There are too many signs in Barrington Hills. Drive down most roads, and it will be obvious. Too many election signs. One next to the other and then another and another. What’s worse than that? There are too many “for sale” signs. They signal a broad sense of dissatisfaction and a desire to get out. This may or may not be true, but the signs say to the world and to us that we are in trouble.
The truth is that it has become far too noisy in Barrington Hills. The noise comes not from the sounds of traffic or congestion but from one group of voices trying to drown out the other. And we are all to blame, including this publication.
There are too many blogs and political parties. Their names are an allegory for something that has been lost or diminished: “Save Horse Boarding in Barrington Hills,” “Don’t Change Barrington Hills,” “Save Open Space,” and “Preserve Barrington Hills.” But what have we really lost?
There have been too many lawsuits: Iatarola, Duda, Sears, LeCompte 1, LeCompte 2, and now a fresh lawsuit challenging the Village’s handling of its own horse boarding laws. These lawsuits are also a sign that we have lost control of our problems and now must ask faraway judges, strangers to our Village, to decide what we were unable to resolve ourselves.
We talk too much about lawyers and legal fees and government investigations. We have had too many controversies: cell phone towers; exterior lighting (remember the HALO signs?); horse boarding; bike lanes; disconnection; 911. The list and the signs go on and on.
There have been too many headlines portraying our small Village as the epicenter of wealthy-folks’ petulant controversies: “Horse feud splitting Barrington Hills”; “Residents, cyclists feud over Barrington Hills roads”; “AG’s office reviews ex-mayor’s Barrington Hills appointments”; “Appellate court sides with Barrington Hills police officers.”
Of course we would be remiss or (worse) hypocritical if we did not recognize that these pages too, within the Barrington Hills Observer, have added to the “noise.” If only by necessity, we have editorialized and perhaps sometimes heightened the public debate on controversial local political topics and public figures.
We spend too much money on trustee campaigns; we stuff mailboxes with too many mailers; there are too many political coffees (and too few social ones); and too many articles about all of them. And, while we could never be critical of public participation in government, the reality is that our Village Board meetings are too well attended because they are filled with so much drama. We’ve become a rival to reality television, including the expletives.
Now back to the question. What have we lost? The answer is that we have lost peace and a commitment to the public and private service of our neighbors. We have taken the noise to a level that cannot be sustained and it is time to back down. If not, what’s next? More signs. More lawsuits. More lawyers and lawyer fees. More mailers. And, regrettably and not coincidentally, more “for sale” signs. We have written before on the need to restore peace to Barrington Hills, (Read “Why Barrington Hills must change”). It is equally or more true today.
On April 7th, next Tuesday, we will have an opportunity as a Village to restore peace to Barrington Hills at the ballot box and, one can only hope, to usher in a new era of public and private service of our neighbors. Our roads and budgets and zoning laws need repair. For those jobs we need trustees who will be devoted to public service and unity. We need residents who possess the skills needed to fix our broken roads, budgets and zoning laws, not noisemakers.
The Observer will publish its endorsements on Monday. Suffice it to say we will not be endorsing the candidates whose names have been synonymous with the noise that now covers the Village like a blanket.
It is time to reflect and to reduce the “signs” of trouble in our Village.
– The Observer
BHO . . . . . by casting the voices of a “few” outraged VBH residents who saw the “political corruption”, “waste” and “mismanagement of taxpayer resources” in the Millions of Dollars with Save 5 Acres majority VBH BOT is engaging in a form of “moral equivalency”. That is unfortunate.
But for the vocal few where would the rest of you and VBH be? The answer: living with a continuation of the “corruption” “waste” and “mismanagement” with former VBH President still at the helm reigning over his “Save 5 Acres” majority BOT with no end in sight.
It is time VBH residents put the blame where it belongs, the radicalization of VBH Riding Club who through a few zealots at the top hijacked VBH government using the political name “Save 5 Acres”, some 10 years ago. Now having been exposed they recently changed uniforms from “Save 5 Acres” to “Save Open Spaces” political team. . . . but the players, tactics and goals remain the same.
Blogs like PBH and Observer only attempt(ed) to bring the public the truth of the danger of these special interest politics and governance. PBH did this through commentary supported by documentation where veracity of information could never be reasonably challenged; and it never was. Observer does the same using a different style.
I support these vocal residents who would not succomb to Save 5 Acres soft tyrranical form of municipal government. My only regret is we weren’t louder to get most of you to listen sooner.
Thank God for the fearless people that stood up to the corruption and lies that have become the norm in the village governmemt!
April will be a referendum on the corruption in the hills!
Jane you’re right! But the personal costs will be astronomicly high. Neighbor won’t talk to neighbor……property values have crashed and this can be traced back to one person.
No matter what happens at this election, we will be living through the ruination of hurricane Bobbie for years to come. There will be no winners in this situation and no easy fix.
