What a difference a year makes...

So here it is, the end of the year.

At this time last year we were looking back on a rather tumultuous year highlighted, for lack of a better word, of recalls, EPA hearings, clashes between board members and village staff, the resignation of a long-time, well-respected village manager, the hiring of a new village manager and the Cubs going nowhere.

What a difference a year makes.

Most of the above has ebbed -- with of course the fact the Cubs went nowhere.

The past year was highlighted by changes on the Village Board as Elliott Hartstein hung up the gavel with Jeff Braiman taking center seat. Three newcomers joined the Board, Andrew Stein by defeating Denise Bocek in the April election, Mike Terson by virtue of an unopposed race, and Lester Ottenheimer III by appointment.

But what would be a year in the history of Big Animal Grove without a little sabre-rattling.  

Two elections gave residents an opportunity to see some rather unusual campaign rhetoric. 

The race for District 125, which is Stevenson High School, the “125for125” slate of Kathy Powell, Kim Brady and Charles Cardella and the United4Stevenson slate that included incumbents Bruce Rubin, Merv Roberts, and Terry Moons along with newcomer David Weisberg.

At face value, it was the old-boy incumbents (along with Weisberg) who were spending the district to death, facing off against Don Quixote and his band of windmill fighters who were going to cut spending and save the district from financial ruin.  What they failed to say was how they were going to maintain the academic integrity of the Mecca on 22 while cutting funds.  Oops.  They also forgot to mention their hidden moral agenda and their alliance with the Illinois Family Institute.  Oops.

What was lost in their rhetoric was the impact on the students.  But wait, wasn’t that supposed to be the focus of a school board race?

Granted, the United4Stevenson candidates made some bonehead calls during its previous term, but at least, so it seemed, you had an idea which direction they were going in.  The 125for125 slate seemed to vacillate in its positions, so voters were not quite sure just exactly where they stood.

And on Election Day, the results seemed to back that up.  United4Stevenson came out on top.

While the campaign was heated, it was focused on the issues -- unlike the race for Buffalo Grove Village Clerk.

That contest had incumbent Jan Sirabian facing everyone’s favorite question mark, Rob Sherman.  Sherman whose sole intention appeared to (surprise) do little more than keep his name in the news, did little more than castigate Sirabian for being a long-serving village clerk – and for being a woman. 

Instead of addressing the needs of the village, Sherman, instead opted to spend time having his car washed by employees of Hooters, attending presentations on women’s underwear and showing up at public hearings, soliciting signatures – and then leaving.

Was it any surprise that Sirabian garnered 80 percent of the vote?  Not really – except when Sherman saw it as a moral victory.  Somehow Sherman and moral don’t fit in the same sentence together.

And to think that was in April.  After that things seemed to run their course on a fairly routine basis.

Routine?  Buffalo Grove?  It looks like 2011 has been that kind of a year.

One thing that did go unresolved, however.   The fate of the evil “Hipcheck16”.

Despite the efforts of deposed board member Lisa Stone, who claims the anonymous Daily Herald poster defamed her son, and wants to know Hipcheck 16’s true identity, the Cook County Appellate Court has ruled to the contrary.

So another year and another unsolved mystery.

However, I have a suspicion as to who may be behind the dastardly Hipcheck 16.

Kim Jong-il.

Law & Order BGPD: November edition

Another month and another collection of items from the police report that make me wonder what some people are thinking.

These are their stories.

You’re kidding, right?

Complainant stated that the driver of a vehicle behind her honked his horn for her to turn, then pulled next to her and gave her the middle finger. Officer spoke with the other driver who stated that his horn does not work and that he pulled next to her to let her know it was someone else. 

Put the kid to work…

Resident stated that he spoke with his upstairs neighbor about the excessive noise the two year old child makes. When the resident returned to his apartment, the upstairs neighbor stomped on the floor, causing the glass globe from the kitchen light to fall and break. Officer spoke with the neighbor who denied stomping on the floor and complained of the resident yelling at her through the walls. Both were referred to the home owner’s association. 

Well, so much for this friends list…

When the resident checked her son’s Facebook account, she found an inappropriate message from an unknown subject. The resident has canceled the account.

Help wanted:  Intelligent Human Resources Person

Company official reported that a terminated employee has not returned a company vehicle and miscellaneous office items, as requested. Officer contacted the terminated employee and she stated that the vehicle and items will be returned the following day. 

Bet it wasn’t Bert Weinman, Your TV Ford man…

Resident reported that he purchased a truck on eBay Motors. He wire transferred $24,000.00  to the seller, and has not seen the truck or seller since. 

