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

Civic engagement: A good idea and even better practice

Whether she meant to or not, Village Board President Beverly Sussman tossed a subtle barb to many of the nine candidates running for the three trustee spots in the April election.

Sussman, who routinely follows her script for running a meeting, broke the mold at the Jan. 7  Committee of Whole (COW) meeting when she welcomed people who were at the meeting “for the first time” and offered them an explanation as to how a COW meeting works.

Interesting timing.

Interesting because in attendance at the meeting were candidates Adam Moodhe, Carolyn Pinta, Gregory Pike Jr. and Soojae Lee. And while none voiced a comment about items on the agenda, let alone take notes, their presence marked, one would think, an interest in what the Village Board is doing.

Which begs a question – what took them so long?

Outside of Moodhe, who has attended Village Board meetings with some degree of regularity for the past decade, few of the trustee candidates have. Even Village President candidate Mike Terson has not had a strong presence since leaving the board in 2015.

It is a bit ironic that village staff wants to hire a community engagement manager when many of the people running for the Board are not actively engaged in the village. Outside of the incumbents, Eric Smith and Dave Weidenfeld, only trustee candidates, Larry Steingold and Adam Moodhe have held village posts. Steingold served on the Zoning Board of Appeals, while Moodhe has been active in the community in a variety of ways including serving on the 15 years on Buffalo Grove days, 13 years on emergency management agency and four years on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

To be fair, this doesn’t mean that Moodhe or Steingold are preferred candidates, nor does it mean candidates who have attended meetings will be effective trustees. It does, however, show an interest in being engaged in the village in some way.

Candidates running for a village post are hopefully running because they have a genuine interest in the village and not because they’re upset with a previous Board decision. Hopefully, candidates are not running for the Board because of a special interest or personal notoriety.

While serving their interest is admirable, the reality is the village is not a student council. The village is a business with an $78 million budget. Popularity may get some folks elected, but it doesn’t mean they are well versed in Village operations.

Some folks may say that you don’t need to attend Village Board meetings to know what’s going on as you can always watch them on the community access channel. However, the Committee of the Whole meetings are not broadcast, which means discussions and presentations by staff, consultants and vendors cannot be viewed from the comfort of home.

Cynics, some of whom may say the village spends too much frivolous money may want COW meetings broadcast. That would be one solution. However, if someone is content to just watch Village Board meetings on TV, they’re missing an opportunity to interact with residents who may attend meetings to air a grievance about an issue in the village.

Meeting and talking with constituents are paramount to being an effective public servant. If interactions limited to a single neighborhood, supporters of an event, a candidate falls short when it comes to being open minded and representing the entire community.

If a resident is interested in being appointed to a village commission or running for an elected post, it seems as though the best thing to do is witness village operations first hand and get involved.

Civic engagement is a good idea -- it’s an even better practice.

Civics Forum a lesson for more than just students

With the November 2018 mid-term elections a week away, much has been written about the importance of voting. Not only in this election, but any election.

Students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools
participate in the Oct. 22 Civics Forum

This is not breaking news.

However, an added twist in recent years has been the importance of civic engagement.  The message from major civic-minded foundations, government watchdog organizations and community advocacy organizations or the village clerk is simple – civic engagement is important.

Buffalo Grove’s Village Clerk, Janet Sirabian, is not someone who jumped on the band wagon.  In fact, Sirabian helped get the band wagon rolling years ago when she started coordinating the village’s annual Civics Forum.

The event includes students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools who, for a day, are involved in village activities that culminate with a Village Board meeting run by the students.

The Forum, held last Monday, gave students a chance to present village projects to the full board, made up of the students, with support from staff, also portrayed by students.

Students received information from village departments.  The proposals included a volunteerism video, community development manufacturing expo, purchase of 10-year smoke detectors, a bench and picnic table for the police department, purchase of a nitrogen generator tire-filling system, public workspace at village hall, and a daily endorphin for village employees.

Students had the day to study and analyze each proposal before presenting  -- and defending – them to the Board at the meeting.

What’s refreshing to note is that the students did what village staff and village officials do (or are supposed to do); and that is look at projects that impact the village. The students volunteered to participate in the Forum so they can experience first hand how government works and the importance of being involved in the civic process.

