tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6318394541187939172024-03-15T10:03:04.138-05:00Down the Drain in Highland ParkA blog to air residents' concerns, complaints and praise for our City's Management.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-59232104431466340712022-04-07T15:08:00.023-05:002022-04-27T12:30:56.711-05:00<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><b><span><span>By: <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-author-of-down-drain-in-hp-blog.html" target="_blank">Debra Rade</a></span></span></span></b></span></span> </span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i> </i></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>"Insanity
is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.</i>"</span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> — </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Attributed
to Albert Einstein</span></span></span></h1><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></span></h3><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><style>@font-face
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style> </span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><span><span>CHAPTER FIVE — There are tools to fix this house...<br /><br /></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></h2><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7DYNz4reV7sepXDWndBdNeJoDlu5wtQxVsIXM4M2EpRU-ybE6zfYUJkpXgVBQeKsgEUmfI1oAkPrylO3tM4DHtggfJzFpdob685d-9EgCnEjot-pSYwyiOsQF7F0kN7rYtL1SoVTM7uONvpyfzsqyfoOGttFYMzEf95FrsH9BhQ0jYErLjpArHA/s596/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-07%20at%2010.35.02%20AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="596" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7DYNz4reV7sepXDWndBdNeJoDlu5wtQxVsIXM4M2EpRU-ybE6zfYUJkpXgVBQeKsgEUmfI1oAkPrylO3tM4DHtggfJzFpdob685d-9EgCnEjot-pSYwyiOsQF7F0kN7rYtL1SoVTM7uONvpyfzsqyfoOGttFYMzEf95FrsH9BhQ0jYErLjpArHA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-07%20at%2010.35.02%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Previous chapters of “<b>Lessons Learned From The School Board — The Hard
Way” </b>detailed serious incidents, including criminal events, that took place within Township
High School District 113 over the past decade and continuing into 2022. The School Board hid relevant facts from the community, and, but for a <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Whistleblower Letter</a>, they would have remained behind closed doors forever. Finally, the facts have been revealed and are supported by documentation. Residents should be able now to make informed decisions about the continuing endemic failures of District 113 in governance and compliance. </span><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Time to learn lessons from these facts and move forward. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a lesson in realizing that virtually
all information provided in this report was intentionally concealed by the
School Board. As a result, residents were prevented from making
any informed decisions. Rather than representing the community that elected them as school officials, the School Board was manipulating the residents.<br /><br />The consistent failure of the Board of Education to take
appropriate steps to hold administrators accountable for their actions has negatively
impacted the high school district in Highland Park and Deerfield in myriad ways. This has materially harmed the education of our children in the community as well as District
employees. Not only has this created an untenable level of mistrust between employees
and the board, it impacts taxes and potentially lowers property values.</span><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If each of the major incidents that took place in District 113 were unique, that would be a greater challenge. As they stay, “stuff
happens.” However, each incident in this report is inextricably bound by the same fabric. Year after year, District 113’s Board of Education appears
to have failed to face and disclose facts. They have failed to determine controls and implement policies designed
to avert similar problems in the future.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
every organization,
there exists a potential vulnerability to crime, falsification of records, embezzlement,
and theft. Yet, what distinguishes one entity from another is how they avert problems, and what they learn from them when problems arise. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just
last week, the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/former-yale-med-school-employee-pleads-guilty-admits-stealing-and-selling-40-million">Department
of Justice announced</a> that a financial administrator pleaded guilty to fraud and tax offenses related to her <b>theft
of $40,000,000</b> in computer and electronic hardware from her employer, the <b>Yale University
School of Medicine</b>. Many wonder, how did Yale lose track
of $40 million?<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You could ask a similar question about District
113. How was it possible that District 113 issued a few checks, in the aggregate of approximately $365,000 each year, made payable to Petty Cash? In the ten years that this took place (maybe more), that means that $3.65 million dollars in small bills was handled without any appropriate accounting controls. Think about that. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The difference between Yale and
District 113? It’s not just one of scale. It's in the response. Rest assured, Yale
will closely examine the failure of their financial controls and will take appropriate corrective
action. Certainly, Yale Med did not inform the Department of Justice that its Board had no intention of assisting in the investigation or prosecution of its former Director of Finance and Administration. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Board of Education of District 113 distinguishes itself by failing to appropriately respond to bad actors, and covering up the facts in closed doors. It has repetitively failed to take corrective action. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This must change. There are tools to fix this house, but until the Board of Education accepts its responsibility for these failures, nothing will improve. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is a summary of significant deficiencies, based primarily on the <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Whistleblower Letter</a>, the <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills" target="_blank">Cash
& Carry</a> report, and <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">supporting documentation</a>: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>Failing to </b></span></span><b>hold
administrators responsible for serious, if not criminal, actions, including
falsification of records, mismanagement of funds and cash, theft, and records
destruction. </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Retaliatory termination
and demotion of administrators for their efforts to maintain compliance with Illinois
laws.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Failing to set appropriate
financial controls and lack of supervision of approximately $365,000 a year in
cash for more than a decade.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Failing to
appropriately discipline a principal for falsification of records required to
be filed by Illinois law.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Failing to fully cooperate
with the Lake County State’s Attorney in two criminal investigations of
District 113, including the response to a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Grand Jury Subpoena</a>.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Flaunting
the law by permitting a registered child sex offender to be on campus without
required supervision; retaliatory demotion of an administrator for complying
with Illinois law; and, allegedly, allowing/requiring the next administration
to resume the noncompliance (as alleged by the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkjXcFozyXMJAHzB_E9Ms5okR41VX4QB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Burnetti Complaint,</a> para. 39-48, 77-84).</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Creating an
environment where administrators, teachers, and staff perceive the School Board
as a web of corruption and causing them to fear retaliation for reporting noncompliance
with law. A</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Failing
to ensure that District 113 was an inclusive environment, and failing to "eliminate and reverse past practices" (with an implication of discrimination). </b>(<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkjXcFozyXMJAHzB_E9Ms5okR41VX4QB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>Burnetti
Complaint, para. 27</b></a>).</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Hiring the son of the
lawyer who represents District 113 in HR matters as the HR administrator
without regard to the appearance of impropriety and potential conflict of interest.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Failing to take
steps to set appropriate governance and compliance programs.</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Intentionally covering up problems
in the school district behind closed doors, possibly in violation of the Open
Meetings Act.</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Certain Board Members going so far as to specifically encourage and instruct teachers and/or community members to file complaints about the Superintendent while not disclosing the facts covered up by the School Board. (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkjXcFozyXMJAHzB_E9Ms5okR41VX4QB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Burnetti Complaint, para. 54-57)</a></b></span><br /></span></li></ul><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 74.35pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
appearance of impropriety and unethical behavior are a strong threads that bind these elements together. This has had a profound impact on our children’s education, as well as teacher
and staff morale, the community’s taxes, and the reputation of our communities in
Deerfield and Highland Park. The perception of public corruption within elected local government entity is an assault on democracy. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>All is not lost.</b> If the community insists on change and holds the School Board, including each individual member, accountable for the Board of Education's past and present performance, there can be much improvement soon, for relatively little expense. Our toolkit must address failures in accountability, oversight, and transparency (readers might be interested in this article about "<a href="https://web.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/microsites/public-integrity/files/fighting_small_town_corruption_-_capi_practitioner_toolkit_-_august_2016.pdf" target="_blank">Fighting 'Small Town' Corruption</a>"). <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Following
are the top 10 recommendations to the Board of Education District 113:</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b>SET AN ETHICAL TONE AT THE TOP</b>.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The tone at
the top isn’t just an axiom. Set and
demonstrate the School Board’s commitment to integrity, financial controls,
legal, and ethical compliance. A good ethical compass is a great way to steer the ship. Continually
reinforce, maintain, and renew procedures to ensure that a culture of
governance and compliance is effective. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Study
up. It is inexcusable that in 2022 so many government entities, including the
City and Village, and the Park Districts, have failed to institute even the most
basic elements of good governance. The imperative to implement sound governance
is just as important within government entities and not for profit organizations.
A lot can be learned from the corporate world. (<a href="https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2016/09/08/principles-of-corporate-governance/" target="_blank"><span>See, Principles of Corporate
Governance, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, 2016</span></a>)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What
was the tone at the top when the School Board learned about the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view" target="_blank">Grand Jury Subpoena</a>? What
was the guiding principle the School Board considered in responding to the Lake County State's Attorney? The community was
certainly not the beneficiary of their response <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view" target="_blank">thatthe School Board had no interest in further investigation or prosecution, andthat they never had any intention of holding the former employees accountable</a>.
Nor were the students or remaining employees the beneficiaries. From the
perspective of administrators and the Whistleblowers, that response merely confirmed what they had perceived for a long
time — that the School Board and its legal counsel would always protect their cronies and friends, and retaliate against those who were not.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Board of Education must set and follow an ethical guide star in all decisions. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b>COMMIT TO IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND COMPLIANCE IN DISTRICT
113 — ESTABLISH A COMPLIANCE FUNCTION. </b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Establish
a compliance function within District 113’s administration. This report will
not cover all the details and nuances of that program, but it should include a
new administrative position, a director of compliance. A governance and
compliance consultant(s) should be retained to assist the Director of
Compliance and the Board Members in developing this necessary function. <br /><br />Serving as a School
Board member should not be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants job. Provide School
Board members with an education about the importance of governance and compliance, and make this a part of their continuing education. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
new Director of Compliance should conduct a review of all existing governance
policies and determine and consider what needs to be improved, as well as what is missing. Even the best policies can
do great harm if they are merely placed in a drawer. If not already developed, programs
should be implemented to ensure that all employees are aware of, and
understand, the policies. Given the existing fear about retaliatory discharge
and demotions, the District may need to take additional to encourage reporting among employees.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b>PROVIDE A WHISTLEBLOWER HOTLINE TO ALL DISTRICT
EMPLOYEES ASAP.</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
was a tragic situation when whistleblowers, in fear of retaliatory discharge, sent
an anonymous letter to Gerry Meister and me crying out for help. Sadly, we were
in no position to change the course of the School Board when they needed it most. No
employee should have to go through the angst of working in, what they believe,
is a corrupt organization, especially fearing punishment for bringing attention
to malfeasance. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
is essential to provide an anonymous Whistleblower hotline program. This is not just an
800# telephone line but includes other ways to report non-compliances
anonymously. Under no circumstance should a hotline be directly connected to District
113 or its administrators. There are many companies that provide affordable independent
hotline and reporting services – likely for less than a couple of thousand
dollars per year. They can provide 24/7/365 accessibility, as well as multiple
language support. A small investment with substantial rewards.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After
a report is initiated and the director of compliance and/or the School Board determines it requires
investigation, an independent legal or investigative firm should be given full
rein to fully investigate the matter. The firm should advise the director of compliance and School Board directly. The School Board should not then ask for an overriding, second opinion from their usual law firm (as was
done when Robbins and Schwartz investigated the theft and document destruction,
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oagzcZQXV-3NmmI8pDiEFJfwDtQLNEyt/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">provided an independent report to the Board</a>, but was apparently <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">overruled by HLERK</a>).</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b>SET A POLICY TO REINFORCE FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN ALL ACTIONS.</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Treating
administrators, teachers, and other staff fairly and equitably is in the School
District’s best interests. It is vitally important to hold everyone accountable
for poor performance and, especially, harmful and criminal actions. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">District
113 is a relatively small community. It’s hard to create a bubble in which School
Board members have no personal relationships with District 113 employees. To
the greatest possible extent, however, School Board members should be
encouraged and expected to be professional in all their conduct. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Policy should be set to require School Board
members to disclose personal relationships and recuse themselves from any determination
that might be clouded by friendship or other potential conflicts of interest. Additionally,
the School Board can develop a policy to ensure that all employees are treated fairly.
Friends and family should not be hired, and, for many reasons, a nepotism
policy would be helpful as well.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b>CONDUCT FORMAL REVIEWS OF EXISTING ACCOUNTING AND LEGAL FIRMS;
ISSUE ROUTINE REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS.</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Accountants:</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;">The
<a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills" target="_blank">Cash & Carry</a> report raised significant issues, not only about cash
management, but the audit function. Checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars
were made payable to Petty Cash, were signed by one person (the treasurer)
without a countersignature, were endorsed by employees (including the
treasurer), and then picked up in small bills to be used in a book-buyback
program for which there was no viable control or accounting (no inventory, no
receipts, etc.). The practice of handling cash in this manner took place for
more than a decade and ended only when residents reported the transactions to
the Lake County State’s Attorney as potential crimes. Yet, over that decade, an auditor would have been required to review the accounts.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
practices reported in Cash & Carry were highly irregular. Indeed, each
“Petty Cash” check was, on its face, improper, and you don’t need to be an
accountant to understand that. Each represented sums far larger than most line
items in an approved budget. It is unbelievable that checks of these sizes could
fly under any auditor's radar. Did any audit firm report the Petty Cash checks to the School Board? Did they fail to do so every year? Or, perhaps, they issued a Management Letter that was ignored by the School Board. These facts should be further investigated.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=010500050HArt.+4&ActID=1005&ChapterID=17&SeqStart=39400000&SeqEnd=40800000" target="_blank">By law, every high school in Illinois must be audited by a public accounting each year.</a> However, the law does not require (nor prohibit) that Management Letters be published. District 113 failed to provide copies of Management Letters requested for the Cash & Carry report. It is proposed that the School Board should be far more transparent, and should provide residents
with access to all the relevant audit documents, including Auditor Reports,
Auditor Management Letters, and District 113’s responses to the Management Letter.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Transparency and accountability
is key to compliance, even for auditors. There should be a review of the
performance over the past decade, including if and why various auditing firms
were swapped out. If the firm during the Cash & Carry time failed to report
the Petty Cash checks to the School Board, this should be reported to the AICPA,
even if these events took place 10 years ago.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Law
Firms:</span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Every
school board relies heavily on legal advice and representation, particularly with regard to the human resources function. There
are many laws firms to choose from who have the requisite expertise. <a href="https://hlerk.com/" target="_blank">HLERK</a> has
represented the School Board for, at least, a decade. HLERK advised the Board
of Education on virtually every matter discussed in this report. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There is a reasonable argument to be made that a law firms, as well as accounting firms, lose their independent judgment over extended periods of time. Indeed, consider that in the US, public companies must rotate their audit engagement partners. Some would say that it is not just the audit partner that needs rotation, but the audit firm, too. There is no similar requirement applicable to law partners and firms, but, perhaps, there should be. <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">While
HLERK may have many talented partners and associates, the firm has also become,
at least, witnesses to, and alleged by some administrators to be, actors in much
of what has gone awry in District 113. The Whistleblower Letter refers to Tony
Loizzi by name 16 times, alleging that he has a conflict of interest, and is
favoring and protecting his friends, while enabling the School Board to
terminate and demote administrators in retaliation. The Burnetti complaint
refers to him, by name (but not as a defendant), eight times.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
appearance of impropriety can be just as meaningful as actual impropriety, as well as being indicative of it. Accordingly, as soon as possible, the School Board should issue an RFP to
secure another law firm to represent District 113 — an independent law firm
with no partners or associates who are friends with any member of the School Board
or District 113’s administration or teachers.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Based
on all the issues in this report, the School District should routinely and thoroughly review
the performance of its service providers, including lawyers and accountants. Placing
routine Requests for Proposals on a schedule is helpful to any organization. Not only does it foster some competition that
encourages service providers to provide their best service and fee rates, it is an opportunity to review performance and relationships. The
Board of Education should set a schedule for requesting RFPs for these professionals at least every 3
years.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span>6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">REVIEW DISTRICT 113’S DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
POLICY.</span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It
is disturbing to read allegations in the Burnetti complaint (para. 27) that, prior to the arrival of Superintendent Dignam, District 113 has failed to provide for diversity, equity, and inclusivity
—the implication of actual discrimination. If true,
this needs to be addressed and rectified immediately by the School Board and reviewed by the community. If a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy exists, it should
be reviewed and the School District should oversee its implementation and ensure compliance with it. If there isn’t a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
policy, it should be developed and implemented ASAP. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span>7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">CLOSED MEETINGS SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION — ENSURE
TRANSPARENCY WITH THE COMMUNITY AND NEWS MEDIA.</span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">By intentionally withholding information from residents, the
Board of Education has earned the community’s lack of trust. A component in regaining trust is to ensure transparency. Closed meetings should
be rare events and only in full compliance with the <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2" target="_blank">Open Meetings Act.</a> The Act purpose is “protect the citizen’s right to know.” Exceptions to an open meeting should be "strictly construed against closed meetings.” </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It
is reasonable to conclude that there was, at least, one closed
meeting, with <a href="https://hlerk.com/attorney/anthony-j-loizzi-sr/" target="_blank">Anthony Loizzi</a> present, to discuss alleged violations of criminal
law by certain <i>former</i> administrators. This likely was in violation of the Open
Meetings Act that defines an employee as a person who is currently employed,
not a former employee. Residents will not find a record of any <b>open</b> <b>meeting </b>in
which the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Grand Jury Subpoena</a> was discussed, nor a record of any <b>open meeting</b> in which
the School Board was advised by Loizzi, or in which Loizzi would have been instructed by the School Board, to send the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">“no harm-no foul” letter.</a> These matters had to have been discussed somewhere — more likely than not, in a <b>closed meeting.</b> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Consider
the termination of Superintendent Digman’s contract. The residents were only told by the School Board that he had created an exodus of administrators because of a toxic enviromment the Superintendent had created. The School Board did not tell the residents that the three administrators who left included a principal previously determined to have falsified records, and that he, in concert with two other administrators, had destroyed school records on their way out the door, including putting some documents in a car for unknown purposes and transportation to a place that remains a mystery. <br /><br />It is hard to believe residents would have approved of the superintendent's termination or the severance payment, or the hiring of two administrators to replace the one if they had access to the facts. In any event, and surely, it was a lack of transparency that permitted the School Board to manipulate the residents in that situation.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Of course, if there had been transparency and the facts were available, the Chicago Tribune would likely not have <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/ct-hpn-district-113-superintendent-vote-tl-0531-story.html" target="_blank">published the article claiming that a “toxic environment”</a> was caused by the superintendent. The Trib's report would have been correct if it had revealed that our superintendent was trying to do a good job of cleaning up the swamp and was meeting resistance from the School Board. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
lack of transparency, including specific cover-ups, that resulted in the
termination of the Superintendent, cost residents nearly $1 million in unbudgeted
expenses that year, seriously disparaged and harmed the Superintendent, and further
damaged the reputations of Highland Park and Deerfield.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Moving forward, the
Board of Education should err on the side of transparency and hold open meetings unless strictly required. Perhaps independent counsel should be retained just for the purpose of ensuring compliance. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span>8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">THE SCHOOL BOARD NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS
ACTIONS</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">
<b>— MAKE AMENDS.</b></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Many
people have been personally harmed by these School Board actions. So has
the community. It is time for the School Board to acknowledge their
mistakes and the harm done.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">In
addition to implementing the recommendations in this report, the School Board
should undertake to make some reparations. The School Board should consider: <span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.35pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Burnetti Lawsuit</b>.
Don’t waste tax dollars fighting this lawsuit for the sake of fighting it. If what she alleges is
true, work out a reasonable settlement, and make things right. Litigation
defense is expensive — residents should not have to foot the bill. Also,
assuming Ms. Burnetti remains qualified for the job that she was demoted from,
consider reinstating her to the same or similar position, if she will take it after all this.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Christopher Dignam</b>.
Retain one or more recruiting firms to place Christopher Dignam in another
school district where they would appreciate his ethical compass. The School Board shamelessly and publicly defamed this man. Make it right, as right as it can be now.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span>9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">IF THE LAKE COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY CONDUCTS AN
INVESTIGATION INTO DISTRICT 113, ASSIST THEM. </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
Lake County State’s Attorney is there to pursue justice. The School Board should never be an obstacle or
impediment in the pursuit of justice.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span>10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">RESIDENTS — PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> <br /></span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Several years ago, three
people called me and asked for help. They expressed their deep concerns about alleged
corruption in Township High School District 113 at both the administrative
level and within the Board of Education. None of them had children in the school
system at the time, they were mostly retired. They were critical thinkers. Financial
mismanagement was their primary interest. Their claims sounded outrageous. “There is no such thing as a Petty Cash check for hundreds of
thousands of dollars!” I told them. I was wrong.<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Among
the group was <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/margaret-mcphee-obituary?id=2798536" target="_blank">Margaret A. ("Maggie") McPhee</a>, z"l. We need more Maggies — smart, detail oriented, tenacious, and willing to review every financial detail. We need more Gerry Meisters,
who will attend School Board meetings and challenge the assumptions being made. With his expertise in architecture, Gerry has also been able to point out when funds were released improperly in construction projects, as well as noting possible violations of building codes. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It
would be great to just sit back and rely on the Board of Education to perform all
their responsibilities well. Based on history, though, we know that they
perform some of responsibilities very well while they fail at others of great consequence. <br /><br />All of
the recommendations proposed today, if implemented, will help reduce the incidents
and improprieties. However, there is never a time that even the best of
organizations is immune. Remember Yale Med and their missing $40 million. When we
relax, controls relax. Be ever vigilant. If you have the skills, step up and keep
a watchful eye on District 113 for the sake of education and our community. Meanwhile, implementing an Whistlblower Hotline is a great and necessary first step.<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There will be one final chapter — an epilogue, covering some things that have been learned since starting to publish this report. Hope readers will "stay tuned." </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Links to all chapters of this report:</span></span></span></span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Prologue</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter One</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter Two</span></span></a><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four<br /></a><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/04/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter Five</a></span></span><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span>
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span><span></span></span></b></span></span></span></h2><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></span></b></span></span></h1>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-39760029444078708092022-03-25T15:11:00.055-05:002022-04-27T12:31:15.762-05:00<p><br /><br />
</p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span><span>By: <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-author-of-down-drain-in-hp-blog.html" target="_blank">Debra Rade</a></span></span></span></b></span></span></span> <br /></span></span></b></span></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="hgkelc">“<i>Plus ça change, plus c'est la même
chose</i>.” — Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">CHAPTER FOUR </span></span></b></span></span>— <span style="font-size: large;">Common threads that bind us... </span><br /></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i><span style="color: #4f4f50;">“Can you </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">please help? Chris </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">tried
to help and look where that got him. </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">We are </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">all terrified if this can </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">happen
to the </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">superintendent, what will they do to </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">the </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">rest of us? What
will become of our district? This situation is actually worse that the [Cash
and Carry] scheme…Please do not let the </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">moral,
</span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">ethical actions of our former </span><span style="color: #656565;">superintendent, w</span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">ho </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">wanted to do the right </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">thing,
be for nothing </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">and </span><span style="color: #656565;">allow </span><b><span style="color: #4f4f50;">crimes to </span><span style="color: #656565;">once </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">again go </span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">unpunished in </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">District
</span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">113</span></b></i><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">.”
