The Village has posted a copy of the agenda for this evening’s Equestrian Commission meeting which begins at 7:00 PM at Village Hall. Topics to be discussed include:
- [Discussion] Septic Flow Rates – Barns & Stables
- Horse Density /Livestock Information
It’s unfortunate that an ePacket agenda for the meeting is not available for review. We would have appreciated a glance, particularly the draft minutes from their special meeting on August 1st when the Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the retroactivity clause be removed from the LeCompte Commercial Horse Boarding Amendment.
One Commissioner can be heard in the recordings from that meeting stating that keeping the clause would be like “trying to rewrite history.” Another Commissioner concurred stating “I think it’s totally inappropriate.” The recording of their respective comments can be heard here.
Their vote to remove that clause was never discussed in subsequent Zoning Board meetings despite the fact that members of the Equestrian Commission were in attendance and chose not to speak. Nor did Trustee Karen Selman, liaison to the Equestrian Commission, ever bring their recommendation up in any Village Board meeting prior to approval of the LeCompte/Anderson Amendment.
A copy of this evening’s full Equestrian Commission agenda can be viewed here.
It is obvious the Equestrian Commission had a change of heart. Similar to change of heart VBH BOT member Joseph Messer had when on March 18, 2011, “under oath” before the Illinois Election Board Messer testified:
“Well, I have a position on all of the significant boarding operations in the Village of Barrington Hills, and that is that they do not fit within the Home Occupation, and it is not possible to fit those operations within that section of the ordinance.”
Illinois Election Board dated March 18, 2011, see transcript of proceedings p.p. 88-89.
(Benj. LeCompte made similar testimony before the ZBA when cease and desist issued)
While BOT Messer testified before the IL Election Board “it is not possible to fit those operations within that section of the [HOO] ordinance” why is it that Messer never denounced the Schuman [Abboud] Letter (dated 3 weeks prior to his testimony) which “magically” made Oakwood Farm Home Occupation compliant? How can Messer reconcile his testimony under oath before the IL Election Board with the contents of the Schuman Letter? Messer can’t, they are inopposite. This is why Messer refuses to answer “my” questions at BOT meetings.
Further, why has Messer recently been spouting off at BOT meetings that HOO always intended to include large scale boarding but for a “glitch’ in the language of HOO when he testified to the exact opposite under oath before the Election Board?
Perhaps at the next BOT meeting Messer, Meroni and Selman will agree to answer my questions which Messer, Meroni and Selman stated they would do for President McLaughlin regarding “boarding”, “corruption” and “Oakwood Farm”.
With the radical equestrian fringe, the “means” always justifies the “ends” even if it means lying, stealing and cheating their neighbors. All you have to do is examine the amount of tax money spent by VBH BOT on Oakwood Farm before the Schuman Letter ($182,000) and revisit the transcripts of the ZBA and BOT proceedings surrounding enactment of Anderson II.
Rather than “Consider the Horse” as SOS would like us to do perhaps the real attention by residents should be focused on considering the suspicious activities surrounding the horse.