On February 1st, the Daily Herald published an article based on their interview with Barrington Hills presidential candidates Bob Abboud and Martin McLaughlin. The title of the article was, “Barrington Hills President race all about budget.”
It was clear to The Observer and knowledgeable readers who read it that President Abboud used this opportunity with the media to obfuscate his record by presenting only financial information that might benefit him. Specifically, he cited levies during his first term in office ranging from $5.76 million in 2006 and $6.57 Million in 2009, but neglected to mention that the levy in the fiscal year that ended the month he took office in 2005 was less than $5 million. That makes an increase in the levy of 31.7% since Abboud was first elected.
Notably in the article, President Abboud never mentioned his reckless spending on legal fees, fancy presidential portraits, his own travel budget, and our grossly underfunded pension plan. Instead, he relied on his usual political rhetoric suggesting any spending cuts would result in open potholes or decreased police staffing – two of his tried and true campaign crutches of defenses to shore up his record.
Last week, the McHenry County Blog published an article titled, “Barrington Hills Financial Position, Debt up over $3.5 Million in One Year, Unfunded Police Pension Liability of $6.3 Million.” The headline speaks for itself, but the publisher accurately cited financial disclosure information contained in current Village property tax bills from Cook County due at the end of this month. The data reflected in these bills is based directly on reports required from taxing bodies, and our Village supplied the figures to the Cook County Treasurer. Abboud undoubtedly will try to allege that these numbers are wrong, but we think they speak for themselves.
The Observer has obtained a copy of our Village year-end report of tax dollars spent in 2012. There are numerous areas for economizing even with a cursory review, but we’ll leave it to readers to decide. A copy of the report can be downloaded here.
We’ve all heard the saying “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out there’s a problem.” Though Abboud is a nuclear engineer, both professions require a significant educational background in mathematics. Neither profession, however, requires education in economics or finance which The Observer believes has been desperately lacking in our current administration.
Our Village cannot afford to continue mortgaging our future, and if our current Village President cannot own up to the financial position he’s put residents in, then it’s clearly time for a change in leadership.
– The Observer
Hope and Change!