Whistleblower Letter, October 2018</span></span>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_TIyQALIbumZbd2VzXnPQjGkhmA_UtUi7SCuh69eyYGRJmbYUXuvhFVwtu36fGvDiivVNQPO-c9TLU8XYV-YMOX-fKyvs5Uny24X17SoVagVbCO1i9KlqrgJHbw28nYmhLNipwegMazXsbOh2KIz3eMT9SyxkkyyOxEf4TihQNYx2XGeUCbQ-84/s1170/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-25%20at%209.49.25%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="92" data-original-width="1170" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_TIyQALIbumZbd2VzXnPQjGkhmA_UtUi7SCuh69eyYGRJmbYUXuvhFVwtu36fGvDiivVNQPO-c9TLU8XYV-YMOX-fKyvs5Uny24X17SoVagVbCO1i9KlqrgJHbw28nYmhLNipwegMazXsbOh2KIz3eMT9SyxkkyyOxEf4TihQNYx2XGeUCbQ-84/w640-h50/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-25%20at%209.49.25%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #3d3c3e; font-size: medium;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbe5nDMezaOOoUG6jSASaeglkf1Bu6iNO-UjUJ1GA9_e9k3d0O93P3PTp2aHkXElTzXur48jkxOFrQmSomDa3oM5KUVlPYKEXqIxlw-uEn0QbMe49sfRGZwByYa3Cl7jd8JzS9-ouygYHyo9fBMt-E0B1S7K_UeD3nXkGfQPVojL3JivS7oN18Jw/s1234/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-25%20at%209.39.57%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="62" data-original-width="1234" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbe5nDMezaOOoUG6jSASaeglkf1Bu6iNO-UjUJ1GA9_e9k3d0O93P3PTp2aHkXElTzXur48jkxOFrQmSomDa3oM5KUVlPYKEXqIxlw-uEn0QbMe49sfRGZwByYa3Cl7jd8JzS9-ouygYHyo9fBMt-E0B1S7K_UeD3nXkGfQPVojL3JivS7oN18Jw/w640-h32/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-25%20at%209.39.57%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #3d3c3e; font-size: medium;"><br />Powerful words, indeed. Given the obvious fear, brave words, too. Imagine working in that environment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #3d3c3e; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">The Whistleblowers are referring
to a course of events that span nearly a decade. It is alleged that, over that course of time, the <a href="https://www.dist113.org/domain/221" target="_blank">Board of Education of Township High School District 113 </a>failed to hold various administrators fully accountable for:</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Negligent accounting and mismanagement of more than one million dollars in cash — <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills " target="_blank">Cash & Carry;</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">intentional
falsification by a Principal of required school filings; and,</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view" target="_blank">
</a></span></span></span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view" target="_blank">theft and destruction of District 113’s records and property</a><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view" target="_blank">.</a> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Not included in the
Whistleblower Letter, but related to the School Board’s determinations during that same time, is <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkjXcFozyXMJAHzB_E9Ms5okR41VX4QB/view" target="_blank">Amy Burnetti’s lawsuit against District 113 filed in 2021</a>, pending in 2022, in Federal Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Among the plaintiff's various counts in that lawsuit, Ms. Burnetti alleges she was wrongfully subject to retaliatory
demotions and discipline for her actions: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">in assisting
Superintendent Dignam and Robbins Schwartz in the investigation of theft and
destruction of District’s records and property; and,</span></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">in compliance and enforcement of an <span>Illinois
statute requiring a registered child sex offender in the community to be “under the direct
supervision of a school official” at all times when "in the vicinity of children" on a school campus. (<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K11-9.3">ILCS 5/11-9.3(a)</a>) </span></span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">With regard to the latter issue, Ms. Burnetti alleges that the "prior administration had allowed a [registered] child sex offender, who is a parent of a HPHS student, to be present on campus in violation of state law and without required oversight." She alleges, upon information and belief, that "some of the then-current Board Members were friends with the parents" — one of the parents is on the registered sex offender list — and, upon information and belief, "Defendants Garlovsky and Hymen sought to reverse Superintendent Dignam's decision barring the [registered] child sex offender from campus...[and that] the parents also contacted the Board's outside counsel, Anthony Loizzi, to attempt to reverse the decision of Superintendent Dignam." <br /></span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">This yet another ugly chapter in the continuing saga of District 113’s
Board of Education over the last decade. The saga is replete with instances of poor to willfully negligent (if not actionable) governance and compliance decisions in each "generation" of the School Board. What are the constants over time that result in the same type of failures? What are the common
threads that bind all of these bad decisions together. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Clearly, there are different "generations" of independent thinkers who are elected to the Board of Education. These elected officials may be there for one term or more — short-term or long-term board members. For instance, one current member of the School
Board is <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2018/07/1013-million-in-cash-why-residents.html" target="_blank">Kenneth Fishbain</a> who served on the Board of Education from 2003 to
2011, including as Board President in 2010. He returned to the School Board in 2020 and, as of 2022, is its vice president.
Gayle Byck has been on the board since 2018. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VkV9BsgIougryW8LVRwHQKGd4V1I_RSW/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">A list of School Board members and their years of service between July 2017 and March 2022 is linked</a>. While there is some continuity of School Board members, it is hardly a constant, the membership changes over time.
</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Highland Park and Deerfield are communities with many exceptionally
talented, well-educated, and successful residents. It is reasonable to assume that
District 113's School Board is comprised of people who want to do a great
job on the Board and to earn praise for their tireless work on behalf of the community. It can be a thankless, demanding job. In general,
the community should be grateful that we have residents who want to be stewards of
our educational system, intending to maintain and improve it. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">However, it is apparent that, despite best
intentions, the Board of Education of District 113 has consistently made bad decisions regarding internal governance and compliance. These decisions seriously hamper the ability of the high schools to best fulfill their educational mission. Not only do these decisions negative impact the reputation of District 113, they also impact the incredibly high taxes residents pay for living in Highland Park and Deerfield. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">The record shows that the Board of Education has failed to hold certain
administrators accountable for poor performance and malfeasance. It appears that the School Board has disciplined, demoted or terminated some administrators for their endeavors to follow best and ethical practices, and for their compliance with Illinois laws. The School Board, and some members of the community, accused Superintendent Dignam of creating a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/ct-hpn-district-113-superintendent-vote-tl-0531-story.html" target="_blank">“toxic environment”</a> yet, the record shows a toxic environment predated and postdated his short term in the administration. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">There are a lot of closed door meetings at the School Board, presumably on advice of counsel. This appears to be another constant thread. Based on reviewing the facts and dates in this report, there is a very good question whether some of those meetings may have violated the the <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2" target="_blank">Open Meetings Act</a>. The Whistleblowers allege cover-ups or, at the least, a lack
of disclosure and transparency to the community. It remains impossible to determine the full extent when business is conducted behind a closed doors.<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Another constant in any school board or municipal government is that municipal entities require significant support from lawyers. The longevity of any legal counsel should be tied to independence and performance, and there is a reasonable argument for and against consolidating all legal work with one law firm. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"><br /><br />It is difficult to ascertain when </span><span><a href="https://hlerk.com/">Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick
& Kohn LLP</a><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> (HLERK) first started representing
District 113. It predates 2013 and remains the district's go-to law firm today. During that time, HLERK has undoubtedly represented District 113 well in many various matters. The
School Board relies heavily on their advice. Virtually all Human Resources (HR) related matters that cannot be handled internally are directed to HLERK. This relationship is a constant in the threads that span a decade.<br /></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuzIGU5xdtzXDoWFM6HMGsC59m33ncfz8uCDLtPaGsUtzF4bEcfK8Ve3lBDaDltcV5HFCtBXY5xCMf-YSNx-l8iHOPUOJis2f5yu74QlaG1IWorn-AIKyKYZed3MSVP8nQCNEO62NIzq0C_nl390SfD3AAgZfodEzp3lVNrlAArHNzele6JZf7mw/s1156/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-22%20at%2011.13.21%20AM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1156" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuzIGU5xdtzXDoWFM6HMGsC59m33ncfz8uCDLtPaGsUtzF4bEcfK8Ve3lBDaDltcV5HFCtBXY5xCMf-YSNx-l8iHOPUOJis2f5yu74QlaG1IWorn-AIKyKYZed3MSVP8nQCNEO62NIzq0C_nl390SfD3AAgZfodEzp3lVNrlAArHNzele6JZf7mw/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-22%20at%2011.13.21%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><br />From 2013 to 2021, District 113 paid HLERK nearly $2.8
million in legal fees. HLERK also represents District 112 in Highland Park — the $2.8 million does not include payments from District 112 or any other municipal entity in Highland Park or Deerfield. <br /><br />In 2021, District 113 paid $478,488
in legal fees to HLERK, approximately $145 per student. <br /><br />District 113 is also paying a separate litigation firm fees to defend against Amy Burnetti's lawsuit. A
separate law firm was retained for the Burnetti case because Anthony
Loizzi is mentioned by name (not as a defendant) five times in the Burnetti Complaint. A lawyer cannot be
both a witness and representing a client in the same lawsuit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">HLERK and <a href="https://hlerk.com/attorney/anthony-j-loizzi-sr/" target="_blank">Tony Loizzi</a> play a prominent role in the
Whistleblower Letter. The Whistleblowers perceived the appearance of impropriety with HLERK representing the district in any matter related to administrators. In particular, because Tony Loizzi, had been an employee of District 113, the Whistleblowers had perceived that he had established close friendships with certain administrators, including Barry Bolek, the Principal who submitted falsified records and group of administrators involved in the document destruction. In essence, the Whistleblowers allege that Loizzi protects
his friends from School Board discipline and termination, while steering the School Board into punishing any administrators his own friends don't like. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">As readers may recall, in 2016, the law firm,<a href="https://www.rsnlt.com/" target="_blank"> RobbinsSchwartz</a>, was assigned to investigate a certain Principal’s falsification of records
because, according the Whistleblower Letter:</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><i><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">“<b><u>[Principal] is friends
with the district’s law firm attorney, Mr. Tony Loizzi,</u> who used to also be an
employee at the district (he was the district’s HR director). Mr. Loizzi was
and still is to this day, conflicted. <u>He is a former employee and has multiple
conflicts of interest with this position</u></b><u>.</u>”</span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">The Whistleblowers further allege that because of
the criminal records destruction that took place in 2017: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><i><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">“<b>Once again, <u>the </u></b></span><b><u><span style="color: #4f4f50;">independent </span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">law </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">firm </span></u><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"><u>Robbins Schwartz
</u>had to be hired by the </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">district to h</span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">andle </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">the </span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">investigation <u>due to Anthony </u></span><u><span style="color: #676767;">"Tony'' </span><span style="color: #4f4f50;">Loizzi
having a personal relationship w</span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">ith
[Principal] and his</span><span style="color: #4f4f50;"> </span></u><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"><u>assistant principals</u>.”</span></b></i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><i><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">On December 6, 2017, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oagzcZQXV-3NmmI8pDiEFJfwDtQLNEyt/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Robbins Schwartz submitted the results of their independent investigation to Michael Nerheim, Lake County State’s Attorney</a>. Robbins Schwartz provided evidence of the document destruction, including videos, and the firm identified five
“potential statutory (criminal) violations” of Illinois law, to be further
investigated and prosecuted by the <a href="https://www.lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office" target="_blank">LCSA</a>. It appears from the record that after Robbins Schwartz submitted this letter to the LCSA, there were no further touchpoints between
the firm and the School Board. Also, based on Mr. Loizzi's letter to the LCSA it appears that the School Board may have been displeased with the results of the Robbins Schwartz report and that it was submitted to the LCSA.<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">The LCSA
opened an investigation and did some preliminary work. Determining that they needed to further investigate and prosecute crimes committed, the LCSA
issued a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Grand Jury Subpoena to the Board of Education of District 113</a><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">.</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Yet, the School Board did not return to Robbins Schwartz for legal counsel or representation in reply to the LCSA. Why they didn't is mostly unknown, as any discussion about the Grand Jury Subpoena and document destruction, by <u><b>former employees,</b></u> took place behind closed doors. This may have been in violation of the Illinois’ Open Meetings Act, an issue that might be considered by others but not addressed in this report.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Instead, the School Board turned to Tony Loizzi, the same lawyer who is alleged to not be able to provide independent counsel because of his personal relationships
with the alleged perpetrators. More than a year later, on March 22, 2019, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Tony Loizzi replied on behalf of the Board of Education to the LCSA’s office as follows</a>: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><i><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">“…<b>t<u>he Board directed its
general legal counsel to conduct its own internal review in the conduct of
the former administrators</u>. Specifically, t<u>he Board’s general counsel
reviewed</u> (1) the physical records that were recovered; (2) the electronic
records that were recovered; (3) <u>the independent legal counsel’s findin</u>g<u>;</u> and
(4) the statements and opinions of the relevant District personnel</b></span></i><b><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">.</span></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"><i>“<b><u>After the independent
counsel investigation and the subsequent internal review of its general
counsel</u>, the Board has concluded that the District did not suffer any
meaningful harm as a result of the former administrators’ <u>exit</u> from the
District.”</b></i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">It would appear that Tony Loizzi chose his words carefully in the reply. He refers to the "former administrators' <b><u>exit</u></b> from the District" rather than referring to their actions — the document destruction. The School District, according to Tony Loizzi, <u>did not suffer any harm from the "exit" of the administrators </u>from the District. One cannot help but wonder who was intended to benefit from such careful wording. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">Also, some readers may find it odd that Loizzi apparently referred to himself in the third person in this reply to the LCSA. This seems to imply that there was lawyer, a general counsel (which is not title in the School District administration) who also reviewed the Robbins Schwartz investigation. Loizzi did not say that "<b>I </b>reviewed the Robbins Schwartz investigation and decided the facts were not worthy of prosecution." <br /><br />In his letter to the LCSA, Loizzi admitted on behalf of the Board of Education that the school board members had “<b><i>no interest in pursuing any criminal charges or
further criminal investigation against the former administrators</i></b>” and <u><b>never
did from the inception</b>.</u> This was a significant admission, confirming, irrefutably, that the School Board never intended to hold its former administrators responsible, even though the Robbins Schwartz report detailed several criminal violations. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">To his credit, Mr. Loizzi did not provide “alternate
facts” to the Lake County State’s Attorney. He did not assert the alleged
criminal acts did not take place, nor did he say that the LCSA identified
the wrong people, or that the wrong criminal laws were being applied. Loizzi just made it clear
that the School Board was not interested in any further investigation and
prosecution. As the Lake County State’s Attorney. Michael Nerheim, told the author of
this blog, “We cannot successfully prosecute these individuals unless the
School Board will cooperate, and it is clear they will not. We do not pursue prosecution where we cannot win.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">There is nothing inherently wrong with having a decades long relationship with a law firm. Indeed, it can be quite beneficial if your lawyers know your culture, history, strengths and weaknesses. The relationship between HLERK and the School Board is
deep and constant. While <a href="https://hlerk.cleardesign.group/attorneys/loizzi/" target="_blank">Michael A. Loizzi, Jr.,</a> may have established this relationship, his son, Anthony J. Loizzi, Sr., inherited the account. Originally, Tony Loizzi
joined his father’s firm after he graduated from law school — records indicate
that he was an associate at that firm from 2006 until June 2013. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">In 2013, the School Board hired Tony Loizzi and gave him responsibility for the internal HR
function. This report did not find the exact terms of his new employment but, based on
accessible financial reports, he earned a salary “in excess of
$60,000/year” (as reported in the </span><span><a href="https://www.dist113.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=1857&dataid=349&FileName=2015%20Annual%20Statement%20of%20Affairs.pdf" target="_blank">Annual Statement of Affairs Summary for FY ending 06/30/2015</a><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">). <br /><br />The context of why and how Tony Loizzi became
embedded in District 113 is unknown in this report. Presumably, District 113 needed a new HR professional who might also reduce the overall spend on outside legal counsel. It not unusual for law firms to suggest that one of their associates be hired as an employee — it can be beneficial to all involved. Of course, the terms of that employment matter, and it is important to clearly define the employee's relationship with the law firm. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3d3c3e;">It is unlikely that residents were aware of the terms of Tony Loizzi's employment or if there was a secondment agreement with HLERK. One of the most significant aspects of embedding Tony Loizzi in District 113 is whether Tony Loizzi was required to sever its financial relationship with HLERK. Based on his job responsibilities, the School Board should have ensured that Tony Loizzi could no longer be compensated by HLERK when he was employed by the district to ensure that he would not be financially rewarded for assigning new matters to HLERK.<br /></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d3c3e;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">The majority of outside legal fees in any school district
are for HR matters. It appears most likely that during the years 2013-2015, if Tony Loizzi had full responsibility for HR, he would have been in a position to determine when to refer new matters to outside counsel, and to whom. Further, Tony Loizzi may have been in a position to supervise HLERK’s — and his father's — performance and to review HLERK's
invoices, too. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">Tony Loizzi’s friendship with the Principal may have
predated Loizzi's employment, or the friendship may have developed while they were both District 113 administrators. Clearly the relationship was
evident to many of their co-workers, giving rise to a substantial concern among Loizzi's co-workers and other administrators. They viewed him as having great influence with the School Board. Ultimately, it appeared to many administrators that Tony Loizzi played a key role in any review of Principals actions, including the falsification and subsequent destruction of records. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">The decision to embed Tony Loizzi in District 113's administration was, at best, questionable from the outset. If District 113 needed the assistance of HLERK, it would have been better for the designated associate/employee to not be related to the named partner in the firm. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">Embedding Tony Loizzi into the school's administration had far reaching consequences. It clearly had a negative impact on the staff's perception about the School Board and their decisions. In their letter, the Whistleblowers attribute many problems existing in District 113 to an extensive “<b><i>Network of Relationships
Between Board Members and Specific Administrators</i></b>.” They provided a separate,
lengthy, and detailed document to support their assertions about this network. In the Whistleblowers' words, the document was
intended to provide a “<b>snapshot of the relationship between board members,
administrators, various employees, the board’s attorney (Tony Loizzi) and key
community members [named resident] and the District 113 'Sounding Board'
Facebook group [two named administrators]</b>". </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">The Whistleblowers specifically alleged that this network,
including “<b><i>the board’s attorney…</i></b></span><i><span style="color: #3f3f40;"><b>worked
with one another with the intent of sewing discontent across all communities
and unseating principal Robertson (with success) and superintendent Dignam
(with success) to cover up criminal acts committed by [Principal, AP#1 and AP#2</b>].</span></i><span style="color: #3f3f40;">” </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">Anthony J. Loizzi, Sr., returned to HLERK in 2015. It appears his father, Michael A. Loizzi, Jr., may have retired from the firm (although this is a little confusing because<a href="https://hlerk.com/attorneys/" target="_blank"> Michael A. Loizzi is not listed on the attorneys page</a>, yet <a href="https://hlerk.cleardesign.group/attorneys/loizzi/" target="_blank">there is still a hyperlink to his firm</a>). The baton of responsibility for District 113 appears to have been passed
from father to son without dropping a beat. Another constant.<br /></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">All of the information provided in this chapter leads to a challenging chicken and egg question. Throughout this entire saga, HLERK has been legal counsel to the Board of Education of District 113. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"><b>Who influences the Board more -- its members or its attorneys?</b><br /> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">It is reasonable that school board members will follow
the advice of legal counsel. Frankly, any board that makes decisions
contrary to legal advice takes a significant legal risk upon themselves and the District.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">It is equally reasonable that any law firm who represents a long-term client — a multi-million dollar client — will endeavor to do its best to be the client's zealous advocate within the constraints of the law and professional responsibilities of the legal profession. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #3b3b3c;">Highland Park and Deerfield residents do not know what went on behind closed doors. The community is entitled to transparency. Perhaps every school board member checks their thinking caps and moral compasses at the door. Perhaps new school board members are indoctrinated into an entrenched culture that affects all decision making. Or, perhaps the School Board is following legal advice that simply is not working for this community. Or, they have lawyers who will not steer the board members in the right direction. Perhaps the failures in governance and compliance are a combination of all these deficiencies, and more. <br /> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3b3b3c;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
would be very helpful if Board Members —past and present — would speak up now. Tell the community how District 113 got to this place. The community needs that transparency to build a better future. <br /><br />The next chapter will provide lessons learned. Readers are welcome to post their thoughts to the blog or send them directly to <a href="mailto:debra.rade@gmail.com" target="_blank">me</a>. Please provide your real name and specify whether your thoughts may be made public or are personal correspondence. There is no assurance that all comments will be posted.</span><br /> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Links to all chapters of this report:</span></span></span></span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Prologue</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter One</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter Two</span></span></a><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four<br /></a><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/04/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter Five</a></span></span></span><p><style>@font-face
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-42773377365678330972022-03-18T10:09:00.020-05:002022-04-27T12:31:29.948-05:00<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"></h1><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span><br />By: <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-author-of-down-drain-in-hp-blog.html" target="_blank">Debra Rade</a></span><br /></span></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">CHAPTER THREE — Transparency and documentation.</span><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhusxdxwhmpct2MWdaGXOwX64yNWqGuIwIPiC26OEQorEya1SctbTf8vd4oH0h_emEC1FXwogwqYKYPRfK9SfwrfNIO0sykmFjAsbEiFbiBoobYQQsfPSqqot1OoP_IOnN_s366ZWsi6_SaJ93h6ik_UH9HywP01sP7DqWv1SwZwYFcxGbmjr_HNt8=s2060" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2060" data-original-width="1614" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhusxdxwhmpct2MWdaGXOwX64yNWqGuIwIPiC26OEQorEya1SctbTf8vd4oH0h_emEC1FXwogwqYKYPRfK9SfwrfNIO0sykmFjAsbEiFbiBoobYQQsfPSqqot1OoP_IOnN_s366ZWsi6_SaJ93h6ik_UH9HywP01sP7DqWv1SwZwYFcxGbmjr_HNt8=s320" width="251" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As indicated from the outset, this report
