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Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 4)

Posted in AI, Audio Recordings, Clown Car, Comprehensive Plan, Crime, Data Center, Deception, Dumb and Dumber, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, FOIA, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Lennie, New Normal?, Newsletter, OMA, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Perjury, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Simple Minds, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transcripts, Transparency, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on April 3, 2026| 3 Comments »

Village of Barrington Hills board members (l-r) JC Clarke, Laura AB Ekstrom, Brian Cecola, Marsha McClary, David Riff and Jessica Hoffmann. Not pictured: Thomas Strauss.

Our Village Board of Trustees met Monday evening. This marked the third meeting since their December 2025 meeting when residents were blindsided to learn, “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board.”

The first speaker Monday night expressed their continued dissatisfaction with the Board as follows:

“All right. Good evening. My name is Aaron Becker. By now you probably know who I am.

I’m speaking tonight in regards to the Village attorney’s letter in response to my questions from January 27th,and I’ve got a couple other comments as well.

I really appreciate the Village responding in righting to my quick response. However, I ask respectfully and directly why several of my explicit questions and requests were not answered at all. They were just omitted, so… .

The response explains why it believes its past actions were lawful, but it does not confirm whether any of the safeguards I requested would be implemented. My question tonight is simple: was the omission intentional?

In the Village Summer 2021 newsletter, residents were told by Trustee Ekstrom, she’s not here today, and I’m going to quote her, ‘Most residents know that they can attend the Village Board meetings, many may not realize that committee and commission meetings are also open to the public. Our Village is a community above all else and having input from our residents reflected in our decision making is not only welcome but encouraged.’

I’ll say this much, I genuinely appreciate that perspective and I believe her. With that in mind, here’s some feedback:

Please confirm that all off-record communications with Brennan Development Group will stop.

Please stop project specific merit discussions absent of formal filings.

Please confirm that unsupported tax claims will not be repeated by the Village without substantiation.

Please confirm that records will be preserved.

Please do everything in your power to maintain true independence of the Plan Commission.

I’d also like the Board to reflect on some of the statements Board of Trustees members have made in the past. In the same Summer 2021 newsletter, residents were told by Trustee Strauss that quote, ‘We live in a special community, and the Board is committed to maintaining our heritage.’

And Trustee Riff said, ‘I would like to make certain that we remain focused on the budget, protect our residential zoning rights (or rather zoning laws), and ensure that our community remains safe and secure for all residents.’

So those are strong words. And they matter. So I’ll ask each of you as Trustee members, do you believe that based on all of the emails we have now seen and read that you have honored those commitments? That you are protecting our residential zoning rights. And that you are maintaining our heritage as a Village.

I’ll be honest, I don’t. I read all the emails. I don’t believe it.

You have to go to bed at night. You have to look yourself in the mirror and say that you believe you’ve protected the residential zoning rights with your actions and your words.

My wife spoke last month about actions and words and holding people accountable when their actions and words don’t align. And that’s what we’re here doing asking of our leaders for continuity between their actions and their words.

That’s all I’m asking. When you say you’re going to do something, follow through and do it. Please.

So, to summarize, respond to the five requests I had in the letter either acknowledging you made a mistake and how you’re going to fix it, or that you made no mistake.

Either way we deserve clarity we deserve responses to those.

That’s my comment. Thank you very much.”

The audio recordings from the March 30, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting can be found here.

Related: “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Follow-up),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 3),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 2),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 1),” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”

 

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State vs. local property tax debate rages in Illinois

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on April 1, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says property taxes are a local issue, but a county treasurer’s report says hefty tax increases are allowed by state law.

The governor was asked about property tax relief at an event in Chicago on Monday.

“Well, I want to remind you that property taxes are not determined by the state of Illinois, but rather by local governments, indeed, local units of government, including school boards, park boards, library boards, municipalities, etc,” Pritzker said.

The governor then pointed to the minority party in Illinois.

“So I think people sometimes get confused. I know the Republican Party in Illinois is quite confused and thinks that this is a state issue when it is actually a local issue,” Pritzker said.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said the governor’s statement is false.

“It is absolutely a state issue. If Gov. Pritzker doesn’t understand that, he doesn’t understand what the state constitution is about and that local governments are created by the state government,” Costin told The Center Square.

A report by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said loopholes in state law allowed local officials to raise taxes at twice the rate of inflation and also higher than wage growth from 1994 to 2025.

Article continues here.

Related: “Editorial: Maria Pappas’ property tax numbers don’t lie. Governance in Illinois has been a stark failure for 30 years,” “Cook County property taxes doubled the rate of inflation in past 30 years, Treasurer Maria Pappas study finds”

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BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Federation of Teachers, OP/Ed, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, Video Recordings, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on November 22, 2025| 1 Comment »

The District 220 Board of Education voted 6-1 on Tuesday to take action related to flagrant policy violations of Board Member Erin Chan Ding.

