Independent Candidates Respond to Tony Hofeld’s Concerns and Provide More Facts

In response to a statement posted by Mr. Hofeld regarding the mailer the Independent Candidates for Morton Grove recently mailed, the Independent Candidates would first like to thank Mr. Hofeld for reading the mailer and for calling attention to it on this public forum. There was a lot of information on that mailer, and it is important for all residents to be aware of the issues. We would like to address a few issues he brought up.

Political campaigns can get harsh, and this local election is clearly no exception. The Independent Candidates for Morton Grove are committed to sharing accurate, truthful information, which can make people uncomfortable when it is not flattering. The information the Independent Candidates have posted is all the truth, and all is available in the public record, including newspaper articles, village meeting minutes and videos, quotes from elected official, other public village records, and reports from independent agencies., and we have noted many of these sources. We will continue to bring these facts to you because you should know your elected officials, and they are answerable to you. The Independent Candidates have some substantial disagreements with how the Action Party has run our village, their priorities, and how they conduct themselves, and the negative impact this has on our village. That is why we are running.

Because we are committed to bringing truthful, factual information to the residents of Morton Grove, some of the issues Mr. Tony Hofeld raised need to be addressed for clarification and correction.

Regarding the compensation increase (Mr. Hofeld’s points # 1 and 2)

• What Mr. Hofeld stated about Staackmann introducing or supporting a compensation increase is incorrect. It is important to note that Mr. Hofeld did not reference any sources or evidence for his contention. In fact, a thorough reading of the minutes from Village Board meetings in January through April 2013 indicate that Dan Staackmann did not introduce an increase in compensation for elected officials. The idea was never formally introduced at a board meeting or voted upon by the Board, nor was there time for resident comment, nor was there a vote by the Board. Therefore, this increase of $200 per month for the village President and $100 for the Clerk and Trustees was unapproved in 2013.
• Secondly, this increase was unbudgeted in 2013 from May through December. As a result, there was a total, unbudgeted increase of over $7,200 for additional compensation to Village Elected officials. This additional, unbudgeted expense in 2013 would have contributed to dwindling cash reserves noted by Moody’s Investor Services as a factor in the downgrading of the Village’s bond credit rating – twice during DiMaria’s term.
• Thirdly, this increase was put in place during the term of those elected officials. It was not voted on, approved, or budgeted for prior to the time they took office. It went into effect a month after DiMaria, the Clerk, and three trustees took office. In fact, three of the trustees had been in office for two years already, so this increase in compensation occurred right in the middle of their term. (See Illinois Municipal Code 65 ILCS5/Art. 3.1 Div. 50 regarding the restriction on changing compensation for elected officials during their term)
• Village records obtained through a FOIA request in November 2016 included a list of which Village officials were issued mobile phones, tablets, and iPad. The Village Board officials were on that list. So, they were provided at no cost to themselves the means to communicate via phone and email and to access to the Internet for all Village-related business. Additional “technology pay” would not be needed to cover that expense.
• The Village Board also receives a monthly stipend of $50 for the Village President and $25 for the Trustees and Clerk, which is for travel to meetings, activities attended, office supplies, miscellaneous expenses, and other things you noted.
• So, finally, Village elected officials are provided with mobile technology devices, and given an additional stipend for incidental expenses – the Technology pay seems a redundant expense for the taxpayers to cover.
• Those are the factors we take issue with. This compensation increase was unapproved, unbudgeted, redundant, and put in place during the term of the elected official.

Regarding the % increase of the Village President’s pay regarding the (point #3)

As Mr. Hofeld pointed out, the annual stipend for the Village President is $8000 per year, which breaks down to $667 per month. The $200 per month "Technology Pay" increase is a 27% increase for the Village President, as stated on the mailer.

On the issue of donations to the Action Party

There is a very concerning pattern of the Action Party soliciting and receiving donations from many companies that currently do business with the Village, or are proposing to do business with the Village. On the mailer, two examples were provided of developers whose projects were then approved and who received significant support from the Village. Mr. Hofeld asserted that these particular donations were then turned over to charity, so in his view it is not a violation. However, the Action Party D-2 reports do not indicate any such donations to charity of the monies from these two specific donations.

In addition to those donations, there have been many donations to the Action Party by companies that do significant business with the Village. One example, as noted on the Action Party D-2 reports, is Groot Industries, which has made donations to the Action Party. Groot is our waste management company, doing hundreds of thousands of dollars in business annually with the Village.

It is this pattern of repeatedly accepting donations over time from companies that do or propose to do business with the Village, as well as the pattern of donors getting projects approved but not the projects of those who do not make a donation, that is very concerning and raises many questions.

The Independent Candidates for Morton Grove feel strongly that elected officials should be above reproach. They should abide by all laws, ordinances, and codes of behavior. They should exercise good judgment in all their official duties, because they are acting in an important position of public trust and acting on behalf of all our residents.