Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot. (From the musical #Camelot.)
When my family moved here 18 years ago, I associated Winnetka with Camelot. Situated along the pristine waters of the jewel of the Midwest - Lake Michigan - with quaint shopping districts harkening back to an English village of old, schools that set the standard for educational excellence, and lovely neighborhoods filled with friendly families. Village Hall was the seat of our Camelot, with a round table representing respect, integrity, community collaboration and consensus, efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and unique, non-partisan, grassroots-participatory-democracy that was the envy of neighboring kingdoms.
Camelot?
Today's Winnetka is associated with the most expensive stormwater fee in the State of Illinois and arguably the highest in the country, for a controversial, not-yet-regulatory-approved pipeline that will send 100-year-historic-rain-event quantities of dirty stormwater into #Lake Michigan.* Watch for this new 30-year fee on your July utility bills, doubling or tripling, as the full amount ramps up once the additional $20 million in bonds is issued, despite a 54.5% to 45.5% voter rejection at the ballot box on March 18, 2014.** Add to this burden increased property taxes, water rates, electric rates and sewer rates to name a few, and this kingdom looks like the Springfield Legislature on steroids. All this while sitting on a treasure trove of over $40 million in cash, stashed away for what? (Apparently not...a rainy day.)
Today's Winnetka is associated with a growing transient population, looking to move to neighboring communities or out of Illinois altogether as the taxes and fees in Winnetka, on top of staggering State taxes/fees, take even more out of families' pocketbooks.***
Today's Winnetka is associated with mean-spirited, divisive local politics. Soon-to-be-Trustee #Fessler, who campaigned by invitation-only and refused to participate in any public forums, already pushes her private agenda against the referendum results. In a recently obtained e-mail (see photo box above) politician Fessler rallies her troops for a show of support at the April 17th Council meeting to adopt a stormwater master plan that includes the controversial pipeline. Completely disregarding the popular vote demonstrated by the successful referendum against the tunnel, the Council marches ahead with the master plan, tunnel intact.
Today's Winnetka rewards agenda-driven, partisan candidates for local office. The surprise appointment of Krucks to the Council rather than candidate Scott Lewis, who received the next highest number of votes in the March 18th election (behind the two whoa candidates) keeps the tunnel project safe. #Krucks, who testified for the objector before the Local Election Board in December's bogus petition challenge to bump a non-agenda, caucus candidate off the March 18th ballot (see MyHomeTown's Brand New Year Same Old Shenanigans) and is a vocal supporter of the tunnel because his neighborhood floods from Indian Hill Country Club runoff, is now rewarded with the knighthood of 'Trustee.'
A wise former Village official recently lamented that the damage done to #Winnetka in the past year will take years to repair, if at all. Those of us who worked so hard for good government at the local level have seen it all disappear...in the first flush.
Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for happily ever-aftering, here in Camel...NOT!
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED? E-mail/write the Village Council. Send your comments to Letters to the Editor. Vote our local politicians out of office in the next election. Let them know that in this village, democracy does not ignore a majority vote! (Sorry folks - there is no local recall provision.)
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* See #NBCch5 Investigative Report "Opponents of Flooding Prevention Plan Fear Contamination" by Chris Coffrey, April 17, 2014; and the #BetterGovernmentAssociation's "The North Pour" by Brett Chase, April 16, 2014.
** See "Let the Spin Begin" #WinnetkaPatch, MyHomeTown, April 11, 2014.
*** See "In Illinois, Tax Increases Become an Article of Faith" The Wall Street Journal, Opinions, April 26-27, 2014.
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