is about holding our Board of Education and its individual members accountable for their leadership of
Township High School District 113 in Highland Park and Deerfield. Ultimately, in carefully following the facts, readers should be able to identify lessons learned to help ensure the success of District 113's mission. It is essential to focus on "the tone at the top" and to evaluate the Board of Education's performance from beginning to end in the actual scenario that the report details. </span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This report is not about resurrecting allegations against a principal and two assistant principals that are long gone from District 113. To focus on them as individuals is a distraction. Yet, there are people responding to this blog
on social media who dispute the facts, without providing any facts in rebuttal, or who will admit the facts may be true, but even so, they would have you think that the the document destruction by these school administrators are no longer relevant. As a result, posting these documents today, along with further comment, is necessary.<br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This report is primarily intended to provide transparency and constructive discourse in the community about our School Board's performance and relationship with the community. Hopefully, it will
help enable existing and future members of the School Board to improve a governance system that is evidently sorely lacking, These improvements are for the betterment of our children’s education. They will also help foster a better environment for
administrators, teachers, staff, and contractors who are essential resources in
achieving the mission of District 113. <br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Transparency is a key element of sound
management in business, not for profits, and government. Yet, there was no transparency when only a select group of people in
Highland Park and Deerfield were aware of the existence of the major document
destruction in June 2017. The thousands of documents that each of the perpetrators discarded included personal student documents that District 113 is required to keep, and entrusted to keep private, as well as their own personal documents that should not have been in the school district's records in the first place (but, yes, many people clog their emails at work with personal correspondence). District 113 owned all of these documents. <br /><br />The School Board was aware of the theft from the outset. It does not appear that the matter was ever referred to the Highland Park police. Identifying the missing records required a lot of work by various administrators and staff. Even still, nothing was reported to the community, not a word of it communicated outside of an inner circle. The <a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/government/mayor_and_city_council/index.php" target="_blank">City of Highland Park</a> also assigns a council member to serve as <a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/government/mayor_and_city_council/anthony_e_blumberg.php" target="_blank">liaison to the District 113</a> who must report the City Council as a whole, but it does not appear that the liaison was welcome to attend special closed meetings (at least, not the one reported on here). It would be reasonable to inquire of our City Council how many of them knew about these facts, but in an "unofficial" capacity. <br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Whistleblower Letter</a> called it what it was — a cover up. There appears to have been an inner circle that knew all the details — the School Board, Anthony Loizzi, and Superintendent Digman. Of those three, there was only one person dedicated to holding the perpetrators accountable, Superintendent Digman. It appears from details in the Whistleblower Letter that the Superintendent was shackled by the Board from disclosing the information, moving forward in cooperation with the Lake County State's Attorney's investigation, and <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/ct-hpn-district-113-superintendent-vote-tl-0531-story.html">penalized</a>.<br /><br />There was also a relatively wider circle of people in the school
system who knew all about this incident, as well as what the School Board did and didn't do to hold people accountable. One might say that the fact that administrators, staff and teachers learned that there was this major wrongdoing, and that the School Board didn't hold anyone accountable for it, may be even more egregious than the criminal destruction of property. This leaves a lasting impression on the school's governance. <br /><br />Imagine how administrators, teachers and staff feel when they go to work in an environment where they are too scared to report wrongdoing because they reasonably fear they will be the next person to be
fired for doing the right thing. The community should be grateful to the Whistleblowers for ultimately disclosing facts that would have otherwise been buried. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">To those who think this is all water under
the bridge and irrelevant, there is, in fact, a case currently pending, in 2022, now, in Federal Court, filed
by Amy Burnetti, a former District 113 assistant principal. In this litigation, Ms. Burnetti claims,
in part, that she was fired in retaliation for providing evidence and
testimony to assist with the investigation into the June 2017 destruction of school
records, as well as in retaliation for another compliance matter which is not part
of this report (readers are encouraged to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkjXcFozyXMJAHzB_E9Ms5okR41VX4QB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">read the complaint</span></a>). </span></span></span>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">In July 2017, when the School Board would
have been notified of the document destruction, these were the members of the
Board of Education:</span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Michelle Culver, President</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Elizabeth Garlovsky</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Julie Gordon </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Debra Hymen</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Alena Laube</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stacey Meyer</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">David Small<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
In 2019, the Lake County State’s Attorney was prepared to move ahead with its investigation and prosecution for the alleged crimes. They reached out to confirm that the School District would fully cooperate. The LCSA and members of his office told me, in one of several meetings, that without the School Board's cooperation, his office could not have a successful prosecution and the matter would be dropped. In 2019, the following people served
as elected officials on the District 113 School Board:</span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Elizabeth Garlovsky, President</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stacey Meyer, Vice President</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Gayle Byck</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Michelle Culver</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Debra Hymen</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Alena Laube</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ken Fishbain</span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">On March 20, 2019, there was a Special
Board of Education Meeting (<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ADGZH9J6YyNE9yY1FSLm1OtQrsQ8ocQf/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">minutes of meeting</a></span>), all board members in attendance. Also attending that
meeting was <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://hlerk.com/attorney/anthony-j-loizzi-sr/" target="_blank">Anthony Loizzi</a></span>, of the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="Https://hlerk.com " target="_blank">HLERK</a></span> law firm. The closed session included, as
an agenda item, the “appointment, employment, compensation, discipline,
performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the District or legal
counsel for the District, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged
against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public
body to determine its validity. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=000501200K2" target="_blank">5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)</a>.</span>”<br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">It is reasonable to assume (but, for obvious reasons —this was a closed meeting —this has not yet been confirmed) that the School Board discussed the Lake County State's Attorney's investigation on March 20, 2019. On March 22, 2019, Anthony Loizzi issued a "no harm-no foul" letter to the State's Attorney. In that letter, he told the LCSA that ..."<i>s</i></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span><i>ince the inception of this matter, [the School Board had] no interest in pursuing any criminal
charges or further criminal investigation against the former administrators</i>."</span> <br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If the purpose of the Closed Meeting at the Special Board of Education Meeting was to discuss the Lake County State's Attorney's criminal investigation against three <b>former </b>employees of the
District, this raises the significant possibility that the School Board violated the Open Meetings Act that evening. Indeed, it is likely that this matter was discussed at, at least, several Closed Meeting of the Board of Education after the incidents took place in June 2017. There may have been numerous violations of the Open Meetings Act. <br /><br />The primary purpose of the <b>Open Meetings Act </b>is to "<b>ensure that the actions of public bodies be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly</b>," so it would seem unlikely that it would protect discussions about former employees. All three of the administrators alleged to have committed the document destruction were former employees before the school ever discovered that the documents were missing. On its face, the Open Meetings Act appears to provide confidentiality only for </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>current </b>employees. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">At long last, to those who have questioned the facts in <b>Lessons Learned from the School Board</b>, the are provided below, accessible through their links to Google Documents. All documents were acquired through FOIA requests to District 113 and the Lake
County State’s Attorney’s office (some of the FOIA requests had to be appealed up through the Attorney General's office). Any redactions (some in white, some in black) were made by the FOIA officers, ostensibly in compliance with FOIA law.</span><b> <br /><br /></b></span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><u><span dir="LTR" style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oagzcZQXV-3NmmI8pDiEFJfwDtQLNEyt/view?usp=sharing">Robbins Schwartz letter to Lake County States
Attorney, Michael G. Nerheim, dated December 6, 2017</a></span>:</span></span></u></b> <b>“<i>Given the severity of the conduct at issue
(thousands of documents are involved), we are referring this matter to the Lake
County State's Attorney to review and determine the proper course of action and
whether any criminal investigations or prosecutions should be commenced. Please
contact me with any questions you may have.</i></b><i>”</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i> </i></span></span></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .25in; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: blue;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L9fY7OMMe1StZdcdaOcLaTa-_R0AYun7/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Records
involved in Record Destruction HPHS 2017</a><br /><br /></span></b><b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wL5rTUJchPmQBlyseZWsElOEFr4owcw9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Grand Jury Subpoena January 2018</a> <br /></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">
</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .25in; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KhhXUxHr_wy_kt9SzDUroftSgDiDFcB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span dir="LTR" lang="EN-US">Anthony J. Loizzi letter to Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, dated March 22, 2019</span></a></b></span></span> <b><span style="font-size: medium;">"<i>..the Board wishes to inform the Lake County State's Attorney's office that it believes it did not suffer any harm from the former administrators' conduct, and, as has been the case since the inception of this matter, it has no interest in pursuing any criminal charges or further criminal investigation against the former administrators." <br /></i></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Links to all chapters of this report:</span></span></span></span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Prologue</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter One</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter Two</span></span></a><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four<br /></a><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/04/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter Five</a></span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .25in; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><i> </i></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-3044635226516275402022-03-13T17:55:00.000-05:002022-03-13T17:55:22.722-05:00<h2 style="text-align: left;">About the author of the Down the Drain in HP blog:</h2><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;"><br /><br />Debra Rade is a
practicing lawyer, has served as an independent director on the board of a
publicly traded global testing and certification company, and is a former c-suite
executive in global company. For more than 20
years, Debra taught ethics and professional responsibility as an adjunct
professor at a top tier law school. A lifelong resident of Highland Park, IL,
Debra blogs from time to time about serious matters that arise in the community. </span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: black;"><br />Readers may contact Debra: <a href="mailto:debra.rade@gmail.com">d</a><a href="mailto:ebra.rade@gmail.com">ebra.rade@gmail.com</a></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt;"> <br /></span></i></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-16285233285017476242022-03-13T17:44:00.006-05:002022-04-27T12:31:48.770-05:00<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 24pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">By <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-author-of-down-drain-in-hp-blog.html" target="_blank">DEBRA RADE</a></span><br /></span></b>
</div><h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">CHAPTER TWO
-- Criminal Acts and Cover Ups</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Readers are reminded that <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter One</a>
reviewed the preliminary part of the Whistleblower Letter sent to Gerry
Meister and me in October 2018 — “<b>Background and Overview.</b>” That section focused on the results of an initial independent investigation conducted by <a href="https://www.rsnlt.com/" target="_blank">Robbins Schwartz</a> in 2016. As a result of that investigation, <a href="https://www.dist113.org/domain/221">School Board of Township School District 113 </a>directed Superintendent Christopher Dignam to issue a
“Confidential Memorandum and Final Warning Resolution” to the Highland Park High School (HPHS) Principal
who had intentionally falsified a school report and submitted it to the State
of Illinois. The Resolution was issued in July 2016, and included a five-day,
unpaid suspension as the primary reprimand. <br /><br />The Principal returned to the job
and continued in his position throughout the next academic year. In March 2017,
he announced his departure from District 113 at the end of the school year 2017 and
that he had accepted a job as principal at a nearby high school. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Reasonable
minds might differ on the appropriate discipline of <span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">a</span> principal for any variety
of possible non-compliance or malfeasance. People might disagree on whether a principal, or a superintendent, should ever be disciplined with an unpaid suspension — if it was conduct egregious enough to be suspended, it may be conduct bad enough to be worthy of termination. In any event, intentionally falsifying records is a
significant act, violates Illinois law, and goes to the very core of character. Yet, this report would likely have never been written if the saga stopped at this point.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-BMygNezCshz0gfaQ91YYxdlqbeAYr9nU9bUZHpq4kJK8gNrVeuR-dpVsdRfuZsPMMBrUEIedSedJW9DWiodbfe5HAGSgyrC6NKid8P5VNUT6k-5MaGRp01_8Iyzut_2TfX8Oo8Rh_dkTHPPmeDnXD4trNN82QBpcECIQdEXOPRRLOBT_Zd1ZX0Y=s2740" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="2740" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-BMygNezCshz0gfaQ91YYxdlqbeAYr9nU9bUZHpq4kJK8gNrVeuR-dpVsdRfuZsPMMBrUEIedSedJW9DWiodbfe5HAGSgyrC6NKid8P5VNUT6k-5MaGRp01_8Iyzut_2TfX8Oo8Rh_dkTHPPmeDnXD4trNN82QBpcECIQdEXOPRRLOBT_Zd1ZX0Y=w320-h120" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />The Whistleblowers
did not mince words about what happened next: “<b>Criminal Acts and Cover Ups</b>.” This next section of
the Whistleblower Letter alleges wrongdoing the following year, in June 2017, not just by the <b>Principal</b>,
but also by <b>Assistant Principal No. 1 (AP#1)</b> and <b>Assistant Principal
No. 2</b> (<b>AP#2</b>) who departed District 113 at the same time. What
followed next appears to be a coordinated, conspiratorial event among this group of former District
113 administrators. There is no intention to protect these individuals by not
referring to them by name.<span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="color: black;"> Rather</span>, t</span>his report is about holding the
School Board accountable, not about school administrators who are long
gone from District 113<span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<b>Before starting to read the section of alleged <span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">“</span>Criminal Acts and Coverups,<span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">”</span> please
remember:</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This report
is based on <b><u>allegations</u></b> from the Whistleblower Letter. Even
though some allegations are confirmed in supportive documents, readers are
reminded that, ultimately, no one mentioned in this report has ever been
charged with an alleged crime(s) or convicted of one. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
Whistleblowers provided detailed, serious allegations:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“<i>On
June 30, 2017, what would turn out to be <b>one of the worst acts of
vandalism and destruction of school district property and record
destruction in Illinois history</b> by employed principals was discovered
by incoming principal Liz Robertson… “</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #292929; font-size: 12pt;">“In
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">June 2017 (between approximately June </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">12
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">- 28), [Principal, AP#1, and AP#2] <b>destroyed tens upon
tens </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">of </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">thousands of pages
of </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">public </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">documen</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">ts</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">(threw them in </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">dumpster
and removed documents/files/materials from HPHS's property) upon resigning
from District 113. They destroyed district property </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">records and <b>left </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">their
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">offices </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">almost </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">100%
empty with nothing in them for the new principal </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and
assistant </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">principals</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">.
</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“[AP#2] <b>also
destroyed </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">trashed </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">44,555
emails </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">and went into the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">district's
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">server
and deleted and trashed 1,233</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">documents
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">district's Google drive and
deleted and </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">trashed </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">1,007
electronic documents</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">. These criminal acts </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">were
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">memorialized
as </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">"electronic </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">trail" </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">evidence
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">and
their identification and retrieval was performed and attested to by
district witnesses…” </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">When the
acts of destruction, </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">vandalism, and </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">theft </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">were
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">discovered </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">and documents could not </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">be
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">found,
the new </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #292929; font-size: 12pt;">HPHS </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">administration <b>and </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">superintendent
Dignam </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">reported it </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">to
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the
board </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">of education</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Both
[AP#1’s] office and [AP#2’s] </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">office were </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">next </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">to
completely empty. [Principal’s] </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">office was almost completely </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">empty.
<b>New </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">principal Liz Robertson </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">fou</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">nd student
records in the recycle bin in the principal's office</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">. One set
of </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">records </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">was for a student who had hired an
attorney regarding a discipline matter </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and
another for a student who experienced </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">a … injury
during a football game …[details deleted for privacy reasons] </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and
was </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">still
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">experiencing </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the physical effects </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">of
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the
injury ([their] files were destroyed and </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">thrown
away<b>). </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">student's
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">medical
records wer</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">e in </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">trash
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">along
with some notes </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #292929; font-size: 12pt;">but </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the vast
majority (95%) of </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">the student's entire
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">file
was destroyed…</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color: #39393a; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">“The
empty offices, documents </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #292929; font-size: 12pt;">in </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">the
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">recycle bin </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">the
retrieval of materials </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">from the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">compactor
were <b>all memorialized </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12.5pt;">in </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">video
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12.5pt;">and </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">still </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">images</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">.
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">The </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">actual removal </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">of
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">documents from the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">assistant </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">principals'
offices </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">in a </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">gondola </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">to
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">be </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">placed </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">in
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">the garbage </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">compactor </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">was
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">also captured in </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">security </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">video
footage. <b>In addition, [AP#2]</b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">
was captured on </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">security </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">ca</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">meras
removing </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">two </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">enormous
cartloads of documents, files, </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">etc.
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">to [their]</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;"> automobile</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">.
