Candidate Holds Press Conference

(c) 2010

Distraught by what continues to transpire in the village, and with Tuesday's election right around the corner,Village Board candidate Chicken Little met with members of the press today to discuss issues facing the village.

Chicken Little
Image from swotti.com

Q.  Mr. Little, do you still plan to run even if recall fails?


A.  Absolutely.  There are a lot of things going on in the village besides Trustee Stone.


Q.  How do you see the recall campaign going so far?


A.  It's a mixed bag.  The recall committee has been aggressive, which does not surprise me.  What has surprised me is the lack of initiative by the Stone supporters.  I am not surprise that Ms. Stone asserts that she has done a good job, but there has not been a lot of overwhelming support for her.  In fact, some of what has appeared has been darn right wrong.


Q.  Can you explain, please?


A.   There was a letter that ran the Countryside and on AOL Patch that, as we say around the coupe, doesn't have all of its eggs in one basket.


Q.  How's that?


A.  The writer claims that evil water from L & L is in the village's reservoir.  Not quite.  The village wells are 1,000 feet deep, making it almost impossible for contaminated water to find its way into the wells, let alone the reservoirs.  Shallow water aquifers are about 400 feet deep.  That's just for starters.  


Q.  What about experts from Lincolnshire who allege that Buffalo Government needs someone like Lisa Stone?


A.  They should open up the history books and check the history of Lincolnshire.  She should also check other landfills in the area.


Q.  Critics of recall have said she was elected and therefore must serve out her term.


A. Being elected to any office does not give a person carte blanche to do what they want for their own ego or agenda. Nor does it give them the right to put them above issues and make make them front-and-center.


Q.  So you're saying that Stone's term on the board has served what purpose?


A.  Quite honestly, I'm not sure.  She can rant about transparency in government and the old boys network and serving the community when in reality she has done little of any.   I'm not saying that she has to agree with the board on everything all of the time, but rather than understand issues she challenges everything.  She gives the appearance that everything in the village is wrong -- from the minutes to the warrants for expenditures.


Q.  What do you see as the impact of  what has transpired during her 18 months of tirades and accusations?


A.  The impact on the community has been negative.  Real estate agents and the business community are concerned that her image of the the village operation and village board will be a detriment to their respective markets.  People outside of the village, whether residents or municipal officials are in virtual disbelief as to what they see.


Q.  So what would you tell critics of  recalling Ms. Stone?


A.  To look at the whole picture and the impact of a renegade official who has said that she will not follow the rules.  Whether you like any of the other board members at this time is immaterial. What's at stake here is the future of the village.  The Board needs to provide village staff with effective input so it can continue to do the job it has been doing.


Q.  So what's the solution?


A.  Residents need to vote on Tuesday.  Residents need to consider what has happened and what is happening and what may happen if this kind of tomfoolery continues.


Q.  So you're saying it's better to take action sooner than later.


A.  Yes.


Q.  And how soon is that?

A.  Tuesday.


Now if there are no more questions, we'll end this press conference.  As we say around the coupe it's time to get crackin'.  Thank you all for attending.  I do have one final comment, however.


Q. And that is?


A.  Remember to vote on Tuesday -- and remember to vote on all issues on both sides of the ballot.


Q.  And your recommendation on the recall issue.


Candidate Little just smiled, winked and said "you figure it out.  But it's time to steady the ship and continue sailing.  It's not always going to be a smooth cruise, but at least the boat won't be taking on water.

One confused chick

It did not come as a surprise.

With the Nov. 2 election just days away, I was not surprised at all when I got a call from Village Board candidate Chicken Little.

"Darn," he said, "folks are getting pumped for the election, aren't they?"  For a chicken, he's very astute. Yes, I told him, a lot has been written and posted about the election, election the big ballot item.  "You mean the retention of the judges," he said wryly.  Not quite, I told him.

While Kirk and Giannoulias and Quinn and Brady battle it out, much of Buffalo Grove, and the surrounding areas are watching the outcome of the effort to recall Village Board trustee Lisa Stone.


"I am amazed at what has been written," he noted.  I agree.  "I noticed that one paper ran an article saying she was defending her record," Little noted, and then asked, "what record."  He's an observant little clucker, isn't he?

The question is a good one, however -- what record?  Granted she raised the question about L & L and when she did not get the answer she want, she raised it again and again and again.  Stone seems to know more than the IEPA and EPA.  If she is interested in the impact landfills have on the area, why hasn't she gone after the village of Wheeling in regard to a shuttered landfill off of Milwaukee Avenue?  "That's easy," Little said, "there no votes there."

