Reality, what a concept

One of the intriguing things about spending more than 40 years in journalism as both a journalist and journalism educator has been watching the evolution of news and information dissemination from “traditional” methods – print and broadcast – to today’s click of a button delivery via digital sites and social media.

            Getting news and information almost instantaneously is both good news and bad news.  The good news is news consumers, whom we used to call readers and viewers, can be kept up to date about important events.

            The bad news is that it is not unusual for the information to be inaccurate if not flat out wrong.

            The same holds true for social media sites that give citizens – often called citizen journalists – a forum to voice their opinions. Again, a good news / bad news proposition. The good news is that it provides an open forum for citizens. The bad news is that many times forums become little more than a spot for inaccurate rants posted by citizens who do little more than spew venomous and inaccurate barbs.

            Yes, I know, it is their First Amendment right.  Folks are quick to point that out although most people (and research supports this) do not even know the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.

            While the emphasis should probably be more on social than media, “citizen journalists” should carry with them a sense of responsibility. The keyword here is “should”.  That belief is becoming more of a staple for not only professional journalists, but social/citizen journalists as well.

            In their book, The Elements of Journalism authors Tom Rosenstiell and Bill Kovach deconstruct traditional media and the emergence of social and citizen journalism. In the third edition of TEOJ, Rosenstiel and Kovach dedicate an entire chapter to the rights and responsibilities of citizens.  They are emphatic in noting that “citizens, who shape news production by the choices they make, have rights when it comes to the news, but they also have responsibilities—even more so as they become producers and editors themselves.”

            While citizen journalists, and let’s put social media posters in this group, whine about what they perceive to be a lack of credible information, they apparently don’t think twice about trying to build their case with falsities and inaccurate statements.

            Take for example many of the posts that emerge on the Daily Herald sponsored Buffalo Grove group on Facebook.

            Many of the posts are little more than acrid charges at village staff and officials by people who obviously have made no effort to verify information about what they’re posting. Either that or they’re just clueless.  When I read the posts, a favorite quote of mine from the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan comes to mind.  Moynihan once said that “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion; but not to his own facts.”  If the late senator is accessing Facebook from the afterlife, he’s probably rolling his eyes.

            Take for example some of the following posts taken from the site.  These are actual posts because, as Dave Barry would write, I am not making this up.

Post:  What is happening over at the backside of Didiers (sic) Farm? I know technically it is Prairie View but still. We have heard rumors it is sold to a developer. Is it true and what's the timetable? Think it stinks! Just what we need - more houses, people, cars, and roads.

Reality: Sources at Village Hall say “There have been several smaller projects approved in the Prairie View area over the last year and we continue to get more and more inquiries.  It’s a very popular area.  A housing developer is working with the Didier family on the back side of their property.  There has been no public discussion of this yet because even the concept plans for the property is not done.”

Post:  do I understand this correctly: our water bill will go up about $10 per bill in January 2016? ($5.00 per month)??

Reality:  The storm water management fee was approved by the Village Board last year with a January 1, 2016 implementation date.  The funds are to cover the cost to manage the storm sewer system.  There is currently no revenue source to address this infrastructure need.  The impact for a single family home is approximately $5 per month – less for multi-family depending on the size of the development, according to a Village Hall source.

Post:  (McDonald’s) Supposed to be moving across the street with a Thornton gas. Another loss for taxes in bg ---

Reality:  First of all, the McDonald’s site is not in the village; it’s in unincorporated Lake County.   According to my sources at Village Hall, “Thornton’s never approached the Village.  It’s the Village’s understanding that the project is stalled…On Monday there should be a preliminary concept plan for the PJ’s/McDonald’s site for a redevelopment and annexation of the site.  There are no plans currently for McDonald’s to open on Milwaukee Avenue.”

Post:  We had our water meter changed, and now the pressure in the hall bath tub is very very low? Anyone have this problem or have any idea what it could be?? All I know is the guy had to turn our water off and then on again, but the pressure changed the next day.