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #676767; font-size: 12pt;">These </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">were </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">all
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">property </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4f4f50; font-size: 12pt;">and </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt;">work
products of the district.” </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color: #39393a; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10.5pt;">“By </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the end </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 12pt;">of
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">September/early
October </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">2017,
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">the
superintendent, the superintendent’s </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">assistant…, and [other,
remaining] HPHS principals had </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">sorted </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">and
organized the materials from the compactor. </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">This
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">was
work that should have never had </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">to </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">be
performed by senior school leaders and took time away from them performing
normal, expected duties, not </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">those </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">as the
result of criminal misconduct performed by former
principals/administrators.” </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">“In
November 2017<b>, [Superintendent Christopher Dignam] reported to the
board yet again about the crimes and vandalism committed and </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">informed
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">board of education
that he would be hiring an </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">independent </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">law
firm to </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">once </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">again
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">handle a </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">matter due </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">to
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">Tony </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">Loizzi's </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">conflict
of interests</span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">. Robbins Schwartz would be </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">handing
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">the reporting </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">of potential crimes
to the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">state's attorney. </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">The </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">law
firm would be providing an </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">impartial </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">review
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">and </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">identifying any statutes that </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">were
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">broken to </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">protect </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">the
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">district and community<b>. In addition, </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">if
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">statutes were </span></i></b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">broken the
superintendent reported to the board </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">he </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">fully
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">intended </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">on pressing </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">charges
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">and reporting it </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">police
and ISBE (the </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 12.5pt;">I</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">llinois
State Board of Education) and ROE (the Regional Office </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">of
</span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">Education). </span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">Board members <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/deerfield/replacement-needed-d-113-school-board">[Julie] Gordon</a>, [Debra] Hymen, <a href="https://jwcdaily.com/2017/03/07/meet-the-d-113-school-board-candidates/">[Stacey] Myer [sic]</a>, and [<a href="https://jwcdaily.com/2017/03/07/meet-the-d-113-school-board-candidates/">Elizabeth] Garlovsky </a>were not supportive and very </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">unhappy
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">that the superintendent </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">was
moving </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">forward with investigating the
incident. Dr. Dignam </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">informed the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">board
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">he </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">"was </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">not
asking </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">for permission" </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">as
he </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">believed </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">‘crimes were
committed and had </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">to </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">retain
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">the </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">law </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">firm
and report the findings.’”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 2.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">In
December 2017, <b>Robbins Schwartz determined several crimes may have been
committed and statutes violated</b></span></i><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 11.5pt;">and
</span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">eventually </span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">referred </span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">the
matter </span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #656566; font-size: 11.5pt;">to </span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">the States Attorneys Office</span></b><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #39393a; font-size: 11.5pt;">
for </span><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #4d4d4e; font-size: 11.5pt;">an investigation.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color: #3b3b3c; margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">“<i>An
</i></span><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #565656; font-size: 12pt;">independent </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">law firm (other than
the district's </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #565656; font-size: 12pt;">firm </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://hlerk.com/" target="_blank">HLERK</a>)
had to be hired because <b>[Principal] is friends with the district's law </b></span></i><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #565656; font-size: 12pt;">firm
attorney, </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://hlerk.com/attorney/anthony-j-loizzi-sr/">Tony Loizzi</a>, who used to also be an </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #565656; font-size: 12pt;">employee
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">at the district (he was the district's </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #565656; font-size: 12pt;">HR
director). </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Loizzi was and still is to
this day, conflicted. He </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #313031; font-size: 12pt;">is </span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">a
former employee and has multiple conflic<span style="color: black;">ts </span></span></i></b><span style="color: black;"><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">of
</span></i></b><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">interest </span></i></b></span><b><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #434344; font-size: 12pt;">with his position.”<br /><br /> </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-autospace: none;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“<b>On January 16, 2018,
District 113 received a Grand Jury Subpoena from the Lake County States
Attorney’s Office </b>for documents related to the acts of vandalism and
destruction of public records/document.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Whistleblowers provided a
list of laws that they considered relevant to the destruction of District 113’s
records: [all will be hyperlinked]</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="color: #3b3b3c; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K32-8" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></a></p><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K32-8" target="_blank">
</a><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K32-8" target="_blank"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Illinois Criminal Code – Tampering
with Public Records (720 ILCS 5/32-8)</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K16-1" target="_blank"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Illinois Criminal Code – Theft (720 ILCS 5/16-1)</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/072000050K21-1.01.htm"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Illinois Criminal Code – Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property (720 ILCS 5/21-1.01)</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K33-3" target="_blank">Illinois Criminal Code – Official Misconduct (720 ILCS 5/33-3)</a>; and,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=699&ChapterID=11"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205/1 et seq.)</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">They did not mention other laws that may
have been violated, including federal and state privacy laws such as <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html">FERPA</a> (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act),
<a href="https://www.hipaajournal.com/does-hipaa-apply-to-schools/" target="_blank">HIPAA Privacy</a> and <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1006&ChapAct=105%20ILCS%2010/&ChapterID=17&ChapterName=SCHOOLS&ActName=Illinois+School+Student+Records+Act">Illinois
School Student Records Act 105 ILCS 10</a>. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Calibri Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Whistleblowers now had my full
attention. <span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">N</span>ext steps were clear. I
arranged to meet with the Lake County States Attorney’s office to hand over the Whistleblower Letter and register a complaint as a resident of
Highland Park.<br />
<br />
Links to other chapters of this report:<br /><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Prologue</a><br /><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter One</a><br /><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a><br /><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four</a><br /><br /><br />PS Some readers are asking how to subscribe to my blog posts. Frankly, this Google platform is old and they removed some functionality since the last time I posted -- that had an excellent subscription widget. Not sure how well the new widget works but, please do try it. Also, you can find my direct email address <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/about-author-of-down-drain-in-hp-blog.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></span></p>
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-46627403818294271342022-03-11T12:51:00.021-06:002022-04-27T12:32:06.174-05:00<p>
</p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 24pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> </span></b></p><h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">CHAPTER ONE — The Whistleblower Letter Arrives from A. Friend<br /></span></b></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">(Click to read Prologue <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">here</a>)<br /></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"><br /></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtwZqkJ-WDSYL41ViKViEadg1oGI9hWlrfFU-sM3ksTzW5XZ_VKsDFWXVi0Qiznfs383iBwf1iv4Zvcz35t-zCy0pBJ3NQz2nV0hDc6Tb0r8LaNM2HFpKOrl2AT0aTUQ63ot3Vbt1Z6_EE6GDc4MG_-kukhYJ8DztUQU_SYCYCpOzUX7WgqbzlNdg=s1822" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1822" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtwZqkJ-WDSYL41ViKViEadg1oGI9hWlrfFU-sM3ksTzW5XZ_VKsDFWXVi0Qiznfs383iBwf1iv4Zvcz35t-zCy0pBJ3NQz2nV0hDc6Tb0r8LaNM2HFpKOrl2AT0aTUQ63ot3Vbt1Z6_EE6GDc4MG_-kukhYJ8DztUQU_SYCYCpOzUX7WgqbzlNdg=w253-h96" width="253" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
October 18, 2018, a letter was posted to Mr. Gerry Meister, an outspoken critic of the <a href="https://www.dist113.org/domain/221" target="_blank">Township High School District 113 (District 113) School Board</a>, particularly with regard to spending tax
funds. An architect, Gerry is known to ask questions and express concerns about the bricks and mortar
of our schools -- how they are maintained, renovated, razed, rebuilt or built,
as well as how the budgets for projects are managed. Gerry is one of the trio who
brought the "<a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills" target="_blank">Cash & Carry</a>" abuses to my attention. </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<br />
The return address on the envelope read “<b>Andrew Friend, 1040 <a href="https://lakecountygazette.com/stories/596204908-retired-highland-park-township-high-school-district-113-teacher-barry-a-bolek-received-18-374-after-closing-the-book-on-teaching-career" target="_blank">Barry Bolek</a> West,
Highland Park, IL 60035”</b>. Of course, this was not a real person (think,
"A. Friend") or real address (the address incorporating the name of treasurer/CFO Bolek of the School District into the street name of the location of the administrative offices on Park Ave. West). The letter it contained was directed to me and Gerry, even though a copy was never addressed to my home. Gerry delivered a copy to me. <br />
<br />
This was a powerful whistleblower letter making serious allegations. The authors (the Whistleblowers) displayed
genuine and reasonable fear of losing their jobs in retaliation by the School Board and
certain administrators. The letter was divided in sections, the first read: “<b>District
113 Cover Up of Very Recent Crimes.</b>” Following are excerpts from the first
page of the Whistleblower Letter:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheSnDti_U5tO7kjsg5YQbcqcqXY98LfKjXtCW107tA8vYdO2uaCtnMllLBOrr3lMxLJyGOy2ZLAGCbJmVQkggZC1yvhQ2hSzbpJ-bysqSZqm4bmk67Q_rdaWStmhSw-uM5-CotfPYk7ANb0bCuzOhcIknulXv1C7mjGQiuI0krE7IwmQobPWkQVlE=s1202" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="1202" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheSnDti_U5tO7kjsg5YQbcqcqXY98LfKjXtCW107tA8vYdO2uaCtnMllLBOrr3lMxLJyGOy2ZLAGCbJmVQkggZC1yvhQ2hSzbpJ-bysqSZqm4bmk67Q_rdaWStmhSw-uM5-CotfPYk7ANb0bCuzOhcIknulXv1C7mjGQiuI0krE7IwmQobPWkQVlE=w322-h101" width="322" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Hello Ms. Rade and Mr. Meister, We
are contacting you in strict confidence with the hope you will review
information being sent to you and assist with unveiling several very serious events
that are [allegedly] criminal and have occurred at District 113. Very recently,
as we are certain you are aware, our superintendent, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/ct-hpn-district-113-superintendent-vote-tl-0531-story.html">Dr. Christopher Dignam</a>,
left the district. What you are probably unaware of is the exact reasons he was
forced out, recent actions by the Board of Education (and specific members of
the board still in power), and the fear of remaining administrators that there
will be employment and legal consequences for sharing this information with
you...</span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“…We saw your blog article from the
summer and none of us knows anyone else to turn to for help or who to trust...</span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“…The [alleged] reason Chris
[Dignam] is gone is because he stood up to the Board of Education to move ahead
with pressing criminal charges against three former Highland Park principals
who [allegedly] all broke the law, but ... are all friends with Board of
Education members. The dozen-plus administrative team members left behind in
the district are terrified regarding what [allegedly] happened to Chris (any of
us could be next) and hope you can confidentially use this information to make
specific FOIA requests, ask specific questions at Board of Education meetings,
and perhaps work with the media to pressure the Lake County States Attorney’s
Office to move forward with the indictments and charges already brought to
their attention by the Grand Jury Subpoena received by the district earlier
this year...</span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“If you make FOIA requests and ask
questions, you will verify 100% of everything being shared with you. Chris
ended up losing his job for nothing, as all the [alleged] criminal wrongdoing
he [allegedly] uncovered has been [allegedly] covered back up by the Board of
Education because they are friends with the [alleged] criminals…”</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<b>Please maintain this information
in confidence and verify what is being shared with you. Like Chris, none of us
want to lose our jobs or be targeted next." </b></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[Everything in brackets are my editorial comments.]</span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
next seven pages were chock-full of hair-raising details alleging violations of
law by certain District 113 administrators, as well as providing details about the School
Board's response and alleged cover up.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Background and Overview </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After their introductory comments, the Whistleblowers articulated their complaint. However, first, they provided a <b>Background and Overview</b> section before getting to the heart of the matter. They referred to a matter dating back to June 2016 stating that a HPHS principal had been investigated for [allegedly]
“forging” a fake teacher evaluation required by <a href="https://www.iasb.com/IASB/media/Documents/PERAoverview.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">PERA</span>
</a>(Performance Evaluation Reform Act) law in Illinois. The teacher was absent on
the evaluation date and (bravely) complained up the line that the principal had (1) falsified her
evaluation document, (2) attested to a walk-through observation with her that
never happened, and (3) filed the falsified document with the State of Illinois. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">An independent law firm, <a href="https://www.rsnlt.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Robbins Schwartz</span></a>, was retained to investigate the facts. The investigation determined that, indeed, the principal had falsified the teacher’s observation in
violation of the PERA law and the Illinois School Code. According to the Whistleblowers, the Principal "<i>received a <b>Warning Resolution</b> as a result of the investigation that took place. This [investigation] cost taxpayers approximately $15,000. The Warning Resolution was issued on July 11, 2016 for <b>deceptive practice</b> with a <b>one week unpaid suspension</b>. [The Principal] could have been fired but since the district had been up in arms just a year prior over previous superintendent <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/ct-district-113-superintendent-lk-tl-20150112-story.html">George Fornero</a> firing the former HPHS principal Brad Swanson, the Board of Education directed Chris to issue the Warning Resolution. Board members were also friends with [the Principal]</i>."</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Later, in researching the Whistleblowers claims through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to District 113 and the LCSA's offices, a document was discovered that confirmed the Warning Resolution. Robbins Schwartz determined the Principal had intentionally
falsified a teacher’s walk-through observation as contained in a December 6, 2017 letter to
Michael G. Nerheim, then Lake County States Attorney (LCSA). Robbins Schwartz wrote that
former Superintendent Dignam issued the Principal “<i><b>a Confidential Memorandum
and Final Warning Resolution that detailed the investigative findings,
identified conduct deficiencies which, if not remedied, could result in charges
for dismissal, issued directives for improvement, and placed the [the
principal] on a five-day suspension without pay.</b></i>” (Letter, Robbins Schwartz
lawyer to Michael G. Nerheim, Lake County State’s Attorney, 12/06/2017, RE:
Township High School District 113 — Records Destruction). </span><br />
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRVsGT9XSb0H1D8rPQmvqTt3NFae6YbR0bNwUuAXKHtiP4JtlO0qZ4mDn3JEv-7V5sGoHf-EilEWutDJ3dsIlMhOGAaI8_3VcsnHkVVqRIxFEORBaK5wObRZf99ayMzCLqg54sA6nnWRQud6bPXvuHukReYHLHPApX0vpoQqCIQe30P7ykfmBrdf4=s2770" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="2770" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRVsGT9XSb0H1D8rPQmvqTt3NFae6YbR0bNwUuAXKHtiP4JtlO0qZ4mDn3JEv-7V5sGoHf-EilEWutDJ3dsIlMhOGAaI8_3VcsnHkVVqRIxFEORBaK5wObRZf99ayMzCLqg54sA6nnWRQud6bPXvuHukReYHLHPApX0vpoQqCIQe30P7ykfmBrdf4=w400-h220" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this same letter, Robbins Schwartz continues "<i><b>It is our understanding that [Principal] was vocal about his displeasure with this investigation and discipline, telling his administrative team that he had been disciplined for 'getting the date wrong' — not the truth, which was that he had falsified the walk-through observation in its entirety.</b></i>" </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Children
are suspended from school for bad behavior, but a principal being suspended? Suspended for just five days without pay for falsifying records as well as violating of PERA
law? One can only wonder who was advising this School Board, and who on the board was supportive of this decision.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Whistleblowers convey that the Principal returned to work as
usual, and into the next school year, but was "<i>angry all school year and told all of his assistant principals, and retiring administrators (assistant superintendents Barry Bolek, and [others]) that he got written up because he simply 'got a date wrong.</i>'" Clearly the Whistleblowers knew the real facts, and, likely, so did many teachers. Perhaps even some residents and students were aware? Quite the
message the School Board sent with its "Principal suspension." This is taking place in a community where we say, “<a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/government/boards_and_commissions/character_counts.php">Character Counts</a>" and some of us wonder, does it really matter to our leaders?<br />
<br />
The Whistleblowers state that in March 2017, the Principal announced his
plans to leave the district, having secured a position as principal of a school
in another suburb. One is left to wonder whether the School Board gave the Principal a
great recommendation, or if certain members of the Board did this on their own
initiative. Surely it is difficult to get another position as a principal without a good recommendation. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
ends Chapter 1. Readers may ponder: Should residents be informed whenever a principal or assistant
principal has engaged in some conduct worthy of an unpaid suspension or termination, such as falsification of records? Is suspension ever an appropriate discipline for a superintendent, principal or assistant principal — anyone at the top of the administration? If so, is suspension ever an appropriate discipline for a school administrator or teacher who has intentionally violated State laws and regulations for educators? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Readers may have noticed that, so far, this report redacts the name of the Principal, and two Assistant Principals. There are various reasons for omitting their names — protecting them is not one of them. In essence, this report is not about the school administrators but is focused entirely on the actions of the School Board. <br /><br />In every organization, every school district, the tone is set
at the top. It appeared from the outset of the Whistleblower Letter that the tone at the top of District 113 was creating an environment in which staff and educators who are trying to protect the School District are fearful of retaliatory discharge, and the ones who aren't doing the right thing are supported by the School Board. Was it a superintendent or a School Board that was creating a toxic environment? Lessons learned. Create an environment where whistleblowers can share information about wrongdoing anonymously and without fear, and trust that a School Board will do the right thing. A School Board has to earn that trust and, once lost, it may take a long, long time to earn it.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html" target="_blank">Chapter 2</a> </b>will cover the next section of the whistleblower letter sent to Gerry and me:
<b>Criminal Acts and Cover Ups.<br /><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;">Links to all chapters of this report:</span></span></span></span></p><div><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prologue</span></span></a></div><div><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chapter One</span></span></a></div><div><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chapter Two</span></span></a><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four<br /></a><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/04/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter Five</a><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b></b></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-69357976092077006072022-03-10T17:44:00.017-06:002022-04-27T12:32:27.828-05:00<h1 style="text-align: left;"></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lessons Learned from the School Board — the Hard Way.</span></span></b></span></span></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Is
there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?” </span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Voltaire</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>
</p><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Prologue</span></b></h2><h3 class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Consider this hypothetical scenario: Your
local School Board became aware of possible wrongdoing and criminal activity within the leadership
ranks of the school administration — the superintendent of the administration provided
the School Board with abundant documentation about alleged misconduct by a
certain principal and a couple of assistant principals. The local State's
Attorney serves a Grand Jury Subpoena on the School Board requiring information
to document the facts. The School Board declines to provide the documents,
replying to the State's Attorney through an attorney that, regardless of laws that
may have been violated, from the Board's perspective, it was "no foul, no
harm." The School Board declines to provide documents responsive to the
subpoena. Meanwhile, some or all members of the School Board, officially or
unofficially, provide the alleged wrongdoers with letters of
recommendation, so these administrators can be hired by other fine school districts. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
a resident of the community, you learn from the newspaper that the School Board
has just terminated the Superintendent’s contract because he was creating a “toxic
work environment” causing some administrators to leave the district. The School
Board provided the Superintendent with a substantial severance (more of your
tax money not going into education) and sent him off with a seriously, if not
irreparably, muddied reputation. The School Board apparently never mentioned to
the newspaper reporter anything about the Grand Jury Subpoena or the results of
an independent, third-party investigation that had revealed alleged misconduct by
the administrators that happened on their way out of the school district’s
doors. Indeed, you still don’t know if the School Board terminated those
administrators or if they left voluntarily.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
a resident of your community, <b>do you care</b>? What information do you think
a School Board needs to share with parents and the greater community? Are you
entitled to know about misconduct of superintendents, principals, and assistant
principals?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwN1k32op8aJQQqk3khU7N8KrtXfLC6K4himfHYRbSUIg42FLvQxQwDhteHUQTW9Aza9JIpYgl9BNQzPo_ujs4I7CF_32zmylMkP0F1kSDIoVrq6rcti7L28evB_H9wWeYHFbDX0_2KYrS4wETOzD17K-UImcD0pb5Fnnvm7dZ6Fd97AxGLJbGiMA=s1202" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1202" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwN1k32op8aJQQqk3khU7N8KrtXfLC6K4himfHYRbSUIg42FLvQxQwDhteHUQTW9Aza9JIpYgl9BNQzPo_ujs4I7CF_32zmylMkP0F1kSDIoVrq6rcti7L28evB_H9wWeYHFbDX0_2KYrS4wETOzD17K-UImcD0pb5Fnnvm7dZ6Fd97AxGLJbGiMA=w224-h66" width="224" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
a series of chapters, this report will provide information about a similar scenario
that took place in my hometown — <a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/" target="_blank">Highland Park, Illinois</a> — at <a href="https://www.dist113.org/" target="_blank">Township High School District 113</a> (District 113), responsible for <a href="https://www.dist113.org/hphs" target="_blank">Highland Park High School</a>
(HPHS) and <a href="https://www.dist113.org/dhs" target="_blank">Deerfield High School</a> (DHS). This report will cover information stemming
from a letter I received from whistleblowers — administrators and/or teachers
at HPHS — requesting my help. The allegations are numerous and, sometimes,
complicated. It seems best to absorb all of it in relatively small bites — so
chapters seem best.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Regardless
of your answer to my question — <b>do you care</b>? — I hope you will read the entire
report. If you answered “no”, perhaps you will learn why you should care, as well as how to care, the questions to ask, and how to develop a system that encourages everyone to do their best. Also, this
report is intended to be relevant to the reader, wherever you live. Highland Park and
Deerfield are great communities, comprised of many wonderful, intelligent,
giving and caring people. We are community that puts signs up that say “<a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/government/boards_and_commissions/character_counts.php">Character Counts</a>.” Whatever happened here could just as easily have happened in your own
community. It happens wherever people do not hold their local public officials
accountable, where they vote for friends and friends of friends but they don't really follow up on performance of the elected officials. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
is one of the first lessons learned from our School Board — <b>hold your local
elected officials accountable even if they are your friends or friends of
friends.</b> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><h2><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Background</span></b></h2><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since
2008, this blog has been dedicated to the residents of the City of Highland Park,
Illinois, my hometown – “HP”. The impetus to start the blog was an issue, yet
to be resolved equitably or satisfactorily, about the City Council <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2011/01/whos-afraid-of-city-of-highland-park-47.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">that coerced 47 residents, many of whom were retirees,
in certain neighborhoods to pay in the aggregate nearly $240,000</span> </a>for sanitary sewer lining arising from the City’s infrastructure problems. That initial complaint led to
other blog posts, mostly because people contacted me for help. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the interest of full disclosure, your blogger is a practicing corporate lawyer
and recently retired adjunct professor of law of legal ethics and professional
responsibilities. This blog is completely independent of those endeavors. When
it comes to complaints about the City of Highland Park, District 113, District
112, and the Park District, I am just a concerned resident in this community.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Years
after the initial blog entry, a trio of residents called and asked for
assistance. They said there was a problem with District 113 – HPHS and DHS — that the treasurer of the schools had issued <u>"Petty
Cash" checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars</u> and that these ginormous checks were cashed at a local bank and were carried out small
bills. This was unbelievable. Petty cash is for petty sums. Surely no one with an accounting
background would write out a check like that. Surely not the treasurer of District 113. In disbelief, I could only reply to the trio, "I don't have time to research this for you. Prove it
to me first and if it is true, I'll work with you." They did prove it to me by
delivering the documentation. I have great respect for this trio as they really were dedicated to protecting our school system.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ultimately, in 2018, this blog detailed how more than $1,013,000 was handled in cash – bags o’
bills —with several individual “petty cash” checks issued for six-figure sums —
one nearly $350,000. <a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2018/07/1013-million-in-cash-why-residents.html" target="_blank">This blog documented the mismanagement of funds,</a> as well
as the lack of oversight by the School Board. No one was held accountable. The
story was further published with the headline <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Cash & Carry: $1.013 Million in Paper Bills</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>in
the local Patch.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
As with the Whistleblower Letter discussed later, the community was unaware
that the <a href="https://www.lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office" target="_blank">Lake County State's Attorney</a> (LCSA), Michael G. Nerheim at that time, had conducted a criminal
investigation. However, the School Board knew. The LCSA had worked on the matter long before I contacted them. I don't know who initially reported the petty cash problem to the LCSA but the States Attorney’s
office believed they couldn't successfully pursue the matter because it is difficult to trace cash. Additionally, it seems they had previously chalked the whole problem up to the fact that a lot of schools don't manage their money well. Maggie McPhee (of blessed memory) was a member of the trio who had reported the matter to me, and we went together to the first meeting with the LCSA's office to disclose the information we had. The LCSA they told us that the statute of limitations had already
passed and they could not reopen the matter, even with additional compelling documentation.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
In general, and for many reasons, writing this blog is the last thing in the
world I want to do. It takes a lot of time to research facts and work with
the authorities. Worse yet, even when the community is informed, <b>residents do not seem to care</b>, at least it not with their ballots. The same people tend to be re-elected, even when mismanagement rises to dereliction of
duties.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
Why post this blog now? Recently, in a Facebook group, “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2060835640852620" target="_blank">Highland Park/Deerfield High Schools Sounding Board</a>”, a resident posted a news report about a current case in Northern District of
Illinois Federal Court stating that an <a href="https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/612377545-ex-highland-park-asst-hs-principal-tries-to-continue-suit-vs-d113-over-alleged-retaliation-for-aiding-investigation" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">ex-Highland Park assistant high school principal tries to
continue suit against District 113 over alleged retaliation for aiding an
investigation</span></a>. I immediately recognized that the case was, in part, based on the facts I had received in a whistleblower letter. The facts are still relevant. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
The resident posted in her Facebook comment: “<b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">I’m now starting to get curious what other things are being
hidden…but the way this seems, there were a lot of people involved in this
cover-up. I’m very disappointed and concerned.</span></b>” She wondered what she is missing, what is being hidden, and she deserves to know the answer — lots! This new blog report
is dedicated to her. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Links to all chapters of this report:</span></span></span></span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learnedfrom-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Prologue</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter One</span></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_13.html"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>Chapter Two</span></span></a><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_18.html" target="_blank">Chapter Three</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/03/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard_25.html" target="_blank">Chapter Four<br /></a><a href="https://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2022/04/lessons-learned-from-school-board-hard.html" target="_blank">Chapter Five</a></span></span></span><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-27272921486569941792018-07-24T13:04:00.000-05:002018-07-24T13:04:16.659-05:00Is no news good news in Highland Park? Censorship in Highland Park and DeerfieldIs your local news censored? Mine was today. So was an article by Dennis Rodkin in Crain's Chicago Business: "<a href="http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20180719/CRED0701/180719849/a-deal-for-a-highland-park-house-fell-apart-theres-more#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccb-weeklyalert&utm_campaign=ccb-weeklyalert-20180720" rel="nofollow">A deal for a Highland Park House fell apart. There's more</a>." Yes, Dennis, and there's so much more. <br /><br />
It
was an intriguing article to anyone interested in real estate on
the North Shore and, in particular, in Highland Park. Rodkin reported
that a lawsuit, filed by Kathy Rifkin, claims that Ricco Garrett is a
man whose goal wasn't to buy homes but to "move into the [luxury]
properties without payment until he was either evicted or otherwise
forcibly removed from the property." Rifkin's home is on more than 2
acres on Hazel Avenue and was, at the time, listed for $4.8 million. <br /><br />
According
to Rodkin, plaintiff Rifkin claims there were at least three other
homes in Highland Park and Glencoe where Garrett tried the same tactics.