As for waving her independent banner, which is synonymous with annoying, Stone told the Countryside that she is "fighting against a machine."  For someone who grew up in the Chicago area, Stone should know a true machine when she sees one. Residents who volunteer their time to public service are not machine members.  "Yeah, I guess you're right," said Little.  "But is Buffalo Grove perfect," he asked?

Nope. But it's light years ahead of other communities.  I wonder if Stone read where the Police Chief in neighboring Prospect Heights quit because of potential cuts in the department.  "Wow, is Buffalo Grove heading that direction?"  Again, the answer is no.  Buffalo Grove has exemplary police and fire departments, so much so that a police officer in a nearby community is amazed at how hard  they work. "I bet Stone really has a lot to say about that."  Well, not exactly.  When our fire fighters gave up their time to call awareness to breast cancer, Stone did not say a word lauding their effort.  Nor, for that matter, did she wear pink.  "You're kidding, right?" Little asked.  I wish I was.  My guess is she's concerned that Deann Glover was getting too much of the limelight.  After all, Glover has worked tirelessly on breast cancer awareness.

How about when Fire Chief Terry Vavra reported to the Board about the village's ISO rating?  Nope. Nada. Zippo.

"I'm confused," Little said. "What does she support in the village?"  Good question.  I'm not sure what she does because she does not vocalize too many positive points.

Little shook his beak in disbelief. "She says there's a double standard.  Is that right."  I laughed.  Honestly laughed.  "What's so funny?" Little asked.

Well, I told him, at the Sept. 21, 2009 board meeting, she chided the board and then Village Manager Bill Brimm for delivering the Board information on the Thursday before Rosh Hashana.  She said that she did not have time review the packet, even the holiday was over the day before (or two days before depending on your degree of celebration) the meeting.  "You'd think she would have planned ahead and maybe contacted the village ahead of time."  True, but there's no media coverage for planning ahead.

"So where's the double standard?" Little asked.  Good question.  It seems that while Stone wants people to pay attention and respect the holiday she observes, she does not think twice about contacting non Jewish staff on their main holidays.  "How's that?" Little asked.  In an email acquired through the Freedom of Information, Stone did not think twice about emailing a staff member on Easter.  She indicated that she wanted to make sure the email got there by Monday.

"Wow," Little said, that is a double standard.   It's the same as whaling on the Board about how rude they are, or she thinks they are, toward residents who want to speak to the Board, but turns around and files a police report against a resident whom she does not like alleging that she thought he was going to harm her,

But yet, it's Stone who says Board members are desperate to get rid of her.  They don't, she told the Countryside, want someone as "independent"  as she.  As noted in previous posts, Stone seems to confuse independence with annoyance.  But soon the ball will be in the voters' hands.

"So if she recalled, will you still blog? Little asked.

Of course, I told him, there are plenty of things to write about besides the antics of Lisa Stone.

" Are you going to relax at all?" he asked?  Sure will.  Why, I told him, I may just make a nice batch of chicken soup.  "Not funny he said. I suppose you'll be drinking a vodka stone sour while you make it."

Not funny, I told him.

"I know," he said.  "Neither is the current situation with the village, which is why people need to vote on Tuesday.

Right again, I told him.

A Performance Review...

Much has been written and said -- both by the media and in the media by persons commenting to various articles about next week's election and vote on the recall of trustee Lisa Stone.


Included in that debate is if it's "fair" that recall "takes away" the vote of those people who voted for Stone.

If this was the corporate world, a successful election would be like a job interviewed.   You're hired.

For some reason, however, some folks who get elected think they have an edict to do whatever they want for  the length of the term and nothing can happen to them.

Elected officials seem to have that luxury.  Just because they are chosen, doesn't mean they are the chosen.  That would be like an NFL, NHL or NBA coach getting a contract and not having to worry about performance.  Education has its tenure, which in many ways is a flawed system.

So if you take a corporate position, recall is a performance review -- not a contract renewal.  Eager beaver legal experts will be quick to remind you that Illinois is an "at-will" state and people can lose their jobs "at the will" of their employers.

The people of Buffalo Grove employ the Board.  If there is a serious breach in that performance, one which hinders village operation, there should be a recourse available.  In this case it's recall. With the flurry of editorials, letters and comments by readers of various publications, it's no secret that Stone voted in favor of the recall ordinance.

Her defense, as posted on AOL's Patch is that she is up for recall because, she claims to be an "independent" and not part of the "old boys club."  We've been down that road before.

The questions that need answering should include: How well has she done her job?  What has she contributed to the Board at its meetings besides the usual rant about how poorly the village government is run?  Look at the minutes -- yes the minutes that Stone vehemently objects to -- and check the votes of the Board on matters relating to the operation of the village.  My guess is that she voted with the rest of the Board nearly 95 percent of the time.