The rain is Tess, the fire’s Joe, but They Call the Grill Mariah…

Resident reported that someone unknown pushed her gas grill over on her patio. After examining the grill, the officer found a broken wheel and believes that the high winds may have been the cause. 

Trash talking...

Driver stated that she stopped her car to pick up a bag of garbage that was lying in the roadway. When she placed the bag on the curb, a resident came out and threw the bag of garbage back at the driver, striking her in the chest with the bag. The resident was charged with disorderly conduct. 

Imagine that – they were not texting…

Resident reported two male subjects sitting in a car that has been parked on the street for the past ninety minutes. Officer spoke with the occupants, one being a resident on the street the other his girlfriend. They were talking. 

Love is a mighty confusing thing…

Resident reported receiving a text message stating “I want you back”. The resident sent a message back stating that you must have the wrong number. Since then, the resident has received three voice messages from a woman asking if the resident is cheating with her boyfriend. The resident has advised the caller to stop calling. 

With friends like this...

Resident reported that someone opened an account on Sexyjobs.com and used her picture and cell phone number. She has been getting calls and text messages from unknown persons. The resident will contact the web site and request the account be closed

Talk about the cold shoulder...

Resident paid an acquaintance $3,600.00 for the installation of a new furnace. The check was cashed but the acquaintance never showed to make the installation. The resident and his sons have been attempting to contact the acquaintance and when one of the sons spoke with him he threatened bodily harm if they did not stop calling. Officer spoke with the acquaintance who denied making a threat and stated that he cashed the check to order the furnace. 

Turkeys pardoned?  Oh, this was not about the Village Board...

President Obama pardoned two Turkeys last week and spared them from Thanksgiving dinner. No such pardon came at my home and dinner was great. Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. (Yes, this was part of the Police Log)

The turkey reminded me...

I couldn’t help but think of the Village Board as I cooked the turkey on Thanksgiving.

It’s nothing personal, mind you, just a connection that during the recent past that thinking of a turkey often connects to some of the antics by Board Members – both past and present – but mostly past.

The irony of it is the fact that the annual stuff-cook-eat turkey celebration comes within a week of an appellate court’s ruling that the identity of the now infamous “Hipcheck16” does not have to be revealed.

Turkeys aside, and you can read into that as much as you want, it’s a continuation of the “look at me – I’m always right and everyone is wrong” campaign by former trustee Lisa Stone.  In the past year I have mentioned Stone’s name only a smattering of time.  Her reign as a Village Board member came to a halt with the recall vote last November.

However, she continues her pursuit of her pet projects – the Land & Lakes landfill issue and the ongoing about who Hipcheck16 is.  That’s fine.  Everyone has his or her own pet projects and we know that Stone is passionate – obsessive if you will about Land & Lakes – even though she ignored it when she lived near the site.

The Hipcheck 16 issue is a different story.  It is, in some ways, a classic example of how folks who put themselves in the public eye don’t get it. 

When someone runs for public offices, accepts a high profile position, such as a school administrator or coach, their lives become an open book, whether they like it or not.  Lisa Stone is not the first public figure whose family has been brought into the public eye.  Former governor Jim Thompson had to deal with issues related to his wife, Sarah Palin’s daughter was in the limelight and comments about the wife of the late Edmund Muskie ultimately led him to dropping out of the presidential race.  These are just a few examples.

Public figures are not perfect and while some think their status puts them on a pedestal and makes them immune to such comments – they wrong.  Several clichés come to mind – if you can’t stand the heat, get of the kitchen and you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

The sword can be a vicious weapon – especially the written, verbal, or now, the online sword.  Stone did what any parent would do – defend a child.  Where she has tripped over her public figure ego is by not realizing that she, in turn, is playing the same game.  She claims Hipcheck16 defamed her son, yet she sees nothing wrong with comments made about former Village Manager Bill Brimm and, more recently, false insinuations that Village Board member Jeff Berman is connected to Hipcheck16.

She has done this through the very forum that she is upset about --- online comments via a media website.

Comments posted in media online editions are, if nothing else, a source of entertainment.  They are also an increasing source of irritation for media outlets.  Why?  Unlike letters to the editors, which many publications verify by phone, online comments are, for the most part, an open forum.  Actually, because of terms of service agreements, they are a limited open forum, which gives the media outlet the opportunity to keep objectionable comments from appearing.

