The Local View

once speechless, now vocal

The State of Illinois has no money. We need to make choices.

Written By: Steve Haar - May• 18•12

$34 billion is the budget for FY2013

Illinois budget is about $8.3 Billion in the red. The Governor will say that they are balancing the budget, but what they are actually doing is not paying bills – to the tune of $5B – $8B. There are state service providers going unpaid, MediCare professionals unpaid or waiting for payments deferred to FY2013, and pensions (not really included in the calculated short fall) short changed. The State has no money.

For some background on the state budget: Sunshine Review Illinois Budget.

As a result, the state is trying to cut expenses.
The Woodland School District issued this letter to the community. It is focused on the pending legislative cuts to school transportation. The State is looking to cut $840K, or 42% of the State provided general transportation. ISBE Budgets.

The 2011 District Audit is here

In summary for 2011, District 50 collected $63.6M,  spent $65.7M, and had $33M in the bank.

Of the $63M collected, $6.6M came from the state, and $2.6M came from the federal governments. Another $8.2M came form “On Behalf” Payments (fees and taxes collect by other bodies on behalf of the schools), with the balance coming from local sources, or about $47M.

From the $65M expenditures in 2011, $4.6M was on transportation.  $2.5M of the funding for this came from the State and the rest from local sources (including dipping into the transportation fund).

The District will not cut funding for the Special Education transportation, which accounted for $1M in FY2011.

For FY 2013, the regular / vocational transportation will be cut by 42%, or $840k.

This is a lot of money. District 50 is forming a panel to determine how to deal with this reality.

The district is also asking that the community get involved to help convince the legislature not to cut the money.

So, here is the question: If we do not cut the transportation fund, how do we pay for the $840K? Do we cut the money from someplace else, and if so, where? Do we raise taxes to cover the amount?

The reality is, the State does not have the money. And before you say they State should just be more efficient, well, they are… by cutting the fund. And in this lies our issue.

We want the State (or any government body) to be more efficient, to cut spending and save money. We just don’t want them to cut our services in the process.

Gurnee, and in particular, District 50 residents (spanning multiple towns) are faced with this dilemma. We want our busing to stay in tact. We want our taxes to be low. And, we want our legislators to get someone else to pay for it. We cannot have all of these.

We need to make sacrifices, either in services or money.  To say the government just “needs to do a better job” of managing the money is a cop-out.  It is the refrain of those who don’t want the responsibility that comes from making choices.

District 50 has some tough decisions ahead. The district is doing the right thing by involving the community in tackling the issue of the cuts, and how we manage services in the face of them.

But, if we are going to push the State to maintain the current transportation spending levels, we also need to be prepared to say where we will get the money to pay for it. Are we willing to cut our (not some others person’s) services to pay for it, or increase our taxes to cover the gap?

Give it some thought before you just tell the officials to do a “better job.”  The money simply is not there.

 

Posted in Budgets, Illinois, School Board , , , | No Comments »

Warren Area Lacrosse Association (WALA) continues its tradition of Honoring our Military.

Written By: Steve Haar - May• 03•12

On Saturday, May 5th, the Warren Township High School Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse programs will host the 2nd Annual Red, White, and Blue Devils Military Honor Day at Warren Township High School O’Plaine Campus Stadium,.  Military Honor Day is a tribute to past, present, and future United States Military and their families.

 

Over the past three years, Warren student-athletes have collected and shipped thousands of items to military units on active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sponsored divisions are the 10th Mountain Division, the 101st Airborne, and the 1st Infantry Division.

Red, White and Blue Devils Military Honor Day Schedule of Events includes all youth and HS Warren LAX teams:

  •         9:00am – Girls Freshmen vs. Highland Park
  •         11:00am – Boys Freshmen vs. Mundelein
  •         1:00pm – JV Girls vs. Highland Park
  •         3:00pm – JV Boys vs. Mundelein
  •         5:00pm Varsity Girls vs. Highland Park

Following the girls’ varsity game, approximately 6:15 there will be a ceremony to honor 29 members of Bravo Co. 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Infantry Division that recently returned from Afghanistan; and Gold Star families that lost a family member while serving their country.  The ceremony includes a full color guard, with Wayne Messmer to sing the national anthem.