As reported by one of our readers, under Illinois Code 105 ILCS 5/3-15.5, Removal of School Board Members, a majority of a school board’s members may formally determine that one of their members has, “willfully failed to perform his or her official duties,” and should be removed from his or her position on a school board. Following this determination, the school board may file a Petition to the Regional Superintendent requesting that he or she initiate the removal process.

Yesterday we reported that the D220 Board of Education (BOE) voted 6-1 on Tuesday to take action related to flagrant policy violations of BOE Member Erin Chan Ding (See “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS“).

The BOE has published its DECISION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION REGARDING COMPLAINT RECEIVED AGAINST BOARD MEMBER ERIN CHAN DING on the BOE’s Board Docs:

It appears from this Decision, and the continued flagrant violations of BOE policies by Chan Ding, that it’s time the BOE start the removal Petition process to the Regional Superintendent, Michael Karner, Ed.D. It wouldn’t hurt for the BOE and Dr. Karner to hear from the D220 taxpayers too.

As we understand it, grievances can be brought by a member of the public to the Regional Superintendent, so long as it contains supporting evidence. Dr. Karner’s email address has been provided previously, but we include it here for convenience mkarner@lake.k12.il.us.

Related: “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,”  “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”

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Editorial: Illinois pats itself on the back for better student performance — after lowering education standards

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Chicago Tribune, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Illinois Federation of Teachers, OP/Ed, Perjury, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on November 3, 2025| 1 Comment »

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

The state of Illinois released new student performance data the day before Halloween, touting better reading and math proficiency and a higher graduation rate.

What state officials didn’t emphasize is that this year’s “improvements” come with a big asterisk. Illinois changed how it defines “proficiency,” lowering the bar for what counts as meeting expectations.

Earlier this year, the Illinois State Board of Education voted to lower the proficiency “cut scores” for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, the standardized test taken by students in grades 3–8. Officials said the old thresholds were too high and unfair to students.

The new system, they argued, offers a more “realistic” snapshot of how kids are doing. But that change also makes it nearly impossible to compare new scores to previous years. The state’s online Report Card still includes the historical data in a separate area, but what’s being lost is honesty in presentation.

For years, Illinois has struggled to reconcile high academic expectations with persistently low proficiency rates. After the pandemic, scores cratered and never fully rebounded. The new cut scores reflect a broader debate over whether to meet students where they are or to hold firm on rigorous standards. Lowering expectations may make test results look better on paper, but it does nothing to raise real performance.

For parents, these changes aren’t academic — they shape how families understand whether their children are actually on track. A report card should be a clear window into student achievement, not a fogged-up mirror.

And even under the new, easier benchmarks, the picture isn’t rosy.

Read more here.

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Madigan reports to West Virginia prison

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Crime, Deception, Perjury on October 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan began serving his prison sentence Monday in West Virginia, 500 miles from Chicago.

By Jon Seidel | Chicago Sun*Times  

In West Virginia: Michael J. Madigan, the longtime former head of Illinois’ Democratic Party, is in prison. The 83-year-old surrendered Monday to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Morgantown, West Virginia — 500 miles away from Chicago and a 1.5-hour drive south of Pittsburgh — according to a source. Prison camps are known to have little to no fencing and inmates have access to a prison commissary.

The sentence: U.S. District Judge John Blakey handed Madigan a 7.5-year prison sentence in June, four months after a jury convicted him of bribery conspiracy, wire fraud and other crimes. Madigan testified in his own defense at trial, and Blakey found that he lied to the jury.

Key context: Madigan’s surrender caps a massive corruption investigation that began in 2014. But it wasn’t until Jan. 29, 2019, that the Sun-Times revealed the FBI had secretly recorded Madigan inside his private law office. About 20 people have since been charged. Madigan is the 11th to report to prison. Three others are due behind bars in the coming weeks.

Read on here.

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Four Percent Budget Cuts For Illinois? Not so Fast.

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Perjury, Politics, Wirepoints on October 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Pritzker’s budget directive has no teeth and he has pulled this stunt often, even as the budget soared. | Courtesy NPR

By Mark Glennon | Wirepoints

Headlines across the state recently claimed Gov. JB ordered 4% budget cuts across the state, thanks to stingy federal budget action. “Gov. Pritzker orders 4% cuts across state agencies, blames federal policies,” said a FOX Chicago headline, for example. Politico even reported that Pritzker issued an order “codifying” his distrust of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda.

“Show me” should be your response. Pritzker in fact ordered no budget cuts and he has pulled this stunt many times before, with no results.

First, you have to go to the operative document Pritzker signed, which is an executive order, and you have to skip past the “Whereas” clauses which are rhetoric with no effect.