What is missing, however, is verification as to who is the real person.  As noted by one poster, ectrip8 noted in a recent Daily Herald comment,  “Your son was using a screenname, (sic) not his real name. Furthermore, just because he claimed to be your son before commenting does not mean that he revealed who he was. There is no way for someone to verify who anyone is on these boards. You may not be the real LS, just as if I claim on here to be Barack Obama or Mitt Romney doesn't automatically make it so.”

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka once said that only two kinds of people live in the past – losers and cowards.  We learn from the past, whether we like what happened or not.  This does not apply just to Stone, but to any and everyone. 

However, I am not sure Stone realizes this as she includes numerous links about her performance as a Village Board member in her comments on the Daily Herald’s online edition.

Yet she missed one. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20101102/news/711039808/

Law & Order: BGPD

 "In Buffalo Grove's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the men and women of the Buffalo Grove Police Department. These are their stories." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resident reported finding smudges on the outside of her patio door as though someone may have been peering into the house. When the evidence technician went to the residence the son told him that the smudges were from him playing with the dog. 

-- Are we to think the kid is a pain in the glass?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Complainant approached a neighbor and asked if he was the one that swore and yelled at her son because he was riding a scooter in the street. The neighbor denied doing so but said the next time he would hit her son. Officer spoke with the neighbor who stated that he did yell because the boy was blocking him from getting out of his driveway. 

-- "Won't you be my neighbor..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ex boyfriend showed up at the company to recover a vehicle given to the ex girlfriend as a loaner. Officer spoke with the ex girlfriend and found that the girlfriend’s name was on the title to the car. Officer advised the boyfriend that this is a civil matter and to leave

-- Details, details, details..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Human Resources Director requested that officers standby while an employee was terminated. The employee did not show up for work. 

-- Well, there goes that reference

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conductor reported a suspicious suitcase on the train platform. Officer located a green bag containing a Halloween costume. The bag was placed into property at the police station. 

--  Must have made the old jailhouse rock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Son met with an officer and stated that he was concerned about his mother’s well being. The son had been knocking on the door and calling without a response. Entry was gained into the unit and found mom to be OK. She stated that she was scared and did not realize it was her son knocking on the door. 

-- Hello, mom?  But he's such a nice boy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resident reported receiving text messages from a person whom she believes to be her ex husband’s girlfriend. Officer contacted the girlfriend who denied any involvement in sending the messages. 

-- So if she calms down, does that means she's ex lax?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resident reported that someone unknown removed two skeletons, one ghost, and a large monster from the yard Halloween display. Several other ghouls and goblins were damaged. 

-- At first glance I thought this was about a Village Board meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Complainant reported a male subject looking into the windows of a residence. The subject and his vehicle were gone when officers arrived. The resident stated that she is renting the house and the landlord often times comes by unannounced. Officer attempted to contact the landlord and left a message. The resident stated that she has had numerous problems with the landlord and will be moving out. 

--  So that's what it meant when the ad said "custom window treatments."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resident reported that his estranged wife hacked into his personal computer, installed an external hard drive, and then copied the computer’s hard drive. The resident found the external hard drive by chance and is keeping possession of it. 

-- He probably needed tech support  more than child support.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resident from the 200 block of Hiawatha Drive stated that a large grey cat has been hanging around his back yard. The cat has no collar or chip and was taken to Kings Kennel. 

-- Another frolicking feline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

And finally,

Complainant reported a subject in a white mask dancing at the intersection. Officers located a subject that was performing his pantomime. He was advised that some residents apparently find mimes disconcerting and he agreed to go home. 

-- Guess he should have mimed his own business...

Officers of the Buffalo Grove Police Department handled 1361 incidents and crimes and 129 crashes during the month of October 2011.

And the Oscar goes to....

Not long ago, I had dinner with some friends who spent time talking about, among other things, where they live.

During the course of the evening, one said that the problem with Buffalo Grove is that there are no good restaurants in the village, the village let Lincolnshire grab the cinemas and also let the car dealers get away.

 

As Yogi Berra would say, it's déjà vue all over again.

The fact that the village does not have any good restaurants is not the fault of the village.  Granted, it has tight standards for building appearance or signage, but there is not, as far as I know, a Village Culinary Commission.  If you look at the car dealers in question; the Saturn, Toyota and Chrysler dealerships on Dundee Road only one, Arlington Toyota, chose to move out of the village.  The other two were closed by the year respective corporations; Saturn by G.M. and Chrysler by Chrysler.