Which takes on seemingly more importance this year because of the mid-term elections. The easiest way to get engaged in civics is to vote. As said before, that’s not breaking news.

A more challenging way to get civically engaged is to follow village activities.  With Village Board elections coming up in April of 2019, you can bet there will be folks who will run for one of three Trustee seats available or, perhaps, even Village President.

Unless they are seeking re-election, some of the candidates who run seldom, if ever, attend Village Board meetings. Others may run simply to promote their own agenda rather than work for the issues facing the village as a whole.

While people want to jump on national or global band wagons, there is greater need for civic engagement at the grassroots level. There are more pressing issues than snow removal, skunks and parkway trees.

Sirabian knows this, which is why she gets young people involved.

And from the looks of things from last Monday’s Civics Forum – they get it.

Hopefully more people will.

Village approves plans for new Milwaukee Avenue gas station

The Village Board Monday night approved resolutions that clear the way for the development of a new gas station and mini-mart on Milwaukee Avenue.

Plans for the station, which will be a 12-pump Shell gas station, include a 3,500 square foot mini-mart at 185  N. Milwaukee Avenue.  True North Energy, which is developing the project, has also entered into an agreement to purchase the Wooil Restaurant, which is currently on the site.

True North plans to offer beer and wine sales at the mini-mart. Development of the 0.9-acre site is scheduled to begin in Spring 2019.

Aptakisic Road closed until Sept. 28

The CN/Wisconsin Central Railroad has confirmed that they will be closing Aptakisic Road at the railroad tracks between Weiland Road and Bond Street until Friday, Sept. 28, 2018. Repairs will be made to the railroad crossing and will also include a future sidewalk crossing on the south side of Aptakisic Road - to be completed with the Weiland Road Project.

Fire Department Open House Saturday

The 23rd annual Buffalo Grove Fire Department Open House will be held this coming Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fire Department Headquarters, 1051 Highland Grove Drive in Buffalo Grove. This family-friendly event will include a vehicle extrication demonstration, side-by-side sprinkler burn unit, hands-on fire extinguisher training, equipment displays, a puppet show, and an appearance by the Flight for Life helicopter, along with a junior firefighter challenge including a fire pole! Free hot dogs and chips will be served. For more information, contact the Fire Department Public Education Division at (847) 777-6110 or at this link Fire Department open house.

Want to run for village office?

There are five open seats on the Buffalo Grove Village Board for the April 2, 2019 Consolidated Election, including Village President, Village Clerk and three Village Trustee seats. Trustees whose terms are ending including Jeff Berman, David Weidenfeld and Eric Smith.  Smith was appointed to replace Steve Trilling who was re-elected in 2015 but resigned when he moved out of the village.

Candidates can pick up petitions at the Buffalo Grove Village Hall, 50 Raupp Boulevard in Buffalo Grove, during regular business hours; Monday from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and Tuesday - Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Petition filing begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, December 10 in the Village Clerk's Office, 50 Raupp Boulevard in Buffalo Grove, and ends on December 17 at 6:30 p.m.  Details can be found here Village election information.

Questions regarding the Municipal Election should be directed to the State Board of Elections State Board of Elections. A Candidate's Guide may be obtained by calling the State Board of Elections at 312-814-6440 or can also be found online here, or specific to the County of residence. Lake County residents can click Lake County election information and Cook County residents can go to this site Cook County election information for additional information.

Or you can run for Buffalo Grove Park District Board

 Three current Buffalo Grove Park District Commissioner positions for 4-Year Terms, and one unexpired two-year term are open for election in the April 2, 2019 Consolidated Election.  Individuals interested in running for a position as a Buffalo Grove Park District Commissioner in this election can pick up petitions.  The circulation period for petitions is Sept. 18 to December 17.

 Petitions can be picked up at the Alcott Center, located at 530 Bernard Drive in Buffalo Grove.  The Alcott Center is open Monday from 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Residents interested in running for a Buffalo Grove Park District Commissioner seat must be a registered voter and have been a resident of the Buffalo Grove Park District for at least one year prior to the election.