Reality:  According to folks at Village Hall, “the water meter change would not have any impact on water pressure in the house.”

Post:  We got something in the mail. It's at home - storm retention? something like that. Our water bill is something (sic) like $57 so that's almost a 10% increase. Stealth bombers.

Reality:  Stealth bombers?  Seriously?  According to folks at Village Hall, “The storm water management fee has been discussed since 2012.  It was specifically discussed and detailed in the Village’s strategic plan that was approved by the Village Board in 2012.  It was discussed at Committee of the Whole at least five times and was also discussed twice at Village Board meetings.  This does not include any of the strategic plan updates that I provide to the Village Board where progress on this project was also discussed.”

Post:  maybe we need to form some kind of PAC for economic development NOW. NOW.

Reality:  I didn’t ask for input from Village Hall about this because it’s so ludicrous.  According to one definition, a political action committee is“…an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level...”  So what exactly does this poster want to do?

            The closest thing to a PAC is/was the “Save Buffalo Grove” initiative which lobbied hard to keep Buffalo Grove a bedroom committee and fielded a slate of candidates including now Village President Beverly Sussman and Trustee David Weidenfeld.  The group’s existence was anchored by opposition to the proposed edifice by CRM properties.  Aside from Sussman’s and Weidenfeld’s appearance on the Board, the group communicates little, with its last post on Facebook being on April 8.  Some members attend village meetings, but seemed mired in a position of not having a downtown or central business district.  Others continue to preach fear with inaccuracies – like a public statement that Binny’s was going to leave the village if the village didn’t do something.   Binny’s has renewed its lease and reportedly is working to expand its current location.

             The village is not a landlord. A PAC for economic development?  Maybe the poster should further define economic development.  It goes beyond retail. The village has one of the highest rates of nonretail occupancy in Lake County.  Yes, the village is not known for retail shopping – unless you’re into sushi, nail spas or chain drug stores.  If the poster had taken time and checked things out, he/she would find details at Economic Development Information

Post: Our taxes should pay for everything.

Reality:  Yes, Virginia, there is a hole in the ozone layer.

A sign of the times?

I’m not a fan of campaign signs.

            I know they’re essential to campaigns because how else will people get to know the candidates?

            There’s so much information on a campaign sign that there’s no need to research a candidate or slate.

            You can find out that some is experienced, dedicated and that the candidate cares.

            And it seems that the more signs a candidate or slate has, the more qualified they are.

            Right.

            So as the campaign for Village Board winds down, the focus appears to be on signs.

            Issues?  We don’t need no stinking issues, we have signs.

            Signs address everything – the issues, transparency, civic responsibility.

            It’s a sad state when those running for public office focus on image rather than substance. It’s especially critical – yes critical – in today’s world of quick-info.  News consumers don’t take time to understand the news about the world around them – whether it global or local.

            It’s no wonder that the Illinois State Board of Education has a task force that is calling for a mandatory civics class for Illinois students.

            Perhaps they want to start in Buffalo Grove.  Not because Stevenson or Buffalo Grove high schools need it – their students get it – just watch them in action at the village’s annual civics forum coordinated by Village Clerk Jan Sirabian.

Signs for the Save Buffalo Grove slate were at Town Center,
but we removed by management on Tuesday

            Strong civics involves weighing all sides of an issue from multiple, independent and non-bias sources while sticking to the facts and not mere opinion.  A novel idea.

            But in our little town (thank you Simon and Garfunkel) it seems like the superficial is what’s beneficial.

            Like signs.

            Signs in parkways, on lawns, fences and just about anywhere you can put them.

