whenever and wherever it can.

If you don't believe this, then watch the trustee meetings on Channel 17. See how the Unite Glenview members bully and ridicule the lone candidate who opposes them in the April election. Watch how the Unite Glenview members treat average citizens who come before the board with issues that need to be addressed. Watch how Unite Glenview members dart and dodge issues that they promised to tackle years ago.

This is a village that touts the benefits of a school program called Character Counts, but when it comes to Unite Glenview the concepts of ethics, respect, dignity, tolerance and fairness are alien. A befuddled Board President Larry Carlson wonders why The Glen and the rest of Glenview appear at odds, why we can't be one happy family where everything is beautiful, right and just.

Larry's solution was to distribute an accountant's dream on how The Glen has benefited everyone in the village by $67 million. Wow! That's a lot of money. But it doesn't buy an active, vibrant and diverse body politic, nor does it address the issues of how we unite Glenview.

Larry doesn't have a clue, and if he does, then let him show us what he and his colleagues have done in the last two years to heal the divisions, to make the political environment more conducive to broaden citizen participation and increase respect for all people.

NIGHTMARE ON MONROE STREET

Monroe is a small street off Chestnut that runs parallel to Waukegan, behind the Glenview Car Wash. Residents complain of large potholes, a lack of curbs and sidewalks. Developers of new town homes have given the village money to fix the road, but the department of public works wanted to wait until empty lots which seemed likely to be developed were done. Director Bill Porter warned that if the road were rebuilt now, construction equipment might damage it and necessitate expensive repairs. As a compromise, the village proposed a vote by residents, letting them decide if the village should rebuild the road now or later. It seemed a simple solution, but in Glenview it was not.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, Public Works Director Porter announced the outcome: "We sent out 59 ballots. Eight came back as undeliverable. Out of the 51 that remained, 26 were returned. Twelve of the residents, who will have to pay a portion of the road construction costs, were in favor of reconstruction in 2003. Twelve were in favor of waiting. Two were not filled out correctly." There was also a ballot that came in late from a guy who had been away. He wanted to wait. Porter said the board should decide whether to count that vote and repeated his suggestion that road work be delayed. The trustees decided to accept that recommendation – accepting the late ballot and delaying any work until 2004.

Census figures from 2000 show Glenview is a wealthier community than ever, bolstering the case for a triple-A bond rating here. Village consultant Ron Norene told the board that the median price of family housing is roughly $336,000, which is about 250 percent of what the state has. That means about half the houses are more expensive and half cost less. The average home price is about $440,000. Per capital income is 190 percent of the state average. In rating our latest bonds, Moody’s investor services also lauded community planning efforts and redevelopment of the GNAS. "Moody’s believes financial operations will remain strong," Norene said.

These are hard economic times for many groups including Glenview’s principal social service agency, Youth Services. Director Nancy Bloom says several programs were discontinued and the organization is short on staff. Northbrook helped to fill the gap with a $15,000 grant. Northfield Township gave $11,900, and Glenview’s police department agreed to cover the full cost of a joint program with the organization. Several businesses, service clubs and the Glenview Community Church have also made generous contributions, but Bloom says this year’s fundraiser will be critical.

The benefit, on May 4, will feature a live and silent auction, a comedy show, dinner and a raffle. Prizes include a trip to Hawaii for two, a spa day at Teddie Kossof, a $500 savings bond from the Glenview State Bank, an overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago and a $100 gift certificate to Tucci Benucch. Tickets to the Northbrook Hilton event are $50 per person – less than the price of a granite brick. For more information, call 847-724-2620.

– Glenview’s park district has reached a three-year agreement with executive director Tom Richardson. He had been thinking about retirement, but with three of the board’s most senior people leaving, the timing would be terrible. "We decided that it would be a big transition with new people on the board, and we didn’t want to have a change in executive directors right away." Richardson will be paid in excess of $121,000 per year, including the value of his home on Roosevelt Road.

– Huber Lane Park will be renamed to honor retired commissioner Catherine Crowley who served on the park board for 30 years. A formal rededication will take place July 5.

– Two other members who left the board Thursday, Steve Schulte and Tom Pontarelli, will have trees planted in their honor. "They should be planted out of bounds," joked fellow commissioner and golfer Doug Kaiser.