For additional information, contact Ryan Risinger, executive director of the Buffalo Grove Park District at (847) 850-2122.

Thefts from vehicles continue to plague village

Buffalo Grove Police are investigating eight thefts from vehicles which, according to police reports, occurred in the past week.

According to reports, in each case vehicles were left unlocked and valuables, including car keys, wallets and cash, were left in the vehicle.  In one case, the vehicle was stolen, but was located in the  8800 block of south Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

In a statement issued through a village news release, Police Chief Steven Casstevens urged residents to be proactive in preventing thefts from vehicles. "We cannot stress enough, the importance of simply locking your vehicle," Casstevens said." Locking your doors is the most effective deterrent. Police are also investigating thefts from garages that were left open and unattended.

Police have arrested and charged a Waukegan man with four counts of criminal trespass to a vehicle Sept. 1 after a he allegedly stole items, mostly loose change, from unlocked cars.  The 43-year-old man, told police he was homeless and was merely looking for loose change. He is scheduled to appear in Cook County Court in Rolling Meadows Oct. 12.

Village Board meets Monday

The Buffalo Grove Village Board meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday for its regular monthly meeting. A complete agenda and agenda packet can be found at Sept. 17 Village Board meeting information.

SWANCC electronics, document shredding event this Saturday

The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) is hosting a one-day Electronics Recycling and Document Destruction event on Saturday, September 15, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. until noon in the Banner Plumbing parking lot, 151 Hastings Road in Buffalo Grove. Residents who live in any SWANCC member community can drop off items to be recycled. IDs will be checked for verification of residency. For more information about the event and items accepted, Click here

Aptakisic Road closed Sept. 21 - 28

Aptakisic Road will be closed between Weiland Road and Bond Street from Sept. 21 through Friday, Sept. 28 for work on the CN/Wisconsin Central railroad crossing. The work includes repairs of the railroad crossing and will include a future sidewalk crossing on the south side of Aptakisic Road - to be completed with the upcoming Weiland Road Project.

Fire Department open house Sept. 22

The 23rd annual Buffalo Grove Fire Department Open House is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Fire Department Headquarters Station, 1051 Highland Grove Drive.

This family-friendly event will include vehicle extrication, side-by-side sprinkler burn unit demonstrations, hands-on fire extinguisher training, a junior firefighter challenge including a fire pole, equipment displays, puppet show, an appearance by the Flight for Life helicopter and more. Free hot dogs and chips will be served. For more information view the Fire Department Open House flyer or contact the Fire Department Public Education Division at 847-777-6110.

Upcoming Wireless Emergency Alert Nationwide Test

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be conducting the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) test alert to all cell phone users at 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20.

The WEA system is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children and other critical situations through alerts sent to cell phones. The WEA test message will have a header that reads "Presidential Alert" and a text that says: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages (e.g. tornado warning, AMBER alerts). Users cannot opt out of the test or system.

Is his transparency going to pot?

            Much has been written, to no surprise, about the use of social media by politicians – especially President Trump who clings to it like a cheap suit.

            Not only has it has changed the landscape of politics, but also the need for transparency by public officials.  It has also raised the level of curiosity by constituents who want to know what their government officials are doing and why.

  

Village Trustee Andrew Stein

(Photo from Facebook)

          However, it is not just a national or statewide issue. Local politicos need to adhere to a high level of transparency as well, especially when posting on social media.

            This includes Buffalo Grove officials.

            Whether on the Park Board, Planning and Zoning Commission or the Village Board, public officials need to be as open as possible.

            Which is why a post by Village Board trustee Andrew Stein on Dec. 15 raised some questions. Stein’s post included a link from the Illinois Policy Institute that “Poll Shows ‘Large Majorities’ Of Illinois Voters Support Legalizing Marijuana” (Marijuana poll). Stein queried Facebook users by asking them “What do you think of this?”

            There were 10 comments, including one I made asking, “Are you proposing this for the village?” to which Stein replied, “I am curious where others stand.”

            Was that really the case? I initially shrugged it off until I got a call from Stein, during which he further reiterated that he was just interested in the possibility of recreational use of marijuana being legal in Illinois. I had no intention of writing about Stein’s post because at first, because it just seemed inane.