The mere fact that Lincolnshire incorporated much of the area b y Aptakisic Road and Milwaukee Avenue was the result of a voluntary annexation by the property owner who, my sources tell me, needed to annex to Lincolnshire to get utilities because of a previous action.

What my dining companion did not realize, of if he did, he chose to ignore it, is the fact that the village continues to be in seemingly excellent financial shape despite the struggling economy.  It has endured reduced sales taxes, shrinking property taxes and excessive legal bills to resolve frivolous lawsuits and actions by folks who want to do little more than make a name for themselves. Through it all, the village has Triple AAA credit ratings from both Standard and Poors and Moody's.

Not too shabby.

While the economy continues to flounder, there is a ray of optimism that the village fiscal solvency will continue. It's the things movies can be made of.

The Nov. 21 Village Board meeting was highlighted by a two-hour presentation of the 2012 budget. Let's face it, budget presentations rank right up there with watching paint dry, watching 2011 Cubs highlights or reruns of McHale's Navy. This one, however, was deserving of an Oscar.

That's not my opinion.  All you need to do is listen to Village Board member Beverly Sussman who said "it is the best budget I have ever read in 30 years..it is the Academy Awards of budgets."

She may be on to something.  Aside from klieg lights heralding the event, it seemed like every department brought out its key staff, most of who were in dress attire.  It's the first time that the Police Department had more officers in attendance wearing dress uniforms than the Fire Department.

Before cynics cry foul, all they need to do is review the budget, all 306 pages of it, from the village's web site.  It is, from my non fiscal eyes, well presented and clearly written.  It seems to make sense.

The focal point of the budget is the use of four domains for each department.  They are: Strategy, Efficiency  Culture and Technology.  Budget goals and objectives addressed each category.

And yes, economic development in key areas, specifically the Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue corridors.  While there may be some faults with the 2012 budget because nothing is nothing is perfect, it is well scripted.

Worthy of an Academy Award?  Only time will tell.

In the meantime, I like the Hollywood theme Sussman  has given to the process.

Who knows, maybe it will spur some creative new businesses -- for example, how about a movie-themed bicycle shop.

How about calling it "Gone with the Schwinn".

Look at the root of suburban

Back in the days when Pioneer Press hired more than one reporter to cover a village (they actually had news writers, school reporters, sports reporters, feature writers --- for each paper!) and not just a single overworked reporter or over-zealous soccer mom filling space, they had a publisher who wrote a series of  articles entitled, "The root of suburban is urban."

That was nearly 40 years ago and his prognostications were right on the money.

Changing times, demographics, attitudes, etc. have brought the boundaries of the nation's large cities to the doorsteps of our once tranquil villages.

I was reminded of this face by what was, by accounts, a simple headline.  "Urban-style apartment may not fly in Buffalo Grove."

The story was about yet another presentation by a developer to build an apartment complex at Deerfield Parkway and Busch Road.

So what.

What makes this proposal so strange is it's the second time representatives representing Marquette Companies, a real estate investment firm has tried to pull the wool, or maybe polyester, over the eyes of the Village Board.  Their proposal is for a 192-unit apartment complex in three buildings; two low rise and one nine stories tall.

So what.

The "what" is that they keep trying to railroad this past the Board as a development where people won't need cars and it will be great for the environment and put the village on the cutting edge of planning.

Right.

Go to Marquette's web and you'll be taken in by complexes with ponds, swimming pools and contemporary architecture.

Interestingly enough, the plan for Buffalo Grove is a high density property that overlooks the Metra tracks.  Sounds inviting.

But the pitch that the development would be the hub of a transit development zone -- where people would not need their cars and they could walk everywhere.

Really?  Like to where? While there are a couple of strip centers  (shopping centers, not a return to the Cheetah II and Roman House), there are not a whole heck of a lot of places to walk to.

So it's mind boggling to me that folks from "the outside" can come in an want to change the character of the village (as opposed to changing some of the characters of the village -- but that's another story).

In essence, they are "forcing" the urban into the suburban.  We're far from the white picket fences, Hazel and Father Knows Best, but the reality is, like it or not, one of the strong suits, if not occasionally to a fault, is the strict zoning and ordinances in place in Buffalo Grove.

Proposing a rental property under the ruse that it will be a transit development zone is, at best annoying.  The village has long fought to avoid land grabs and promises of seashells and balloons.

To come in and think village staff and officials are Opie and Aunt Bee is naive.  The character and environment of the village are suburban.  If the village wants urban, it will be on its own terms.

Not those of some land grabber.