            It’s to the point that the signs have seemingly become a campaign issue.  Most recently “signgate” as one social media poster put it, involved campaign signs touting the re-election of Village Board President Jeff Braiman and Beverly Sussman who is running against him

                It seems as though both Sussman and Braiman placed signs on and in front of the fence that belongs to The Villas at Hidden Lake development at the corner of Deefield Parkway and Buffalo Grove Road. Sussman had one of her large banners on the fence along with several standard lawn signs.  Braiman supporters, seeking equal space, placed a couple of lawn signs there as well, a move that should not be seen as unexpected. At issue is who allegedly had permission to place the signs there.

            The drama unfolds when it was discovered the other day that someone placed

Signs for Beverley Sussman are placed in front of those for
 Incumbent Village Board President Jeff Braiman.
These signs are at Deerfield Parkway and Buffalo Grove Road

additional Sussman signs in front of the Braiman signs.

            Now this is a classy campaign.

            Those signs, however, are not then only ones at the center of signgate.  During a stop at Town Center a couple of Saturdays ago, I was amazed, if not a bit taken back, by the number of campaign signs for the Save Buffalo Grove slate. I understand that individual stores may want to display a sign, but it appeared that the entire center was supporting the slate.

            During a return trip I found that there were 32 signs at Town Center; 28 in the common areas and four by entrances on Lake-Cook Road and Illinois Rt. 83.

            A few things come into play here.  If you are trying to lease vacant retail space, do you permit a litany of campaign signs haphazardly placed throughout the property? There seems to be a bit of irony here since the beleaguered Town Center has been a focus of downtown redevelopment efforts touted by the Save the Buffalo Grove slate.

            Tim Donohue, property manager for CTK Asset Services, which manages Town Center, said Monday that he was unaware of the signs (he was on vacation the week before) and that “We’re not supporting any slate of campaigns.  Someone from the group may have put them there.”

            He added that tenants may be allowed to have “certain temporary signs,” they need to follow village and property guidelines.  “I have never come across this before.”  He did a site visit on Tuesday to assess the situation and seemed more than a little surprise at what he found.  “There were a lot of signs out there,” he said. He added that when checking with tenants, “nobody was able to tell me that they put the signs out, so I took them down.” All 32 of them.

            As for granting permission, Donohue was adamant that “nobody asked me permission; I did not give permission to anyone to put signs like that out.”

            In a telephone interview last Wednesday, Sussman said that she goes to Town Center once a week, but had not seen the signs and was “not aware of them.”

            In the meantime, sources tell me that signgate found its way to the Village Manager’s office where both Village Manager Dane Bragg and Deputy Village Manager Jennifer Maltas have reportedly been in touch with all candidates about placement of signs and the fact that village inspectors will remove campaign signs that are on village right of way.  Among the signs reportedly removed were those placed near the Vernon Township Hall where early voting is taking place.  Maltas did, however, say the problem is not unique to this election.  “Every election season we tell the candidates that they (signs) can’t be on village right of way.  They can be on private property with the owner’s permission.

            In regard to Town Center, Maltas was emphatic that the village did not remove any campaign signs because the development is private property.  She added that campaign sign regulations are handled by the Community Develop Department.  Maltas said that when a violation is spotted, photos are taken to document the infraction

            After that, “We contact them and they can pick their signs up,” Maltas said.  Signs that are not claimed are discarded.

            Hello, WoodStein?

            You would think that as the election gets closer, candidates, especially those who are not happy with the incumbents, would be addressing issues.  Things like economic development, the pending hatchet job by the Rauner administration, and maintaining the village’s financial situation.

            But no -- it’s all about signs.  Voters need to look past the signs and research the candidates.  As for the candidates, as noted, they need to address issues, offer solutions to things they see as problematic, and get past the sign issue.

            The late Will Rogers once said “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.”

            When it comes to effective voting, if all you know about a candidate is what you read on a campaign sign, then it’s more than an alibi for your ignorance; it’s a lack civic responsibility.

This blog was updated at 4:40 p.m. on April to include comments by Deputy Village Manager Jennifer Maltas.