            But I began thinking, which is always a dangerous thing, and I could not help but wonder why Stein was interested in what people thought of legal recreational marijuana in Illinois.

The thought stayed with me until recently when I decided to see if, in fact, there was more to Stein’s concern about recreational use of marijuana than a fleeting comment on Facebook.

            There was, and, still may be. 

             Information I obtained through a request filed in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, yielded that Stein had more than a fleeting interest in the issue.

For Stein to state on social media that he was just curious as to where others stood appears to be a misrepresentation of his intent.

Stein’s interest is based in the introduction last year of Illinois House Bill 2353, the cannabis control act.  An amendment would, apparently, allow recreation use of marijuana.

Stein began pushing for the village to take the lead in local regulation of recreational marijuana in early October.

In an email sent to Village Manager Dane Bragg and Board President Beverly Sussman, on Oct. 25, Stein wrote, “Time may of the essence on this. I would like to discuss an ordinance to ban the sale and cultivation of Recreational Marijuana in Buffalo Grove. It would be great to have something on the books before legislation makes its way through the State.”

Why was “time of the essence”?  Apparently because at that time the two bills, HB 2353 and SB 316, were on the docket in Springfield and would address legal recreational use of marijuana in the state.

Bragg responded to Stein on Oct. 27, telling him that according to the Northwest Municipal Conference, as well as the Illinois Chiefs Association via Buffalo Grove Police Chief Steve Casstevens, the bills was pushed aside until after the first of the year.

Stein, however persisted, and in an email sent to Bragg, Sussman, Casstevens and Deputy Village Manager Jennifer Maltas, on Nov. 3 wrote “I have been thinking about this and was wondering, does Buffalo Grove wish to be a leader in this and pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale and distribution before the Bill moves? We could be the first and others could follow our lead in telling the State that this is a bad idea? I think that it is worth the discussion. Does anyone agree with me?”

Bragg quickly responded that “Seeing as the bill isn’t going anywhere, I think it is a distraction right now. In addition, the bill as proposed preserves home rule authority to regulate how we want. This may be of more pertinent interest after the first of the year.”

Which, you would think would be the route to go. Stein, however, remains persistent. There’s nothing wrong with a Village Board member taking an initiative on a matter, as Stein has with the recreational marijuana issue, however, what is troubling is his lack of transparency with constituents.

Stein continued to plead his case into November when he once again emailed Bragg and Sussman simply saying “it may be closer than was thought.” His support was a voluminous report from the Stand Strong Coalition, a group which, as indicated on its website (standstrongcoalition.org) was, “formed August 1st, 2014 by concerned parents, Jamie Epstein and Debbie Stern. It is a community-based coalition dedicated to preventing underage drinking and drug use for the youth in our community.” The group lobbied the Board in August to raise the age for tobacco sales to 21, a measure which was approved.

The information Stein provided detailed scheduled public meetings featuring experts who apparently side with Stand Strong Coalition. The question that is not answered is if Stein attended those meetings and if he did, did he do so as a regular citizen, or member of the Village Board.  When I spoke with him in December, he made no mention of his idea for an ordinance or if he had attended or approached Stand Our Ground for support.

Instead, he turned to Facebook with an innocuous post casually asking people how they felt about recreational marijuana being legalized in the Land of Lincoln.

After receiving information from my FOI request, I contacted Stein by email and asked him about the two bills, to which he replied “…I was concerned that legislation to approve recreational marijuana was going to move soon. I am opposed to recreational marijuana. I was considering proposing a resolution by the Village opposing legislation, before it moved forward. When I saw the article that I posted on Facebook, I saw an opportunity to gauge sentiment. You asked me if I was proposing this for the Village and I told you that I was just curious where others stand.”

Got it.  At least he confirmed that he is opposed to recreational marijuana and that he was considering introducing a resolution to the Village Board opposing it.

Which raises more questions

The first being why didn’t he say that on his Facebook post and secondly, what exactly is he looking for – a resolution opposing the bill, or an ordinance prohibiting recreational marijuana in the village?

