Campaign has its own 'F bomb'

In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt told Americans “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

According to an analysis by the U.S. National Records and Archives, the speech “is particularly memorable for its attack on the psychology of the Great Depression.”

Ah, psychology – as in mind games.

While Buffalo Grove is not facing a crisis the magnitude of the Great Depression, campaigning for Village Board seats has degenerated to acrid and personal attacks which brings us to that word brought to you by the letter F.

Fear.

Fear can be a great motivator if not intimidator.

It’s role in a political campaign, at any level, is questionable.

In what appears to be a flurry of activity by Village Board trustee candidates Rachel Hausman Masse, Larry Steingold and Tim Kobler, fear has apparently become a key element. Two recently mailed flyers have targeted Village Board President candidate Mike Terson, which seems a bit odd because that’s not who they are running against. The three are supporting Terson’s opponent, incumbent Village Board President Beverly Sussman.

The first of the flyers targets questionable contributions to Terson’s campaign by Chuck Malk of CRM Properties and by Butera Center Management, which, according to the Daily Herald Town Center developer.., is a “Hoffman Estates-based company described on the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce website as owner of the Chase Plaza shopping center at the corner of Lake-Cook and Arlington Heights roads.” Malk’s firm proposed a mega retail development in 2012 when Terson was a village trustee. Malk’s donation was for $5,000; Butera’s was for $1,000.

This image used in a campaign flyer by Rachel Hausman Masse, Lawrence Steingold and Tim Kobler depicts possible flooding in Buffalo Grove.  The image is of flooding in Houston, Texas

The Herald’s story details the nature of the donations, the background and responses by both Terson and Sussman. The ensuing flyer, which apparently was not sent to all residents, made for interesting reading. It’s likely that people who read it wondered what Terson was thinking. The flyer touts that Hausman Masse, Steingold and Kobler will fight Terson’s plan to “pave over Buffalo Grove Golf Course and spend $90 million of our tax dollars to eliminate the community’s vital green and open  spaces.” Typical campaign rhetoric.

The second flyer, which like the first appeared to have limited circulation, again targets Terson and not the other trustee candidates, screamed a headline “Flooding alert!” followed by “Mike Terson’s plan for Buffalo Grove.” This ran under a picture of what gives the connotation of massive flooding in Buffalo Grove. The back of the flyer includes panic-themed copy that Hausman Masse, Steingold and Kobler understand flooding.

Apparently, they don’t. Despite inferences by some folks on social media that they remember flooding like that, the truth is that flooding pictured never occurred in Buffalo Grove. The northwest suburbs endured torrential rains in the early 1980s, but not to the magnitude shown in the flyer.

That picture was not taken in Buffalo Grove. Or anywhere else in the northwest suburbs.  Or anywhere else in Cook County, or for that matter, in Illinois.

That picture is of storm water in Houston after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

So, what does that image invoke? Fear. And this is what will happen if the golf course is paved over. So, they say. While there are no plans to develop the golf course, it makes for good reading and scare tactics.

While flooding, not matter where it is at can be horrific, the flooding shown in the flyer was from one of the strongest storms to ever hit Texas, let alone Houston. Not Buffalo Grove.

While it’s clear the flyer was sent out by Hausman Masse, Steingold and Kobler, questions were raised as to who else, if anyone, was involved.

The first finger was pointed at State Rep. Daniel Didech (R-59) because the flyers came shortly after many voters received a letter from Didech supporting Hausman Masse, Steingold and Kobler. It was sent out by “Friends of Rachel, Tim and Larry.”

There’s nothing wrong with a public figure or official endorsing candidates. Didech has endorsed Sussman as have former Lake County Board officials Sidney Mathias and David Stolman along with former Buffalo Grove Village Board president Elliott Hartstein. As if anyone cares.

Didech seems to have drawn the most fire because of his recent election to the state house in November.

In Facebook conversations with Didech, he confirmed that he is supporting Sussman and the Hausman Masse-Steingold-Kobler slate and has personally made a “small contribution” to the campaign.

In the scope of things, it’s no big deal who supports the slate.

