In his WTTW documentary “Northwest of Chicago,” Geoffrey Baer quoted a local source who declared Barrington Hills, Barrington and South Barrington to be “North shore communities without the shore.” This may have been true when the show first aired, but this is far from accurate today.
Read any recent real estate report on the average time on the market for homes in our area and you’ll find our Village bests all others for the wrong reasons. Barrington Hills homes consistently have the longest time on the market and lead at the lowest sale price compared to the original asking price. Home and lot values have plunged to prices not seen in over a decade.
It doesn’t take a WTTW documentary to conclude that recent political unrest and unnecessary drama are making us the pariah of the Chicago suburbs, which clearly is not helping, and probably is hurting, property values.
This includes the false recent drama over bike lanes; the real and potentially character changing debate over commercial horse boarding; and the embarrassing fiasco over the exterior lighting ordinance in our recent history. Outsiders can reasonably question whether they want to have any part of this madness.
For example, one vacant five-acre lot in our Village is now going for $119,900. Another breathtaking estate on Hawthorne Rd has had its price slashed by more than fifty-percent of the original eight-figure asking price.
While the housing market across the country is generally picking up after years of decline, this is not the case in Barrington Hills. True, there are a number of factors beyond our control, but there is one major factor we can clearly change for the better, and that’s to stop making our Village look arrogant, dysfunctional elitists time and time again.
Since 2005, some of our elected politicians and residents have made some local issues very public. Residents do have every right to voice their concerns loudly, but it’s usually a few politicians that make our Village look bad.
First, there was a proposal for sky-high cell towers in our picturesque Village by some on our Village board. Then, there was the ill-conceived exterior lighting ordinance proposal from a small group of “dark sky” zealots on our board and in the community, which outraged residents enough that the issue was covered in the Wall Street Journal (see “Everything is Diluminated”).
One of this year’s topics of resident concern is bike lanes. While The Observer shares many resident concerns on this hot-button issue, all of this would have been alleviated back in 2012, if the administration at the time actually communicated with residents about the plan before pursuing it.
Two newspapers recently took Barrington Hills’ residents to the woodshed in editorials over objections to bikers in our Village. And even though residents were assured over a month ago that there will be no bike lanes in our Village, the group “Don’t Change Barrington Hills” (apparently assisted by the former Village President) persists in encouraging their supporters to keep protest signs up along our roadways and continues to disseminate rumor and innuendo on their website.
Do you think that helps our property values? Do you think that encourages people to seriously consider Barrington Hills as a place to make their home?
Additionally, we have commercial horse boarding amendments back on the table — for the third time since 2005. Calling itself “Save Horse Boarding in Barrington Hills,” one group circulated an online petition based on a false mission statement that has garnered electronic signatures from as far away as southern Yemen.
Really? After all, we were “branded” by the former administration as an “equestrian community” years ago, so why do we still not have effective codes to address commercial horse boarding? Perhaps we are waiting for advice from southern Yemen!
Sadly, the Village Board meeting held earlier this week provided even more fodder for the press. We find it a very interesting coincidence that this was the very first meeting reporters have attended since President McLaughlin was sworn in.
It certainly was convenient, considering the clearly rehearsed barrage by four trustees against the chair due to the dismissal of the law firm that has cost our Village millions of taxpayers’ money.
Regular readers of The Observer are familiar with our monthly “Flashbacks” column, and each month it pains us to review what our Village reputation has endured in the press for many years. Yet there is still a dwindling faction among residents who get pleasure it seems by fueling misinformation and innuendo.
It’s time for us to stop being a sideshow for the entertainment of surrounding communities. Instead of “Don’t Change Barrington Hills,” a more productive goal is “Let’s Change Barrington Hills.”
After all, didn’t most residents vote for that goal in the last election?
– The Observer
Bravo! Love your commentary Observer.
Can we put this in the next BOT packet?
BH is changing one small step at a time. BH now has a President who is not interested in “self-promotion” and “aggrandizement” at the expense of the taxpayer or Village image. While restoring competence to its highest office, the same cannot be said regarding a majority of the remaining Board.