As noted in the Nov. 3 email, Stein asked Bragg, Sussman, Casstevens and Maltas, “does Buffalo Grove wish to be a leader in this and pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale and distribution before the Bill moves?”

I’m not passing judgment on Stein’s beliefs on recreational marijuana, just the scope of his transparency.

He needs to be transparent in what he’s looking for and an openness as to why.

Otherwise his transparency will go up in smoke.

No matter what’s being smoked.

Buffalo Grove's future development goes beyond retail

While the recent approval of the Links Crossing development by the Village Board raises questions by residents who live in proximity to the development, the reality is that developments like Links Crossing may be a major part of future development in the village.

The Village Board raised more than a few eyebrows with its unanimous vote giving the go ahead to the Links Crossing plan despite a Dec. 6 recommendation by the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) to deny.

The vote by the Village Board may have countered the PZC, but the action did not counter plans for development in the village. These plans were detailed during the Board’s Jan. 8 Committee of the Whole meeting.

At that meeting, the Board heard an update on the development of the Lake-Cook corridor. While there seems to be a common belief that the key for an enhanced Lake-Cook corridor is a new Town Center, Domenic Salpietra, Vice President and Regional Leader of Planning for HOK, which is developing ideas for the corridor, noted that the work his firm is doing is not a “specific development project” but one which is looking at the entire village. Salpietra called it “more of a vision.”

The vision, he said, is broken down in three stages, but only to identify various aspects and not establish a chronological order. For example, step No. 3 of the plan focuses on residential development. Salpietra noted that a key to this aspect will be multi-unit housing including condos and townhomes. He told me after the meeting the target will be millennials. Salpietra said millennials who now call urban areas home, may, within 10 years, find a better life balance in the suburbs. He said what may make the trend reversal attractive is the development of retail, residential and office space.

While that plan addressed the Lake-Cook Road Corridor it was clear that as the village moves forward with development plans, the nature of Buffalo Grove will change, something that many residents can’t seem to fathom. Comments by residents at public hearings and Village Board meetings often focus on how long they have lived in the village and the fact that because the village was a certain way when they moved in, it can’t change.

As Robin Williams once said in the old Mork and Mindy show, “Reality, what a concept.”

Change can be difficult to accept.  However, it’s inherent to just about all aspects of our lives.

Thirty years ago, we flocked to malls; now we flock to our computers.

Forty years ago we sat in our cars while an attendant filled our tanks and cleaned our windshield; now we pump and go.

As the late Jim Croce sang in the song Recently that “The future is tomorrow 'Cause the past is gone.”

Welcome to the future.

While aging Baby Boomers feel snug in their single-family detached homes, they may be looking for something smaller as the near retirement.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the millennials. While they currently flock to urban areas and have a care-free lifestyle, planners say it may not be long before they call suburbs home.

This is why presentations to the Village Board by planners – not developers – are addressing the need for ways to prepare for potential trends. It appears large single-family homes with large yards, etc. may not be the focus of long-range plans for suburbs.

A generational thing? Possibly. It appears that the comments of many residents who spoke at the Jan. 22 Board meeting may have been a case of, to quite Yogi Berra, déjà vu all over again. Generations before us may have said the same things – whether about housing, transportation, or even telecommunications. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, previous generation didn’t have social media where they could throw unfounded and pointless barbs at decision makers. Change is inevitable and, as was the case for neighbors near Links Crossing, not welcomed.

Expecting corporations, government agencies, civic servants and legislators to stay in a time warp and not look toward the future is unreasonable.

The Links Crossings plan is not perfect. No plan is. However, it’s possible – if not probable – that future plans will be similar. Municipalities, like corporations, need to look at the trends. It appears that the nation’s retailers have not. All it takes is a glance at vacancies at large malls, downtowns or, as Buffalo Grove residents are quick to point out, strip malls. What once was a panacea is now a struggle. Major retailers who apparently thought bigger was better are finding the opposite to be true. Businesses who scoffed at the idea of online shopping are scrambling to join the parade.

Residents, as difficult as it may be for some, need to look beyond the comfort zone that is their little corner of the world.

Croce was right; the future is tomorrow because the past is gone.