Before opening the hearing, ZBA chair Judy Freeman asked for public comment. One resident, whose voice has become familiar to many, took the opportunity to speak, and his comments can be heard here.
As we previously reported in “Polo politicking – SOS Party style,” Polo Club President John Rosene was requesting a perpetual renewal of the original five-year special use permit previously granted to his club for the LeCompte Kalaway Cup by the Village in 2011. In addition, however, Rosene was asking the Village of Barrington Hills to grant his club expanded use of a private road (maintained by homeowners, not the Village), in perpetuity and this was a topic of concern by many on the Board.
Equally concerning to some members was the lack of information and documentation regarding insurance for the polo event. While the ZBA attorney, Mary Dickson, did mention a private event on private property might not expose the Village to any liability due to accidents or injuries, she did bring up the fact that if our police officers are involved in some form while supporting the event, there might be risk.
A sensible motion to postpone voting on Rosene’s renewal application based on these factors was denied by a 3-2 vote. Pressing forward as though this was a time-sensitive matter (which it was not, of course), member Anderson moved that the term of the permit be granted for 20 years through the year 2035. That motion failed to pass by a necessary majority vote, and now must go before the Village Board for a decision.
We questioned the timing of Mr. Rosene’s unconventional application for special permit renewal when we first published the March Zoning Board agenda (seen here).
Considering Rosene is a committee member of the SOS Party, perhaps it is potentially part of an SOS campaign plan since he, and his fellow committee members, wasted no time alerting residents in social media and mass emails that the [LeCompte] Kalaway Cup was “Killed” by responsible Zoning Board members looking out for the interests of our Village.
All we can tell readers is to expect more unnecessary drama between now and Election Day on April 7th. It only serves to distract voters from the material issues in an important election for all residents of Barrington Hills.