I am not equating Peronism to the Buffalo Grove Village Board. However, after attending most of the village board meetings the past three months, I have had the opportunity to watch how the Board Members handle a meeting. You know the cast. Not quite like Tinker-to-Everts-to-Chance, but the combination of Braiman-to-Berman-to-Stone is an interesting combination. Sort of like an Arab at a Kibbutz.
And then, as Tevye says in "Fiddler on the Roof," there are the others. Beverly Sussman, Deann Glover and Steven Trilling. For,the most part, and this is not a criticism, they are more reserved (which doesn't take much lately) and far more calculating in their thought process. It's just the way some people work.
Until Monday night's Board Meeting.
Trilling, who is amazingly calm given the he's caught in the crossfire between Lisa Stone and Village Manager Bill Brimm, saw fit to let his concerns be known, with special emphasis on Stone.
A brief side note here. A friend commented recently that I focus a lot on Lisa Stone in this blog.
I don't focus on her, she focuses on herself. When a public official is uninformed, self-serving, and throws daggers for the sake of throwing daggers at a public meeting, how can that be ignored?
It can't -- and Mr. Trilling raised that point. Trilling, appointed to the Board in 2002, has served on several village commissions - -so he has considerable experience with the village and its operations. He has voiced his views quietly (as have nearly all of the Board members) and in a respectful manner.
There is, however, only so much that anyone will stand for, and Trilling made his point Monday night.
Mr. Trilling's well-crafted statement came in support of a proposed ordinance establishing procedures for the recall of elected officials in the village.
It's obvious that the tactics displayed by Miz Stone prompted the ordinance. It should not come as a surprise. The surprise came from Mr. Trilling.
In summarizing his tenure on the Board, Trilling noted that "I learned from my colleagues and predecessors ways to conduct business in a productive and respectful manner despite the differences of opinion we may have had. I am afraid this is no longer the case and many residents are now asking me what has happened to the Village Board and how do we return to a board that displays respect and civility once again."
He's not alone in his opinion. The once professional atmosphere of the Village Board meetings has been tainted with an acrid display of arrogance and ignorance.
Trilling equated it to a Reality TV show where, as he said, "relationships have changed from an
intelligent, respectful and thoughtful exchange of ideas to a Reality TV show where media sensationalism and self promotion has been the only suspected gain."
I'm not a big TV watcher -- with the exception of sports, Law and Order and news, TV has become a vast wasteland -- reality TV shows help bolster my views.
Trilling's comments were augmented by citing the national recognition the village has received -- including the 100 places to live and the top 50 places to raise a family. Trilling's point is well taken -- recognition like that does not just happen. It's a collaborative effort.
As Trilling noted, "I cannot believe these national recognition achievements were not received without the hard work and dedication of many people, led by the Village Board, in cooperation with volunteer commissions, village employees and most importantly, the residents of Buffalo Grove. My greatest fear today is the only award which we now qualify for is a Nielsen award for most viewers of a Reality TV show in government. Viewers of Reality TV tend to seek entertainment involving sensationalism, backstabbing, competition, survival techniques, revenge and joys of vindication."
And while he's right, I'll disagree with one thing Trilling said. I don't think the village will receive a Nielsen Award for most viewers of a Reality TV show, but for the most performance of a Disney Show.
Thanks to the boorish behavior of newly elected board member (guess who?) -- the village might be up for the reproduction of "The Mickey Mouse Club."
But that's not all bad -- because when it comes to casting, we have our own Goofy.
Nicely done, Stan...and Steve. No one should be suprised by the backlash Stone is receiving. We love our village and are just trying to protect it from someone who has demonstrated that she is not worthy of having a leadership position here. She lacks the knowledge, skills- and worst of all- the right intent to be the kind of leader BG residents expect. She was elected by supporters who believed her to be capable, but it has only taken a few months to prove how misguided those voters were. We don't need to continue to waste our time, effort and money trying to deal with a sub-par trustee when there are more urgent and important matters that need to be addressed. If she really loved this community, she'd spare us the agony and expense and resign to "pursue other interests."
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog! Steve Trilling did an outstanding job on Monday. His thoughts were well thoughtout and offered from the heart. Steve has the unfortunate seat right next to her, and that has to be very unsettling for him. Steve is an excellent Trustee and though staying out of the battle most of the time his comments are much more powerful because of that.