Posted in Elections 2013, Save 5 Acres, Unite Barrington Hills, VBHPD, Village Board, Village President on April 10, 2013| 1 Comment »
A day after his upset victory over two-term Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud, president-elect Martin McLaughlin said his intentions remain the same as during his campaign — to return the village to the normal business of providing services cost-effectively.
McLaughlin said he’d considered divisive debates over outdoor lighting regulations and commercial horse boarding to be manufactured and unnecessary, and believes voters ultimately agreed.
Read more here.
Posted in Elections 2013, Village President on April 9, 2013| 5 Comments »
Barrington Patch election results can be viewed here.
Posted in Elections 2013, Letters to the Editor, Politics, Village President on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »
It is unfortunate for the citizens of Barrington Hills that Robert Abboud lost his bid for U.S. congressman of the 16th District in 2008. His politics, like his campaign propaganda, are so Washington, D.C., right now.
Read the complete letter to the editor of the Daily Herald here.
Posted in Elections 2013, OP/Ed, Resident Surveys, Taxes, Village Board, Village President on April 5, 2013| 5 Comments »
The results of the October 2012 Barrington Hills Observer Resident Survey revealed many things about the views of our village residents. A majority of respondents expressed doubt over the ethics and transparency of the Village Board. As many as 64% of the respondents elected through their responses that Village taxes were not fair or wisely spent. In addition, 43% of respondents voiced concern about whether the Village President and trustees welcomed questions, concerns or suggestions from residents.
The results of this survey tell us all that change is necessary. The opinions of our residents tell us that the candidates we should (indeed, we must) endorse are Martin McLaughlin, Colleen Konicek Hannigan and David Stieper for the positions of Village President and Trustees. Each of them, in separate ways, possess the character traits and skills that Village residents demanded in their survey responses.
Marty McLaughlin is the right choice for Village President to replace the embattled and controversial Bob Abboud and to restore financial discipline and peace to Barrington Hills. Mr. McLaughlin is the managing director of an investment management firm. He will be a fiscal hawk, working hard to reduce spending and stop the rising tide of taxes—a critical objective, evidence by the response to our resident survey.
Equally important, Mr. McLaughlin possesses the character and determination to reach out to all parts of Barrington Hills, bringing renewed collaboration between neighbors and with surrounding communities.
Colleen Konicek Hannigan came to Barrington Hills in 1969, and her heart has been here ever since. As an organizer of the Barrington Honor Ride and Run, and a member of Citizens for Conservation, Ms. Konicek Hannigan has demonstrated her commitment to the Village and to preserving its heritage.
An attorney and frequent attendee at Village Board meetings, Colleen has seen first-hand the conduct that has caused so many residents to question the ethics and transparency of the current Village administration. Konicek Hannigan’s strong moral and professional character, and her deep roots in the Village, will make her a powerful protector of the ethical standards our village leaders must always achieve.
Finally, David Stieper’s independence and his dogged determination to expose the truth in Village government make him a perfect candidate to bring needed transparency to our Village Board. Mr. Stieper has extensive experience in within our government bodies.
From 2003-2010, he served or chaired over sixty-one Plan Commission meetings, including the time-intensive updating of our Village Comprehensive Plan. He is also a practicing attorney specializing in zoning and land use matters, which is a key faculty our board needs.
For these reasons, tied directly to residents’ expressed opinions, we give our endorsement to Marty McLaughlin, Colleen Konicek Hannigan and David Stieper. As we said in these pages about one year ago, the time has come to restore financial discipline, honesty, diversity and peace to Barrington Hills. The time has come for McLaughlin, Konicek Hannigan and Stieper.
Make your voices heard again. Vote on April 9, 2013.
– The Observer
Posted in BACOG, Elections 2013, IAA, OP/Ed, Plan Commission, Save 5 Acres on April 5, 2013| 5 Comments »
Next Monday evening’s monthly Plan Commission meeting has been canceled. Ordinarily, we would not publish non-events. But this is the fourth cancellation of a Plan Commission meeting in a row, making it noteworthy. Review of Village records shows the Plan Commission met only seven times in all of 2012. More meetings have been canceled in the last sixteen months than have been held.
Two candidates running for trustee positions on the “Save 5 Acres” slate have included their “Plan Commission experience“ in their candidate biographies. Based on absences from scheduled meetings in 2012, Mr. Harrington could attend only five of seven meetings, and Ms. Mazeski managed to make six. No doubt, this is voluntary service to the residents of Barrington Hills. But these candidates cannot be considered seasoned commission members, especially given their votes to approve the error riddled Spring Creek Watershed Plan.
