Board of Trustees

Democracy is Messy

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democracy

Teaching students the finer points of the spelling bee at Archer School

 

“Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”–Otto von Bismark

 

Our current Village Board has been criticized recently for not being cohesive. The Trustees “cannot agree on issues and the Village President has had to break too many ties.” I don’t enjoy having to break ties. But it’s part of my job, and I will dutifully accept that responsibility when it comes my way.

It is true that the Village Board has been indecisive on major agenda items over the past year such as: covered bridge repair or replacement, video gambling, and long-term capital infrastructure funding and the policies guiding this. By nature, democracy is necessarily messy when dealing with issues that split public opinion. The Rt. 53 extension, and the fairness of funding public vs. private roads are but two more of the hot-button issues up for debate in the months and years ahead.

I’ll admit, it would be great and make my job a whole a lot easier if the Board was packed with people who all agreed on every issue. But the beauty of democracy is that differing opinions cause individuals to cooperate by working together to look at solving problems from a different angle; perhaps craft a compromise or come up with an entirely new solution. The power of the group is that consensus leads to a better decision than any individual can make.

Direction may seem obvious when looking at a single decision from one’s own personal perspective. However, the Village Board must take community greater good into account, and balance each judgement on how it fits into a multitude of others from the past and into the future.

Collaborative and representative decision making is a very different style than dictatorial. If you run your own business, you may have the authority to call all the shots. The process of democracy calls for putting egos aside. It has no place for someone who is arrogant and has all the answers. Those who practice it must be willing to trust and work with others.

Our current issues are not trivial, and part of making a good decision is to take the time needed to converse with fellow residents, take the pulse of the community, and seek public opinion. Long Grove is at a crossroads of change in many ways. Downtown ownership is going through a transition. Further economic development, and housing which may involve multi-family or mixed use will be a part of the discussions relating to the update of the comprehensive plan. Road improvements on Old McHenry, Aptakisic, Rt. 22 and even possibly Rt. 53 will affect the traffic in our Village and impact our lives on a daily basis.

Civil discussion and debate, careful consideration of facts, and resident input are all a part of the process leading up to a vote of majority opinion. And once a direction has been identified, support of the entire Board, respect for the individuals who sit upon it, and acceptance of the collective decision that has been made is essential for any democracy to succeed.

Village Tavern Event

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One of the benefits of having an upcoming election is getting the chance to mix and mingle with residents at campaign events. Last night the Village Tavern hosted a fun and well-attended community night to meet several of the candidates, and ask them questions about the issues the Village faces. It was a great opportunity to meet up with merchants, neighbors, and friends in a casual setting. I am gratified to see so many residents really engaged in the current topics, and the collective desire that I saw last night to all work together towards the common goal of making our Village more vibrant was heartwarming. With Trustee Joe Barry retiring, we are guaranteed to have at least one new face on our Village Board later this Spring. A contested election is always a bit stressful on a community, but what I saw last night was a community really pulling together to empower some positive momentum.

 

State of the Village of Long Grove

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coveredbridge

Happy New Year!  I hope that your 2015 is off to a great start.  I’d like to take a moment of your time to recap some of the significant things that happened on the Village Board in the past 12 months, and give you a peek ahead to what is on the agenda for Long Grove in the coming year.

GOALS ACHIEVED

Every two years, as new Village officials are elected, the new Board spends a workshop day identifying goals for the months ahead.  2014 saw the realization of several of those goals, and significant work was achieved on many goals that are ongoing.  Goals that were achieved include:  the replacement of street signs throughout the Village, update and expansion of the permitted uses in the downtown historic district, lease of the Village soccer fields, and determining the specifics of a road maintenance funding referendum, which was held this past March.  One goal that is ongoing is to “identify sustainable long-term funding sources for needed infrastructure repair and replacement.”  Following the failure of the referendum, this goal became a high priority.  A series of infrastructure workshops was held over the summer and fall months, with the 4th and final workshop planned for January 20th.  Members of the community were invited to work with the Board of Trustees in exploring funding options aided by the guidance and advice of consultants in the fields of strategic planning, engineering, economic development, and finance.  As an outcome of these workshops, the Board expects to have a consensus on direction with regard to funding our current and future infrastructure needs.  The completion of a long-range Capital Improvement Plan that provides a comprehensive view of the Village’s capital needs is another goal that is ongoing, and has been a topic of this workshop series.

ADDITIONAL 2014 ACTIONS

Several new issues were brought before the Board this year, two of which resulted in large attendance at public hearings and Village Board meetings.  Video Gambling was approved by the Board on a six month temporary basis, and is currently available at four locations in the historic downtown.  The decision on establishing this on a permanent basis will come before the Board this coming April.  Two new Senior Living & Memory Care developments have been approved in the Village, one near the intersection of Routes 53 and 83, another near the intersection of Rt. 53 and Long Grove Road.  Construction is expected to start on both of these projects in the coming months.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2015

On April 7th, you will be asked to participate in the future direction of our Village as three of the Trustee positions will be up for election.  Six candidates are running in the race, and your vote will be important.  Our Village Clerk position is uncontested.

One of the first goals that the Board will be addressing in 2015 is an update of the Comprehensive Plan.  It has been many years since the previous update, and the time has come to take the pulse of the current residents to make sure that our policies and guiding principles accurately reflect those of the majority.  To assist with this, the Village is hiring a professional survey organization to conduct a Village-wide survey this winter.  If you are called to participate, please let us know your opinion.

In the coming year we expect to make progress on the extension of our Village pathway system, finalizing a connection between the south Schaeffer Road path and the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve.  A decision on the renovation or replacement of our covered bridge will be made, and steps will be taken to get this work underway.  Our Village water system will be extended from the municipal well at Sunset Plaza into the downtown crossroads.  This will bring higher quality water into the shops and restaurants in our historic business district and be an important factor in attracting new development and encouraging improvements to existing properties.  Speaking of new development, many of the properties in the historic downtown have recently come under new ownership, with several more expected in the next few months.  The Board is looking forward to working with these new owners in 2015, as new shops and restaurants are opened.  We will be assisting with efforts to attract new businesses by forming an Economic Development Commission, and will be taking a more active role in outreach.

Many goals are yet to be achieved.  But your Village Board has the willingness to work hard, and with your support much can be accomplished in the year ahead.