Her most glaring no votes center around the minutes.  That's because, as noted here before, that she wants a narrative flaunting her comments.  Village Clerk Jan Sirabian is not a reporter -- she's a village clerks who records the actions of the Board -- not a narrative of every comment.  Taxpayer dollars should not be used for campaign literature.

Stone says good government needs dissent, discussion and debate. I'm not sure dissent is the proper word, disagreement may be a better word because through proper debate, disagreements can often be resolved.  She left out one "dis" word --- disrespect.

Her flagrant disrespect for her colleagues on the board, village staff and the rules approved by the Board is one of the keys that people single out when discussing the recall issue.  In the corporate world it would be called insubordination.

When that method of operation becomes the prevailing one, any attempt at productive government is gone.

Her obsession with her own issues has become not only an annoyance, but also a hindrance to the operation of the village.  In the corporate world, they would call this lack of productivity.

These are not the traits a productive employee should demonstrate.  In the corporate world, managers would work with an employee to improve their performance.  Stone's colleagues on the Board have tried that.  Granted, it has been a difficult effort.  Stone does not accept counterpoints to her views very well, or so it seems through her actions at the Board meetings.

Needless to say, the results have not been pretty.  Nothing is perfect.  Corporations, schools, nonprofit organizations -- or government.  Any one person who thinks he or she holds the key to an organization's success through an insubordinate and flawed performance is not working for the good of that organization -- in this case, the village.

There's a difference between independence and arrogance and belligerence.

And when the latter two overshadow the good and welfare of the company, or in this case the community, the "personnel managers" -- in this case the voters -- need to take action.

The performance review is Tuesday.

And what is it that Donald Trump says?

Howard's right on....

To quote Howard Beale in the movie Network  -- We know things are bad, Worse than bad -- they're crazy.

Yes they are.

Howard Beale

The recent onslaught of letters, media coverage and editorials regarding the initiative to recall Village Board Trustee Lisa Stone shows you just how crazy the situation has gotten,   No doubt that Stone is crying foul because letters by residents, some of whom are even in the village board are urging voters to vote yes for Stone's recall on the Nov. 2 ballot.

No doubt cynics will say that some of the letters, written by Village Board Members, may represent an abuse of their position in an effort to sway voters to their side.

To which I say touche.


During the past two Board meetings Stone has stepped down from the dais to speak as a resident and not a trustee.  Her arguments did not change, just her location.  By speaking as a "resident" Stone was able to get more time to once again pontificate her various causes -- OTB, L & L, the 2005 executive session and, of course the old boys club.


Letters to various print and on-line media by trustees Jeff Berman, Jeff Braiman and Board President Elliott Hartstein should not be viewed as abuse of the dais.  They are writing as residents and each has made it quite clear that their views are their own and do not reflect any position associated with the Village Board.

The big difference is their viewpoints are not costing the village money, nor are they delaying village business.  Whether you agree or disagree with the letters, keep in mind that they, like Stone, are entitled to their "citizen" opinions.

If you think their opinions are off base, then you have not been to a Village Board meeting, nor have you watched them on public access.  To no surprise, there are video excerpts of Village Board meetings available.  Like these:  From the Board meetings

It's shenanigans like this that have many Buffalo Grove residents citing another, and more famous, Howard Beale quote -- "I'm as mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take this any more."

Can you blame them?

A new beginning...

The routine has gotten out of hand and has become too predicable.

I am, of course, talking about the way Village Board President Elliott Hartstein begins each Village Board Meeting.

Without fail, trustee, oops, I mean President Hartstein always starts the meeting by saying "I'd like to call this meeting of the Buffalo Grove Village Board to order; will you all please rise for the pledge."

Functional, but boring -- and besides, it does not capture the essence of the meetings.  I know, I've read the minutes.

If Hartstein really wanted to start the meetings with a little flair -- one which would truly reflect the nature of the meetings, he should start the meetings by saying:

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man.

It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And, it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone. 

If you are looking for truth in government, transparency, accuracy -- this says it all.

And Monday night was no different.  It was a meeting that included discussions on landfills, OTB hearings, minutes, visitors from other villages and, of course, information about trustee visits to the rest room.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

Whether it's the upcoming full moon (Friday night, folks), a hole in the ozone or the upcoming election -- Monday's Village Board meeting was truly strange.

Why? Take a guess.  As Yogi Berra would say, it was Deja vu all over again.

Now I'm sure someone will post a comment saying I'm too repetitive about the Board meetings.

