Most residents who have paid even a little attention to our Village government over the last few years recognize we have some ethical issues with certain members of our Village Board. Two of those current members, and a newcomer, are running as the SOS Party, and so far, their campaign has focused mainly on distorting facts in various media, yet they advise residents to not be deceived.
Part three of our series, “Don’t be deceived,” continues with more distortions spread by the SOS party as follows:
SOS Spin: “Kalaway Cup Polo Event Killed in Barrington Hills.”
Reality: This is likely the most cockamamie campaign stunt ever pulled in the history of Barrington Hills politics, and why has SOS consistently called this event by its incorrect name? It’s been the ”LeCompte Kalaway Cup” for some time now, so why is SOS omitting the name of the host of the event?
SOS political campaign committeeman and Polo Club President John Rosene’s application for a renewed special use permit for the event is on the Village Board’s agenda for a vote at Monday night’s meeting. Assuming at least four of the five “Save 5 Acres” Trustees use their block voting power, the permit will be granted two weeks after it was declared “dead” by the SOS spin masters, and we can expect another mass campaign announcement the following day.
SOS Spin: “According to the 2014 Village Survey, 64.1 percent of residents responding believe that ‘Equestrian Boarding’ in Barrington Hills helps to ‘protect open space and maintain large land parcels.’”
“’I think it’s important for all residents to read this survey report,’ states Mary Naumann.”
Reality: Clearly SOS candidate Mary Naumann didn’t read the complete survey. If she had, she’d recognize the fact that the numbers were stacked by people taking the survey multiple times, and many non-residents from anywhere in the world could have taken it.
What SOS candidates fail to mention is, according to the survey, 57.8 percent of respondents stated they own horses. Since this percentage is highly inflated (by a factor of roughly 3 times), unfortunately all the data in the report is suspect, despite Village Hall staff’s best efforts to accurately gather data from residents. A copy of the 2014 survey report, which the SOS Party neglected to provide to residents, can be viewed here.
SOS Spin: (One Barrington Hills candidates will) “Use eminent domain to widen roads, install bike lanes and make our village more developer-friendly”
Reality: SOS candidate Patty Meroni is already using eminent domain for the Cuba Road Bridge project robbing adjacent landowners of property in exchange for funding. Had her proposal to the McHenry County Council of Governments for funding Haegers Bend roadwork succeeded in 2012, eminent domain would have taken acres of property from homeowners.
One Barrington Hills candidates Bryan Croll, Michelle Nagy Maison and Brian Cecola, have made it abundantly clear they are against bike lanes, and in favor of Heritage Corridors to protect against road widening for any purpose. In fact, Brian Croll is seated on the Board of Directors of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, which has made establishment of Heritage Corridors within the Village a top priority, so the SOS allegations are false.
SOS Spin: “Our opponents have not stated their position on feathering and have received campaign donations from pro-development contributors.”
Reality: One Barrington Hills candidates solidly support land conservation and will protect five-acre zoning. Period. Sadly over the last few election cycles, SOS (and Save 5 Acres before them) has made a habit of unfounded fear-mongering and false accusations about any opponent being less committed than they are to preserving the minimum lot sizes that everyone supports.
As for the ridiculous allegation that “pro-development” contributors are funding the One Barrington Hills campaign, a simple study of State Board of Elections filings proves this to be another falsehood.
Frankly, we don’t understand why they would even raise this as an “issue”, since the largest single contributor to the SOS campaign ($10,800) and members of his family sit on the board of the organization that purchased the “Duda Property” in 2014 (most of which is adjacent to Barrington Hills in unincorporated McHenry County).
SOS Spin: (SOS candidate Meroni) Longmeadow Parkway Project: Informed residents; coordinated communication between residents and Kane County engineers; held meetings to work for resolution on critical issues impacting residents.
Reality: SOS candidate Patty Meroni only spoke of the Longmeadow Parkway project once progress was announced in the press, (and on this website), when she had no alternative.
The Observer has provided press updates on the project dating back to January of 2013. Yet Meroni fails to mention that, until December 2013, she expressed no knowledge of the timeline or progression of Longmeadow, despite the fact that former President Abboud had signed a resolution of support for the project back in 2006. If Barrington Hills had taken an active role in the ongoing planning for Longmeadow Bridge, perhaps we could have eliminated any routing through the village completely.