  •         7:30pm – Varsity Boys vs. Mundelein

Between each of the games from 9am – 3pm, the WALA Youth teams will play, giving everyone a chance to participate in the day’s events.

Admission is free however we will be accepting donations for troops serving overseas.  For more information visit www.warrenlax.org

 

Posted in Sports, Warren High School , , , , | No Comments »

Joseph Kony – War Criminal

Written By: Steve Haar - Mar• 10•12

Under the heading of Think Globally, Act Locally: http://www.kony2012.com/

He is an African War Criminal, kidnapping children to turn them into soldiers. Murder, rape, torture and more have all been part of Kony’s activities… for over 25 years!

Watch the video. It will show you more, and in a much better way than I ever can.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

When you are done, share it. The goal is to make Joseph Kony so famous that his crimes will not be forgotten, and he will be stopped.

Too often we think, “what a shame it is that a person like Kony gets away with it; but, what can I do?”  This, Kony 2012, gives you something productive to do.

 

 

 

Posted in Helping , , , | No Comments »

Lacrosse in Warren Township

Written By: Steve Haar - Mar• 03•12

Lacrosse is getting to be a big sport in the Midwest. Today was registration for the Warren Area Lacrosse Association (WALA ).  This group works with kids in 2nd – 8th grade and supports the Warren Township High School Lacrosse program as well.

Warrent Township LacrosseWhat was more interesting about this year is that it is the first year that Warren Township High School had tryouts and hand to cut people. Athletes are taking it seriously, and doing so in larger numbers now. With the boys and girls HS lacrosse program, there are more participants than in all but two other WTHS sports (football and track). But, it is not a school sanctioned sport.

Unlike basketball, swimming, track, soccer, tennis, and others, lacrosse does not receive funding from the school.  It is fully paid for by the participants and fundraising. In fact, last year, WTHS had a new turf field put in, which the lacrosse program gets to use, but is also helping to pay for the cost (WALA’s share is about $10k / year). In addition to the field cost, the team must pay for its own insurance, coaches, buses, and all associated operating fees. Oddly, as the third most popular sport in the district, it has little official support from the district.

Unofficially, WTHS does what it legally can, and we do appreciate that. We have the use of the facilities, the staff (though their time is paid for by WALA) is also part of WTHS and as such a resource the school lets focus on lacrosse.  As much as we appreciate and are encouraged by this support, we are seeking to expand it.

The WTHS district Board of Education is considering making lacrosse a sanctioned sport, but has now decided to create a committee to evaluate it. My hope is that the board approves this move, allowing lacrosse to become an official part of the school, providing additional emphasis on the feeder teams at WALA, and giving our kids a chance to play, what I believe to be, one of the most fun games to watch, and play (so my kids tell me, but it does look fun).

Even if you don’t have a student attending Warren yet, if you are in the district and your daughter or son has any interest in lacrosse, please contact the WTHS Board of Education and encourage them to support the program by sanctioning lacrosse.

My understanding is that the Athletic Director, Mark Pos will be the lead for setting up this committee. Email – mpos@wths.net.

By the way, if you are so inclined, WALA does accept donations at http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=WARRENLAX&t=c&s=lacrosse&p=fundraiser

Posted in School Board, Sports, Warren High School , | No Comments »

The Beginning (& should be end) of Wasted Resources

Written By: Steve Haar - Feb• 03•12

This started with the end: Round Lake reversed an ordinance to regulate Wooster Lake. What was frustrating was the leadership of an elected official in the misguided effort to extend a municipalities authority beyond it’s boundary.  The first part, along with the second part, showed that this should never have gone as far as it did. There were a select few who wanted to impose their will (enforcing no-wake rules for Wooster lake) on the rest, circumventing process, contracts and misinterpreting law.

