Friday we published a letter written by Deputy Clerk and Plan Commission Vice Chair Robin VanCastle (seen here), as submitted to our Board of Trustees (BOT) communicating her concerns over a conflict of interest at our Village Hall. That conflict was corrected months later, but now our series takes a sad turn.
Trustee Debra Buettner passed away unexpectedly on November 11th, 2021, after a rare reaction to chemotherapy ended her life prematurely. A week later, Village President Pro-Tem, Colleen Konicek Hannigan, sent the following memo to the BOT before they met for their November regular meeting:
“To: Brian Cecola
Cc: Anna Paul, Nikki Panos
From: Colleen Konicek
Date: Thu, Nov 18, 2021 at 8:29 AM
Re: Trustee Buettner
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Brian – As Jim stated in his letter (seen here), Deb and I had many conversations over the last several months regarding her need to step down from the BOT and her desire to play a role in finding/vetting a person who she felt exemplified her efforts and dedication to the Village. We discussed several people and the reasons she felt each would or would not best be able to carry on her mission to provide government services in a fair, courteous, and fiscally responsible manner, to be a steward of the land and open spaces, and to protect our zoning laws. Each time, one person rose to the top.
Deb asked that I keep her health condition confidential, which I, of course, honored. Her intent was to meet with you the week before our last meeting to discuss her need to step down and to request that you nominate, and the BOT accept her recommendation of Robin VanCastle to fill her remaining term. Unfortunately, Deb was hospitalized and unable to follow through with that intent prior to passing.
Deb felt Robin would exemplify her position on the Board and would provide a high level of commitment to the Village, which she has already demonstrated. Deb was impressed by Robin’s background in finance as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Itasca Bank & Trust Co. She also valued Robin’s volunteer experience and can-do attitude. Deb, as liaison to the Plan Commission, saw Robin’s work firsthand, and was impressed by her dedication to redrafting of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan, and believed Robin had a solid understanding of what makes Barrington Hills so special and how to keep it that way. Deb also thought it important to have a capable female fill the seat.
As you know, Robin has been involved in Village government since 2015, serving on the Heritage & Environs Committee and Plan Commission, as well as being our long-standing Deputy Clerk. She is a CPA with a strong background in finance and is currently on the Board of Directors for Itasca Bank, so she also has a background in working collaboratively at the board level. These were all considerations of Deb’s in determining Robin was the ideal candidate for the seat.
I wanted to go on record with my many conversations with Deb, my endorsement of her recommendation, and my hope that we honor her by seriously considering this appointment. I will very much miss Deb’s presence on our Board. She provided considered guidance and a unique perspective. She felt that Robin would do the same.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions about my discussions with Deb.
I would appreciate this email being disseminated to the rest of the Board members.
Thank you,
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Colleen Konicek Hannigan
Trustee, Village of Barrington Hills”
A copy of her memo can be viewed here.
Trustee Buettner served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for four years before being elected to the BOT in 2019. Considering she had more experience than most on the BOT, she had every right to share her succession preferences.
However, the current Village President, Brian Cecola, decides who to nominate to the BOT (once he obtains the now obligatory approval of the former Village Permit Coordinator, of course).
The question is, who on the BOT considered Trustee Buettner’s recommendation? It turns out, with the exception of Pro-Tem Konicek, none we can find. Not a single one, and we’ll attempt to determine why in our upcoming installments.
Related: “Our predominantly pusillanimous Village Board (Part 1),” “Our predominantly pusillanimous Village Board (Part 2)”
“once he obtains the now obligatory approval of the former Village Permit Coordinator, of course”
This is not news. Been that way since most can remember.
Cecola sold you all a bill of goods about his wife, the permit assistant job, the it, “isn’t necessarily illegal,” the “President McLaughlin never told me she had to leave,” and the coup de grace, “it’s a full time job,” he made you all rely upon to keep his wife around for 6 months paying her 2x the normal hours undisclosed to the BOT.
How do we know? Just found out she was interviewing with other businesses in Feb and March of last year. Why would she do that? Could it have been her reason was she was going to need to leave if her husband was elected?
Stop listening to this guy and his wife. They are making you all look like fools.