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 50th 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.
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