I believe though there has been a shift in the tide where “obediance”, “secrecy” and “team politics” for the benefit of special interests are no longer the prerequisites to hold elected office in BH; rather “character”, “independence”, “expertise” and “experience” are now the driving force. If this criteria is once again used by the electorate in April, BH will be able to bid a fine and long overdue “adieu” to Messer, Meroni and Selman as well as to any other “Save 5 Acre” disciple they select to run in his or her stead.
Through simple action (VOTE) on one day in April, BH can achieve the “change” BHO is talking about . . . . and most desparately needs. . . . .
Excellent observation!!!! There’s so much fallout with selfish and non community like behavior. These people act like 2 year olds. Why would any decent person want to move here ? They are devoid of ethics and morals. It’s a constant barrage of idiocraty from these liars and thieves. It’s enough to make your skin crawl. And let’s show them the door and regain decorum and neighborly behavior. We don’t deserve these immoral fools.
Mr Abboud is no longer in office. Mr. McLaughlin is the head man of our office. He’s a brilliant man. Let’s follow his lead.
You hit the nail right on the head! McLaughlin is doing an outstanding job as president and that’s what is driving Abboud and his loyal minions on the board crazy.
We had a year of relative calm in our community after the April 2013 election and Bobby can’t stand calm! He wants to pit neighbors against one another with horse boarding again and make up lies on a website to make the guy who trounced him at the polls look bad. The good news is everyone I know gets it and they’re not buying into his horse$hit!!!
You have been a fair observer of the dysfunction of our community and this piece sums up the legacy and tenure of Abboud & Company. Sadly, we are still cleaning up the many problems that were created by this band of incompetents with too many of them still holding majority sway on committees.
Case in point, the equestrian amendments favoring an R-1 zoning to agriculture are a prime example of the many shenanigans created by Abboud and his lackeys. This latest outrage is in my opinion is the worst of his continued meddlings and will further hurt property values because it offers NO protection to residential property owners. Who would want to buy into a village that threatens to shift property taxes to residential owners while anyone boarding gets a tax break because agriculture zoning is less burdensome? We may have to import horses from Yemen to fill all of the empty stalls that will be available if passed.
Please continue to alert us to upcoming amendment meetings so that we may know when to attend and voice our displeasure to the ZBA.
The Observer is right about all the bad and negative press our village receives. The issue is that our residents are the source of that press and they need to understand what the repercussions will be when they continue their narratives week after week. They need to become less self-absorbed. The best strategy would be to exercise the art of compromise, and think of what would benefit our entire village rather than what would help their special causes. Whether it’s equestrian, bike-lanes or other.. That should be the active dialogue.
I am hoping that the President will not let this current board drag him into ” the mud pit each and every board meeting.” I am glad that he is taking the high road, and not getting rattled. As far as property values, the next highest hurdle will be the development plans for the former Duda property. Our reponse to that issue will be a another critical turning point to improve our public relations image.
We can change our negative reputation if we choose to, but we have to stop this self-destructive behavior first and foremost.
Part of controlling the negative press coming out of Barrington Hills as I see it would be the media outlets. It is interesting that the media seems to be the cheerleader for the former administration. A new President was sworn in over a year ago, and no one seems interested in getting his take on the issues of the today. Puzzling? It’s time to change this old habit, and get the real story not the manufactured version from the previous old guard.
Yes it’s very puzzling. Or perhaps not. Isn’t total control of the media one of the key components of an oppressive regime? We all took college world history. The best news is nobody reads that Daily Herald rag anyway. It is still a symptom of a much broader and deadly disease. Abboudism. Isolated to Barrington Hills horse crowd. It sucks the brain cells right out of your head. It makes you contentious, obstanent and stupid. Gives you delusions of grandeur. Makes you think that 12% is a majority. Known cures are vote da bums out in April 2015.
The proverbial train is finally back on the rails. The coals are hot and the water is boiling. A lot of lost time to make up, but I know the new engineer well. He and his new supportive crew will right the wrongs and will get this train to the station soon. All aboard, sit back and enjoy the ride BH.