While the law has been taken off the books at Round Lake, the repercussions of the effort continue to this day. The local leaders of this effort have convinced a few, even violent individuals, that rules are being broken, when in fact the rules never truly existed. Below, there are excerpts from communication which strongly indicate that these “leaders” knew all along that there were no such rules. Their behavior is a shame and should be an embarrassment to the people the represent.

This will be my final word on this, and probably not a satisfying one to many. This seems to be a problem where the cause is continued by inertia rather than rational thinking.

The Problem…

There is a non-associations call Wooster Lake Conservation and Control Association (WLCCA) (the “non” portion will be explained in a bit.) Ostensibly, the “association” represents the owners of the lake bottom property. The Board of a lake adjacent development, Tanneron Bay uses the covenants of WLCCA in it’s marketing material, linking to them from their own web sited (http://www.tanneronbay.com/government.html => “adheres to http://www.tanneronbay.com/WLCCAcov.pdf).

If you are looking for a no-wake lake, reading the Tanneron Bay site might make you believe that you have found what you are looking for.

Listed as leaders at Tanneron Bay are:

  • President – Peter Dziadus
  • Vice-President – Penny Cummings
  • Secretary – Bonnie Collins
  • Treasurer – Norm Brunner
  • Director – Bob Koziol
  • Director – Marty Klein

I have a pretty consistent theme in my posts about those who represent us in government, at any level. I expect integrity, leadership and honesty. This is, I have been told, naive, which may be the case. But, at whatever level of government, school board, hoa, village, county, state or federal, those who want to count themselves as leaders must be be held to some level of acceptably higher standard.

This is where there is a big problem at Tanneron Bay(TB). The residents of TB have been convinced by their board that the lake is a no-wake lake. The website points to the WLCCA covenants to support that claim.

This has lead to a level of tension that creates dangerous situations. Unreasonable people are compelled (wrongly) by the belief that the lake is being miss-used by those who ride jet skis and water ski. These misguided people reportedly ram boats on which there are children and drive recklessly while children are in the water. This is not the result real leaders should accept.

However, the leaders at TB seem to be willing to take actions which continues to fan the problem, while knowing full well that the lake is not a no wake lake.

 The Communication…

The attached string of emails were between Thaddeus Kuchanny, then on the Board of the WLCAA and Penny Cummings on the TB Board.

First (full text):
From: “Thaddeus J. Kochanny”
To: “Bonnie Carter” ; “Joe Nakanishi” ; “Mayor Bill Gentes” ; “Rob & Sue Rosenlof” ; “TB-Brunner” ; “TB-Cogar” ; “TB-Cummings”; “TB-Dziadus” ; “TB-Wenzel” ; “Tim Triggs”
Cc: “Jill Mager” ; “Gale Pitasch” ; “Carol F. Brown”
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 2:27 PM
Subject: Richard J. Nakon, Esq.

Of special interest on this email are comments regarding WLCAA and the Covenants:

“ All the argument now, about its meanings, is worthless because the document has no legal standing. WLCCA doesn’t legally exits.”

“Furthermore, Mr. Nakon said that under present Illinois law every lake bottom owner must agree to adopt covenants/by-laws BEFORE they are recorded with the Secretary of State. We know this was never done.”

“…because the Wooster Lake Conservation and Control Association has no legal basis to exist, baring 100% agreement to adopt a new covenant and by-laws, nothing the association does has any legal effect.”

“ I hate to write this but Kirk Denz was correct all along.”

Most disturbing of all comments:

“ Without such agreement, keep the law enforcement phone numbers handy, get confirmation of liability insurance coverage and hope nobody shoots the wave runners! The survivors can sue each one of us.”

Thaddeus understood that violence could result. It is just unfortunate that rather than suggesting  that they find ways to mitigate the violence, he was more concerned with financial liability in the aftermath.

What is even more telling is Penny’s response (full text).

