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Barrington area Democrats condemn Chan Ding mailers

February 28, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Erin Chan Ding, left, and Maria Peterson are Democratic candidates for the Illinois House 52nd District seat in the 2026 primary election.

By Steve Zalusky  | Daily Herald

The Barrington Area Democratic Organization condemned attack mailers from Erin Chan Ding’s campaign for the Democratic nod in the Illinois House 52nd District primary.

The mailers altered opponent Maria Peterson’s image, placing her head on another person’s body. They also included the phrase, “When Maria Peterson runs, MAGA wins,” along with a list of her past election losses.

“These tactics do not reflect the values of our organization or the spirit of Democratic leadership in our community,” organization officials stated in a press release.

Chan Ding and Peterson are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin in the fall election. Peterson narrowly lost to McLaughlin by 47 votes in 2024 and lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in 2022.

Peterson called the mailers “Chicago-style politics” that don’t “fit very well out here.”

Chan Ding countered, claiming Peterson distributed an attack ad first in January that “went after my character.” Chan Ding is a Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board member who was criticized by colleagues after an investigation determined she had violated district policies by using school resources, property and social media for prohibited political campaign activities.

Article continues here.

Related: “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “District 220 Public Hearing December 16th re: ‘proposal to sell bonds of the District in an amount not to exceed $5,400,000’,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Daily Herald, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb and Dumber, Dumb Bunny, Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, Goat Rodeo, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, South Barrington, Topics Of Interest, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? | 3 Comments »

McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted

February 27, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Screenshot via Facebook

“Rep. McLaughlin Hosts Press Conference with Northwest Suburban Mayors – February 26, 2026

Thank you to Mayors, Paula McCombie, Debby Sosine, Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, Dominick DiMaggio, Brian Cecola, and Richard Hayes”

The roughly sixteen minute recording can be found here.

Related: “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning”

 

Posted in BACOG, Commodius Maximus, Elections, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Public Safety, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Code, Zoning Board | 1 Comment »

‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning

February 26, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills spoke out against Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control of residential zoning rules Thursday during a news conference in South Barrington. Flanking him are Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine, left, and South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

By Russell Lissau | Daily herald

Saying it will increase public safety and infrastructure costs and change the aesthetics of their communities, leaders of several Northwest suburbs gathered Thursday to oppose Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local officials’ ability to control residential construction.

The proposed changes, which Pritzker unveiled during his recent State of the State address, address minimum lot sizes, residential density rules, parking requirements, inspections and other aspects of residential construction. They could increase development of apartments, condominiums, two-flats and other types of multifamily housing.

They also could allow homeowners to build additional, free-standing residential buildings on lots designed for single-family homes. Pritzker dubbed the plan Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD.

During a news conference Thursday, South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie urged legislators to reject Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed zoning reforms. Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin listens. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

In a news conference at her community’s village hall, South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie urged state legislators to reject the package of bills that comprise Pritzker’s plan, some of which already have been introduced. Zoning regulations exist to support property owners, McCombie said, and these proposed changes would “strip away that local control.”

The minimum residential lot in nearby Barrington Hills — an upscale community where many residents keep horses on their properties — is five acres, and the land is full of riding trails. Forcing the village board to allow smaller lots or multifamily housing “will destroy our town,” Village President Brian Cecola said (Wow! He actually showed up!).

Article continues here.

Related: “McLaughlin and Local Mayors to Discuss Pritzker’s Zoning Proposals Coming to Local Government Thursday”

Posted in BACOG, Commodius Maximus, Daily Herald, Dinky, Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Zoning Board | 1 Comment »

Estate Sale: MORT LUBY ART, HIS ART COLLECTIONS +8900 Sq ft HOUSE FULL!

February 26, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Mort Luby Barrington IL

Mort Luby painted watercolors and oils in his Dundee studio and in his part-time home on Maui. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago, the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii, and the Palette and Chisel Academy in downtown Chicago. He began his full-time art career 20 years ago after retiring as CEO of Luby Publishing, a 103-year-old publisher of sports magazines headquartered in downtown Chicago. “Chicago Brushstrokes,” a book with 100 of his paintings of the Windy City, has been sold at the Art Institute, the Architecture Foundation, the Chicago Historical Society, the bookstore at Willis Tower, and many other locations.