Interestingly enough, Didech’s letter appeared to go to most residents while the panic-loaded flyers did not. It’s easy to have conjecture as the where they were sent, especially given the strength Sussman had four years ago in the areas with proximity to the golf course.

Does history repeat itself? Possibly. If it does, then the question is why didn’t Sussman take the lead on the flyers instead of three first-time candidates whose involvement in the village has been limited?

Residents should know not only why the message was sent, but by whom, especially since communication and transparency have been frequently discussed during this campaign.

As FDR said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

That fear should not come from people seeking public office.

Voting Guide for the Village Board election

Here are links to the profiles of the candidates for Village Trustee and Village Board President. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Village Board President Profiles

Beverly Sussman: Beverly Sussman

Mike Terson: Mike Terson


Village Trustee Candidate Profiles


Rachel Hausman Masse: Rachel Hausman Masse

Tim Kolber:  Tim Kolber

Soojae Lee:  Soojae Lee

Adam Moodhe:  Adam Moodhe

Carolyn Pinta: Carolyn Pinta

 Gregory Pike:  Gregory Pike

Eric Smith:  Eric Smith

Lawrence Steingold: Lawrence Steingold

Dave Weidenfeld:  Dave Weidenfeld

Voting? Think Moynihan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

With the 2019 election entering the home stretch, I am reminded of something the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once said: "everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts."

And this was before the age of rampant social media.

I shudder to think what Moynihan, who died in 2003, would have to say about the information, make that misinformation, about candidates and issues flying around on mostly on various social media platforms.

It seems the more candidates there are, the more misinformation, or potential for misinformation, exists. Which raises the bar for voters to become educated about the candidates and the issues being tossed about. This seemed apparent during the recent Chicago mayoral primary when 14 Chicagoans ran in a bid to replace Rahm Emmanuel as Chicago’s boss. The glut of candidates, some pundits say, may have made it difficult for voters to decide for whom the should vote or, worse yet, if they would vote at all.

Tuesday’s Buffalo Grove village election faces similar challenges. Village Clerk Jan Sirabian has been reminding residents to vote for weeks. She has noted, and if anyone would know, Sirabian would, that a low voter turnout could result in a candidate winning by five or 10 votes.  Granted, that could happen in a large turnout, but with nine candidates vying for three spots as village trustee, the opportunity for a slim margin of victory is a real possibility.

Which is why Buffalo Grove voters need to note Moynihan’s pontification. The April 2 election is for Village Board, not student council. The village, and this is not breaking news, has some hefty issues in front of it from business and economic development to aging infrastructure.

The village doesn’t need cheerleaders or candidates with personal or business interests. It needs elected officials who are strategically acute and mindful of issues facing both sides of Lake-Cook Road.

People have asked me if I will endorse any candidates.

The answer is no. While I’m flattered that some people may value my opinion, it is, in my mind (which some people think could be a dangerous place to be) incumbent upon residents to do their own research and make up their own minds. This, by the way, means going beyond the Silly Putty that has been bouncing around on the aforementioned social media.

In any election, candidates have ideas, as well they should. The unfortunate reality is that in many cases the ideas are, as the late Al McGuire would say, little more than “seashells and balloons.”

There is plenty of information available about key issues facing the village online, at Village Hall and at the village’s website. The bottom line is this -- informed citizens make the best voters.

Conversely, transparent candidates make the best elected officials.  It’s one reason that when I decided to post candidate profiles, I posted their responses verbatim because it’s important for voters to hear directly from the candidates without my interpretation.

Do I have views about each candidate? Absolutely. They are based on not only what I have learned from their ideas, but how I think they would meld into what I know about village plans. A few people asked me if I had plans to run for Village Board. The answer was a quick no.

That’s not because I am not interested in serving the community, but because even though I attend nearly every Village Board meeting (yes, I must be crazy) I know my limitations in some key areas that would limit my effectiveness as a village board member.

If nothing else, in addition to learning about village plans for everything from economic development to the renovation of storm sewers, I have learned that being an elected village official takes more, as noted, than touting personal interests. It requires understanding the needs of the entire village and being prepared to learn the details and make logical and practical decisions – not emotional ones.