From: “Patrick & Penny Cummings”
To: “Thaddeus J. Kochanny” ; “Bonnie Carter”; “Joe Nakanishi” ; “Rob & Sue Rosenlof” ;TB-Brunner” ;”TB-Cogar” ; “TB-Dziadus” ;”TB-Wenzel” ; “Tim Triggs”
Cc: “Jill Mager” ; “Gale Pitasch”; “Carol F. Brown”
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: Richard J. Nakon, Esq.

“I think many of us knew that the covenants were never filed with any governing body.”

Regarding agreement to adhere to the WLCCA Covenents by surrounding HOAs,

“…some similar agreement can be worked out with Round Lake.That would then leave the remaining Wooster Lake residents to decide whether to adhere to them or not.”

While she states that there is a gentleman’s agreement to a no wake lake, that only Kirk Denz is breaking, she throws in this remark, acknowledging that even WLCCA  board members are operating boats at faster speeds:

“The bottom line is that I have no idea why some members of the WLCCA board are so wrapped up in changing covenants that aren’t binding anyway. Is it just to ease their consciences as they go about operating full wake watercraft on the lake??? If so, going to confession weekly would be a better use of all of our energies.”

So, though the public claim has been that only one vocal person wants to operate faster boats, she knows that even the WLCCA board members are operating fast boats. Further, she opening acknowledges that the WLCCA and the covenants  are worthless, though they continue to this day to use them on the TB web site to (falsely) promote Wooster as a no-wake lake.

When they talk about conservation, they are referring to (among other things)  the conservation of their shore front. If there is erosion, TB does not want to have to pay the cost of maintaining it..

Again, it is about the money.

…Not property owners’ rights. Those who purchased property did so with no legal restrictions on their use of the lake.

…Not about safety. If safety were the concern, they would tell their residents that no one else on the lake has to adhere to TB rules, and openly admit that WLCCA has no standing.

Going forward…

Instead, they perpetuate this problem, creating a hostile environment, and ultimately lured Lake County and surrounding politicians into their fabrications.
For the safety of those who use the lake, the leaders of TB, the surrounding developments of Wooster Lake, and residents need to:

1) make it clear to the residents that the homeowners around the lake are not restricted to 5mph to prevent misunderstandings.
2) work together to develop a commonsense approach to safety – hour restrictions on water skiing or jets skis (10am – 6pm) is a common time frame.
3) Actively campaign against the violence.
4) Stop provoking each other with rhetoric and vitriol.

There are children on the lake. It is a shame that there are those who would resort to violence for any reason, but this affects the kids and it is time to stop.

You’ll note, that Bonnie Thomson Carter was on the email strings. Instead of looking for a peaceful resolution, she pursued ordinances to enforce what others on the lake did not want.  As frustrating as it is to have an elected official involved in this kind of mess, I still come to my fifth point…

5) Leave the past in the past.

This episode should inform our (voters) decisions going forward. But, for now, the focus of Wooster Lake residents needs to be on making the lake safe again.

 

Posted in Elected officials , , , | 15 Comments »

Nearly a dacade later, still no plan – Ft. Sheridan Golf Course

Written By: Steve Haar - Jan• 19•12

Nearly a decade ago, the Lake County Forest Preserve Board (the county board), despite a promise to the residents and the US Army (from whom we acquired the Ft Sheridan property) to always have a golf course on the land, decided to tear up the existing golf course. There was no plan for a new golf course, just a bunch of talk and feather puffing from politicians.

Now, there are no private sector companies interested in investing in a golf course development.

For some background, here is a Daily Herold article. The question is, who was in charge? This is a million dollar debacle; bad decision making could force the tax payers to hold the bag for a plan that was never thought through.

I am consistently amazed, in a very sad way, at how our “leaders” continue to do this kind of thing (see the $300MM loss thanks to Speaker Madigan) and yet no one seems to write about it in the press. Who was in charge in 2003 when the original (and very adequate) golf course was torn apart with no firm plan or financing established to replace it?

From 2002 – 2010, Bonnie Thompson Carter was President of the LCFP District Board.