You will find that the supposed budget cuts are just aspirational, not mandatory. The order directs state agencies to submit a report outlining progress on their undertaking of a review to identify spending reductions. Agencies are directed to manage State funds and other resources “with a goal to reserve 4 percent” of FY26 General Funds appropriations, but only “To the extent possible, and without compromising essential operations,” the meaning of which isn’t provided. It orders a “pause” in non-essential purchases and expenditures, but there’s no description of what that means or how much would be saved.

That’s it. Nothing firm or binding.

Read on here.

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710k Illinoisans avoid work advancement to keep welfare benefits

Posted in Economy, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes on July 17, 2025| 1 Comment »

Welfare programs are structured poorly and punish people for working to climb out of poverty. An estimated 710,000 Illinoisans have intentionally hurt their own economic advancement to keep welfare benefits.

By Sachi Gaonkar | Illinois Policy Institute

An estimated 710,000 Illinoisans have intentionally hurt their personal finances to avoid losing a welfare benefit, according to a new study.

A new report by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis shows nearly 1-in-4 welfare recipients has taken at least one negative action to avoid losing benefits, such as turning down raises or promotions, working fewer hours, declining job offers and refusing to build savings. With 3.2 million Illinoisians living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, that translates to at least 710,000 people in Illinois intentionally holding themselves back.

Social welfare programs are supposed to support families during times of need. Instead, they punish people in Illinois and across America as they work their way back to independence by removing health care, food and other benefits – a dynamic known as a “benefit cliff.” Research shows these cliffs are not only real, but that they affect a sizable number of Illinoisans.

National research highlights a structural challenge

Benefit cliffs occur when modest increases in earnings lead to a sudden and significant reduction in social welfare benefits. In Illinois, research from the University of Chicago shows a modest $1,000 annual wage increase, from $54,000 to $55,000, would result in an Illinois family losing over $25,000 in child care benefits. This dynamic can leave workers in a significantly worse financial position after a raise or promotion than they were before.

Individuals in households with people with disabilities were more likely to avoid economic advancement, underlining the added vulnerability some groups face when navigating social welfare programs. In Illinois, half of disabled people age 18 to 64 are not in the workforce.

Read more here.

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Editorial: Rahm versus JB in a presidential primary? Bring it on.

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fat Man Walking, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, RINO, Springfield, Unions on June 24, 2025| 1 Comment »

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, left, and Gov. JB Pritzker seen in photos from 2019 and 2025, respectively. | José M. Osorio and Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

Neither has said anything even remotely official, but it’s clear that both Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel currently are publicly exploring a run for president of the United States, even if both men are too smart to enter a race they have concluded they cannot win.

Bring it on, gentlemen, say we.

Each man represents a different faction of the Democratic Party and has articulated its goals. Pritzker, who has endeared himself to the party’s progressive wing, would surely have to run to the left of Emanuel, who has staked out an explicitly centrist position. Broadly speaking, the differences between the two typify the internal debate Democrats will have to face before (or if) they can sufficiently unify to regain power. Of course, Pritzker would find it relatively easy to tack right in a general election, should he win the primary, and Emanuel would surely figure out how to at least dance a little in the opposite direction in the primary. If necessary.

Should Pritzker decide not to run for an additional term as governor, of course, that could potentially tee up Emanuel to run the state (in the Democratic view) and leave the presidential race to Pritzker. No doubt that’s in our governor’s mind, but it seems more likely to us that he will decide his candidacy will be far stronger if it is launched from the governor’s mansion than as a private citizen. Hard to argue with that.

“We’re going to continue to be friends, but if we’re running for the same position, it will be awkward,” Emanuel told NBC News.

Awkward? Maybe. It’s far too early to assess anyone’s chances and either or both may yet demur. But we think a presidential campaign by either or both men can only be good for Chicago and Illinois.

Read more here.

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Maria Peterson announces run for IL State Representative, District 52

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fat Man Walking, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Open Meetings Act, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on June 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

NORTH BARRINGTON, Ill. – Today Maria Peterson is launching her campaign for State Representative, District 52, joined by dozens of supporters and Former Gov. Pat Quinn as keynote speaker. Peterson ran for this seat in 2024, and lost by just 47 votes.

Peterson stated, “Last election, we came within just 47 votes of winning – we were so close to bringing much-needed change to this district. When I knocked on more than 10,000 doors over the past 18 months, I heard that conversation over and over. Families spending more than 1/3 of their paychecks just on housing. Parents paying $16,000 a year for childcare. Neighbors worried they can’t afford healthcare or their property taxes in the future. This isn’t abstract policy – this is real life in District 52.”

“Since the last election, I have committed countless hours to electing Democrats locally, and worked with Barrington Giving Day, the Rotary Club, and others to help families who are drowning in property taxes, paying more for childcare than their mortgage, and skipping doctor visits due to costs. I am ready to take this and years of fighting for our community to Springfield.”