Frolicking felines festering fear

From the truth can be stranger than fiction department, a debate has seemingly emerged regarding, or all things, trick or treating.


Really.


In the village's e-news, the hours for Trick or Treating are posted, (they are from 2 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31) which you would think is a pretty routine announcement.


You would think.  Hardly.


Debate No. 1 as posted by a reader
"Maybe you could mention in the blotter that even though the Village has designated trick or treat hours on Halloween from 2-7, all elementary schools are in session that day without early dismissal, both Lake Co and Cook Co. I am on the Cook County side, District 21, and they used to be released at 12. Not any more! 
I have called the Village to ask that they consider school schedules when designating these hours, instead of following the pattern of every year, on Halloween, from 2-Maybe if other parents called the village as well, this might be looked into. 


Other towns have changed the hours to 4-8, to accommodate school schedules...."

First of all, kudos to the schools for not releasing kids early to go Trick or Treating.  Imagine sending kids home from school early to go beg for candy as part of a pagan ritual.  I'm trying to figure out which would be the worse outcome -- childhood obesity or another Rob Sherman lawsuit.

Secondly, the early hours give parents who are home the chance to take preschoolers trick or treating before it gets dark -- remember time changes Sunday.

Trick or treat hours aside, a concerned resident raised this point. And, as Dave Barry would write, I am not making this up.

"Hey I always make this reminder, but please tell people who own black cats to keep them inside for Halloween. We all know there are nuts out there, and if they see black cats on Halloween or close to Halloween they may do something to it."

Cat: Domesticated feline often mistaken for a meatloaf

You're kidding, right?  Yes, we know there are nuts out there -- all you need to do is attend a Village Board meeting.  But do we really need to sequester black felines?  

There is, however, one resident who has the right idea.  

"All Cats shouldn't be allowed to roam the streets every day!!!!"

Thanks!"

I'm not sure why the contributor made it a capital C, but his/her point is well taken.  We need to control the ferocious feline that prowl our streets. 

The village needs to move quickly and, dare I say, not pussyfoot around.

A Real Case of Swine Flu

One of the things that makes the Chicago area a unique place to live is its diversity.  It’s home to people from all over the world, ethnicities, heritages and religions

.

This isn’t a new found discovery – it’s the way it has been for decades. 

Multiculturalism and diversity is being taught, practiced and accepted in all aspects of our society.  We’re not a homogeneous society and we can learn a lot about other cultures by exchanging ideas and experiences.

Experiences – like attending other houses of worship, which can be a great way to learn and understand how different religions observe their beliefs and how they like to serve the community.  Let me say that again – serve the community.

So, for the sake of argument, a local church is hosting, say, a pig roast and opens it to the community, it’s an invitation – not an attempt to convert the community.

So, for the sake of argument, a member of the Village Board mentions it at a meeting, he’s simply letting the community know.  And say, for the sake of an argument, it appears in the village newsletter, it appears as a community announcement.  Period.  Some people like pig roasts, much in the same way as people line up outside synagogue doors for a rummage sale.  They’re community events sponsored by a house of worship.  

No big deal, right?

It is if you’re Rob “I need my name in headlines” Sherman. It seems as though the Boy Blunder is suing the village for “advancing religion”.  Really?  I know there have been some trustees who have seen themselves as sacrificial lambs, but Sherman seems to be confused when it comes to practicing and promoting.  The village provides information about events open to the public.  It does not advocate the practice of any specific religion.  If, for example, the village was including promotional material about an event at a specific church, synagogue or mosque, then maybe, just maybe, Robby Pooh would have a case.

But that’s not what’s happening here. It’s village officials making light of what’s available to the community.  Sherman, however, becomes the knight in shining armor for orthodox Jews by saying the village is forcing them to eat non kosher food.  Unlike Sherman, Orthodox Jews have a deep and genuine sense of conviction and the fact that an organization is having a pig roast is their business and not a personal affront to their beliefs.  They don’t need headlines.

Sherman, however, does, or thinks he does.  His web site screams comments made by Village President Jeff Braiman in the media about the issues.  What Sherman hasn’t done, however, is talked with Braiman to discuss the matter.  I know he didn’t because I checked with Braiman, which is more than Sherman did.

So the Boy Blunder will continue to wave his “I’m a hero” flag by claiming the village is wasting money by promoting a community event.  Remember, this is the same Rob Sherman who wanted to be an elected official.  He’s still waging a war of word on Village Clerk Jan Sirabian who is a member of Hope Lutheran Church where the pig roast will be held.  Yes, the church is in Long Grove, but it does serve the Buffalo Grove community because, after all, a conviction of faith does not have city limits. 