As she stepped down from the post in 2010, the Patch ran an article on her tenure. Relative to the golf course:

Carter said in the early ’90s, the forest preserve believed a golf course would be self-sustaining and generate revenue. But, the climate has changed.

“Since that time the golf industry has changed dramatically – in my opinion building a golf course is the wrong use of the site. The reasons past boards supported it no longer make sense,” she said. “Less and less people golf; it’s a historical site and the only public access to Lake Michigan.”

So, essentially, Ms Carter addresses why there should be no course built, but never takes ownership of being the leader who oversaw the original course removal with no true commitment to build a new course.

There are really two potential explanations:

1) She always believed the course should be taken out, contrary to promises made, and used the “new” course as a way to pacify course supporters long enough to mitigate potential political damage.

2) She really wanted to build a new course, but messed up the planning for a replacement, and is using the “times have changed” excuse to justify the situation.

Either way, it is just BAD LEADERSHIP.

 

 

Posted in Elected officials, Forest Preserve District, Lake County Board , , , | 8 Comments »

Charities and Helping Others

Written By: Steve Haar - Jan• 13•12

Providing help to those in our community is one way we help make our towns and county a better place to live for all. We have different areas of interest, things that are important to us individually and as a family and these can be the basis for donating time, goods or money. Which charity(ies) you choose is not as important as making the choice and following through.

Too often, we see that so many are in need, that we think we cannot help them all, so we do little or nothing. It is not for lack of caring, but simply being overwhelmed. But, if you take one, two or three interests and contribute what you can, this is combined with so many others that our efforts do make a difference. As I find myself saying more and more often, little things lead to big things; so take the first (small if needed) step.

There are many ways to enrich our community. Sometimes it is focused on getting people out of abusive homes and into a safe environment through a safe house, but other times is as about giving hope and inspiration through the arts or religion. Sometimes it is dramatic, like building a home for a family, and others it is subtle like visiting a nursing home for the aged. Sometimes it is about people, and others is it about our pets and our environment. Every time we strive to reduce suffering or enrich the lives of those around us, we make our towns a better place to live.

There is a charity page now that I will be updating with various charities. On it there is a link to another, more comprehensive site for charities.

Posted in Charities | No Comments »

Just for Fun from Lake County Magazine

Written By: Steve Haar - Jan• 09•12

Article came out in Lake County Magazine on family vacations.

http://www.lakecountymagazine.com/articles/2011/12/28/Family%20Vacation/index.xml

 

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Lake County State’s Attorney’s Race

Written By: Steve Haar - Dec• 11•11

What do we want it to be? We, the residents of Lake County, have a decision to make regarding the County’s States Attorney’s Office. If you are not aware of the two decades long run of Waller, here are some links.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-rivera-conviction-reversed-1211-20111211,0,3644567.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-rivera-next-step-sidebar-20111211,0,6833085.story

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111202/news/799996453/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/dna-evidence-lake-county.html?pagewanted=all

In short, we have an office that pursues cases out of pride, and a fanatical desire not to be shown up. Justice is trumped by grand standing and arrogance by prosecutors who operate with double standards and a vehement disregard for the truth. We have sat by as questionable evidence and tactics have been used to convict some, while simultaneously choosing not to pursue charges against other politicians and ignoring political leaders assertion of power that should make others “afraid”( to highlight Suzie Schmidt. So, again, the question is, what do we want it to be?Thankfully, Waller is not running again. However, that does not guarantee change in the way things are run. We have to ask of the candidates for States Attorney, and insist on answers from them, about the way the office has been run; do they agree with it? How should it be changed? What standards will they impose?

Rhetoric is not enough. We need them to make specific judgements on the past behavior. The time for political niceties within the party has to end. Those who want to lead have to have the courage to stand up for, or against, specific actions in order for the constituents to make better decisions.

Primary Candidates

Democrats
Karen Boyd Williams
https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/electkbwilliams
http://www.facebook.com/karenboydwilliamsforstatesattorney
If you know Karen’s website, please share it.

