Bob Abboud letter to the Daily Herald editor
FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act, is an enhancement of governmental transparency. FOIA provides access to information, including the village budget, costs, procedures, and the like. FOIAs are legitimately used by the media.
The village of Barrington Hills has long embraced FOIA, including a sophisticated website with the majority of the village’s documents on line. I support FOIA. Unfortunately, in virtually every community, a few use this mechanism to harass the operations of the public for their own particular agenda not related to improving government efficiency, transparency or other legitimate uses.
Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120104/discuss/701049959/
Perhaps Mr. Abboud is seeking cover for his lies and indiscretions!
Only when a Village President flaunts his authority as Abboud does, is it necessary to use a FOIA for what otherwise could be gleaned from meeting minutes, communications, and “public” records. His abuse of the “executive session” and puitting “public” participation (where the public is barely tolerated) at the end of a very late meeting, further defines his contempt for the “public,” It should also be noted that Abboud’s attorney, James Kelly, whose fees are paid by the village taxpayers, bills us for responding to FOIAs, as well as conducting Abboud’s “investigations” (of what?) In other governmental offices, repliies to FOIAs are handled by staff, FOIA officers, who are on salary and don’t require extra monies to process the FOIAs, Abboud’s only purpose in attacking the FOIA process is to further the cover up of what he has done to the Village and its residents, and how he has promoted himself and friends into favorable situations. We’re looking over our shoulders as our civil rights are being violated, Abboud’s heavy handedness is a dangerous trend that must stop.
Known fact – Abboud has his cronies ‘sanitize’ foia requests – unless of course you are an attorney. Then and only then will you get the real picture. Feel free to do some comparisons. Anyway I’d rather our tax dollars were spent on transparancy and responsibility rather than millions towards attorney fees for Abboud’s latest acts of vengence.
The following are comments submitted directly to the Daily Herald’s original posting of Bob Abboud’s LTE:
One of five: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:15 AM
Uh, I think we already have such a law. Last I checked 65 was more than 50.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110617/discuss/706179772/
HB 1716 allows public bodies to label taxpayers as “recurrent requesters” if they submit more than 50 FOIA requests in one year, 15 in 30 days, or seven in seven days – a label that sticks for a year. Moreover, once someone is labeled a “recurrent requester,” there is no set timetable for the public body to follow for providing the information requested.
NoWacos: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:31 AM
Village President, Abboud,
If you don’t want to be a public official, open to full disclosure and scrutiny, then resign.
If I were you, I would be making sure that your village staff responded quickly, as if it was a pleasure to serve. (What an idea!)
If there is any abuse, it is from your letter. Either you see yourself as a “public servant” or a king. Which is it?
Perry the Platypus Lives: Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:15 PM
I have no stake in Barrington Hills. However this President’s advertised view is incredibly narrow, particularly with all the transparency abuses of power by local government occurring throughout Lake County.
The real, overlying problem adversely affecting the tax paying constituency as a whole continues to be imbeciles in local government supported by their minions who think and act as if local government is there as their own personal ATM and source of power to implement their own agendas for their friends and themselves.
It’s not just comical a politician thinks the big problem is the constituency wasting resources. It’s a red flag for corruption, particularly when there are already laws on the books to thwart FOIA abuses.
The football metaphor while funny does not apply to Abboud. In footbal, the participants enjoy a level playing field officiated by referees who apply the same rules to all. This is not the case with Abboud, his submissive Board, obediant Village Manager and attorneys who operate in the shadows of the Village Hall disabusing tax payers and attempting to silence residents who dare speak up through what can only be deemed an abuse of (perceived) government power.
A more appropriate metaphor for Abboud is the cowardly lion from the “Wizard of Oz” or Shakespeare’s “King Richard III.”
Maybe the Barrington Observer might consider a team photo of Abboud and the Board depicted as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Any suggestions from your readers as to which Board member is a likeness for “dopey” or “sleepy”?
Can you make this happen?
Their wllingness to go along with Boob Abbad qualifies each trustee as Dopey and Sleepy. Attorneys picking up their paychecks won, hands down, for the part of Happy; As public participation approaches,, enter the Grumpy/Trustees, Doc, Bashful, and Sneezy need a little more thought. any suggestions welcome