The lawsuit is comprised of many allegations, including that there were
at least two reports to the Highland Park Police Department, checks
that never showed up, and a real estate broker who informed potential
sellers and/or their real estate brokers that Garrett could afford the
purchase price as he was "famous" and a "family friend." For further
context and details, read Dennis Rodkin's article.<br /><br />
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</span> To be sure, ordinarily, a post about a real estate broker
asking for access to show luxury homes at 11PM on Friday nights would be
irrelevant to a Facebook closed group page dedicated to serving as a
sounding board for residents about their local school district. Yet,
Rodkin's article referred several times to the real estate broker who is
alleged to have been representing Garrett in various contacts with
other real estate brokers, "Debbie Hymen", formerly of Coldwell Banker,
currently of <a href="http://debrahymen.koenigrubloff.com/" rel="nofollow">Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group</a>. Debra Hymen has been on our District 113 School Board since 2011. The same Debra Hymen referred to in the recent "<a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/cash-carry-1-013-million-paper-bills" rel="nofollow">Cash and Carry</a>" article with regard to the Board's profound lack of governance and transparency. <br /><br />
Rodkin's
article should have been relevant to "Highland Park/Deerfield High
Schools Sounding Board". After all, it involves an elected official, a
member of the School Board. So, I posted the article on the closed group
page, with the following introduction:<br />
<br />
<span class="inserted"></span> <em>"An
interesting article about a lawsuit related to the sale of a property
in HP. Real estate broker Debbie Hymen is District 113 School Board
member Debra Hymen."</em><br />
<br />It was promptly censored and removed
from the page by the page's administrator, Walter Hainsfurther, without
any notification to me. There one moment, deleted the next, even after a
couple of people reacted to it. Later, Hainsfurther informed me on
another closed group page, "HP/HWD/FORT Planning for Our Future" why he
censored my post. <br /><br />
<em>"As moderator of the 113 Board, I removed
the post because it has absolutely nothing to do with her performance as
a 113 Board member. As far as I know, Ms. Hymen is not running for
re-election next April, and will retire from public service. This is not
a recent development, but something she has said for over a year. If
she changes her mind and runs again, feel free to repost it then.</em>"<br />
<br />It appears that news is only news, if, when and where Hainsfurther determines. That's what a good censor does.<br /><br />
Fortunately,
I also posted Dennis Rodkin's article on another closed group community
page, HP/HWD/FORT Planning for Our Future Facebook page. Evidently,
some think that sharing information about our community is a good thing,
and others don't. In posting the article, one might think that, surely,
people who are planning for our future might be interested in how to
protect their homes from a scam. Further, they might wonder whether the
Highland Park Police Department should have alerted residents to the
scam – after all, a lot of people are selling their homes – as well as
ask why charges hadn't been filed. Also, this particular group had
initially been started by discussing local school board matters – as
their kids go to District 113 schools, they should be interested in our
elected school board officials. The administrator of this page is Lisa
Remer Hirsch. Even though encouraged to do so, she did not take my post
down. Hirsch said, "I do not censor. I might take down bad language or
personal attacks but that's it."<br />
<br />It's very simple. Residents
can't make informed decisions if they aren't fully informed. In a stroke
of Orwellian proportions, Walter Hainsfurther decided residents
concerned about District 113 in Highland Park and Deerfield just don't
need to know about Dennis Rodkin's article. Or not until Debra Hymen
runs for office again. And, if they are going to find it, it won't be on
Hainsfurther's Sounding Board (let's call it what it is now).<br /><br />
Some
might say, we get the community we deserve. Do residents in Highland
Park prefer to be well informed? Thanks to Lisa Remer Hirsch, Rodkin's
article remains on "Planning for Our Future." The comments are mixed.
Here is a sampling of some resident comments posted so far (they have
been cut and pasted – so spelling, typos and grammar have not been
edited; as the page is a closed group, no names are included):<br />
<ul>
<li><em>"I'm not comfortable with this article at all. I feel it implies a certain guilt that may or may not exist" </em></li>
<li><em>"…I
add this into the other things I've heard over the years and formulate
my opinion. Your may of course vary. But I'd rather have more
information than less." </em></li>
<li><em>With all due respect - I am
wondering why you felt a need to post this here and on the District 113
page? You clearly have every right to be some type of self appointed
"gotcha" reporter on your blog and such.....but it clearly seems like
you are looking for anything and everything to complain about and call
public officials out about....which again is our right....but your
agenda seems pretty clear.....while I do not agree with every decision
Ms Hymen has made in her many years as a school board member I respect
her wilingness to voluntarily serve our community - and posting an
article that has nothing to do with her work on the school board isn't
too neighborly and basically not kind....this guy was clearly a con
artist...not cool IMO </em></li>
<li><em>Ok[..]...but again the agenda of
posting this article while recently and continually blasting voluntary
school board members and making unsubstantiated comments about falling
real estate values due to closing schools...which may be an opinion that
Ms Rade holds but is by no means fact.....seems clear. What is the
purpose of community members looking for every reason to hurt members of
our community that voluntarily take the time to serve? Being treated
like this why would one choose to serve? Anyone who is in the real
estate business at the level of Ms Hymen...who has done the number of
deals she has done...is bound to have some deals go sideways and even
end up in litigation....and as you know there are two sides and this is
what a court is for.....posting it to Facebook with an obvious agenda is
really lame.... sorry....but it's the truth. (Same person as the
previous comment.) </em></li>
<li><em>Debbie Hyman has been an incredible
advocate for District schools for years. I knew her before she was THE
Debbie Hyman and she worked just as hard for the community then. Funny,
how communities, all of them, end up eating their own. </em></li>
<li><em>…Thanks for Ms. Rade for linking to this, it's a good starting point for investigating the details. </em></li>
</ul>
In
this era where the president of the United States frequently tweets
about "fake news," it becomes all the more important to know who is
determining the news that is fit to print and what is their agenda.
Granted, a closed Facebook page can be a very unreliable source. Where
do you source relevant news about your community? For instance, the
Highland Park Patch posted my article "Cash and Carry: $1.013 Million in
Paper Bills" but you didn't read about the lack of controls over these
funds in the Chicago Tribune. Consider that the Trib recently <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-zion-principal-resignation-st-0712-story.html" rel="nofollow">published a recent article that a Zion school district paid $15K to a newly hired principal to resign before he started</a>.
Yet, the Trib never reported any of the associated facts concerning the
more than $1 million dollars in cash, even though it had been reported
to the Trib years before. The Chicago Tribune was made aware of the Lake
County State's Attorney's investigation. Still not reported. We also
haven't seen an article about the Rifkin litigation, either. Perhaps the
Chicago Tribune just doesn't know about it yet. Or, perhaps, there are
reasons why a report has been withheld. Censorship, perhaps?<br />
<br />
I
was censored today when I shared news from a respected, bona fide, news
source – a fine journalist who lives in Highland Park. It was relevant
to the community and, in particular, District 113 in Highland Park and
Deerfield. Are we living in a censorious community, filled with hidden
agendas? Has the public's right to access knowledge become subordinate
to the private interests in our community? Today I might be censored,
tomorrow I might be removed from Hainsfurther's Sounding Board entirely.
It's hard to notice the dissenters when there aren't any. Sadly, the
problem is that everyone may be under the assumption that they are
getting all the news that is relevant to our community. <br /><br />That's the thing
about censorship of news. You just don't know what you just don't know.<br /><br /><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/no-news-good-news" target="_blank"><i>Reprinted, slightly revised, from article published in the Highland Patch by this author.</i></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-69745648650367279522018-07-12T11:26:00.000-05:002018-07-12T12:13:07.117-05:00$1.013 Million in Cash -- Why Residents Cannot Afford for Township High School District 113 to Go Back for the Future <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Township High School District 113 is in turmoil, again. Superintendent Christopher Dignam was ousted, taking with him a $300,000 severance payment after two years of service. Shortly afterward, long-term School Board
member, David Small, resigned, reportedly because he found his views "at odds with the majority of board." This created the second vacancy on the School Board since November 2017 when Julie Gordon resigned, later replaced by the appointment of Gayle Byck. More recently, the School Board replaced Small with Ken Fishbain, who was on the school board from 2003 to 2011 and served as its president during 2009-2010. At this time, two of the seven School Board members were not elected by residents but were selected by the School Board based on unspecified criteria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If the residents of Highland Park and
Deerfield think the current School Board is going to right the ship, they are sadly mistaken. It's time to recognize that the single biggest threat to the success of Highland
Park High School (HPHS) and Deerfield High School (DHS) is the School Board.
The second biggest threat is resident apathy. Based on the current status of our school district, it appears that the School Board simply lacks the
ability to move forward as it clings to its past. The recent appointment of Ken Fishbain as a member of the School Board confirms this. Déjà vu, all
over again. As George Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Garbage in, garbage out” -- incorrect or
poor-quality input and procedures results in predictable faulty output. Consider the process for selecting Small's replacement. While the School Board accepted online applications from interested residents, it invited only one applicant for an interview, Fishbain. The interview was
held in closed session (and the frequent use of closed session school board
meetings is worthy of another report). Residents don't know how many applicants there were from two communities
known for having many talented, educated, smart, civic-minded people. Yet, the
School Board chose to ramrod a former board member and president as the
appointee. The purported benefit of this selection was there would be a “quick transition to the
board.” This is a euphemism for onboarding someone who will not rock the boat, someone who
will not be critical of the existing board, and someone who will vote with the pack. Unfortunately, as seen too often in local politics, unanimity is treated as a virtue, when the community can benefit more from people challenging the status quo and presenting new ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To be sure, I don’t know Ken Fishbain personally or professionally. Based on a cursory online search, he
appears to be a talented, educated, smart, civic-minded person. However, while the School Board perceived his previous service to District 113 as an asset, some may consider it a liability. Residents of District 113 cannot afford to allow the School Board to go back for the
future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In at least one material regard, during Fishbain's tenure and leadership, the School Board of District 113 was not paying much attention to financial management and
governance from 2009-2011. At the least, it appears it was not paying enough
attention to finances. These years were also a time when David Small and
Debra Hymen were on the School Board -- Hymen remains on the board. It's time residents take a critical look financial management in that era.<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Between the years 2009-2011, more than $1,013,000 dollars
was handled in cash by the District 113 administration.</b> Cash – paper bills –
the stuff you used to take out of your wallet to pay for things before credit
cards and Apple Pay. Cash, the paper money that leaves no record as it
circulates from hand to hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>In June 2009, Barry Bolek, District 113’s Assistant
Superintendent for Finance, signed a “petty cash” check for $349,000</b>. It was endorsed by a District 113 staff
member who reported to Bolek.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqXkIbUZYRZGmWotSp0Ii6c6jSu-URv4QouKaNUNAfBp4rJLcvozBzpAdc-KaYNIOp2760W2gWiWEWetoVkG9H2unomo8S6D5ncU_y8wHEx93i13HWN6cZu-RKapXJc45_xHKoW3iuWY/s1600/Petty+Cash+Checks+2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqXkIbUZYRZGmWotSp0Ii6c6jSu-URv4QouKaNUNAfBp4rJLcvozBzpAdc-KaYNIOp2760W2gWiWEWetoVkG9H2unomo8S6D5ncU_y8wHEx93i13HWN6cZu-RKapXJc45_xHKoW3iuWY/s400/Petty+Cash+Checks+2009.jpg" width="308" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ostensibly a finance expert, Bolek should have known that a
petty cash check is usually under $50 or, perhaps, even as much as $2,000,
depending on the size and purpose of a company. However, $349,000 is not “petty
cash” in anyone’s lexicon. Further, the $349,000 check had only Bolek’s
signature authorization. There was no countersignature – meaning that there was
no internal control to require either the superintendent or the Chairman of the
School Board to countersign the check as an internal control on finances. The
treasurer or controller of any reasonably sized company would know to have
countersigned checks for any payments above a certain level. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Similarly, <b>in June 2010, Bolek signed another “petty cash”
check, this one for $343,000</b>. This check wasn’t countersigned, either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7TJ9nRGEzQsioJadT-bHgwOlWXyHaTVIAeGLwBhrC8oYY1TChsy-hpmPcxEN8sw_0Ei_BGkd29FUghsycZYkTfaUCS4roSRBi-OBEIX9_FTk9D7b_S2qkN9VqHYs5QmoFANtoaB7VpA/s1600/Petty+Cash+Checks+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7TJ9nRGEzQsioJadT-bHgwOlWXyHaTVIAeGLwBhrC8oYY1TChsy-hpmPcxEN8sw_0Ei_BGkd29FUghsycZYkTfaUCS4roSRBi-OBEIX9_FTk9D7b_S2qkN9VqHYs5QmoFANtoaB7VpA/s400/Petty+Cash+Checks+2010.jpg" width="308" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally, <b>in 2011, Bolek signed two more large “petty cash” checks.
One for $136,000 and the other for $185,000. The aggregate for those two “petty cash” checks in 2011 was
$321,000.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WMa00ENQz4AcDHOPQRMw4DvlaMboyTepGle5QeuRFoQutIkRQf2ReVNSRqStw5JXPnzcHO_f7Y9_8aWDIjWZ64vHbtg5ZGeteds024AbtXRK0BdCG7WU-85cUYy9BD2Z_oVV9Ux7wLk/s1600/Petty+Cash+Checks+2011_Page_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WMa00ENQz4AcDHOPQRMw4DvlaMboyTepGle5QeuRFoQutIkRQf2ReVNSRqStw5JXPnzcHO_f7Y9_8aWDIjWZ64vHbtg5ZGeteds024AbtXRK0BdCG7WU-85cUYy9BD2Z_oVV9Ux7wLk/s400/Petty+Cash+Checks+2011_Page_1.jpg" width="308" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW09zcWUiF-8FZNPWqOPO8h9nf7DCGKnwcD8IXtjPrDktu0_cE-yL0kazZ0wEBUXklJp6j56C8pXJWUQDNo5OKtIzVT_eppAVaYne3F2_CfFJ3B1eK76Zcofe-ch5e6P-iqg8QfL1gAs/s1600/Petty+Cash+Checks+2011_Page_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW09zcWUiF-8FZNPWqOPO8h9nf7DCGKnwcD8IXtjPrDktu0_cE-yL0kazZ0wEBUXklJp6j56C8pXJWUQDNo5OKtIzVT_eppAVaYne3F2_CfFJ3B1eK76Zcofe-ch5e6P-iqg8QfL1gAs/s400/Petty+Cash+Checks+2011_Page_2.jpg" width="308" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why $321,000 was split into two checks in 2011 is unknown. Perhaps someone would like to investigate this, or a member of the School Board at the time would like to provide the answer to our communities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Worth noting, most suburban banks do not have this much cash on hand.
District 113 needed to advise the Chase Bank in Deerfield to be prepared in advance for
each of these transactions. Here is an example of the request in 2009.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEA9kqM3iqpovLtaIMEyaV8mW35GqFajgju-uA6TOe5zJVmpKOVH_DabcZLgTOZyht_xQZpts4JSRkAW7OQBVWj0-UdFA1-77gsq67aiU980InzoPfqO2VxOYD0lZ-WIG1rebZERkYEg/s1600/Request+for+Cash+to+Chase+Dist+113+2009_Page_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEA9kqM3iqpovLtaIMEyaV8mW35GqFajgju-uA6TOe5zJVmpKOVH_DabcZLgTOZyht_xQZpts4JSRkAW7OQBVWj0-UdFA1-77gsq67aiU980InzoPfqO2VxOYD0lZ-WIG1rebZERkYEg/s400/Request+for+Cash+to+Chase+Dist+113+2009_Page_1.jpg" width="308" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We don’t know when this process of obtaining
hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash started, it could have been going on
for decades.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is known is that <b>in 2011, Chase Bank handed over $321,000 in cash to someone at District 113 for the two "petty cash" checks. These two checks carried the single authorized signature of Barry Bolek, as well as his endorsement on the back of each check for endorsement</b> (see, images of 2011 checks above with signature on front and back of check). It might be assumed, based on the endorsement, that Bolek himself picked up the cash. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To be clear, the School Board allowed Barry Bolek, and most likely his predecessor in the financial role, to have unlimited, unfettered, and
uncontrolled access to School District funds. Even if the School Board was unaware of this untenable lack of control, it was also Bolek's responsibility as the person in charge of finance to ensure that standard accounting practices and proper controls were in place. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a light most favorable to Bolek, he did not know enough about internal control standards to ensure that checks for amounts over a certain established minimum level would need to be countersigned. Also, the only check that Bolek should have personally endorsed when District 113 was the payor was his own routine paycheck. Residents should also question the standards used by the public accounting firms who audited our public funds during this era and determine whether the accounting firm(s) was held accountable. The same questions are relevant today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cash is really not a good way to store or transport money.
Who can forget the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unsinkable Molly Brown
</i>who hid her fortune in a stove, only to have her husband set it aflame?
What if there had been a car accident on the way back to administrative
offices? Cash is also not traceable.
Yet, it appears likely that the cash – or most of it -- was delivered directly
from the Chase Bank back to District 113 administrative offices. Who was
responsible for it there? Where was the cash stored there? A large cash drawer,
perhaps. Maybe the Assistant Superintendent’s locked file drawer or desk. Maybe
a safe. Maybe in the trunk of a car. Who knew or cared? Likely not the School Board. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To be sure, all or part of the cash was intended and used
for a yearly book buy-back program at DHS and HPHS. However, based on the lack
of records, there is no one at District 113 who can provide an acceptable
accounting to residents for the use of $1.013 million of cash during 2009-2011.
Also, during 2009-2011 there were many other checks made out to “petty cash” in
large amounts of $2,000-$37,000. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">No one can say how much or little of the cash was used in the manner for which it was intended. District 113 had, at best, a very
rudimentary accounting for the book buyback program. We do know that lots of people were handling lots of cash. The few existing reports consist of cash received from the bank, cash
paid to the students, and the difference to be re-deposited at the bank. The
number of books claimed to have been bought back is provided but there are no
receipts or credit slips for the books, no inventory records of the books
purchased per title, nor is there a signature to hold anyone accountable for
the reports. Here is a sample accounting for use of $195,000 in cash in 2009 from Deerfield High School, called "Fiscal Report."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheORmsqfi7_Fy0jWlJYXNSGNZoobKsv6KKtyqdzU3migUSLMb-rtwWnMDmbwdCKCXK8bMonQnucCSGHb38jo58ecTpQcMZqMa9I2XwZD1Ukc11U3N5M6n7JUH4fksvRMrq7IwkNRd2W1c/s1600/Accounting+for+Cash+2009+Dist+113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheORmsqfi7_Fy0jWlJYXNSGNZoobKsv6KKtyqdzU3migUSLMb-rtwWnMDmbwdCKCXK8bMonQnucCSGHb38jo58ecTpQcMZqMa9I2XwZD1Ukc11U3N5M6n7JUH4fksvRMrq7IwkNRd2W1c/s400/Accounting+for+Cash+2009+Dist+113.jpg" width="308" /></a> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without inventory and detailed cash records, it is
challenging to determine if all the cash was used for the benefit of the school
district. A basic review of the shoddy “Fiscal Reports” for the book buy-back
programs in 2009-2011 reveals something strange. On average, and inexplicably,
the books were always significantly more expensive at Deerfield High School.
