Posted in Agendas, VBHPD, Village Board on March 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Our Village Board will be conducting a special meeting this Thursday evening to approve the “Tri-Panel Arbitration Award Supplemental.” In other words, they will discuss and vote on the points of agreement or contention that will ultimately lead to a union agreement between the Village and our police officers.
Their agenda can be viewed here.
Posted in BACOG, Elections 2013, FOIA, OP/Ed, Save 5 Acres, Taxes, Unite Barrington Hills, Village Board, Village President on March 29, 2013| 4 Comments »
Now that early voting has begun in advance of the April 9th election, Barrington Hills residents are in the process of vetting candidates for Village President and the three Village Trustee positions. A comparison of incumbent President Bob Abboud and his “Save 5 Acres” slate to challenger Marty McLaughlin and trustee candidates Colleen Hannigan and David Stieper shows few differences in their positions on preserving five-acre zoning, protecting our natural environment or communicating better with residents. Where they dramatically differ, however, is in their stands on the state of our Village financial situation.
Abboud & Company believe that “no increases in tax levies” and so-called “balanced budgets” equal wise fiscal stewardship. However, a closer evaluation of the Village’s spending during Abboud’s eight years in office tells another story.
More waste. There are so many more examples of taxpayer money being wasted. Voters should think about the nearly $4000 dollars that the Village paid last summer for bringing in a tanker truck to water the landscape plants on the grounds of the Village Hall (despite the fact that there is a functioning irrigation system which we paid to maintain as well). Or there’s the $129 the Village pays each month for doormat rental. Yes, $1500 of our money each year is spent renting doormats. Taking a deeper look at our Village bills also shows $1559.00 spent annually on the calendar posted on the Village’s website. And, the village-wide mailing to announce last month’s “Mug Club,” which only four residents attended, cost us $523.It is abundantly clear to The Observer that an infusion of fresh leadership and vision is long overdue on our Village Board. If voters select Bob Abboud and his hand-picked slate, higher spending and higher taxes are virtually guaranteed. We urge residents to open their eyes to the real financial state of their village and to vote for the candidates who are not afraid to face facts and cut out the fat in Village spending.
– The Observer
Posted in Elections 2013, Press Release, Save 5 Acres, Taxes, Unite Barrington Hills, Village Board, Village President on March 28, 2013| 14 Comments »
Barrington Hills President Abboud and Save5Acre Slate decline response to Stieper invitation to attend Public Forum.
David Stieper, the only independent candidate for Village Trustee of Barrington Hills, confirms his intention to hold a Public Forum. Citizens for Stieper reserved the “Multi-Purpose Room” at Countryside Elementary School on Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM CDT. Format will allow open questions of Mr. Stieper and a neutral monitor will be appointed by him to ensure fair process.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune here.
Posted in 220, Elections 2013, School Districts, Taxes on March 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington 220 District School Board has four open spots in the April 9 Consolidated Municipal Election, with six candidates vying for them.
On March 15, the PTO President’s Council hosted a forum at the Barrington Village Church, where Penny Kazmier, Sandra Ficke-Bradford, Sophia Chen-de Vries, Wendy Farley, Christopher Geier and Jerry Keaton told members of the community what they thought of some of the biggest issues facing Barrington schools, especially budget cuts coming from Washington, D.C., and Springfield.
Read more here.
Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Hills Park District, Community Alerts, Cook, Elections 2013, Kane, Lake, McHenry, School Districts, Village Board, Village President on March 25, 2013| 1 Comment »
Registered Barrington Hills voters may start voting today for candidates vying for Village President, Village Board and other offices being contested in the April 9 Consolidated Election. For a list of Early Voting polling locations and hours, simply click on your county:
Absentee ballot requests and submissions are also still available. For more information, go to “Absentee ballot voting information.”
Posted in Agendas, Village Board on March 23, 2013| 3 Comments »
Monday’s Village Board meeting agenda can be viewed here.
Posted in Elections 2011, Elections 2013, Land Use, OP/Ed, Save 5 Acres, Village Board, Zoning Board on March 22, 2013| 7 Comments »
Following are some of the articles published by The Observer for the month of March since 2009. These articles, gathered from various publications and editorials, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
Joseph Evans has driven down the same road to get to his Barrington Hills home for years, a road he said had been there for 88 years, and which he paid to improve a few years ago. No more. Earlier this month, his neighbor put a fence across the road. Last week, his neighbor started digging up the road, which Evans said leaves him with no viable way to drive to his house.
Read the full Daily Herald story here.
Members of the Save 5 Acres slate of candidates for Barrington Hills Village Board testified Tuesday at a state election board hearing in Chicago that no deception was intended with donations to their campaigns.
The three-hour hearing was adjourned, with no new date set, because the clerk said to be responsible for filing the campaign paperwork was in Florida. No ruling on the complaint that certain donations sidestepped legal limits is likely before the April 5 municipal election.
The TribLocal story can be read here.
These pages have chronicled the many and varied flaws and predilections of the current government in Barrington Hills, including those of President Robert Abboud. Criticism is easy. Now it is time to begin considering the profile of new leadership for our Village.
Read this very timely Observer editorial here.
Last Tuesday, residents turned out to vote in relatively large numbers for a primary election, which included a ballot referendum on electrical aggregation. Preliminary numbers show that over 900 residents did vote on the question and the majority said “No,” in three out of four counties that make up Barrington Hills.
The full editorial can be read here.
– The Observer
Posted in Taxes, Village Board, Village President on March 21, 2013| 1 Comment »
Monday evening during their regular March 25 meeting, our Board of Trustees will be holding a public hearing regarding their proposed 2013 appropriations ordinance. Due to their restrictive public comment rules, it is unknown if residents will be allowed to ask questions of the board or only voice their opinions.
A copy of the ordinance, which summarizes their proposed appropriations by department and category including a total of $1,390,000 for “Legal Services,” can be downloaded here.
Posted in Agendas, IAA, Legal Committee on March 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The Village Legal Committee meets tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM to discuss “East Dundee Insurance Auto Auctions” among other things. To view their agenda, click here.
 | Out of touch on Pritzker Adds $800 Million a Y… |
 | Moron on ‘Wrong project, wrong place’:… |
 | Hammond Eggs 😂 on New Bears bill introduced for… |
 | G on New Bears bill introduced for… |
 | joefargo3767 on Illinois public school enrollm… |
 | Peter W. Kocsis on New residential development fl… |
 | Major24 on Hoffman Estates plan commissio… |