Shorewood Trustee Crabby About Candy Store Kids Quip

Shorewood Trustee Dan Gron wants an apology from colleague Jim "Mac" McDonald for calling his fellow board members "kids in a candy store," but McDonald wasn't saying sorry to anyone.

In fact, McDonald shot back at board members Gron and Dan Anderson during Tuesday night's village meeting, saying, "I can start on you with a lot of things too."

Gron went after McDonald for calling the board "kids in a candy store" following a meeting two weeks ago in which McDonald was the only trustee to oppose spending more than $150,000 on a dump truck and an attachment for a loader.

McDonald has also been the lone voice against dropping more than $50,000 on four-wheel drive trucks for acting Chief Aaron Klima and Building Inspector David Myers.

The four-wheel drive trucks came up again during Tuesday night's meeting and Anderson started talking up how important it was to buy them in the event of a flood or tornado.

Anderson also said McDonald would be the "first to complain" to complain if Klima — who is also Emergency Service and Disaster Agency director — was unable to perform his duties due to an inferior vehicle.

McDonald was unconvinced, pointing out that Klima's "not going to be out in a field in Timbuktu."

But Anderson said Klima's vehicle — a 2011 Chevy Tahoe running the village $30,305.75 — is "a sport utility vehicle. That's what it's for."

The Tahoe is also necessary because it gives Klima a place to put his "maps" and "equipment," Anderson said.

"We need to look at our residents more as customers," he added.

But McDonald said he has already been trying to look at it that way.

"That's what I do, and I look to save them money too," McDonald said. "If you ran a construction business like this you'd run out of money in no time."

That's when Gron piped up and mentioned that he wanted an apology from McDonald for calling the board "kids in a candy store."

Gron called the remark "inappropriate" and said, "I was kind of surprised at that."

Not only that, but Gron insisted the village board has been pretty stingy with public money, "throwing around nickels like manhole covers."

In the end, Gron did not get his apology. He also apparently failed to convince McDonald that buying Klima and Myers the sturdy trucks was the right idea, as he voted against it.

The rest of the board was in favor but for Celine Schwartz who was absent. Schwartz has been battling a long-term foot problem and has essentially been a nonentity at village board meetings since she was re-elected in April.