Reginald C. Mathews
http://www.choosemathews2012.com

Chris Kennedy
http://chriskennedy2012.com/

Republicans
Mike Nerheim
http://www.mikenerheim2012.com/

Louise Hayes
http://www.louisehayes2012.com/news/

Bryan R Winter
If you have the website for Bryan, please share it. I tried multiple searches and came up with news articles, press releases and other stuff… Just not his site.

No matter which candidate you decide to support, be sure they clearly show you what the office will be under their leadership.

 

 

 

Posted in Elected officials, elections | 27 Comments »

Our self created mess; A perspective on Michael Lewis’ Boomerang.

Written By: Steve Haar - Nov• 23•11

“Boomerang” By Michael Lewis is a very good, eye-opening book that I strongly recommend. We see things around us, and wonder about where we will end up. We don’t really need to wonder; just look at some clear examples of our destination as experienced by others.

First, our reality…

The past decade has been a mix, boom to bust. We can say what we want about big corporations and Wall Street, but it falls on individual decisions.

We want something now, for which we do not have the money to buy. Instead of being prudent, planning ahead and understanding our situation, we simply turn a blind eye to the truth and plunge ahead.  We “created” false wealth, hid debt, and would not pay for nor allow our governments to cut back on services.

We are spoiled.

The fact is, we have built an illusion. We talked about the better standard of living we created, when in fact, it was funded by debt that is now crushing us. From individuals who can no longer afford the house payments, to states that have not paid into pension funds for decades, to unions which negotiated contracts that could not be sustained (we even saw this before the recession), no one is without some burden of responsibility.

But, most of all we, as individuals, have not taken responsibility. Our representatives in D.C. failed to compromise on budget cuts, our State legislator has not balanced a budget or funded pensions in a decade or more, our State deficit is running at about $13 billion, and we continue to say we don’t want to pay more taxes, and don’t dare cut our services.

We are spoiled.

Our hearts may be in the right place. We don’t want state workers to be let go (fired), we don’t want to cut salaries for teachers, police or firefighters. We look at the few anomalies – judges making big pensions, super intendeds make big pensions –  but these are the exceptions. The real problem is systemic, and hard to face.

We are Spoiled.

We cannot afford to pay for the entitlements our Federal and State governments provide. Many of us could save enough for retirement, set aside money for insurance when we are older, and adjust our spending to allow for this.  Instead, we buy a new car every few years (with borrowed money), get the latest big screen tv, and take the “once in a life time” vacation every couple of years.  We have $400 cell phone bills, $200 television subscriptions, and eat out several times a week. When it is suggested that we cut back, we are told we are being un-American.

We are Spoiled.

I would argue that planning for our future, ensuring our kids are on good footing, and making near term sacrifices for the long term good is quintessentially American. The “Me” moment of American history has been terrible for our country. Our Parents (or grand parents if you are young enough) were born in the depression, lived through WWII, and saw the greatest advances in history. They saved for a house before they bought it. They bought with the cash in their pockets (or from a savings account). They didn’t assume they would pay for things from investment returns, but rather from their own hard work. We keep trying to pay for “things” with money that is not even our own.

We are Spoiled.

We apparently believe ourselves to be immune to the repercussions of  our “Me-ness”.  We bemoan the burden we are putting on our kids, but how many have told our legislators to cut services and our own entitlements? How many have said, “add up the cost, and send me the bill” instead of “No new taxes, and don’t cut my services”?  Despite the evidence all around us, globally and locally, we seem dead set against changing our ways to adjust for the reality that has finally caught up to us.

Take a look at Micheal Lewis’ book “Boomerang.”

He looks at Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Germany, and then takes us to the United States. There is a common thread that is exposed in different ways in these countries. Every situation was created by short sightedness, a sense of being entitled to something without earning it.

Pay careful attention to the last part of the book. If you think we (in Illinois) can continue down our path, he paints a pretty vivid picture of the reality we will soon face. For some towns in the US, the reality is there.

Posted in Budgets , , , | No Comments »
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