– LaSalle Bank says it has secured sufficient parking for 2,000-2,500 spectators expected to attend a PGA tournament to be held at The Glen Club the week of June 2. It will be cable cast on the Golf Channel.

– The park board has agreed, in principle, to sell cows to the Wagner Farm Animal Rescue Fund when they are no longer wanted rather than sending the animals to slaughter. The group, headed by Biff Thiele, Debby Rubenstein and Bill Dose, will raise money to send the cows to a farm sanctuary where they can live out their years. The district stopped short of signing a contract with the fund, saying there might be some circumstances in which another course of action might be preferred by staff.

– The district will spend $7,200 to erect a wrought-iron fence around the Jackman Park tot lot. Board members site safety concerns given the play area’s proximity to a parking lot and busy Lehigh Road.

– Plans are proceeding to fence 12 acres at Beck Lake for a dog park. Cook County had agreed to set aside as many as 25 acres, but local volunteers were unable to raise the money. Now, Glenview, Des Plaines and Maine Township parks may chip in to expand the area.

– The Grove is featured in the latest issue of Chicago Wilderness Magazine.

– Glenview’s Senior Center is the second in Illinois to receive certification from the National Association of Senior Centers and the National Council on Aging – an honor bestowed in 1998 on the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield.

JRW offers a humorous take on the latest Village Board wars: "On March 18, Trustees John Crawford, Jeff Lerner, and Village Attorney Jeffrey Randall were bickering away about Crawford's placement on the April 1 ballot. It reminded me of an old joke. What do you call three lawyers at the bottom of the sea? Answer: A good start. Did these men realize that they were in public? I have seen teenagers behave better when they are fighting with their parents. I loved it when Jeff Lerner brought up the Gettysburg Address -- comparing it to the few pages written by Randall. Crawford quipped that the government ‘was not billed $16,000 for the Gettysburg Address,’ and Lerner replied, ‘No, it only caused a war.’ Did I hear that right? I have always interpreted the Gettysburg Address as an impassioned plea for peace. But then I'm not a practicing lawyer. Anyway, I hope everyone votes for John Crawford on April 1 if only for the sheer entertainment an independent voice provides. Small town politics is the best reality TV going. If it weren't so tragic, it would be hysterical!"

And departing Trustee Rachel Cook writes about the hot night at Village Hall: "One would think after four years of witnessing the bullying tactics of the Unite party play itself out at our village board meetings that I would have become immune to their blood sport, but it still renders me speechless – literally speechless. Which is why I did not add my two cents worth at the recently concluded board meeting at which Trustee John Crawford was framed for costing the village taxpayers $16,000 in legal fees when he questioned the ballot placement methods in the upcoming election. Village Attorney Jeffrey Randall attempted to justify the expense by providing a lengthy chronology of events with much emphasis placed on time expended by four attorneys from his firm in preparation for possible litigation by Trustee Crawford. I lost count of the number of times I heard, ‘Trustee Crawford’s actions implied,’ during the course of Randall’s comments.’ One question lingers in my mind. Did it occur to President Carlson, Manager McCarthy or Attorney Randall at any time to simply ask Trustee Crawford if he intended to sue the village? John Crawford is one of the most honest and direct gentlemen I have had the honor of knowing, and he would most assuredly have put village leadership concerns to rest. In questioning the methodology of ballot placement, Trustee Crawford was exercising his right as a citizen. Let’s hope in the future that situations like this are treated as an opportunity to engage in a spirited debate among neighbors and not as an occasion to retrench into a siege mentality and launch a protracted offense that has the effect of chilling the expression of any opinions that may be contrary to tradition. I ran for office four years ago because I passionately believed that a healthy government was founded on the principles of a multi-party system of representation. Choice is the essence of a true democracy. I intend to exercise my choice in continuing to support Trustee Crawford as a man of integrity. I urge the citizens of Glenview to do the same by voting on April 1."