Same school district, different books? For instance, in 2009, the average alleged cash payment to a
student was $35.25 per book at HPHS, while the average alleged cash payment to
a student at DHS was $44.71. Compare the following "HPHS 2009 Book Buy Back Ending Cash Report" with the "Fiscal Report" above to see the difference in average price per book. This also shows the lackadaiscal and inconsistent manner in which cash reports were prepared. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDRgaZtT1yUFGqqSSBNGEwujqNQ9xnbVvsZ3kS62_HwH_rMmEL8Swlr0bQVlf-B0N6ZlZC79ckGh-OicrpL40rmmbaY2mu10JFmhsRoZMn72_4KyJ6P7_oEJ6zjkVm8xF0TiAOlMLwL8/s1600/2009+DHS+Cash+Report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDRgaZtT1yUFGqqSSBNGEwujqNQ9xnbVvsZ3kS62_HwH_rMmEL8Swlr0bQVlf-B0N6ZlZC79ckGh-OicrpL40rmmbaY2mu10JFmhsRoZMn72_4KyJ6P7_oEJ6zjkVm8xF0TiAOlMLwL8/s400/2009+DHS+Cash+Report.jpg" width="308" /></a> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This strange discrepancy was equivalent in 2010 and 2011. The
submitted “Fiscal Reports” confirm that the average HPHS book was worth $32.45,
while the average DHS book was $46.14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2011, HPHS books averaged $32.72 while DHS books averaged $41.82. Why
the consistent disparity? There are several possibilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also, why were there no receipts for the books, or if there were, why were they discarded? Parents like to account for how their children spend money. They might have desired a receipt. Does anyone remember receiving one for the book buy-back? Also, while there was a mention in one document that claimed there was an inventory list for the (approx.) 6,000 books a year District 113 acquired, this list was not made available in the FOIA research done by some interested residents. Were these books purchased the next year by seniors? For cash? So
many unanswered, serious monetary questions. Where was the School Board, and president Ken Fishbain during this time?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How is it that these issues at District 113 first came to my attention? In 2014, several concerned residents contacted me, seeking assistance, about financial issues in the district and, in particular, the ginormous "petty cash" checks. (While I am an attorney, I am not representing anyone in any of these issues, but I am a concerned resident.) </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like
most of us in this District, this was the first I had heard of hundreds of thousands of dollars being handled in cash. As a former bank teller in my college days, I found this of great concern and worth further inquiry. Frankly, I found it unbelievable until these residents provided me with documentation. </span>Some residents had already complained to no avail to the School Board, as well as prominent local politicians at City Hall in Highland Park and with the Village of Deerfield. After reviewing the supporting documentation, it seemed best to reach out to Mike Nerheim, the Lake County State's Attorney. Perhaps the State's Attorney's office could provide some light on the subject or would be interested in inquiring further about the use of large cash sums in the management of public funds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In January 2015, a concerned Highland Park resident and I met with Kenneth W. LaRue, the Chief of the Special Investigations Unit. Much to my surprise, we were informed that there had been a previous investigation of the book buy-back program's use of cash and "petty cash." (I don't know who reported the matter but would like to thank him/her/them.) The original investigator assigned to the
matter also attended this meeting. LaRue later informed me that
“the information discovered [in the previous investigation] by our office resulted in the conclusion that while<b>
the book buyback program was a terribly disorganized and poorly regulated
operation with no oversight, there was no provable criminal conduct</b>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further added, “Although the sloppiness
may have been intentionally constructed to disguise criminal behavior, based
upon the evidence that we have reviewed, we cannot prove criminal intent due to
the lack of documentation, poor accounting and use of cash.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unfortunately,
there was no second investigation into the new information I provided the State’s
Attorney. LaRue said that the statute of limitations for fraud and
other criminal actions had passed. LaRue and the investigator also confirmed in our meeting that
they had not noted the disparity between the value in books between the HPHS and
DHS book buy-back program sales in their previous investigation, though it was clearly evident in the reports I submitted for their review.<span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a record of emails between Bolek and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office. </span>It may be reasonably inferred that the School Board was
aware of the previous investigation -- this would include Small, Hymen and Fishbain. Were
Deerfield and Highland Park residents advised of the State’s Attorney’s
investigation? In what manner did the School Board step up in response to this
investigation? Did the Chicago Tribune, Highland Park News or other local papers or media ever report on this investigation? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perhaps the only thing that the School Board did right was to put an end to the cash
buy-back program in 2012. Yet, a School Board that claims transparency and holds itself accountable to residents should have advised the residents about the State's Attorney's investigation. Also, it should have initiated an independent, third party review and audit to account for the use of cash in 2009-2011, as well as the preceding years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Did the School Board hold anyone accountable for this
monumental lack of control over district finances? We don’t know. There were were two people – one was a CPA – who reported to Bolek and who
endorsed various "petty cash" checks for cash. It remains astonishing to me that anyone was willing to accept
the assignment of picking up more than a third of a million dollars in cash. That is something many of us would have declined because of the obvious risks. In any event, both of them are no
longer with District 113. We do not know if they were terminated or if they just left the district for their own personal reasons, but it is reasonable to assume that they were not held accountable for this cash practice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the other hand, Barry Bolek, whose primary responsibility
was to manage and protect the District’s finances, does not appear to have been
held accountable in any way for the cavalier use of of the "petty cash" and its account. To the contrary, Bolek went on to enjoy a very long career with District 113. The Board rewarded him with substantial pay increases every year until he
retired in 2018. His online bio refers to his position as “Assistant
Superintendent for Finance, Facilities, Operations, and Transportation.” In
other words, he was entrusted with even more responsibility, including the
supervision of $120.4 million of improvements as the result of the
divisive referendums in 2011 and 2013. In 2017, Bolek was listed as the 6<sup>th</sup>
highest paid public servant in education in Lake County per the <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://lakecountygazette.com/stories/511167382-how-much-do-public-servants-get-paid-in-lake-county">Lake
County Gazette</a></span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Neither Bolek nor the School Board, individually or as a board, has ever been held
accountable for what took place in 2009-2011. Without a thorough, independent, third-party investigation, into the administration's practices, as well as the School Board's conduct, it is
impossible to tell whether the use of "petty cash" was caused by incompetence or design. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is the current School Better better than the one in place during 2009-2011? Draw your own conclusions. In August 2017, I requested
a meeting that was held in the office of the new superintendent, Dignam. The president of the School Board, Michele Culver, was there, as well. Also participating in the
discussion was Gerald Meister, a concerned Highland Park resident who has been
rebuffed and insulted many times by the School Board over the years for
complaining about the misuse of School District finances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Culver and Dignam listened politely to my detailed report about Bolek’s financial management during 2009-2011 and the failure of
the Board to address the problem. They were given all the documentation included
with this article and more. I requested that all the information be
delivered to the full School Board and offered to meet with them. While Culver and Dignam
thanked me for sharing the information, they never provided any follow up
whatsoever. Not even a "thank you." To this day, I don't know what they did with all this information. This meeting took place many months before Bolek retired with his substantial retirement package. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The same School Board that was given the information, and who failed to even respond to me based on the facts, just appointed Ken Fishbain to join them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">District 113 will be doomed to a "do-nothing” effete board unless and until Deerfield and Highland Park residents rise up and demand transparency and accountability. As a District, we cannot allow the School Board to go on like this forever, underperforming and playing musical chairs, recycling board members when
convenient. We must demand better and hold School Board members, administrators and staff accountable. We will have the School Board we deserve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We simply cannot afford to elect people who are not up to the challenge,
who do not represent the residents. We cannot ignore the importance of our
votes for School Board, and the necessity for monitoring the board, without reaping the repercussions. We cannot allow our School Board to go back for the future with decisions made in closed sessions. More than two-thirds
of your real estate tax dollars is devoted to our school districts. Mismanagement of
funds not only puts our children’s education in peril, it impacts our personal and community finances. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We need a School Board comprised of different people. It's time to step up and find new candidates who will take on these responsibilities with integrity and vigor, preferably not from the insular political groups of who usually put forth and endorse candidates in our communities, preferably comprised of diverse people who understand the importance of financial controls and governance, and who have a better compass for the future of our communities and schools. <br /><br />© Debra Rade </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">All Rights Reserved</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-77280582639685335292016-02-24T10:31:00.000-06:002016-02-24T11:09:08.823-06:00Ravinia Festival’s Cash Cow – Crown Castle – Has Escaped to a Greener Pasture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoctQ_G0YKmlzur2TS8J5aq8ohTQXdwGZ2gvoPFb6t61nXqNQ0AC8XaILawWULLAB5hv5mrv2xad5Fy7MYvsD2AlLR5xy7_-zkwrFd5UmZ_aV7DQo0LoqFPMjVYDGAcVrDjoMW6sEGmF8/s1600/Ravinia+West+Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoctQ_G0YKmlzur2TS8J5aq8ohTQXdwGZ2gvoPFb6t61nXqNQ0AC8XaILawWULLAB5hv5mrv2xad5Fy7MYvsD2AlLR5xy7_-zkwrFd5UmZ_aV7DQo0LoqFPMjVYDGAcVrDjoMW6sEGmF8/s400/Ravinia+West+Park.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You probably haven’t read in the Chicago Tribune, or any of
the other local newspapers, about the outcome of the residents’ battle at City
Hall over the <a href="http://bit.ly/1XMFMGC">Ravinia Festival Association</a>’s
(RFA’s) attempt to build a 1500 sq. ft. structure to house a “head-in” cellular
hub for <a href="http://bit.ly/1QeWooM">Crown Castle International Corp</a>. –
smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The structure was to
provide connectivity for a proposed <a href="http://bit.ly/1WIQ89a">Distributed
Antenna System (DAS)</a> comprised of node antennae to be placed throughout
Ravinia Park during concerts – which is still on the table and likely to be
passed at the Plan and Design Commission meeting March 15, 2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, the cellular hub would be used all year
long to provide distribution services to all the major cellular phone
providers, such as Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the RFA and the City of Highland Park
asserted that the cellular hub structure was essential for public safety, while
the residents in opposition denied this.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frankly, some of our local newspapers seem determined to
prevent residents from accessing news, unless the news has been issued directly
from City Hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consider that the
Chicago Tribune published an article articulating the City’s support of Ravinia
with their headline article, <a href="http://trib.in/1TEliR4"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fixing Ravinia Cell Logjam A Matter of
Public Safety, Highland Park Mayor Says</i></a> the very same day as the
October 20, 2015 hearing at the Plan and Design Commission. Published before
the meeting, not after. Not a single resident was interviewed for that
article.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet when residents directly requested
that the Tribune investigate and report on the issues further, the response was
that this was too complex for the newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If our small city politics is too complex for the Chicago Tribune,
heaven knows how they handle Chicago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be fair, I waited a few weeks since City Hall notified
Ravinia’s neighbors by letter about a crucial decision concerning the Ravinia’s
proposed cellular hub to see if would be reported in the local press. Their
report is simply not happening – likely because the City of Highland Park
didn’t furnish the information as a press release – so here is all the news
about the Ravinia Festival/Crown Castle Proposal that is fit to print but our
local newspapers won’t deliver to you.</div>
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<br /></div>
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*******</div>
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<br /></div>
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In a surprise move, Crown Castle decided to take the
“head-in” function – its cellular hub – out of Highland Park. It will lease
space at an undisclosed location, according to reports, no new structure is
planned. The Ravinia neighbors who fought the Ravinia Festival Assocation (RFA)
and the City of Highland Park may claim this as a victory, as surely their
tireless work at least resulted in several delays before the HP Plan and Design
Commission, extending the process to nearly one full year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is very good news for the Ravinia neighborhood (not to
be confused with the <a href="http://bit.ly/1SU4eGQ">Ravinia Neighbors
Association</a> that refused to assist the 60+ active Ravinia neighbors who
opposed the RFA proposal). This is also a positive outcome for any Highland
Parkers who care about Ravinia’s cultural and historic importance, as well as
the environment and preserving open spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, overall, this is a monetary loss for Highland Park, and it didn’t
have to be that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could have been
a win-win resolution if Highland Park had been more sophisticated and
strategic. Ultimately, Crown Castle made its own decision without Highland
Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can blame them? After all,
providing cellular connectivity to Verizon, Spring, and AT&T is a very
lucrative business and every day that cellular hub wasn’t up and running was
costing them money – no matter how good the deal was that they struck with the
RFA. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cellular hub never belonged on RFA property for several
reasons, not the least of which was the moral, ethical, environmental and,
perhaps, legal obligation to support the legacy of the RFA’s major benefactor,
<a href="http://trib.in/1QEhIpZ" target="_blank">Mrs. Elsie Eckstein</a>, who donated all the property subject to certain legal
covenants. Without Mrs. Eckstein’s brilliant foresight and generosity, the RFA
would likely have ceased to exist long ago. <br />
<br />
When Elsie Eckstein gifted this prime and valuable land to the RFA, she
prohibited the building of commercial property on it, requiring the new owner
to maintain its natural open space as a park. She gave the property a distinct
not for profit purpose. She didn’t give the land away so other people could
make a profit on it. If that were her intent, the she could have sold the
property to developers for residential or commercial purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Crown Castle abandoned Ravinia, the
legacy of Elsie Eckstein was upheld, not by the Ravinia Festival Association,
not by City Council, and not by the Ravinia Neighbors Association, but by the
neighbors who live around the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They actively set out to preserve the unique history of our community,
and were vigilant and tireless in defense of Ravinia as it should be.<br />
<br />
The departure of Crown Castle is also good news for the neighbors, some of whom
live as close as 230 feet (that’s less than a football field away) from where
the cellular hub would have been built. Serious noise would have emanated from
six five-ton HVAC units in the building, at least half of them running 7/24/365.
There was another large noisy generator to be put into place on an outside
cement block whenever power would go out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The City never required Crown Castle to disclose the decibel levels for
that generator that could run as long as several days based on past power
outages in Highland Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could have
been deafening, yet no one protected those residents. Records indicated that
neither the City nor the Plan and Design Commission was concerned that the
nearest residents would have been subject to, at least, a decibel level
equivalent to a living room conversation at all times, night and day. With
Crown Castle out of Ravinia, these neighbors will now be able to continue enjoy
their backyards and bedrooms without an incessant hum, and their property
values will remain intact. They also so not have to worry about being bombarded
with additional radiofrequency radiation, although the cellular hub would
certainly have been installed according to federal standards. Still, who wants
to live next to cellular hub? </div>
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<br /></div>
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What about our public safety problem?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again good news – the absence of this cellular
hub has no impact on safety whatsoever, even though Highland Park Mayor Nancy
Rotering said the DAS structure had to be built <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as a matter of public safety</i> (see, <a href="http://conta.cc/21qRjNO">News
from Nanc</a>y and <a href="http://trib.in/1TEliR4">Chicago Tribune</a>). Her
public safety argument was that on busy RFA nights, later established to be
8-12 nights per year, the cell phone activity of Ravinia’s patrons overwhelms
the nearby cell towers, compromising the ability for ambulances to communicate
with the Hospital’s emergency room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We
should note that city’s Fire and Police chiefs were unable to provide any
documentation of this at the October 20 hearing, and, if it is so, the
residents should be asking them to keep records to support public safety.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mayor Rotering reported that she personally
approached Ravinia, along with the City Manager and the HP Fire and Police
Chiefs, to address these safety concerns. In her press releases, she stated
that the DAS system was simply the best solution and “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to install the DAS, <u>Ravinia will need to build a new building on its
property</u></i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so.</div>
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As stated in <a href="http://bit.ly/1TFPLOS">my report on
October 20, 2015</a>, and as I testified at City Hall later that day, it was
always clear the “head-in” cellular hub did not need to be on RFA
property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the cellular hub needs
to communicate with the DAS antennae nodes proposed to be placed throughout the
entertainment section of Ravinia Park, the cellular hub could be off-site. It’s
all about RF – Radio Frequency. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
cords, no cables, just RF. That’s why they call it wireless.<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
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Exactly how far away can a cellular hub be from DAS
nodes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly, I can’t answer that
technical question because the City of Highland, the RFA and Crown Castle would
never answer that simple question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wrote to the City of Highland Park on October 27, 2015 with several important
questions, including:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
“Technically speaking, <u><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">how far away can a “head-in
building” be from the nodes</span></u> intended to be placed on Ravinia
Festival rooftops and other places at the Park?...What is the farthest from Ravinia
that it can be placed and still effectively serve the nodes?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Months later, with that question and others unanswered, I
met with the City Manager and staff on January 4, 2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How far away could the cellular hub be? Staff
replied that this was unknown but it was asserted that it could not be too far,
because it would be difficult to “lay the fiber optic cables.” My reply, “There
are none. It’s all about RF – Radio Frequency.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I explained to another city leader on October 20, “there are no
cables, take a look at your cell phone, it’s the same principle.” After nearly
a year of review at the City, no one could answer a very simple question – how
far away could the cellular hub be? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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The answer, if given to me in October 2015, would have
enabled me to provide assistance to Highland Park in resolving this contentious
matter. We could have located other suitable local sites to propose to Crown
Castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sites that would not have been
on land owned by not for profits who pay no real estate or revenue taxes, such
as the RFA. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sites that might have been
on City of Highland Park, District School or Park District property – open real
estate that could have been monetized for the betterment of Highland Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, sites in Highland Park’s commercial
buildings where the income earned by Crown Castle from Verizon, AT&T,
Sprint could be taxed. Highland Park’s commercial properties need lessees. Whatever
the other location, it would be intended to help reduce our tax burden in Highland
Park. Crown Castle doesn’t just provide DAS services, it is a Real Estate
Investment Trust that monetizes land, and the City of Highland Park should have
recognized this. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems Crown Castle was the only one who knew how far away
from the Ravinia Festival the cellular hub could be built. According to HP City
Staff, they don’t know where Crown Castle will be. It wouldn’t be surprising to
find it in Glencoe, just south of Lake Cook Road. There is a fine golf course
there with a corner for mechanics there. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Unfortunately, City Hall did its utmost to ensure that the
RFA, a not for profit organization that pays no real estate or income taxes to
the community, would reap the significant financial benefits of the cellular
hub. Crown Castle is a substantial REIT, publicly traded on the NYSE:CCI, yet
the City of Highland (including its lawyers), along with the RFA, continued to
represent at public hearings that a cellular hub providing services to Verizon,
AT&T and Sprint was not a commercial endeavor, and that there were no significant
zoning issues for placing the cellular hub on property zoned residential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, the Highland Park lawyer in
attendance on October 20 specified that the Plan and Design Commission could
not consider the legal covenants on the land while several other resident
lawyers there would argue with that position. Neighbors have been left to
wonder what the underlying motivations were in this scenario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, another unfortunate outcome from the
Ravinia/Crown Castle Proposal is that there are more Ravinia neighbors who have
gained a healthy cynicism about the City and Ravinia Festival Association.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To some it appears the leadership of Highland Park was so
focused on assisting the Ravinia Festival Association that they neglected to
understand either the relevant technology or the commercial opportunity
associated with the Crown Castle/RFA proposal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Crown Castle, the cash cow, has now escaped the barn or, another
metaphor, Highland Park failed to see the forest for the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another community will enjoy the taxes
benefits. <br />
<br />
The good news, the bad news, and an opportunity lost.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-22824914053624379632015-10-20T10:23:00.000-05:002015-10-20T10:28:57.361-05:00Ravinia Festival to Build Cellular Hub for Crown Castle REIT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzoEjeENMFnFrdpIWYuUse72Or8HxDfTrRQj1CweL0NWQgD_woqfK3pWnvT5zQse0D-oWXZrXtjpYMqlRhkznbeft-fQzfrSaSDERwFzMTkY6-vuji3_Up7gmWdu2VTBSdwpUIzq7A88/s1600/RadioFrequency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzoEjeENMFnFrdpIWYuUse72Or8HxDfTrRQj1CweL0NWQgD_woqfK3pWnvT5zQse0D-oWXZrXtjpYMqlRhkznbeft-fQzfrSaSDERwFzMTkY6-vuji3_Up7gmWdu2VTBSdwpUIzq7A88/s320/RadioFrequency.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Please join your neighbors at a meeting tonight, October 20, at 7:30 pm at Highland Park City Hall with the Plan and Design Commission concerning <a href="http://ravinia.org/Page/Information" target="_blank">Ravinia Festival</a>’s proposal to build and lease a new 1500 sq. ft. structure in the “West Park” (the parking lot west of the train tracks). Only contiguous neighbors were notified about the structure and that it will house a new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for personal wireless telecommunication. Unfortunately, most of us don't know what that means and are not familiar with its implications. Also, there is no notification to the rest of Ravinia and Braeside residents, so few others know about this proposal that may have a profound impact on their lives, real estate values and our community.<br />
<br />
In essence, the DAS structure will house a cellphone hub, functioning like a tower - just lower to the ground in a one story building. The services provided from within this building will be sold to Verizon, AT&T and other cellular providers. The DAS hub will run 24 hours a day, every day, all year long. DAS is usually associated with poll mounted nodes that are placed on existing infrastructure, such as electrical polls, street lights, and cell towers, pointing up, but the Ravinia Festival's proposal includes this 1500 sq. ft. structure. The Commission will also review this evening extensive “Appurtenant Equipment” throughout the park (likely the poll mounted nodes but we’ve more to learn). This is a complicated technical system and you may review the full proposal, including technical drawings, online at the HP City website (click here: <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/Archive.aspx?AMID=70">http://www.cityhpil.com/Archive.aspx?AMID=70</a>).<br />
<br />