Well, I guess I am -- but with good reason -- the Village Board meetings have gotten that way.  That's not the result of any "old boys" -- or to be politically correct -- "old persons" club -- but because certain people see the first and third Mondays of the month as the day when they want to air out their dirty laundry.

It's an old and tired antic.

Lisa Stone's accusations every thing is wrong with the Board and the village have gotten old -- and way too predictable -- and  annoying.

Let's see item III -- approval of the minutes -- that means Stoney will once again rip into Village Clerk Jan Sirabian because the minutes don't reflect what's happening -- translation -- Sirabian does not put in all of Stone's rants about everybody and everything -- see, it would make campaign literature.

But wait, folks, Monday was a special night -- we had not, one, but two sets of minutes to vote on.  Stone, of course voted no to the minutes from Oct. 4 meeting, but the agenda also called for approval of the minutes from the Sept. 27 Finance Committee meeting, which Stone was upset about.

But rather than go it alone, Rob Sherman, who has suddenly become interested in the meeting minutes, addressed the board challenging the minutes.  In fact, Sherman said he contacted the Attorney General's office and that it was mortified that the minutes were not more specific.

Interesting, Village Attorney William Raysa also contacted the Attorney General's office and was told that the minutes were OK.

So who you going to believe?  No doubt Sherman contacted the Attorney General's office, but his interpretation may be off.  After all, according to his web site,  Sirabian lost village board meetings.   I think he meant minutes and no, she did not, what is missing is a tape of an executive session.  Attention to details.  Sherman also said the Attorney General "condemns" the minutes.  From the nature of his and Raysa's reports, there may be an air of concern, but not condemnation.

The highlight, if you want to call it that, was Stone's charges that during the recess at the Oct. 4 meeting, several trustees had the nerve to stand together and talk and when she came out the rest room they dispersed.

Let's see, a public meeting, a recess in a public place, and members of a board talking -- it seems as though there are allegations of a violation to the Open Meetings  Act.  Right.  Given the information presented by Miz Stone, it seems as though the Board should have realized its grievous behavior and accompanied her to the rest room. On second thought...

And for who knows how many times someone came to address the board from outside the village. Why?  another expert who seemingly has nothing better to do than support Stone.  Let's see, they've come from Lincolnshire, Westchester, Vernon Hills and who knows, maybe ALF will show up from Melmac to discuss the ozone layer.  Seems to me an alien would fit right in.

For the second meeting in a row Stone stepped down from dais to address the board as a resident and not trustee.  Last time I checked, trustees had to be residents, so aside from a stunt to gain more Ch. 6 time, all that Stone accomplishes is delaying the residents who wanted to speak to the board.  But it's not about the residents, is it?

So our trip to the Twilight Zone is becoming a regular routine -- complete with the usual acrimonious remarks directed toward just about everyone in the dais.

As usual, she wants everyone to be quiet when she speaks, but thinks nothing of interrupting anyone else when they speak. When Hartstein tried to keep her in  order, she said "President Hartstein, you're too much."

Hartstein too much?  What's too much is Stone's incessant accusations against anyone who disagrees with her.  What's too much is the use of village time for personal agendas and campaigns.  What's too much is the lack of respect for village staff and volunteers. What's too much is the time being spent in "the Twilight Zone."

In the meantime, Hartstein needs to not only work on his opening, but his closing as well.,  In place of the placid "is there a motion to adjourn.." -- he could easily say..

Obscure metaphysical explanation to cover a phenomenon, reasons dredged out of the shadows to explain away that which cannot be explained. Call it parallel planes or just insanity. Whatever it is, you just found it in the Twilight Zone.

This could be interesting

Well it's almost showtime.

Yes boys and girls, once again the men and women of the Buffalo Grove Village Board will meet to discuss operations of the Village and to, more than likely, hear Trustee Lisa Stone pontificate on the hole in the ozone layer, which has apparently impacted her colleagues on the Board etc. etc. etc.

Let's not forget that the Nov. 2 election is just a bit more than two weeks away, so every bit of time in front of the camera is valuable.

Included, as always, on the agenda are the highly popular "Reports for Trustees" during which time most trustees report on board-related activities that they have been involved with as part of the role as trustee.

Trustee Beverly Sussman's report will include information about a "Why I Love Buffalo Grove" Contest.  The idea was brought to light a little more than a year ago when Board President Elliott Hartstein reported to the Board how he met a young resident, Rachel Becker, at the 2009 Buffalo Grove Days during which she suggested the village have such a contest.

Great idea.  Rachel seems appreciative of the village, polite, and articulate, which puts her way ahead of some trustees.