Interestingly enough, Mr. Fiscal responsibility says taxpayer’s money is being wasted promoting a community event, but yet sees nothing wrong with taxpayer’s money being spent to counter a lawsuit he filed, which in essence is little more than another publicity stunt to boost his own ego.  It’s disturbing to think that he’s doing this at not just taxpayers’ expense, but also at the expense of a house of worship. 

If Sherman really wants to help out, he should attend Sunday’s pig roast at Hope Lutheran Church.  That way if they run out of pig, they’ll have a fallback.

(For the record, Hope Lutheran Church is sponsoring its annual this Sunday from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the church grounds.  Cost is $10.)

Listen to the Chi-Lites...

Decorum being what it is, a Village Board meeting is no place to sing.

Decorum being what it is, I have seen far worse at Village Board meetings.

But I'll pass on singing. Let's put it this way, I swear every time I sing the national anthem, Homeland Security gets nervous.

However, the Aug. 8 Village Board meeting almost gave me a chance to break decorum.  As I listened to the incessant rant by the rep from Commonwealth Edison, two melodies went through my head.

The first, for those of you in the AARP generation, was "electricity cost less today you know, than it did 25 years ago – tweet, tweet Little Bill." Yes, that was an ad for Com Ed.

That was not, however, the message Com Ed was trying to deliver at the Aug. 8 Board Meeting.  It was more or less, have pity on us...it was a bad storm; we need a newer grid…

And this highly skilled Com Ed spokesman made it very clear that “…power outages are very frustrating…”

I hope this guy doesn’t sign on as Carlos Zambrano’s PR guy.

To no surprise, the Board did not want to hear excuses.

Board President Jeff Braiman made it clear that he understood the magnitude of the problem, but the issue was the response time, or lack of, by Com Ed.  Statistically, they tried to plead their case – 600 poles were damages and it required 1,000 employees, many from outside their jurisdiction, to handle the situation.

Yes, the numbers were staggering, but so were their excuses.  Try as they may, however, there was not going to be any sympathy from the Board, especially Jeff Berman who came armed with a just a few words for Com ed.

Berman made it clear that the “Need for self-serving rhetoric is past…the community wants and needs answers to specific questions.”

Who can argue?

While Com Ed bemoaned what it needed, Berman made it clear that they to focus on what they have.  “Your infrastructure is not well constructed or well maintained…(and you’re) now incapable of (having an effective) delivery system.

Berman said the current system is “Repaired with duct tape” and that “Com Ed responds to crisis in its own way.”

Berman was not going to hear any excuses, either.  “I cannot accept Com Ed’s comment that smart grid is the answer…(it) would not have prevented 90 percent of the interruptions.”

So what’s Com Ed’s answer – lobby the legislators.  State Rep. Sid Mathias and Carol Sente attended the Village Board meeting and voiced the obligatory concern.  Their sentiments were apparently echoed by politicos attending a meeting in Highland Park on Tuesday about the outages and lack of response.  This one, however, grabbed the TV cameras.

The rhetoric appeared to be the same – complaints about long delays and poor communication about when service would be restored.

So where does that put us?  No where really.  Com Ed seems oblivious to the fact that besides homeowner inconveniences, their lackluster response impacted businesses and, as Board Member Beverly Sussman noted, persons with medical issues -- what was their recourse?

Braiman said what’s needed is to “challenge the lawmakers... it’s not a GOP or democrat issue – it’s a citizen issue.. which needs a solution.”

But from where? Com Ed? 

Comcast was there, but the reality is this – if they are able to repair their system, but there’s no power, what good is it?

The Chi-Lites

AT&T also had a rep there – why is beyond me – but they claimed they get their service back in 24 hours.  But again, no power, what good does it do?

Which brought up the second song going through my heard. It was by the Chi-Lites who once sang “For Gods sake, you got to give more power to the people.”

How can you argue with that?

But the bottom line is this -- the ball remains solely in Com Ed’s court.

If nothing else, they should go back to their old slogan… “Tweet, tweet little Bill.”

After all, their service is for the birds.

Nondescript? Hardly

From the looks of things, agenda item No. 9 was just another presentation to the Village Board. All it said was "Presentation of American Flag to Buffalo Grove Fire Department".

Ho-hum, how nondescript can you get.  Presentations to the Village Board are a dime a dozen.  But when Fire Chief Terry Vavra and other officers are in their dress uniforms and there's a U.S. Marine present, you get the sense that it's anything but nondescript.