The personal costs to we residents are high, no doubt. But the personal costs to the One Barrington Hills candidates are even higher. They have been slandered, maligned, bullied, and accused of everything horrible under the sun. It’s all reflective of the high stakes and blind fear of SOS. Time to put these people out on their ears. Please do the right thing for all of us.
David, I support these residents also; who would not as Messer calls it “stand down”. Yes, the few residents have waved the banner of ethics, fairness and accountability in front of all to see! I salute them, because they’ve opened our collective eyes to what is happening and has happened in this village over the years. Transparency has been restored, albeit better late than never! But by no means is the fight over, it’s just beginning I’m afraid!
I think everyone is missing the point here. This isn’t a criticism of vocal residents who have stood up and brought attention to the abuses that have occurred. Nor is it an attack on concerned homeowners who have had enough of trustees who are tone-deaf to their concerns, and who choose to express their dissatisfaction by displaying yard signs.
The bottom line is this: we shouldn’t need signs, we shouldn’t need to show up en masse at meetings every month, we shouldn’t need blogs to get our opinions heard. We need true representatives on our village board who are committed to two-way communications with residents, who seek to listen, who speak the truth, who admit their mistakes and who advocate for their constituents.
Vote One Barrington Hills to send that message!
Perhaps the tide is turning? Is the indicator of the number of yard signs displayed? Are you and your friends aware of the issues? Do enough folks understand how many questionable actions have taken place over the past several years in our Village BOT and Administration? Are you a supporter of widening rt 62 to 4 lanes through our Village? Would you like to see the Long Meadow Parkway terminate at rt 62 and Autumn Trail? Did you know that past and present Village officials supported and continue to support these projects and have suggested that “this is a done deal and we can only adapt and get used to the idea”? Did you know that the Kane County Engineers working on the project have stated that they thought that VBH was supportive of the whole project based upon past official votes and participation and that if VBH was no longer advocating for this – they would reconsider the terminus to end it at rt 25 and not impact rt 62 at all” ?
The signs are there for a reason…we have a right to free speech and these signs are an attempt to demonstrate which side is right and which side is to blame. They are but pieces of plastic and wire but by their sheer number they signal that something is wrong. Our town has also been littered with other signs in this past decade…No Cell Tower, No Lighting Ordinance, No Bike Lanes.
As a community we don’t gain a thing but chaos.
Pointing fingers is a natural human condition but the lack of trust and transparency that many suspected in a past administration is very real. Our village has fallen into the trap of bi-partisan politics with one side speaking louder and having more power than the other. The pendulum may swing the other way with this election but the divisiveness will continue unless we as a community decide to end it.
A social club for the enjoyment of equestrian activities and comradeship, The Riding Club of Barrington Hills, has morphed into a Political Action Committee. “Members” need to look at their mission statement because they are not an asset to our community anymore but have become a distraction to all of us. The Riding Center operates on the tax-payer’s dime and the irony is that their attempt at writing and pushing legislation has bitten the hand that feeds them.
Is Barrington Hills still a place where folks who treasure open spaces and horses can live? The other signs, the 140+ Real Estate for Sale signs, are also very real. After April 7th, those signs will remain but so will our problems if we let them.
This time of the year is significant…Spring, Easter, Passover and rebirth. I pray that we might have a revival of good reasoning and bring our community out of the Dark Ages,
Speaking of signs-
While out for a walk on Church Rd. today I encountered two women putting up signs for the SOS party. One approached me and introduced herself as “Joan Abboud.” Pointing to their campaign sign she stated, “We need to elect these people to save Barrington Farms.” Not fully comprehending what she was saying I asked, “Which farms?” She gestured to the land around her and said, “Barrington Farms, the former Duda property.” She went on to explain that if the SOS candidates don’t get elected, Barrington Farms “won’t get the permits they need and we might lose them.” When I asked if the other candidates were against Barrington Farms, she said, “They won’t talk about it.”
I walked on a little bit and then it dawned on me, Barrington Farms is in unincorporated McHenry County. The Village has no jurisdiction over it no matter who gets elected. Was her statement due to ignorance or an outright lie- Barrington Hills can’t afford either. Please vote for Croll, Cecola and Maison.
Apparently, 80+ year old Mrs Abboud has been knocking on doors with One Barrington Hills signs out front. She has attacked Michelle Maison personally, saying she’s not a lawyer and she’s not a mediator. She’s attacking Pres. McLaughlin and his accomplishments. Who sends an 80+ year old woman out in the neighborhood to spread slander for you? SOS. Hopefully, they will all be SOL on Tuesday.
Practically speaking……….will Joan be picking up the signs after the election?
She has accosted me in the past and I just tell her that I am apolitical.
Speaks volumes about the character, or rather the lack thereof, of a child who would send his mother out to spread his garbage on behalf of his minions, while he lacks the courage to do his own dirty work.