Hamilton coming to Buffalo Grove. Well, sort of.

The Village Board is hardly the Continental Congress, nor is it likely to be focus of a Broadway hit, ala Hamilton.

Casting a Buffalo Grove version of Hamilton would be, at best, a challenge, let alone humorous.

However, there may be one a similarity between the two, ala Act II.

There is a scene called “The Room Where It Happens,” and focuses on a seemingly closed-door meeting between Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson long before the days of the Open Meetings Act.

We’re not talking the Jeffrey Braiman Council Chambers because that may be the room where not much of anything happens.

But a meeting coming up tonight may be one of the most cantankerous meetings of the Sussman regime.  That’s because the full Board will meet to interview the six finalists for the vacancy on the Board left by the recent resignation of Steve Trilling, who has moved out of the village.

Given an apparent escalation in tension among Board members, this is not likely to be a meeting where the Hamiltonian mantra of “talk less, smile more”. What will hopefully happen is that everyone will listen more will hold true.

The meeting will be closed in accordance to the Illinois Open Meetings Act under a provision which allows meetings to be closed for “…The selection of a person to fill a public office, as defined in this Act, including a vacancy in a public office, when the public body is given power to appoint under law or ordinance, or the discipline, performance or removal of the occupant of a public office…”

What is not kept from the public eye, however, is the list of candidates. I (as did Steve Zalusky of the Daily Herald) used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get names and applications of the 12 residents who applied for Trilling’s spot. The dozen included Adam Moodhe, Allen Bojes, David Krivo, Edward Baker, Eric Smith, Frank Cesario, Ira Shapiro Jeff Braiman, Jim Driscoll, Kevin Richards, Lalit Jagtap, Paulette Greenberg.

Of that list, the Board will be interviewing Moodhe, Smith, Shapiro, Braiman, Cesario and Greenberg will be interviewed by the Board. Village Board President Beverly Sussman said by email that the focus for a replacement for Trilling is two-fold.

Sussman noted that in the original post for the Trustee vacancy, criteria included:

• experience in community affairs

• experience in business administration

• experience in organizational leadership

• experience in community development

• prior VB (sic) experience

Sussman added that “We are looking for a well-rounded individual who has a great deal to offer the Village/Board, including:

• their background and experience with the Village 

• their overall knowledge 

• how good they are at making decisions

• experience being a leader 

Sussman was emphatic in noting that “we will be asking each candidate a number of questions-the same questions for each candidate. We can also ask any additional questions that we feel are appropriate for a given candidate.”

It is surprising, albeit somewhat encouraging, to see a dozen residents apply for the vacancy, especially since May’s election for Village Board members was uncontested.

The six finalists, to no surprise, have varied backgrounds and reasons for applying for the Board spot.

Moodhe is often talked about in village circles since he ran in 2015. A longtime figure at Village Board meetings, he said in his application that among the reasons he applied include “I believe that my tenure on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2015 will show an independent thinker that places the Village needs above personal feelings. Someone that will listen to all sides of an issue and always give weight to the greater good of the future of Buffalo Grove.”

Greenberg cited her longtime involvement with the Buffalo Grove Days Committee, the village’s 50^th anniversary celebration and starting the farmers market in 1999 and restarting it in 2009.  She was the Rotary Club’s 2009 Person of the Year.

Smith looks to make a second appearance as a Board appointee, serving briefly from December 2011 through May 2011.  A 29-year resident of the village, Smith is a member of the Lake-Cook Corridor Planning Group since 2016. He has also been on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2014.

Shapiro has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission from 2014-2016 and the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2014. He was chairman of the School District 96 from 2006-2007. He is an Information Technology professional.

Cesario, a certified public accountant, has been on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2011. In his application letter, he noted that he wants to serve because “I have enjoyed my role in planning and zoning during the past six years-having been a small part of making things happen has made our community a richer place for me personally”, adding that “I take pride in how our Village has conducted itself, and would enjoy making an even more direct contribution.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the application of, and selection to the finalists, of Braiman whom Sussman defeated in 2015. Braiman has considerable experience in village’s government and noted in his application letter that “…I am corresponding to you as the result of the loss of the knowledge and experience from the Board by Steve's resignation. As you all fully are aware, while it may look easy to some, the process of becoming familiar and knowledgeable with Village processes and procedures can be time consuming and difficult.”

Braiman also noted that after serving the village for nearly 30 years, “I have no intent to run for trustee or any other elected position in the future,” putting to rest rumors that he would run for another terms as Village President in 2019 when Sussman’s term ends.

What lies ahead for the Village Board is to try and put personal agendas aside and select the resident who will best meet the needs of the village. Issues facing the village extend far beyond the mass hysteria posted by wags on social media.

The Board needs to take a fervent approach during tonight’s interviews and ensuing discussions. Many issues from the 2015 election have ebbed or are no longer a factor – like development of the infamous downtown plan, proposed by Deerfield-based CRM Properties.

While transparency and public access remain a staple, new challenges mean new ideas, not refried beans.

Even though the Board is replacing a single member, discussion in “The Room Where It Happens”  tonight needs to be bipartisan and benefit the entire village.

This might be one case where “talk less, smile more” is not good advice.

Sorry, Aaron.

Much ado about nothing? Hardly

At first glance, it may have appeared to be much ado about nothing. A trustee wanted a clarification about the use of a village policy by the Village Board President.

Yawn.

But last week’s exchange between Village Board President Beverly Sussman and Trustee Jeff Berman went beyond a mere discussion of the village’s communications policy. It raised questions about the level of leadership and interaction by Village Board members.

This isn’t breaking news. 

The issue was brought to light by a seemingly frustrated Berman, the senior member on the Board.