Of course, Bob Abboud must consider this light attendance at Plan Commission meetings to be political currency, since he appears to be behind the Save 5 Acres campaign and platform. We know that Abboud is coordinating campaign meetings and filing financial reports to the Illinois State Board of Elections for candidates Gohl and Mazeski (see ISBOE A-1 Filings).
If Plan Commission experience is the measurement for qualification, then David Stieper should be Abboud’s eye-on endorsement. From 2003-2010, Stieper served or chaired over sixty-one Plan Commission meetings, including the time-intensive updating of our Village Comprehensive Plan.
Perhaps if David’s experienced commission guidance had been allowed to continue after 2010, our Village would not be in the precarious position we now face over the planned Insurance Auto Auction facility at our border. We’ll never know the answer, but clearly our current Plan Commission cannot be vigilant about future threats if they are not meeting with any regularity.
– The Observer
Posted in Audio Recordings, Elections 2013, Village Board on April 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The Village has recently released edited audio recordings from the March Village Board meeting. To access the menu of the meeting’s topical audio recording segments, click here.
This unusually brief board meeting recording provides some much needed comic relief when during the eight second “Adjournment Segment,” Pro-Tem and Trustee Gohl questioned, “Why are we getting out of here so early?” Perhaps he’d forgotten Abboud is up for reelection on April 9.
Posted in Elections 2013, Taxes, Village Board, Village President on April 1, 2013| 9 Comments »
Two local newspapers have published responses to questionnaires they provided to each of the candidates vying for elected positions on our Village Board in the April 9 general election. Each candidate’s name appears below in the order in which they are listed on the April 9 ballot.
Click on any candidate’s name to be directed to their profile and responses to the respective publication’s questions.
Northwest Herald – Village President
Northwest Herald – Village Trustee
Daily Herald – Village President
Daily Herald – Village Trustee
The Observer will continue to provide our readers with up-to-date news and information leading up to Election Day 2013.
Posted in BACOG, Elections 2013, FOIA, OP/Ed, Save 5 Acres, Taxes, Unite Barrington Hills, Village Board, Village President on March 29, 2013| 4 Comments »
Now that early voting has begun in advance of the April 9th election, Barrington Hills residents are in the process of vetting candidates for Village President and the three Village Trustee positions. A comparison of incumbent President Bob Abboud and his “Save 5 Acres” slate to challenger Marty McLaughlin and trustee candidates Colleen Hannigan and David Stieper shows few differences in their positions on preserving five-acre zoning, protecting our natural environment or communicating better with residents. Where they dramatically differ, however, is in their stands on the state of our Village financial situation.
Abboud & Company believe that “no increases in tax levies” and so-called “balanced budgets” equal wise fiscal stewardship. However, a closer evaluation of the Village’s spending during Abboud’s eight years in office tells another story.
More waste. There are so many more examples of taxpayer money being wasted. Voters should think about the nearly $4000 dollars that the Village paid last summer for bringing in a tanker truck to water the landscape plants on the grounds of the Village Hall (despite the fact that there is a functioning irrigation system which we paid to maintain as well). Or there’s the $129 the Village pays each month for doormat rental. Yes, $1500 of our money each year is spent renting doormats. Taking a deeper look at our Village bills also shows $1559.00 spent annually on the calendar posted on the Village’s website. And, the village-wide mailing to announce last month’s “Mug Club,” which only four residents attended, cost us $523.It is abundantly clear to The Observer that an infusion of fresh leadership and vision is long overdue on our Village Board. If voters select Bob Abboud and his hand-picked slate, higher spending and higher taxes are virtually guaranteed. We urge residents to open their eyes to the real financial state of their village and to vote for the candidates who are not afraid to face facts and cut out the fat in Village spending.
– The Observer
Posted in Elections 2013, Press Release, Save 5 Acres, Taxes, Unite Barrington Hills, Village Board, Village President on March 28, 2013| 14 Comments »
Barrington Hills President Abboud and Save5Acre Slate decline response to Stieper invitation to attend Public Forum.
David Stieper, the only independent candidate for Village Trustee of Barrington Hills, confirms his intention to hold a Public Forum. Citizens for Stieper reserved the “Multi-Purpose Room” at Countryside Elementary School on Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM CDT. Format will allow open questions of Mr. Stieper and a neutral monitor will be appointed by him to ensure fair process.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune here.
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