This Mort Luby house and studio is set within a fabulous mid-century modern 8900sq foot home built in 1967, on 3 gorgeous gated acres. Every room is filled with a remarkable array of original art —from the whimsical to the highly covetable and everything in between. It’s an estate sale experience you truly have to see to believe. You must see this house!

Mort Luby Watercolor Goebbert’s Farm

Artists: Mort Luby, Andrew Peters, Phil Katz, H Hope, Jess Hobby, Matt Smith, Mary Rost, Scott Tallman, Authur Douglas, Mary Cassat, Gustav Likan, Robert Hoffman, Mary Quant, and many more!

When: Friday through Sunday, February 27th, 9-4, 28th, 9-3 and March 1st, 10-2.

Where: 1601 Northlake Parkway, Carpentersville IL. Note: PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE DRIVEWAY. Parking is allowed on the street.

Full post found here.

Posted in Estate Sale | Leave a Comment »

Editorial: Fix your lousy shopping app, Jewel-Osco!

February 26, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

In the annals of global problems, a supermarket shopping app sounds like small potatoes. But like much in life, the seemingly trivial bespeaks of issues of weightier import. In this particular case, it involves whether anyone without a smartphone should be paying higher prices than one clutching one in their hands as they push their cart.

That’s how it goes with the Jewel-Osco shopping app that requires you to digitally “clip” coupons to get the store’s best deals on (as we write) such items as Chips Ahoy!, Samyang noodles, Garrett popcorn and Mary Kitchen corned beef hash.

Even Simply Orange juice. Not simply priced.

No phone, higher cost for you.

Jewel’s competitors do it differently: Whole Foods has Amazon Prime discounts, but all you have to do is enter your phone number at check out. Costco, Trader Joe’s and Aldi don’t traffic in clippery and give everyone the same price. At Jewel-Osco, you have to go item by item.

From Jewel’s point of view, this merely is a digital updating of the coupons people still can clip in this and other newspapers. They’re part of what economists call price discrimination. Jewel wants its rich, busy customers who can’t be bothered to “clip” things to pay more while also snagging those who are more price sensitive and willing to invest the time in getting a deal. These days, some form of variable pricing is everywhere, from airlines to online promo codes.

Editorial continues here.

Posted in BCFPD, FUBAR, Jewel-Osco | 1 Comment »

Waymo driverless cars are coming to Chicago as company starts laying early groundwork

February 26, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Elyssa Kaufman | CBS Chicago

Waymo is coming to Chicago, and some of those vehicles were already spotted in the city.

The driverless car company based in Silicon Valley said it will start “laying the early groundwork” for operations in Chicago.

The vehicles are already in the city, each had drivers and were not picking up any customers. They were surveying the roads in preparation for if and when it goes live.

At least two rows of the Waymo vehicles were found inside a parking garage downtown.

“We are coordinating closely with community leaders and policymakers and believe autonomous technology can strongly support Chicago’s goals for road safety and enhanced accessibility for all communities,” Waymo officials said in a written release.

It is not clear when Waymo service will be available in Chicago, but the service is already live in other cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed the city was notified about operations and said, ” It was stated to the City that the company would not be presently deploying any autonomous vehicles within Chicago.” The mayor’s office released the following statement in part:

“There is no law or regulatory framework which prohibits any licensed individual from driving in Chicago. As of now, autonomous vehicles have not been authorized within the City of Chicago or the State of Illinois.

The City looks forward to engaging with commuters, workers, transit advocates and industry leaders as we pursue constructive dialogue with our partners in Springfield and pursue an equitable path forward.”

The mayor’s office said Waymo will be operating in Chicago to map streets and record data on driving conditions.

Not everyone was thrilled by the idea of a driverless car, expressing concerns over safety, especially with Chicago’s specific traffic patterns and in the case of snowy roads.

Article continues here.