There is, however, a more important position in the village. As the late Louis Brandeis noted, “"The most important political office is that of the private citizen."

And to successfully hold that office, especially as election day approaches, it requires careful review of candidate’s positions, backgrounds and ideas so the officials we elect, whether to the village board or a school board, are the most qualified to serve the entire village.

Meet the Candidate: Mike Terson

Editor's note --This is the last in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Candidate's name 

Mike Terson

Candidate for:

Village Board President

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove? 

This time around, since 2005

Please provide brief background information. 

I graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 1988, and since moving back to the community, have worked at the Park District and served on many community organizations.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve? 

Yes - 50th Anniversary Commission for 3 years

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with? 

I served on the Link Together Coalition Executive Board. I currently volunteer on the Lake County Youth Empowerment for Success Coalition Board, the College of Lake County Southlake Campus Advisory Council, the High School District 214 Alumni Council Board, the Buffalo Grove High School Parents Association, and I volunteer as a mentor to 2 college students with the One Million Degrees program at Harper College.

Why are you running for a Village Board position? 

To bring better and a more modern style of leadership to our community.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove? 

Increasing revenue, so that we can pay for the needs of a failing infrastructure, while continuing to provide a high level of service. Improving how we accomplish economic development is how we will accomplish that.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village. What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why? 

Industrial is successful; so, while it's not unimportant, it's not a "priority" that needs our focus right now. Retail/commercial is the issue and high priority. Why? Because we only generate $208 per square foot in retail sales. We need economic development to double that number. Until we change that number, we are running up the down escalator.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept? 

I think they are all important; but, the Lake-Cook Road corridor is the priority because it has the potential to be the game changer that has the biggest impact on how the other corridors get redeveloped. That being said, the Dundee Road corridor is right there too, because it is in such bad need of redevelopment. The car dealerships have got to be redeveloped; we cannot wait on that.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling? 

The short answer is economic incentives. But I also think there is opportunity for the elected leader of the community to create better relationships with commercial property owners. Sometimes it's those little things, like open communication and networking that get things going.

Should the village limit development to preserve green space? 

No. Here's why... We already exceed the recommendation by the federal government on the amount of usable recreational open space for the size and population of our community. And, with the federally required increase in water storage capacity (20%) to develop the only "green space" in question, doing a project there would actually increase the amount of usable recreational open space in the community even more. That doesn't mean I am unilaterally in favor of developing the golf course just to develop the golf course; it would have to be the right project that would significantly and positively impact our community and quality of life. But, if I am answering the direct question, the need to limit is not there.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation? 

I will look to engage the community in the places they engage, not wait for them to come to Village Hall or fill out a form. My plan is to be everywhere often, as well as accessible on social media. The role of a Village President is different than that of a trustee. I will bring that role to a new level of engagement with residents.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not. 

While I don't think it is "needed," I am not convinced that it is a bad idea either. This is definitely something I want to discuss further with both the staff and Village Board. I definitely don't think it would be fair for me to criticize it from the outside as a candidate. I think it's a valid concept that has merit and needs to be looked at and discussed. From experience, I know that not every position within an organization is easily quantified on paper; however, I also know that there are a lot of roles within an organization that significantly impact the success of those positions that are easily quantified. I think this situation calls for patience, due diligence, asking relevant questions, followed by logical decision making.

Do you think the Village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved? 

Yes, and I think it can always be improved as well. As technology advances, so are ways to communicate. I love that our Village staff are so proactive in finding these ways to improve communication, and I look forward to being an asset to them in achieving those goals.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy. 

There is no logical reason why residents of a community with the kind of median income, average education level, highly rated schools, beautiful parks, and number of existing homes with high property values should have to go to other towns to spend their money when they want to shop or dine in nice restaurants. With the exception of groceries, we are constantly leaving Buffalo Grove to spend our money. And, our reward for going to these other towns to spend money is higher property taxes. I want to change that; and, I have a plan to do it.