Let us not be fooled by a Trojan horse that appears with the face of a Ravinia Festival proposal. The guts of this proposal is to build a structure housing <a href="http://www.crowncastle.com/" target="_blank">Crown Castle</a>, a publicly traded (NYSE: CCI) company that is the nation's largest provider of wireless infrastructure. In January 2014, Crown Castle officially became a REIT - explained on their website as a conversion to align their business structure with their "long term commitment <a href="http://investor.crowncastle.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=107530&p=irol-IRHome" target="_blank">t</a><u><b><a href="http://investor.crowncastle.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=107530&p=irol-IRHome" target="_blank">o provide the nation's wireless carriers with the prime real estate they need</a> </b></u>to meet the demands of their consumers." Yes, it is undeniable that Ravinia Festival's West Park is prime<i><b> residential</b></i> real estate, but don't you think Crown Castle could buy some prime <i><b>commercial</b></i> real estate in Highland Park? So, let us strip away the image of this as a Ravinia Festival proposal. This is a Crown Castle proposal.<br />
<br />
You may well be asking yourself - what’s the problem with building a new DAS structure in the Ravinia Festival's West Park? Is it something we need? What are the problems associated with it? Let’s first consider the purported reasons for building it. <br />
<br />
Mayor Nancy Rotering issued an e-mail yesterday in support of the Ravinia Proposal. If you did not receive it, here is a link(<a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Cell-Phones-and-Ravinia-Festival.html?soid=1102424111660&aid=HKogObmT9vI" target="_blank">click here</a>). She clearly supports the Ravinia Festival/Crown Castle proposal, primarily providing public safety concerns. She informs us that more than a year ago <i><b>she approached</b></i> the Ravinia Festival with safety concerns about cell phone connectivity, along with the Highland Park Fire and Police Chiefs, and our City Manager. She is concerned that "On busy Ravinia nights paramedics in ambulances cannot get telemetry signals (EKG’s) sent to Highland Park Hospital until they are near Lincoln School, losing critical minutes for communication with the Hospital’s Emergency Room.” <br />
<br />
In a recent August 2015 memo from Fire Chief Daniel Pease (in the proposal package and likely required by the Mayor for support of the Crown Castle proposal), he stated that “although phone communication is the primary and preferred method of communication for ambulance calls . . . all fire service vehicles are equipped with radios that can communicate with area hospitals.” <br />
<br />
Whether or not cardiac rhythm strips are sent from ambulances by cellphone or through the radio (more likely radio at this point in technology but moving toward cellphones), we can take, as a given, that it is very important for everyone to be able to use our cellular phones in an emergency to contact the authorities. So, I agree with Mayor Rotering, this qualifies as a life safety issue at some level and certainly one that should be concerned as more people drop their landlines. (We can also pause for a moment to consider why the Mayor and City Council have been concerned that our current infrastructure is delaying the relay of vital health information to Highland Park Hospital, or that people without landlines might not be able to request an ambulance, yet residents have not been so informed.)<br />
<br />
I have worked in the interest of public safety for my entire career. Seeing that there is a life safety concern, there is no choice but to provide the necessary infrastructure. <br />
<br />
However, wanting to fix the connectivity issues associated with busy Ravinia Festival nights doesn’t mean that the DAS structure is the only solution, nor does it require that it has to be placed in Ravinia Park (east or west). It also doesn’t justify that the DAS structure will be running 24/7/365 when Ravinia Festival is only open for a few months, and within that time, there are relatively few “busy events.” It would appear we are being sold a bill of goods.<br />
<br />
Reading up on the technology, it appears that a DAS structure could be built remote from Ravinia Park on existing commercial property. Additionally, if not alternatively, many DAS systems use existing infrastructure. Crown Castle specifically states in its website, explaining why the company is an “ideal partner” to municipalities with regard to public safety:<br />
<br />
“It’s already there: <a href="http://www.crowncastle.com/public-safety/" target="_blank"><u><b>Using existing infrastructure gets you on the air quicker, saves you money, and puts you in accordance with federal mandates to leverage existing infrastructure.</b></u>”</a><br />
<br />
Building a DAS at Ravinia Park is definitely not the solution to Highland Park's public safety issues. There are alternatives but they have not been presented to the community, and apparently not pursued by our city's leadership. <br />
<br />
There are many reasons for not building the DAS at Ravinia Park but here are a few:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Will we be <b>trading one life safety issue for another</b>? There are many communities in the US and globally who have rejected DAS structures and nodes in their residential areas. Here are a few reports: <a href="http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150415/cell-tower-news/tower-removed-over-health-concerns">http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150415/cell-tower-news/tower-removed-over-health-concerns</a> <a href="http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150413/hetnet-news/das-residents-oppose-crown-castle-das-deployment">http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150413/hetnet-news/das-residents-oppose-crown-castle-das-deployment</a> While I'm confident that Crown Castle can do a lot to reassure our community about the safety of DAS nodes, the hub structure is another matter. Here is a sampling of the warnings to be placed with this building, would you want this next door to your home?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jo6zF6wWfgZNFIbAYyiyOm_l2cLd216aYmNJDjCJFFL-UciJyEevV1wIBWxsQJDeWQc2l_1wGpaUEWyLYHtGtDXWl-bgYwJlcntAv_RJ0cQxRc8hj7lx8yZJBWa9D3yxBNRJCsD63qk/s1600/Warnings+for+DAS+building+Ravinia.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jo6zF6wWfgZNFIbAYyiyOm_l2cLd216aYmNJDjCJFFL-UciJyEevV1wIBWxsQJDeWQc2l_1wGpaUEWyLYHtGtDXWl-bgYwJlcntAv_RJ0cQxRc8hj7lx8yZJBWa9D3yxBNRJCsD63qk/s400/Warnings+for+DAS+building+Ravinia.jpg.png" width="356" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The <b>health effects</b>, if any, from this structure will affect the closest neighbors - many of whom didn't receive a notice of the proposal. Additionally, those neighbors
may find their <b>homes devalued</b> when they go to sell. It's
one thing to say you live next to one of the finest, oldest and busiest concert
venues in the world, it is another to say that the house is next to or near a large
communications hub.</li>
<li>Ravinia Festival pays <b>no real estate taxes</b> on this property. In effect,
they will be passing through this benefit to Crown Castle. </li>
<li>Ravinia Festival’s property is R-5: Moderate Density Residential District. <b>Residential districts are not intended to allow commercial, industrial, governmental, recreational, or like uses</b>. Yes, there are exceptions for certain organizations and not for profits, like the Ravinia Festival, but the use of the property must always preserve and protect the residential character – and a DAS structure completely fails in this regard. </li>
<li>The property was generously gifted to the Ravinia Festival by Mrs. Elsie Eckstein with certain <b>restrictive covenants in the deed to specifically prohibit its use for commercial enterprises</b>. While the Ravinia Festival has many commercial enterprises in the park, primarily serving food, such services are a normal part of an entertainment venue. Ravinia Festival, a not for profit, could never deed any of this property to Crown Castle, a publicly traded company, so why are we looking at setting up a lease arrangement as a get around? Perhaps this is being done in collusion with the City of Highland Park as there is a very close relationship between Highland Park and Ravinia Festival leadership. As we usually say in our neighborhood, “Ravinia will get whatever they ask for, whenever.”</li>
<li>The West Park of Ravinia has always been <b>open to the public, 365 days a year</b>. Parents teach their children to ride their bicycles in that park. Families take leisurely walks there in each season. I happen to enjoy the dragonflies throughout the summer. It’s a fine open space, soon to be despoiled by ancient oak trees being felled and a new building emitting RF and electromagnetic waves every day, every hour, every minute. Additionally, some of the neighbors believe that after the new structure is built, Ravinia Festival will close off the property to all, except for parking for performances.</li>
<li>The DAS structure will displace numerous cars that would otherwise park in the lot. These cars will place more of a traffic burden on our community in various ways, such as using up spaces in the uptown and Ravinia shopping district - displacing shoppers.</li>
</ul>
I refer to Ravinia Park as “my backyard” because my backyard is edged by the entrance to Ravinia off Green Bay Road. In the 25 years I have owned my home, I have taken great pride in the Ravinia Festival, and have been a good neighbor. I have never objected to any of their proposals, even if not entirely in agreement, thinking it was for "the greater good." I should also make it clear that this DAS structure will be relatively far away from my home - much closer to other people’s homes on the north end of the park. It’s really not about me – this should be an issue of importance to all Highland Park residents and the people who have a stake in the Ravinia Festival as a not for profit.<br />
<br />
This proposal is not for "the greater good" of the Ravinia Festival, except a unrelated business taxable income, and they should be earning their revenue by selling tickets and associated entertainment, not by foisting a commercial enterprise into a residential neighborhood (for shame!). Let's make no mistake - allowing this proposal to proceed in any manner (other than placing DAS nodes on the polls at Ravinia) will set a terrible precedent. This is the camel's nose in the tent. Wait 'til you see the camel.<br />
<br />
This is the time for everyone to object – tonight (Tuesday) - even if you’re not a neighbor, even if you don’t live in Ravinia or Braeside. This isn’t just about ensuring that the Ravinia neighbors can have daily access to the park. It is about ensuring that the City of Highland treats every neighborhood respectfully – that residential property remains residential and not commercial. If you wouldn’t like this building next door to your home, it’s important that you stand with others who will be impacted. <br />
<br />
This is also about requiring Ravinia Festival to live up to its charter as a not for profit and to honor its legacy. If they proceed with this, we should inquire further about the real business of the Ravinia Festival. As a not for profit, it currently enjoys a real estate tax exemption yet, certainly, the City of Highland Park, Lake County and the State of Illinois should be paid real estate taxes from any commercial enterprise. Crown Castle may lease the building from Ravinia Park, but Crown Castle has designed the building for itself, and will use it to sell its services to Verizon, AT&T, and other carriers. A rose is a rose. Crown Castle isn't a large REIT for nothing. In essence, though not in deed, Crown Castle will own that building. Just look at the attached proposal. As a City, we are about to be had if the Plan and Design Commission approve this proposal to build a structure. <br />
<br />
Many of my friends complain to me, after the fact, that they don’t like certain decisions made by City Hall, particularly with regard to its impact on real estate zoning. Write an email today to HP's city manager (<a href="mailto:gneukirch@cityhpil.com">gneukirch@cityhpil.com</a>) or the <a href="https://www.cityhpil.com/Index.aspx?NID=94" target="_blank">mayor and city council members</a>, to express your thoughts and join your neighbors at City Council this evening. <br />
<br />
And, please share this report with your neighbors. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-13938654886483227732012-10-10T08:42:00.001-05:002012-10-10T08:45:42.026-05:00The Park District's Beach House...<div class="MsoNormal">
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In an e-mail sent to Executive Director Liza McElroy on September 20, 2012, Highland Park resident Daniel Shure asked the Park District of Highland Park (PDHP) a few simple questions:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Who lives in the building at Ravine Beach [Millard Park]? </div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>How is it decided who lives in that building?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>What is the lease or financial deal for those living there?”</div>
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He
further indicated that he had previously asked this
question through the general info e-mail address at the PDHP but had
received no response. His e-mail also mentions that he had asked a couple of
commissioners, as well as other PDHP employees, about the tenants and
“no one seems to know who it is other than they assume it’s a park
district employee.” </div>
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Ms McElroy provided an incomplete response on September 21 as follows:</div>
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“Hi Mr. Shure: <b>The Park District no longer rents the space at Ravine Beach</b>. <b>The Park District is looking into demolishing this building </b>and
this is something that Park Board will address over the coming months.
Thanks for your inquiry. Liza” (McElroy to Shure) [emphasis added]</div>
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Desiring
a complete and transparent response from Ms. McElroy, Shure sent an e-mail the next day pointing out the disparity that, even
though she said the Park District no longer rents the space at Ravine
Beach, people continue to live there: </div>
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“If
the Park District no longer rents the space does that mean the couple
that live there are living rent free? They are still there. Who are
they? How were they chosen to live there? And, what was the financial
arrangement between the Park District and the couple?” (Shure to
McElroy)</div>
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By this, Dan was indicating that he continued to see individuals who appeared to be residents there even after Ms. McElroy's initial reply. </div>
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Not
receiving a timely reply from Ms. McElroy, Shure sent another
e-mail on September 25 as a reminder. He sent yet another reminder on
September 27, and, finally, on October 1, he sent a brief e-mail with
one additional question: “<b>Is there a reason you are not answering</b>?”</div>
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Executive Director McElroy ultimately replied to Shure’s September 22 e-mail on October 2 as follows:</div>
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"Hi Daniel: I am sorry, I have been out of the office and am still catching up. <b>At this point, I have nothing further to add to my previous comments.</b> Liza” (McElroy to Shure) [emphasis added]</div>
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Dan is entitled to answers, and we should be interested in them. The PDHP needs to provide all relevant information about the rental of the Ravine Beach house -- how long people have been living in the Ravine Beach Field House,
how the property was evaluated for rent, how much the rent was, whether it
was paid, whether the tenant was an employee of the Park District or the
City of Highland Park, etc. At the very least, from a compliance and governance
perspective, it is appropriate for Dan to have asked about the policies
and practices for determining who could live at the beach and if they were paying full value for the enjoyment of living in what might be the only house directly on the beach in Highland Park. </div>
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After
reviewing the PDHP’s financial statements made available on the web,
there doesn’t appear to be any distinct line item for rental of the
Field House (although it would appreciated if the PDHP could point out where it is, if it exists). Clearly it was reasonable for Shure to ask the Executive
Director about the arrangements concerning the Ravine Beach Field
House. It is unacceptable to provide him with wholly inadequate and
mostly non-responsive answers. Why no answers to simple questions?</div>
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Ironically,
for those who have been following the PDHP’s roughshod treatment of
more than 1000 residents who signed a petition to oppose placing another beach
house on the Rosewood Beach shore, the Millard Park/Ravine Beach Field
House was mentioned several times by residents in public meetings as an
existing building on the lakefront that could serve as viable location
for Park District programs in lieu of sacrificing the shoreline at
Rosewood. Apparently, Ravine Beach was fine as a lakefront home for unidentified lessors, most likely PDHP employees, perhaps for decades. Now the PDHP has determined that it
should now be demolished. </div>
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Answers to Dan's questions? Dan has been forced to take a path that is becoming increasingly too familiar with the PDHP. On
October 4, he filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
gain access to relevant records. He has received no response to date. If the information is noteworthy, it
may be reported here. Regardless, isn’t it time for the Park District
of Highland Park to stop acting like a fiefdom and start being open and
responsive to the residents who pay dearly for the PDHP?</div>
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The Park District of
Highland Park’s (HPPD’s) organization chart, approved March 3, 2012,
states that the CITIZENS OF Highland Park are at the tippy-top of the
org chart. Everyone at the PDHP ultimately reports up to the
residents. Even the executive director. Looks good on paper,
doesn’t it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sIh_XnDKb1ThxpN5HlsUxL0blGf1JSOeVc_O5B9p30qRZfv5cNm-1-PF3U_h1uVjhv2beOmvyPCMX6Cu0fEUBXvKQtO7KUD1txS8wq_tJo0O0i7NxgAp7dbUhtm6Dd46IQYiDAYRloM/s1600/Org+Chart+PDHP-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sIh_XnDKb1ThxpN5HlsUxL0blGf1JSOeVc_O5B9p30qRZfv5cNm-1-PF3U_h1uVjhv2beOmvyPCMX6Cu0fEUBXvKQtO7KUD1txS8wq_tJo0O0i7NxgAp7dbUhtm6Dd46IQYiDAYRloM/s640/Org+Chart+PDHP-1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately,
that’s not the way it works at the Park District of Highland Park. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-24253357163748138192012-08-23T15:29:00.000-05:002012-08-23T15:31:24.602-05:00REAL, not "purported", SIGNIFICANT OPPOSITION TO THE BEACH HOUSE<style>
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<object class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bVjhYFy9FmTvjFTJzAw3H9LoqfryQrENOohGXgA53PW0AFWEt7-EC6S87vCVTRmTzJcJcW4XTq2KWkyQoG7iE6wCWVRf5scOe-s8aSDlkuJx0nqndBe0tlBfU5Jv-EMr2e6ubLQg77k/s1600/iStock_000018771041Small+We.mov" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dd027acd205cd80a9%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1348341785%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DA00123DEE3E2351141BAF9A229508EC16C027CB6.5EAB7598586CF7DE825CB9EE78663852943BE9C0%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dd027acd205cd80a9%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1348341785%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DA00123DEE3E2351141BAF9A229508EC16C027CB6.5EAB7598586CF7DE825CB9EE78663852943BE9C0%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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The <a href="http://www.pdhp.org/index.aspx?page=516" target="_blank">Rosewood Beach Project</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Talk about Down the Drain in HP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than 1000 Highland Park voices have been unilaterally determined to be “obsolete ” by
the Highland Park Park District (HPPD).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Starts me thinking about just who is really obsolete in HP…could it be
the Park District Board of Commissioners? </div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_705724333">The HPPD is scheduled to decide tonight (8/23/2012) on the Rosewood Beach
Project that most notably includes the alleged Interpretive Center.*</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ravinianeighbors" target="_blank"> </a> While we won't know for several hours</span> the HPPD
Commissioners' decision, clearly they consider about 4% of HP’s
population (and a much larger percentage of its voters) to be absolutely
irrelevant and obsolete.</div>
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In a August 22, 2012 letter, the <a href="http://www.pdhp.org/index.aspx?page=210" target="_blank">Executive Director of theHPPD, Liza McElroy</a>, tells Amy Lohmolder (who submitted a letter on behalf of
the Ravinia Neighbors Association – the RNA) that “…<b>your email is inaccurate in
describing the purported “significant” public opposition to the Rosewood Beach
Project</b>…<b>The opposition petitions you cite address an obsolete and now-abandoned
plan</b> that is significantly different from that which the Park District of
Highland Park is now considering…The vast majority of the signatures on the
RNA’s petitions were obtained well before the Task Force presented even its
preliminary recommendation to the public in May of 2012…”</div>
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I’ve news for Ms. McElroy and the HPPD Commissioners:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> there </span>isn’t “purported” significant public
opposition, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">it is actual significant
opposition</b>, and sticking your head in the Rosewood Beach sand doesn't make it go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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Of course, Ms. McElroy is right
about the sequencing of the RNA petition. Can't address whether more or less of them were made previously or recently. Yes, the HPPD held all the cards very close to its vest until recently when the
RNA gained enough prominence to ensure that the HPPD would make the process more
purportedly “transparent.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> By the way, the process has hardly been transparent -- the public meetings consist of residents expressing their frustration or their support and the HPPD Commissioners, staff and consultants not answering any questions. Incredibly, pro forma financials were not presented until the last meeting and at the last minute -- no one in the room could really even ask a question of the financials being presented on the way in the door. Additionally, the RNA had to submit FOIA requests just to get basic information from the HPPD. So much for transparency.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Ms. McElroy is
absolutely wrong about any obsolescence of those <a href="http://www.ravinianeighbors.org/_blog/Ravinia_Neighbors_Association_Blog/post/xfghfdhgfdhgfshg/" target="_blank">signatures on the RNA petition</a>. A unifying point
for all the people who signed that petition, whenever they signed it, was and
is that they were and are opposed to an "Interpretive Center" -- an unnecessary building on the beach of any size intended for class rooms, parties, rentals, etc.,
as well as any overbuilding on Rosewood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The people who signed those petitions continue to be supportive of the
admirable job the RNA has been doing of looking out
for the best interests of all HP residents when it is clear that the HPPD isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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The HPPD can’t stick its head in the
Rosewood Beach sand and pretend that the 1000+ people who signed the RNA
petition and who oppose the beach house don’t really mean it anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did,
we do.</div>
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The HPPD has all the signatures, phone numbers and, likely,
e-mails for all signatures on the petition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They certainly haven’t contacted me to determine whether I am still
opposed to a Interpretive Center on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whether it is 4000 sq. ft. or 1900 sq. ft., whether you call it the
Interpretive Center or the beach house, my signature on the petition is still
good as are all the rest (and, if there is an exception to that rule, it would
be just that, an exception). If we need a referendum concerning the beach house, bring it on!</div>
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We can assume that Ms. McElroy issued her letter with review
and authorization by Scott Meyers, the <a href="http://www.pdhp.org/index.aspx?page=209" target="_blank">President of the HPPD Board ofCommissioners</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps even full
Board approval for such a sensitive issue was required. Or, if Ms. McElroy sent it on her own, shame on her! In any event, let's hold the responsible people accountable. </div>
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Many in HP may not be familiar with your Park Board. In
addition to Mr. Meyers, the Board of Park Commissioners include <u>Cal Bernstein</u>,
<u>Lori Flores Weisskopf</u>, <u>Elaine Waxman</u> and <u>Brian Kaplan</u>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember these names because they will likely
be presented again for another election to the HPPD or elsewhere in the City or
County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hold them accountable for their
votes on the Rosewood Beach Project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remember that one of the best HP City Councilmen (ever!) lost an election
in 2009 by only 10 votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember these
names. Your 1000+ votes count. Hold your Park Board Commissioners accountable for how they treat you,
your neighbors, your Park District and your funds. They are elected by us, and it is our job to ensure that the right people sit in the seats -- people who can be good stewards of our tax dollars.</div>
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In a few hours, in a forum designed to give the impression of a transparent process, the residents who still have the patience to show up will be afforded their last opportunity to speak before the HPPD. As before, each one will be given 2 or 3 minutes to voice his concerns and then HPPD Commissioners will finally answer a the ultimate question. Beach house or no beach house? Improvements or no improvements for Rosewood Beach? Yes, President Scott Meyers told us at the last meeting that the beach house simply cannot be carved out of the plan (which may be procedurally correct on an initial vote, but a second vote could be called to adopt the compromise plan without a beach house). </div>
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Regardless of the outcome, whether you are glad or not, please remember there are a few issues that go beyond the decision: </div>
<ul>
<li>The HPPD has shown 1000+ residents extraordinary and lasting disrespect</li>
<li>The process has been lacking in transparency</li>
<li>The HPPD has been intransigent about the beach house from the outset, causing extreme divisiveness in the community and, as a result,</li>
<li>There has been entirely too much focus on the Beach House, leaving the very real environmental issues concerning the habitat restoration and engineering project for the shoreline left largely unattended by all.</li>
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Shameful conduct by the HPPD. </div>
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*Regarding the alleged Interpretive Center, really, it appears that it was always intended to be more
of a beach house for residents to rent for parties than a center to learn about
the beach environment, because, after all, if you want to learn about the beach
environment, you’re not sitting inside a building on the beach! This, of
course, raises all sorts of questions about the good faith of the HPPD in
dealing with residents and the government grantors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the first HPPD open meeting there were
several people passionately supportive about the ability to bring students to the beach's "Interpretive Center", as