Peterson has received the endorsements of over two dozen federal, state, and local elected officials. She faces IL Veterans for Change Founder Jesse Rojo and Barrington District 220 School Board Member Erin Chan Ding in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.

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Related: “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”

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Michael Madigan has left Illinoisans with a corrupt political system he refined

Posted in ComEd Four, Crime, Deception, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Letters to the Editor, Perjury, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, The Chicago Way, Unions on June 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after being sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison and fined $2.5 million during a hearing on June 13, 2025, in Chicago. | Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune

By Matt Paprocki

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced Friday to 71/2 years in federal prison and fined $2.5 million after being convicted on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. While Illinoisans finally see some justice, they also see Madigan’s corrupt political legacy still hurting them.

Madigan was the longest-serving statehouse speaker in U.S. history. Under his reign, Illinois achieved the nation’s lowest credit rating and ranked as the second-most indebted and corrupt state. On average, more than one Illinois public servant per week — for 40 years between 1983 and 2023 — was convicted of corruption just in federal court, not including local prosecutions. High taxes, the pension crisis, massive debt and corruption have driven residents to better-governed states. Much of it can be traced to Madigan and how he pulled the levers.

The structure Madigan built concentrated power in ways exclusive to Illinois. He crafted rules that continue to give Illinois House speakers unparalleled power to control which bills become law, he is responsible for the state’s extreme gerrymandering and he nurtured the culture of corruption that continues to plague Illinois.

Lawmakers must unravel Madigan’s influence and the control he built through little-known rules of procedure. Madigan rewrote these to gather power and co-opt the legislature, effectively silencing voters’ voices when in conflict with leadership’s agenda.

Through these House rules, the speaker wields nearly absolute control over the legislative process. The most troubling of which allows the speaker to effectively control which bills, amendments and motions even make out of the Rules Committee. Madigan designed the process so everything must first pass through this committee, so that the speaker hand-picks the majority and bills opposed by leadership can simply die there through inaction.

Getting a bill out of the Rules Committee requires either unanimous consent — virtually impossible — or three-fifths support from both parties’ caucuses, with each supporter required to sponsor the bill. That’s an extraordinarily high barrier found in no other state. The Rules Committee has rarely voted contrary to the speaker’s wishes.

Madigan’s successor, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, has adopted a similar rule by which only bills with 60 Democratic sponsors get called for a vote on the House floor. That makes it very difficult for bills without a large, progressive-leaning caucus to emerge.

Additionally, Madigan championed the state’s extreme gerrymandering by drawing the maps during the 1980s, 2000s and 2010s, plus influenced the 2020s effort. It was how he first started gathering power, saving Chicago Democrats’ seats in the state legislature by nipping off just enough of the growing suburbs to dilute their voting power. By doing so, he exacerbated Illinois’ uncompetitive elections in the following decades, leaving voters without choices and little reason to go to the polls.

When more than 560,000 registered voters in 2016 tried to stop him and ensure legislative maps were independently drawn, he used one of his ComEd cronies to sue and kill the effort. That decision still thwarts any reforms unless state lawmakers initiate them.

Illinois lawmakers should make that break with Madigan’s corruption by adopting an independent political mapmaking process for the people’s representatives in Springfield and in Washington, D.C. There’s little they could do of greater significance than giving voters back their power.

In addition to the elimination of Madigan’s rules and creating independently drawn political maps, the state needs comprehensive ethics reforms. Those reforms must go beyond the toothless package the legislature passed after his indictment. They include:

  • Implementing a one- or two-year idle period before former lawmakers can perform any lobbying, closing loopholes that currently let them game the system.
  • Providing the legislative inspector general with full investigative powers, including subpoena authority and the ability to publish findings without permission from the lawmakers on the Legislative Ethics Commission.
  • Requiring lawmakers to provide complete financial disclosures for their immediate families, not just joint accounts.
  • Giving the Legislative Ethics Commission independent oversight by requiring some number of members who are not current or former lawmakers. The current system of lawmakers policing themselves represents an obvious conflict of interest that undermines accountability.
  • Preventing sitting public leaders from controlling party campaign funds. As chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois and speaker of the Illinois House, Madigan was able to control millions in party campaign funds and thus the fealty of lawmakers. Fifty-seven current members of the Illinois General Assembly benefited from and would not have been elected without funding controlled by Madigan, an Illinois Policy Institute analysis found.

Until Illinois reforms gerrymandering, ethics laws and House rules to better reflect democratic principles seen in other state legislatures, Madigan will continue controlling us. The power to make law will remain concentrated in the hands of a few.

Madigan’s punishment should include sitting in his cell knowing his machine is being dismantled. That would be full justice for Illinoisans.

Matt Paprocki is president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute 

Published June 17, 2025 in the Chicago Tribune

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