Moved to the top agenda, Vavra introduced a color guard that brought the flag, carried by Sgt. Adam Chapman, of Hanover Park, to the front of the council chambers.

 
And that's when the story unfolded.  The flag carried by Chapman flew above Base Defense Operation Center, 3^rd Battalion 25^th Marines Forward, Camp Leatherneck, in the Helman Province of Afghanistan and was flown in tribute to Chapman's uncles, Jim and Kevin Hauber both of whom are Buffalo Grove Firefighter Paramedics

The intent was simple; Chapman wanted to honor a fire fighter and thought his uncles would be perfect honorees.

Unfortunately, the presentation was more somber than expected because of the deaths of 30 U.S. troops on Saturday.

The flag will be on display at the village’s main fire station on Deerfield Parkway.  Also, as a tribute to American troops, Buffalo Grove fire fighters will be wearing red shirts this Friday.

It’s the flag, however, that’s important to Vavra.

“To look at and hold this flag will send chills down your spine. I don’t know why…it just does,” he said.

Maybe it’s not the flag, but what it stands for.

A whole ..... of dimes?

I’m beginning to think the Village Board does not always see an opportunity to boost the village’s bank account.

            The proposed reconstruction and enhancement of Wieland Road, which has all the sex appeal of the Mathon Expressway in Waukegan or the Henry Maier Bridge to nowhere in Milwaukee, has potential for the village. 

Governor William J. Lepetomane

            While the road needs enhancements and improvements, with its proposed multilane configuration and proposed extension, the village could come take a page from Governor William J. Lepetomane and have its very own tollway.  Yes, a tollway.

            There are several unique opportunities associated with this potential project.  Take for example:

·        Funding – Just call the Illinois Tollway Authority – it would love to have yet another project on the books.  Just tell ‘em it would provide access to an extended Rt. 53, another useless project, and would generate more revenue, which would help it pay for the Mecca the authority call a headquarters.  With the recent revelation that the tollway authority wants to raise tolls – another source of revenue would just add more change to its accounts.

·        Naming rights – Rather than Weiland Road, let’s jazz it up and name it after a village luminary – look at the past Board members and community personalities who would be thrilled to have a road named after them.  Maybe the village could get a corporate sponsor to generate revenue -- the possibilities are endless.

·        It could generate jobs – the village could have its own toll collectors.

·        It would save energy – Instead of street lighting, the village could give the OK to a boost in power of the recently approved sign at the Twin Rinks ice skating facility.

Of course, a tollway could pose problems for residents and students attending Aptakisic Junior High School.  But no doubt the impact of a multilane road on both groups has already been addressed.

            It has, hasn’t it?

See spot, see spot's zone...

            I’m not sure why I decided to look at the details of the agenda before the June 20 Village Board meeting. A cursory glance revealed a lot of what appeared to routine matters with nothing earth shaking.  I have learned, however, never to take anything per granted.

            So when I saw an item under new business regarding a proposed apartment complex at Busch and Deerfield parkways, I figured, what the heck, I’d take a look after it.

            Aside from having an urge to disagree or correct a Village Board member on some goofy error, I really have not had a desire to speak at a Village Board meeting. 

            Any thoughts I had about speaking at a Board meeting changed after looking over the proposal by “Realtelligence LLC” that calls for 208 units distributed in two 3-story buildings of 36 units and an 8-story building with 136 units.  I thought briefly – that’s an awfully small parcel for such a large complex.  The parcel, by the way, is on the curve just east of the Metra tracks on Deerfield Parkway – the intersection the backs up during both the morning and afternoon rush hours.

            The other factor that came to play for my curiosity is the “need” for an eight-story building.  It’s similar to a residential building at Riverwalk Place.  At first I thought it was no big deal because they’re both eight stories.  But what amazed me request for a variance to have an approved height of nearly double that current limit of 45 feet.  So why does Riverwalk get to have higher buildings?  According to village sources, it is because the development was approved in the B-3 Planned Business Center District. There is no height limit to the buildings within the district.  However, the site plan for the Realtelligence plan requires planned unit development (best known as a PUD) approval so a number of factors are reviewed including but not limited to building height, set-back, traffic, etc.  In essence, what they want is spot zoning. 

            I was not sure what the developers would say at the meeting, or how the Village Board would respond.  I was, however, ready to respond to this seemingly effort at spot zoning.