The initial meetings with residents she references were by invitation only, and not posted to the Village Calendar. It was only after she was pressured did she announce Longmeadow meetings for all interested residents to attend. This is hardly being proactive, and once again, residents will lose parts or all of their properties as a result of her tenure as Roads & Bridges chairperson.
Part four of this series continues soon in the Barrington Hills Observer.
Typical of the SOS group’s shenanigans, they have continuously made the false accusation that anyone running against them is “anti-equestrian,” and that a vote for anyone not aligned with them is a vote to kill all horse boarding in Barrington Hills. There has never been a candidate for Trustee since I have lived here (1979) who proposed limiting the ownership and enjoyment of equestrian activities. My family has owned 3 horses since 1979, and all 3 were boarded with a Barrington Hills boarding facility. My position that large scale horse boarding operations should have a special use permit does not affect the ability of anyone who is a resident of BH to keep, breed, train, ride and “enjoy” their equestrian activities. A vote for the One Barrington Hills slate is a vote for sensible government. A vote for the sign stealing team is a vote for elitist chicanery.
Agree 100% Concerned Resident !! The amazing thing is the number of signs folks have in their yards supporting this mockery of good government. The BOT needs to be overhauled not sustained. They have perverted our village government long enough.
I am hoping that the plethora of signs is not the indicator of which way this vote will turn out. If it is, then we have to be looking at some major tax increases to support all the legal costs going forward.
All the rhetoric on this blog will be for naught if everyone isn’t taking personal action to get out the vote for One Barrington Hills – Croll, Maison and Cecola – and defeating corruption. Time for talk is over, time to take back our Village.
Everyone, reach out to the undecided, the uninformed, the apathetic and those on the other side who need to be shown the light. Supporters need to vote, not just talk. Supporters need to gain more votes, not just talk.
Those that have signs up for SOS, you likely want to see our Village restored to a positive place. 5 acres is NOT in jeopardy! Equestrian lifestyle is NOT in jeopardy! Anyone proud of our Village with the carryover of Abboud’s long reach is out of touch. This is about a few polo and commercial horse boarding advocates stealing our Village and one incompetent decision after another – roads, police pension funds, Sears litigation, financial mismanagement, etc. etc.
Don’t rely just on the candidates – please let’s all do our part and win this election!
A few things that happen when you run for office in Barrington Hills against The Riding Club of Barrington, Save5Acres or Save Open Spaces:
Your character is assassinated
You receive the label “developer”
You are automatically ineligible if you need to downsize because of life circumstances but intend to stay in BH
You are anti-horse if you don’t have a horse or horse trailer
You disagree with the passage of the Anderson/LeCompte Amendment therefore you are evil, stupid and should move from Barrington Hills
Yes, SOS…Save5Acres…The Riding Club of Barrington are the “sign stealing team” but I would not expect anything less from them. This immature habit has been well documented.
Even though the Elections Board of Illinois prohibited the use of Save5Acres, the play book used to smear opponents hasn’t.
I speak from experience.
Many decent people have been deceived since Steve Knoop, Dan Lundmark and John Rosene (and Bob Abboud) initiated and supported Bob Abboud’s political ambitions via “Save 5 Acres”, and now “Save Open Space”.
Their claim that Barrington Hills must be “branded equestrian” to maintain 5 acre zoning is preposterous, and one surely invented by Abboud, Knoop, Lundmark and Rosene in the tradition of Saul D. Alinsky to fool Village residents.
5 acre zoning of Barrington Hills has never been endangered by “greedy developers” and the equestrian life-style enjoyed by many has never been at risk.
Presently, the only way to “Save Open Space” would be to confiscate resident’s legal rights to their property, as there is no “open-space” zoning in Barrington Hills and there are no zoned lots greater than 5 acres.
To claim that commercial boarding is necessary to maintain open spaces is an outright lie. I wonder how loud Mr. LeCompte would scream if he was informed that he could never subdivide his property to 5 acre lots, as he has threatened to do on many occasions?
Abboud’s political ambitions have nearly destroyed the Village, with the help of Knoop, Lundmark, Rosene, Fritz Gohl, Joe Messer, Karen Selman and Patty Meroni. Now, Mary Naumann has cast her lot with this group.
A vote for the “SOS” candidates Selman, Meroni and Naumann will finish the job started by Bob Abboud.