So what happened to the idea?  Another resident caught the Sept. 8, 2009 on video and also thought it was a good idea and put together a proposal for a comprehensive contest for the village.  The intent, according to the original proposal, was to foster as many relationships as possible in the village.  For example, the village could work with the school districts, Historical Society, business community, park district and other organizations.

The intent, according to the author, is to, in a perfect world, have participants develop a project that is grade appropriate and encourage them to do school-based, or school-quality research.  The developer noted that it would be great if  participants worked with their teacher so perhaps, the project would benefit the participant if he/she was working in conjunction with the learning standards established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The developer is an educator and also happens to be a blogger.

I developed the plan.

So why blog about it?  A cheesy effort to be self-serving?  A way to win the hearts of school children?  A hint that I may run for the Board (ah, no...)?

No.  It's a preemptive strike, if you will, at critics who may think this was done to boost my visibility to the board or to discredit Stone.

It was done because I think it's a good idea.  Period.

There are no hidden agendas, not motives or any plans other than the obvious.

A little background ---  I submitted the original concept to Hartstein and former Village Manager Bill Brimm who suggested I run it past Sussman as she is a former school teacher.  In April, I met with Brimm, Sussman, and Trustee Jeff Braiman to discuss the idea.  One other trustee was dying to get into the meeting and did so by asking a lame question of Brimm and then asked what the meeting was about.  She was told -- an essay contest.  I don't think she believed Brimm (this is news?) and sauntered away.

Since that time I have exchanged emails with Sussman, Hartstein and Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch about the plan and was delighted when I received an email from Neukirch informing me that the proposal would be discussed by the Board at the Oct. 18 meeting.

So, as Mr. Portokalos would say, there you go.

There is nothing else to it.  True most of my blogs have focused on the upheaval at Board meetings brought on by Miz Quixote.

But it is important to note that there are (myself excluded at this point) residents who want to do things for the village on a volunteer basis.

Not everything needs to focus on one trustee who has a limited personal agenda.

So not only am I pleased the Board will discuss it Monday night, but I'll get to meet Rachel as well.

As I said, she seems to love the village, is polite, and articulate -- maybe she'll want to run for the Board.  If nothing else, they'd have to finish early so she can get home before curfew.

And who knows, there may be an opening soon.

Minute argument over minutes....

There seems to be a lot of concern about the quality of the minutes.  Trustee Lisa Stone has voted against the minutes almost from the time she joined the Board.

But why?  She claims she wants the minutes to reflect more of what is said at the meeting.  Translation -- she wants her comments front and center.

At the Oct. 4 meeting, she once again ripped Village Clerk Jan Sirabian for not doing the job the way she thinks it should be done.

You'd think Sirabian would know.  After all, she has been village clerk for 32 years.

Stone cited public comments and concern about the minutes, especially those from the Sept. 27  Finance Committee meeting.

Public comments?  How about those of Rob Sherman on his web site who calls for Sirabian's retirement from the position.  In fact, Sherman said he'd be willing to run for the post, but, according to his web site,

It's a lousy, boring job.  I don't want to be Buffalo Grove Village Clerk, but we need a change.

and


I hope I don't have to be the next Buffalo Grove Village Clerk, but it could be a lot of fun to sit in on those Executive Sessions and find out what's really going on behind those closed doors.


Sherman thinks someone who has been in the post as long as Sirabian has lost the competitive edge, thinks someone in office that long begins to lose things and thinks they own the office.

News flash -- Jan Sirabian isn't perfect -- no one is -- including Mr. Sherman.  Perhaps Ms. Sirabian has made some miscues, but Mr. Sherman has made his as well.

It may be a lousy, boring job, but Sirabian has done it well.

Are Buffalo Grove's minutes that bad because they don't give Ms. Stone her due?  Minutes are to reflect decisions as a matter of record.

But rather than do a point-by-point breakdown comparing minutes, let me paraphrase an old saying -- "A link is worth a thousand words."

Take a look.  You'll find that the work being done in Buffalo Grove is just fine.  As it has been for more than 30 years.

http://www.cityhpil.com/pdf/ccMinutes/ccminutes091310.pdf

http://www.vah.com/assets/1/agendas_and_minutes/92010bt.pdf

http://www.northbrook.il.us/Government/BoardsCommissions/Minutes/Board/Board_08-31-10.pdf

http://www.vernonhills.org/UserFiles/File/Minutes_2007/09212010%20Board%20Minutes.pdf

http://ci.sheboygan.wi.us/Clerks/CommitteeMeetings/Minutes/CommonCouncil/2010/09-07-2010.pdf