Posted in Clown Car, Goat Rodeo, Going green, Public Safety, Road construction, Topics Of Interest, Traffic | 1 Comment »

McLaughlin and Local Mayors to Discuss Pritzker’s Zoning Proposals Coming to Local Government Thursday

February 25, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Who: State Representatives Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills), Mayors and Administration from communities of South Barrington, North Barrington, & Lake Barrington (Not Barrington Hills??).

What: This press conference will address Governor Pritzker’s recently proposed efforts to drastically change zoning authority at the municipal level. The Representative and Mayors will discuss how these proposals directly impact the ability of municipalities to govern and plan for your communities.

When: Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 2PM

Where: Village of South Barrington Village Hall | 30 Barrington Rd., South Barrington, IL 60010

With questions, please call Mark Revis at 815-557-0252

Related: “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control”

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Dinky, Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Village Code, Village President, WTF, Zoning Board | Leave a Comment »

Editorial: Conservatives aren’t the only ones saying Democrats have a public-sector union problem

February 25, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a press conference on the fifth floor of City Hall on Feb. 3, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

For years now, conservative voices have railed against the outsize influence of public-sector unions on the running of American cities, with Chicago serving as one of the leading examples. Now, more left-of-center voices are sounding the alarm and saying the stakes for Democrats in charge of America’s largest cities couldn’t be higher.

The highest-profile recent example came Sunday when CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, who hosts a thoughtful Sunday show on issues of the day, aired a segment on blue cities. Pegged off New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent $126 billion budget, Zakaria made a stark pronouncement: “Blue cities are out of control. Promising more, spending more, delivering less and pushing off the fiscal problems to some future date.”

Sound like any city you know?

Zakaria isn’t a journalist who routinely trots out Heritage Foundation talking points. He’s a frequent and effective critic of Donald Trump.

He’s not alone. The New York Times on Monday published an op-ed by Nicholas Bagley, law professor at the University of Michigan, and Harvard visiting fellow Robert Gordon headlined, “Mamdani Will Need to Change How He Governs.” The two identify the generous pension benefits city workers receive as a key reason city taxpayers can’t afford their own municipal governments. “The question is whether one segment of workers should retire with greater security than others, at the expense of services the public depends on,” they wrote.

A rhetorical question. No reasonable person (other than maybe the members of these unions) could be in favor of that.

In other words, Democrats, the call now is coming from inside the house.

This page has been making these same arguments for years, so we quote from these sources (and there are others in the center-left lane we could cite) merely to say the alarm bells are ringing ever more shrilly for Democratic politicians like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and, yes, Gov. JB Pritzker. Both continue to saddle taxpayers of the future with paying for the exorbitant promises of today.

Editorial continues here.

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions | 1 Comment »

New residential development floated for Barrington’s Golden Triangle

February 24, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Rendering of The Residences at Liberty Commons | Courtesy of the Barrington Development Co.

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

Barrington’s Golden Triangle could be the site for another large residential development.

Michael Fleck and Nick Marrocco of the Barrington Development Co. unveiled the concept for The Residences at Liberty Commons before village trustees Monday night.

The proposal for the estimated $100 million project comes as another portion of Barrington’s Redevelopment Area #1, also known as the Golden Triangle, will undergo a facelift with a retail and residential project in the works by Joe Taylor III of Compasspoint Development.

Fleck and Marrocco, who founded Gateway Development Partners in 2012, have assembled eight parcels near the corner of Liberty and Hough streets.

The proposed site plan for The Residences at Liberty Commons | Courtesy of the Barrington Development Co.

“I really love this community. It’s wonderful. The schools are great, but I think there could be some more vibrancy to downtown,” Fleck said.

“We need to bring some density and multifamily to support the downtown area,” he said, emphasizing the transit-oriented nature of the project.

It is a half mile from the train station and within walking distance of downtown.

Article continues here.

Posted in 220, Daily Herald, EJ&E/Canadian National, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts | Leave a Comment »

Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight

February 24, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) Executive Board is scheduled to meet this evening beginning at 6:00 PM at the Village of Barrington, 200 South Hough St. Their meetings include:

  • 6:00 – Legislative
  • 7:00 – Executive Board

Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.

Posted in BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Taxes | Leave a Comment »

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