            The presentation by Realtelligence was one for the books.  In addition to a request for a height variance, they also wanted a reduction in the number of parking spaces because, and as Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up, they envision this develop as being one where people would walk to places and would need a car.  That simply stunned me because given the location of the property, residents could enjoy a leisurely walk to two strip centers and the Metra station?  News flash, Buffalo Grove is not Oak Park or Evanston which are places with a traditional downtown district within walking distance of a variety of multi- and single-family housing.

            In addition to a height variance, they also want a zoning change from industrial to planned unit development because Realtelligence’s consultant does not think the site works well for industrial or mixed use for commercial and residential as a village plan indicates is feasible.  Both recommendations don’t surprise me; developers often take stand that they know more than village planners.

            The folks from Realtelligence, who did not display much “telligence”, also did not seem to take into consideration that a height variance could be impacted by the Chicago Executive Airport (formerly known as Palwaukee Airport).  I was, in fact still am, amazed, that a developer proposing a complex of this nature would be clueless to the proximity of the state’s busiest general aviation airport to their project.

            And then there’s the issue of the impact on local schools, particularly District 102.  No problem, the Realtelligence guys said – they only anticipate 12, count ‘em 12, kids to live the complex.  I’m still wondering how they plan to enforce that – maybe they’ll offer a discount with every sterilization.

            The bottom line in my mind is this – this proposal is little more than an effort to railroad an ill thought project through the village, which seemed to be the consensus of the Board, which saved me from addressing the Board.

            It has not, however, stopped me from promoting truth in advertising.  Based on what I saw and read Realtelligence needs to change its name.

How about Realcon?

Joe Friday, eat your heart out...

It’s not the stuff Dragnet was made of -- somehow Chief Steve Balinski doesn’t strike as Officer Joe Friday. 

But the police reports yield some problems in the land of the big animals.  For example, a resident reported “...that she had an argument with her live in boyfriend and he left and has not returned…”  It’s not the stuff that Stabler and Benson deal with on a regular basis, if at all.

The village does, to my surprise, have its own special unit.  It’s not SVU or SUV, CI, CSI, or NCIS.

It’s the truck enforcement unit.  Really.

I happened to pull up behind the truck enforcement vehicle recently and was amazed – absolute amazed – that the village had such a unit.

Undaunted, I contacted Chief Balinski (who I think resembles Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein) about the unit.

It’s a big deal.  We’re talking crackdown on overweight trucks, coordination of “between developers, trucking companies and the village.”  Huh?  According to Commander Steve Husak of the BGPD, the purpose here is to make sure there is coordinated “truck routing in and out of commercial job sites.”

Truckers beware... 

Husak also informed me that “This unit issues permits for overweight and oversize vehicles using Village maintained highways. These officers respond to complaints from residents about truck specific problems and they check trucks for safety and driver’s license classification violations”

The unit, Husak noted, also checks for overweight trucks.  How?  The village does not have truck weight checkpoints (like the ones on state road that never seem to be open).  Rest assured Buffalo Grovians; the TEU is equipped with portable scales and will, noted Husak, weigh suspected overweight trucks on site.

So how do you suspect an overweight truck?  It’s probably difficult unless it’s wearing Spandex, which reveals everything (there ought to be a law banning Spandex when someone’s weight exceeds AMA, FDA, CIA standards…but that’s a topic for another day).  Husak noted that the state has specific guidelines for trucks.  In a nutshell, maximum weight for large trucks is 80,000 pounds, which is a combined weight for truck and load.  So if you see a truck that needs an axle tuck, or one that’s avoiding whipped cream with its latte, it may be an indication that it’s fighting the battle of the bulge.

Of course, some trucks can skirt the issue.  Ever see a garbage truck?  Husak agrees.  “garbage trucks in general need to comply with the weight restrictions, which can be difficult for the drivers to manage as they collect refuse along their routes. Wet garbage weighs more than dry.”

So, as Mr. Portokalos: would say, there you go.

What’s needed know is a village wide S.O.S – Save Our Streets.  Residents can do this by drying their garbage.  This can be an easy task by eating only dry food.  Cereal will work fine; I’m not so sure about pasta.  It’s a small thing, but it will help the police department by making life easier for the TEU.

Who knows, before long we may see the CPU on the street, a move that could net the village thousands of dollars.

CPU?  That could be the next version of Law and Order.  “In the war on crime, telephone crimes are considered especially annoying.  In Buffalo Grove, the dedicated professionals who investigate these crimes are member of an elite squad know as the Cell Phone Unit – these are there stories.”