Life After Hamilton

As the special election to recall Andrew Hamilton from his seat on the Lake Forest City Council nears, people are asking me what difference it will make. Needless to say, the difference depends on the person who replaces him. But if we get an honest and independent person who refuses to accept special interest money (that’s Tom Cagley, Stan Yombo, or David Glick), we might expect some big changes. Here’s my list-

ANTI-CORRUPTION

Twice in the past three years I’ve tried to introduce anti-corruption legislation, requiring that companies who contract with the city abstain from filling Council campaign coffers with their money. Each time it was defeated and Hamilton, who took $100,000 from special interests, was the deciding vote each time. With a new council, assuming it’s Cagley, Yombo, or Glick, this will become a reality.

FWIW – Mark Tettemer when he was on the City Council took thousands of dollars from special interests. I doubt seriously he would vote for this initiative. (Click Here)

ANTI-GANG

The city has been ruled by a “Gang of 3” since inception. Whether it was Herzog-Dixon-Tettemer or Hamilton-Voigts-Robinson, these “gangs” have acted in unison to shape the Commissions and rotate Mayorships among themselves. I plan to introduce legislation that will make it more difficult for future councils to act in a gang-like fashion. For example –

• Establish principles for a rotating Mayor appointment, as is done by many other cities, to insure that everyone who is elected gets a turn at being Mayor (Hamilton was the deciding vote in denying Adam Nick his turn at being Mayor).
• Attach appointments to Commission seats to each Council member, so that one member equals one appointment. This way a “gang of 3” cannot select all 5 commissioners, and if a gang of 3 exists, the best they can do is control 3 appointments.
• Establish principles for replacing a Council member who resigns or dies in office. My preference is to appoint the person who received the most votes but didn’t get elected. This way gangs can’t perpetuate themselves.
• Establish rotating assignments to committees so that a gang, if it exists, can’t control the prime assignments.

Hamilton was a true gang member, voting with his gang to try to control all these areas and keep power to a small group. I hope with these measures to spread power to as many people as possible and I hope the new person agrees.

NO-KILL SHELTER

The County coerced us into paying $600,000+ to build their new shelter, but the sad truth is that it’s the same pig, with a new shade of lipstick. Hamilton was the deciding vote on this and a BIG supporter of the County, falsely claiming that we actually “saved millions” when the opposite was true.

I plan to work with the County using their animal control services and funnel the animals to a local Veterinarian Hospital for admission, and then to our existing local pet rescue center for adoption. This move would not be possible with Hamilton on the Council, and I’m hopeful that his replacement will support this move. As far as I know, Tom Cagley is the only candidate publicly supporting this idea.

TRAFFIC COMMISSION

I have been advocating for a Traffic Commission for years. Adam Nick and Leah Basile supported me, but Hamilton cast the deciding vote preventing a Traffic/Parking Commission. Instead, after much debate, we got “traffic” added to the “planning” commission, which has proved to be a fruitless exercise. No sane person can deny that traffic and parking are major problems for the city, nor can they deny that the so-called “Traffic Planning Commission” has achieved nothing in their 9 month existence. I plan to re-introduce the idea of a Traffic/Parking Commission. Once more, as far as I know, Tom Cagley is the only candidate publicly supporting this idea.

STRICTER ETHICS

The City's code of ethics is a joke. There are no teeth and no independent oversight. Hamilton used it for political purposes to censure Adam Nick for something he didn't do, and then refused to enact it when it was clear a member of his "gang" had violated it. Without Hamilton we have a chance to enact stricter legislation with true penalties and independent oversight. Once more, as far as I know, Tom Cagley is the only candidate publicly supporting this idea.

SUMMARY

With Hamilton off the Council, there are real possibilities for some major improvements to how we function, including

• Anti-corruption legislation
• Anti-gang measures
• A local no-kill animal shelter
• A Traffic/Parking Commission
• Stricter code of ethics

Hamilton cast the deciding vote preventing most of these improvements. His replacement has the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all of us.

The only candidate who has publicly expressed support for all these actions is Tom Cagley. Mark Tettemer, on the other hand, when he was on the Council, strongly supported staying with the County and took thousands of dollars from special interests.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His twitter handle is @DrJimGardner. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Thursday Feb 15 at 7 pm at the Beach and Tennis Club.