As I have noted before, more interaction from Board members during meetings would be a welcome addition. And, from listening to Berman at the Aug. 7 Committee of the Whole meeting, there’s a need for more communication among board members and from Sussman as Village President.

Berman chided Sussman for her support via the village’s website of two events sponsored by the Mazurdance, a Buffalo Grove dance school. The evens were the “Big Show of Jewish Dances” on Saturday, Aug. 5 and the “International Festival of Dance” on Sunday, Aug. 6, an event so big, as touted by Mazurdance, it happens only once every 10 years.

The fact that Mazurdance was looking for support is no big deal. However, the fact that it was done on the village web site, is what Berman took exception to.

But let’s leave Berman on the back burner for now, something some people may see as a challenge.

What needs to be done, is divorce the message from the messenger. Many wags on social media, most of whom were not at the meeting, took the approach that the mean Mr. Berman was unfairly attacking the poor Mrs. Sussman. In the words of the late Howard Cosell, Berman was just “telling it like it is” in his own inimitable style.

A reality of public service is that the microscope is constantly in the on position. In other words, transparency is front and center.

As the late Robin Williams once said in an episode of “Mork and Mindy” – Reality; what a concept.

There was not a clear reason given by Sussman for the promotion of a business on the village’s web site, except for the fact that it was “…an international celebration – a very major event,” which, she added, attracted “dignitaries and people from around the world.” 

            I’m all for diversity, but the reality is this – it was two days of dance performances, and not the G8 summit. 

Sussman added that she wanted to welcome participants “to the United States of America and Buffalo Grove.” Dance détente, how nice. Maybe the village will want to host Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

Sussman’s manipulation of a village policy opens a can of worms and set a difficult precedent because, quite simply, how do you handle requests from other organizations, especially businesses that want free advertising? 

Adding gas to the fire, was the back page of the program from the weekend events featured a thank-you from Mazurdance to “Mrs. Beverly Sussman, the Buffalo Grove Village President, for support to (sic) the Cultural Event.”

The ad included Sussman’s official village portrait, which apparently was taken off the village’s web site without permission.  For the record, the infamous communications policy requires permission for use of any image from the village website.

The ad does not separate Sussman from her role with the village. If the village was supporting the event, support should have been approved by the entire Board, not just on a whim by the Village President.

“The Village President does not unilaterally create, or countermand, policy. That is the prerogative of the Board. So, I was disappointed, but not surprised, to hear absolutely nothing from the Village President. I received no explanation or any suggested rationalization for her usurpation of the authority of this Board by directing staff to act in a manner forbidden by the established policy,” Berman said.

Sussman, however, doesn’t seem to see it that way. As part of her defense she said, “My name is Beverly Sussman and I am president of Buffalo Grove.”

Thank you for that clarification Mrs. Haig, but that does not give you, or any public official, the right to usurp policies or protocol.

In remarks directed toward Berman, Sussman resented Berman emailing her, saying he should have just called her. “Nothing was done on purpose,” she said, adding that she would have preferred a phone call from Berman. “You sought to embarrass me. I did not mean to do anything wrong,” she said.

Perhaps the most telling part of what Sussman say was that “nothing was done on purpose.” However, what apparently was done on purpose was not communicating with anyone on the Board. And why did she want Berman to email her? Probably so there would not have been a public discussion and she would not, despite what she said, have been embarrassed.

But wait, wasn’t transparency a big issue when she ran for Village Board President? All public officials, elected or not, need to be transparent and open with their constituents, a point that Berman’s statement dwelled on.

Only Trustee Andrew Stein, in his apparently new role as teacher’s pet, thought it should have been up to the Village Manager’s office to guide Sussman, a comment that seemed to make Village Manager Dane Bragg bristle, and justifiably so.

The spotlight is on public officials, perhaps now more than ever, as is the need for transparency. It comes with the territory. 

If it is that difficult of a concept to grasp, then maybe the village should hire a dermatological consult who can offer skin transplants from onion to something tougher.

Annual summer event another summer success

As summer wanes, much, as to be expected, has been written about the usual annual rights of summer – Major League Baseball’s All-Star game, the Taste of Chicago, not to mention the Buffalo Grove Farmers’ Market.

One event, however, appears to have slipped under the radar.  Buffalo Grove’s 2018 Relay for Life.  Held June 2 and 3, the Relay this year was held at Twin Groves Middle School. Previously held on a rotating basis at Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools, the move to Twin Groves was needed after both schools withdrew from hosting.

Assistant Village Manager Jennifer Maltas, who coordinates the village’s involvement in the Relay said the event went “really well” at Twin Grove. She said being able to set up in the infield of Twin Grove’s track gave the Relay more of a “community feel.”

More important than the community feel, the Relay for Life has raised more than $60,000 for the fight against cancer. Maltas, whose mother was a cancer victim, said the cooperation between School District 96 (Twin Groves is a D-96 school) and the Buffalo Grove Park District was “amazing”. 

Based on the success of this year’s event and new venue, Maltas says she’s hoping the 2018 Relay for Life will be at Twin Groves.

If there is a “down side” to the move to Twin Groves it’s the reason it was selected as the host site.  Both Stevenson and Buffalo Grove High Schools, as previously noted, dropped out of the event, not because of concern for their facilities, but because there just didn’t seem to be a lot of student interest, which is unfortunate because both schools have active community service initiatives for students.

While the past efforts by Buffalo Grove and Stevenson students have been admirable, Maltas says having it at Twin Groves seemed to change the Relay “from a student event to community event”.

With the field in plain sight of the both Half Day and Buffalo Grove roads, Maltas noted that “some people drove up and donated and offered to help for next year”.

Which, given that the 2018 event is almost a year away, is a great start and reflects a job well done.

You can still donate to Buffalo Grove’s Relay for Life by going to BG Relay for Life