HD is headed for the polls where she won’t be voting for Cummings: "I cannot vote for Kerry Cummings on April 1 even though she has dedicated a lot of time and good energy to Glenview civic causes. I am distressed that she is running for village board when there is still so much to be done on the District 34 School Board, and she has gotten up the learning curve there. She will have to start on the bottom (or rely on others to direct her) on the village board. Substance and depth are lacking on both boards and Kerry would make a much better contribution to the community by staying where she is."

John Ranz and Terry Wodder urge the public to vote against incumbent library candidate Arlene Anthony: "She and her colleagues on the board have intentionally misled the public regarding the need for a new 110,000 sq. ft. library – a proposal that would be 63% larger than 19 other suburban libraries that have recently expanded or built new with 96% more patron seats than the average for 11 suburban libraries that have recently expanded. Since a feasibility study was commissioned by the library board in 1997, annual visits have declined by approximately 20% and circulation by 4%. At a minimum Ms. Anthony and her colleagues are guilty of bad judgment. However, the fact that they have never even bothered to count the number of occupied chairs to test the validity of the feasibility study and space needs analysis would suggest that Ms. Anthony and the board have always wanted to build new regardless of actual need or expense. For further information we encourage the voters of Glenview to contact us at jgrmetals@aol.com or terrywodder@citynet.net."

Biff Thiele responds to BB’s attack on the farm support group C.O.W.S: "The C.O.W.S board has objected to several changes at the farm which the park district has dismissed _ claiming that the board doesn't necessarily represent the public's views. To give their objections some teeth, C.O.W.S just completed an unscientific survey of nearly 1,400 residents who worked for the Park District to save the farm for the community. C.O.W.S received an astounding 43% response rate from nearly 600 Park District residents. They will unveil the results of the survey to the public and the media at their annual meeting, which is at 7 p.m.Thursday, April 10th in the Village Hall board room."

FM responds to remarks made during a forum of park district candidates: "Moylan suggests building a low-cost fitness center for residents who can't afford the Park Center one? Is that a joke or what? Why did Glenview build a high-cost fitness center in the first place? Why can the neighboring health clubs charge less than Park Center, and still be open to the public more hours? Why isn't the swimming pool open more often? More revenue would cover more overhead costs. Common sense would tell you that residents will seek out the best buy for their money. If we can't be competitive then we shouldn't build anything!"

GJ asks about a surprising sight in Gallery Park: "I walk at the Park Center in The Glen on a regular basis and noticed a few months ago that staff was putting Christmas trees on wooden stands in the lake. I was curious to know why this was being done and when the trees will be removed."

The Watch replies: Environmental experts recommend dropping a few trees into ma-made lakes. In nature they’ve observed that old trees fall into lakes and become good hiding, feeding and breeding places for fish.

JHH asks about police patrols: "Maybe it’s just us and the fact we live on a cul-de-sac but I haven't seen a police patrol our area, i.e., actually coming down our street, in over two, maybe three years. I do work out of home about half the time and I would have thought, if regular residential patrols are being made to have caught a patrol car occasionally. Have the police cut down or eliminated neighborhood patrolling?

The Watch replies: Glenview Deputy Chief of Operations Brad Weigel says the village has not cut down or eliminated neighborhood patrols. Specific patterns of patrol are not publicly discussed, however he says they vary from random under normal circumstances to focused, selective and directed based upon frequency, nature and severity of local crime. "Beyond our marked police cars we also have an array of unmarked vehicles which are seldom recognized by residents. During warm weather we deploy our bicycle patrol, which reaches virtually every nook and cranny of the town. Also, don't forget we are a 24-hour operation and consequently patrol your streets during those wee hours of the morning. Regardless, I'm surprised this resident has not seen police patrols since significant amounts of our officers arrests and self-initiated activity stem from our side streets. I would be happy to speak with the resident and compare their neighborhood to our call activity. Often when residents complain of not seeing squads cars, and I subsequently do a computer search of how often we have responded just to their neighbors calls for service, they are quite surprised at how much time we spend in their area."

The Glenview Community Church offers another response to Nancy Chadwick’s note: "We are hosting a senior housing fair from 9 - 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6. This is a great opportunity to gather information and learn about many of the senior housing options available in Glenview and the surrounding communities. During this event, representatives from area senior housing facilities will be on hand to distribute literature and answer questions about choosing senior housing."

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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