if that were the primary purpose, and it isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The primary purpose is rentals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Likely one of the reasons the HPPD finally flopped the sham name to the "Beach House."</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-38749008171641870712012-03-15T14:14:00.002-05:002012-03-15T14:17:03.902-05:00Looking for that "commitment to transparency, accessibility and ethics..."<b>Sharing a letter sent to Mayor Nancy Rotering today - </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqv1d-qWijFsxq83sdA3qa__KdJpk6qt8xOaRf65xk9IsFJZUYUhwY30WElnYJTaHuUfulA6pFq3WaU0ZDKP9rgXgCqXH6f14AkJEC2eQqOu2DDvLjeoNqp2aUMF2EuW6RIxOWPJklVA/s1600/email+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqv1d-qWijFsxq83sdA3qa__KdJpk6qt8xOaRf65xk9IsFJZUYUhwY30WElnYJTaHuUfulA6pFq3WaU0ZDKP9rgXgCqXH6f14AkJEC2eQqOu2DDvLjeoNqp2aUMF2EuW6RIxOWPJklVA/s200/email+image.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">March 15, 2012</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Mayor Nancy R. Rotering<br />
<a href="mailto:nrotering@cityhpil.com">nrotering@cityhpil.com</a><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">SUBJECT: Termination of the Storm and Sanitary Program & Reimbursement to Residents<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Dear <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?NID=196">Mayor Rotering</a>,<br />
<br />
Congratulations on completing the search for a new city manager.<a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=84"> David Knapp</a> appears to be an excellent choice and I look forward to welcoming him to Highland Park. <br />
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As you know, in addition to a good mayor, a knowledgeable and sound city manager can have a significant and positive impact on the city. Unfortunately, the lasting legacy of our former city manager is that nearly 50 residents were seriously harmed financially with regard to an ill-conceived storm and sanitary sewer program. There were several other better solutions to HP's storm sewer problems but he decided upon and promoted the very worst alternative, patently inequitable, discriminatory, and unfair, and the City Council accepted his proposal. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Other communities in northern Illinois addressed their city's storm and sanitary sewer systems holistically and ensured that the <b><i>entire community</i></b> paid for any necessary updates to the infrastructure. Our former city manager and City Council devised a program to foist the entire infrastructure problem on individual homeowners in uncapped and undefined amounts possibly as high as $20,000+. Nearly $250,000 was paid by about 50 of these unfortunate HP residents in 2008 -- an inequitable financial burden that the City has yet to foist upon all the other residents, yet was clearly ready to do so at the clip of 50+ homes per year had not the <a href="http://www.ravinianeighbors.org/index.html">Ravinia Neighbors Association</a> put up a fight. You were a part of that fight, and that fight helped you to gain a seat as a Councilman which, in turn, helped enable you to succeed in your election as a mayoral candidate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">To the best of my knowledge, this storm and sanitary program has yet to be terminated by the <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?NID=94">City Council</a> under your leadership. Yet, approximately 50 of our fellow residents and neighbors have borne the brunt of this shameful program. It’s long overdue and time for the Mayor and Councilmen to do the right thing now -- reimburse all those who were coerced and forced to pay under threat of lien for this program. Terminate the program and embark on a new program that is equitable, effective and cost efficient for the community.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">As indicated in my blog, “<a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2011/08/huge-financial-burden-unfairly-placed.html">Down the Drain in HP</a>,” many of these homeowners were in their retirement years, some of them had to move or leave the community as a result. I've had calls from widows, as well as families trying to pay for their children's college tuition, or just get by, and they are asking, "why is Mayor Rotering doing nothing about this? Why is the City of Highland Park not reimbursing us? They know this is wrong but the Mayor and the Councilmen just don't give a damn about us." The homes of some of these residents were foreclosed upon by the banks and some are no longer able to live in our community. I've informed those who are in touch with me that I wrote to the Mayor and all the City Councilmen but only Paul Frank has met with me, and Jim Kirsch had a phone conversation with me. That <a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2011/06/councilman-mandel-sewer-program-huge.html">Steve Mandel</a> is strongly opposed and the others are silent. I’ve told them that Paul Frank informed me that he is “sympathetic” but he doesn’t believe City Council can reimburse the residents because the City doesn’t want to set a precedent of [doing the right thing and] acknowledging they did the wrong thing and making it right ("because they have made so many other errors in the past, so this might mean other residents will want reimbursement, too, for other mistakes"). Is that the kind of reasoning that our mayor and City Council should abide? In any event, the reimbursement requested by these residents is completely distinct from any other program in the City and would not set a precedent with regard to former programs. However, the point is that we look to the Mayor and Councilmen to do the right thing, under any circumstance.<br />
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This is a sad, disgraceful story community story. In the face of the facts that have been disclosed to this current City Council, they cannot just say that this program was started by former City Council. It is the current City Council’s job to resolve this and yet they show an egregious callousness to our City's residents and the principles of community and equitable treatment under the law, made worse in the economy that existed then and now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Over the years, I have heard various councilmen indicate that the City of HP's program was the only way the work could be done. No other viable alternatives existed or exist even today in their minds. This is likely because the former city manager didn't provide them with alternatives, and they didn’t and haven’t looked for any. It is clear that many of the Councilmen have never taken the time to read the detailed information in my blog or to seek the appropriate information from the City’s Public Works department. Everyone in HP city government has failed to fix these problems and search for better answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">So, I reached out to the <a href="http://www.downers.us/govt/mayor-council/mayor-martin-t-tully">Mayor of Downers Grove, MartinTully,</a> and he provided me with the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wef.org%2FWorkArea%2Flinkit.aspx%3FLinkIdentifier%3Did%26ItemID%3D5877&ei=4jxiT5PKCM-_gAf6-6znAg&usg=AFQjCNGyGuaCzXQnEKkr_YiV6PlIsnBPPA">Downers Grove Sanitary District PrivateProperty Infiltration and Inflow Removal Program</a>, a copy of which is attached with this e-mail. Not only will you find a practical solution to the City of Highland Park's problem, you will see the overriding philosophy of Downers Grove:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">“The financial assistance is being provided by the District to recognize that <u>the removal of I/I from the sanitary sewer system benefits all users of the system and, therefore, the costs of this removal should be paid by all users as a system cost.</u> The program also provides a mechanism to insure that the work is performed cost effectively and in a manner which protects the integrity of the sanitary sewer system.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Downers Grove asks<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b>permission to go onto private property and the community – not individual residents -- pays for all the work need to be done to ensure that the storm sewers do not invade the sanitary sewers and vice versa. The Mayor of Downers Grove informs me that the residents are very pleased with this system. Isn’t it amazing that their community with a lower per capita income (according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downers_Grove,_Illinois#Demographics">Wikipedia</a>) has the ability to provide more valuable services to their residents than Highland Park? I would be glad to provide you with an introduction to Mayor Tully who has shown great leadership in his community and perhaps he has other valuable insights to share with our community.<br />
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As you’ll see, the Downers Grove program was determined by their Sanitary District. So, I have copied<a href="http://www.northshoresanitary.org/"> Daniel Pierce </a>on this correspondence. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";"> Quoting from your email today to Highland Park residents:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">“Less than a year ago, four new Council members and a new Mayor came to City Hall. We ran for office out of a desire to serve our community, to make our City government more responsive to our residents and to use your money wisely. <br />
<br />
We made a commitment to transparency, accessibility and ethics.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">I would like to see the Mayor and City Council walk the talk. So far, this community has seen the former and current mayors and councilmen turn their back on 50 residents that have been harmed by the City of Highland Park, a City Council that for too long has ignored this issue and has not been willing to do the right, fair, and just thing and reimburse residents who who were cherry-picked to bear the burden of an ill-conceived sanitary line program.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">I would like to meet with you as soon as possible to seek a resolution of the storm and sanitary sewer program. If possible, it would be great to meet with the new City Manager, too. We can meet jointly, or I can meet with David Knapp on my own. Please provide me with several of the earliest possible dates to meet with David Knapp and you. I will do my best to arrange my schedule to accommodate yours. Please advise me a few dates, and please schedule 1.5 hours for the meeting as there are considerable details that need to be discussed not only for resolution, but to also constructively move forward in way that’s a benefit to our entire community.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Frankly, it is very difficult for me to find the time to keep going back to City Council on this issue. Running the City equitably is not my job. Learning everything I now know about storm and sanitary sewers is not my job. I’m not even one of the people whose homes were affected by this inequitable program. Yet, I care about deeply about this City and look to City Council to fix this problem once and for all. <br />
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Respectfully, and with best personal regards,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Abadi Condensed Light","sans-serif";">Debra </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-34514154721260565792012-02-29T14:06:00.001-06:002012-02-29T14:09:24.497-06:00Remove the blight - Revise the HP Code on political election signs...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU9gUI9oONFPfsqfsmozCOO3YVA-F8CbybJrBjVjSkvEoCxDNCp48zSSg5lgyMcz2xJ-T7nLWx6HYb3ejKvaQphEosHCaJn2hYaaEYbiMOkPt90vdW4JSgG7zKK7mOsdWJBvVFRDD4mQ/s1600/Campaign+Signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU9gUI9oONFPfsqfsmozCOO3YVA-F8CbybJrBjVjSkvEoCxDNCp48zSSg5lgyMcz2xJ-T7nLWx6HYb3ejKvaQphEosHCaJn2hYaaEYbiMOkPt90vdW4JSgG7zKK7mOsdWJBvVFRDD4mQ/s200/Campaign+Signs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In anticipation of the election season, the <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=82">City of HP posted information today regarding placement of political election signs</a>. This issue arises with each political season. When will City Council take action to prevent this blight to our community? <br />
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Unfortunately, many HP candidates consider signs to be a critical factor in their own personal success, which is why we've seen such an uptick in the number of signs during the last few elections for mayor and council. So, it may be rather unlikely that City Council will revise the standards without your input. Our visual enjoyment of the streets of HP, even in an election season, is really not in their self-interest, but it becomes relevant if you make it clear to your City Council what you need from them. They know the signs are unsightly. All you need to do is to remind them that they need to do what is good for our community and that you want them to overhaul the City Code on political signs now. This reflects our community's desire to limit waste and the number of unsightly signs to the greatest possible extent while, of course, preserving everyone's right to support political candidates.<br />
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Do you like driving through HP during an election season? Did you know <u>there is no limit whatsoever on the number of campaign signs</u>, as long as they are spaced more than 12" apart? They can be as large as 6 square feet and as high as 6 feet. Nor is there a time limit on how long those signs can be up before or after an election. Yes, political signs are an expression of free speech but the community can balance that with appropriate standards. We have a right to enjoy our beautiful community. If your neighbor is a candidate or just politically passionate, you could be coming home every night for years to a yard that looks similar or worse than the image included in this posting!<br />
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Indeed, for several months during the last major city election, my neighbors and I had to gaze upon more than 30 election signs across the street for the Mayor and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Cohn-Bruce-Hyman-Yumi-Ross-for-NSSD-112-School-Board/190728990958955">Michael Cohn</a> (running for the NSSD 112 school board and who owns the fence to which all these posters were affixed). After complaints to City Hall and several weeks, <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?NID=196">Mayor Rotering,</a> kindly came out to the right of way on a cold day and in the deep snow to remove most of her signs (which, she informed me, had not been placed there by her but by a supporter). Candidate Cohn was completely indifferent to the complaints of his own neighbors and the signs remained up for many more weeks.<br />
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We have a <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?NID=244">Design Review Commission</a> in the City of Highland Park. We care about how our city looks, having an extensive sign code for businesses that reflects our expectations of a beautiful community. Please contact the Mayor and City Council and tell them it is time to revise the standards for political signs. You can find their <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?nid=94">e-mail addresses here</a>.<br />
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Summary of the HP standards concerning political signs is <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/documents/Community%20Development/022912%20Summary%20of%20Standards%20for%20Placement%20of%20Political%20Signs.PDF">here</a>.<br />
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Long term residents recognize that we didn't suffer for as many months and with as many signs as we do today. Perhaps this level of eyesore in years gone by reflected the good judgment of the candidates and how much they treasured our community. Today, we can't rely on good judgment, we need to rely on good standards. Please contact City Hall and tell them they need to work on this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-28404143198842669412011-08-24T23:25:00.000-05:002011-08-24T23:25:44.635-05:00The list of the residents forced by the City of HP to pay more than $237,000...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhpWkn1-gZO7HRKMz2cLaUv31skyWRarvUTaWrXhUu1-I-swrvNI1sJxmAX_P-Bp2TlRvAQHSRHl48OUAtmaNr_fHIYVCSwehtKb53qvoUhFYqdgj8mLPJvCC9pUF5fqMuD3ks5FQkg0/s1600/HP+FOIA+RESPONSE+Page+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhpWkn1-gZO7HRKMz2cLaUv31skyWRarvUTaWrXhUu1-I-swrvNI1sJxmAX_P-Bp2TlRvAQHSRHl48OUAtmaNr_fHIYVCSwehtKb53qvoUhFYqdgj8mLPJvCC9pUF5fqMuD3ks5FQkg0/s400/HP+FOIA+RESPONSE+Page+1.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>In response to yesterday's blog, we were contacted by several people who asked questions such as "how do I know whether my parents had to pay and need reimbursement?" and "how do I know whether, or how soon, the City of Highland Park will send me 'the letter' demanding payment?" Additionally, another reader wanted to know who the people are that already paid, and how much. In essence, the question is, who are the people who have already suffered this financial injury and are they friends of mine? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYb4pyrbHp5gr9gHMTU6-QOcT4vza2PIJFRMrIl4ekd9XqPLNlhU2U_sVNs7PtERECC-5R-3kyhlgngjjQ5Rv7-tMUG40OSGbkYzMypno_YeYsGE_ETkTupHlbo94jbNw7BaZvbfEoVM/s1600/HP+FOIA+RESPONSE+page+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYb4pyrbHp5gr9gHMTU6-QOcT4vza2PIJFRMrIl4ekd9XqPLNlhU2U_sVNs7PtERECC-5R-3kyhlgngjjQ5Rv7-tMUG40OSGbkYzMypno_YeYsGE_ETkTupHlbo94jbNw7BaZvbfEoVM/s400/HP+FOIA+RESPONSE+page+2.jpg" width="307" /></a>We can't say when the City of Highland Park will take the Sewer Program off of "hiatus" and put it on your street again. We can only say it remains a viable program, one that <a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2011/06/councilman-mandel-sewer-program-huge.html">Councilman Mandel recently referred to as "huge success."</a> We haven't heard anything from Mayor Rotering or any other councilman to confirm they will propose to terminate the program "as is" and take another look to develop a program in which the financial burden for improving City infrastructure is placed on the City. So, it appears more likely than not, at this time, that the Sewer Program will raise its ugly face sooner rather than later, and, individual residents will continue to bear the burden of improving the community's infrastructure. <br />
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EVERYONE who has ever had their sanitary line rodded for tree roots, or who should have this done, is at risk of getting "the letter" that will most likely cost you a minimum of $4,500 for a line on a small lot to $20,000+ for larger properties with deeper lots. The definition of a broken sanitary lateral line in need of repair, according to City Hall, is any line that has ever been rodded for tree roots or that has tree roots. Given the fact that Highland Park is a Tree City and our parkways are usually beautifully planted with trees, chances are that you will eventually receive "the letter." When? Probably when it is least convenient for you, such as when you're selling the house, or you're ready to pay your children's tuition, or you're just about to retire.<br />
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Of course, you can prevent this scenario by contacting Mayor Rotering and all the Councilmen and telling them in no uncertain terms that this must stop -- that the City must pay for improvements to storm and sanitary sewer infrastructure.<br />
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The group first targeted in the Sewer Program is revealed in today's blog in the Invoice List the City of Highland Park provided to us in response to the FOIA request. (Finally figured out a way to post some documents on this blog. It will be too small to read initially, but if you click on the page, it will expand, with a further opportunity to zoom in on it.)<br />
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You'll see friends, neighbors, former neighbors, maybe family, and see how residents were chosen from various neighborhoods. It's hard to know why an entire neighborhood wasn't addressed at any time -- perhaps it is easier to shove "the Code" down residents' throats if you don't concentrate them into a viable group.<br />
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In talking with some of the people on this list, we've found people who have said "why did they choose my home, but not the home down the street where they have to use special toilet paper because their sanitary line is really broken?" They think the other home has been entirely skipped. To which we reply, the neighbor just wasn't targeted in this wave. The City will be back for them.<br />
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Did the City choose a handful of residences in one neighbor and then a handful of residents in another neighborhood, rather than just improving a single neighborhood at a time, in an effort to "divide and conquer" the residents? We really don't know, as we haven't seen any documentation, nor has anyone interviewed City Hall about this. Unfortunately, we suppose it is possible...perhaps time will tell. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-60509114464503937722011-08-23T17:28:00.002-05:002011-08-24T09:34:37.936-05:00The huge financial burden unfairly placed on Highland Park's older residents...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOyoMd5I9h5r0W-rXi270hcvLg1JipmdCaD7rLQ9Flr9cw81bFesKhg0zOyQkXwp72f4MOmZep6NM9-38W2nFq4Fem9bXLtgPihEMm9EicsGjc0kXrLDF3nyzCtth7hcQtZ3CtTKPeik/s1600/YourParents.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOyoMd5I9h5r0W-rXi270hcvLg1JipmdCaD7rLQ9Flr9cw81bFesKhg0zOyQkXwp72f4MOmZep6NM9-38W2nFq4Fem9bXLtgPihEMm9EicsGjc0kXrLDF3nyzCtth7hcQtZ3CtTKPeik/s200/YourParents.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This blog isn't just about the Master Plan for Storm and Sanitary Sewers. We're talking about real people here -- the residents of Highland Park, adversely impacted by it. It's about our neighbors, friends, parents, our greater family. It is about about doing the right thing, and making changes in Highland Park that are good for everyone -- fair for everyone. It's about achieving equitable solutions for the community. So, let's look at the 46-50 families targeted by the City as the first victims of the Sewer Program (merely on “hiatus”). If you're new to this blog, this is an inequitable program that put the economic burden on individual residents to pay for improvements to the City of Highland Park's infrastructure -- while other communities, like Downers Grove and Naperville paid for similar programs from their city's coffers (see the <a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html">AECOM report)</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As you may recall, the City of Highland Park (<a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2010/12/are-you-on-citys-lists.html">in response to a FOIA request</a>) provided us with an Invoice List of all the residents who were charged and paid HP for “repairs” to their sanitary lateral line in 2008 (the only year that the City actively implemented the Sewer Program). In trying to contact these people and confirm their addresses, we turned to <a href="http://www.whitepages.com/">www.whitepages.com</a>. This site delivers more information than most of us would like – it provided an age range for each search. So, some informal demographics were gathered in this process, based on limited available information.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Approximately 50% of the people who have paid to date are or were 60 years of age or older. Indeed, nearly 25% of them were over 70, and, we're sad to report at least two of them, aged 85+ years of age, have died since, leaving widows. 81% of them are older than 50 years of age. So, let's just say that the targeted residents are in, or are rapidly approaching, their retirement years. Everyone really needs the money they were forced to part with...and it remains insensitive for Mayor Belsky to claim that the program was put "on hiatus" because the economy took a bad turn. Talk to any of the people who paid in 2008 and they will tell you the economy was bad when when they paid -- and nobody at City Hall cared.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It further appears that more than 15% of the people moved since paying the City, with two of them formal foreclosures, perhaps precipitated by being forced to pay the City of HP for “repairs” on their private property that they did not need. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Several people called to thank me for my efforts, the stories they told painted a sad portrait of residents dealing with an unresponsive City Hall that refused to listen to the residents and demanded payments, claiming that the City Code required them to pay for this. As reported in this blog previously, one of the residents told me distinctly, “They had my back up against a wall, what could I do, but pay? But I didn’t think it was right.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A woman called and said she was a "late-in-life" mother, sending two children to college. The $5000+ she paid is much needed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Of course, there is the<a href="http://highlandpark.patch.com/articles/city-manager-dave-limardi-resigns"> one individual</a> (and you have to read through all the comments on the linked page to identify him) who believes the program is good, thinks he should have paid, thinks you should pay in the future, but (oh, by the way) wants his money back if the City agrees to reimbursement. To him, we say, if you like paying for repairs to City infrastructure in the thousands of dollars, as opposed to paying a few dollars a year on your taxes, we should just let you remain happy! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For the everyone else, the face of HP’s City Hall is that of a bully pushing around senior citizen residents, forcing them to pay for something they don’t need, and with money they do need in their retirement years. <b>“<i>The Code requires you pay, or we will file an enforceable lien against your property.” </i></b>What can the average resident do when City Hall is telling them this?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I've news for Ctiy Hall. “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Code</i></b>” does not require that residents <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">use proprietary technology. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The Code”</i></b> does not require<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>residents to use the contractor you select (and we’ll probably never know how Mr. Limardi’s office selected a single source provider, <a href="http://www.ppi-liner.com/">Performance Pipelining</a>, over every other plumbing company in Highland Park, nor why this very same contractor ceased to do the work...). Further, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Code</i></b>” does not require residents to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sign an indemnification</b> to protect the City's contractor or the City for the work done at your direction, or your neighbor for the work done by the City's contractor, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">it doesn’t require you to fix a sanitary lateral line that isn’t broken</b> and is functioning. Of course, if City Hall would care to post on this blog "<i><b>The Code"</b></i> that requires this, go right ahead...go on record and try to justify the poor decisions of the past.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">These residents were bullied and pushed around by City Hall. <b>City Hall needs to pays them back now</b>, and if they don’t do it soon, with interest. And, for those of you who haven’t faced this treatment yet, don't assume it isn't your problem. It’s in your personal interest to ensure that the program is taken off of “hiatus” immediately and put down. If revived, don’t think they passed you by, just because you weren’t in the first wave. Every house in HP has its sanitary lateral lines rodded from time to time. They will be waiving “the Code” at you soon enough…</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-25700456764185589272011-08-18T17:27:00.000-05:002011-08-18T17:27:58.551-05:00Is the new boss, the same as the old boss?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kvKseRP_4IvWSecvbVfcYh8brMyWfFW0k4znjNcexpGCjgLBUhHMbXyvSx1AKOv8PCn9aQSzff8yD6t57rTiVp5pVzDFV1_jz3Rew5NZ4ftB6f2htgrPedkbXrPKyisITZjm3fnR-Bw/s1600/Future.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kvKseRP_4IvWSecvbVfcYh8brMyWfFW0k4znjNcexpGCjgLBUhHMbXyvSx1AKOv8PCn9aQSzff8yD6t57rTiVp5pVzDFV1_jz3Rew5NZ4ftB6f2htgrPedkbXrPKyisITZjm3fnR-Bw/s200/Future.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As readers know, on June 22, 2011, I wrote to <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?nid=94">Mayor Rotering and every City Councilman</a> concerning repeated requests to reimburse approximately 45 residents for payments made for unnecessary repairs to their private property. These residents paid the City under coercion, for a Sewer Program that is likely to be entirely revamped and/or discarded and which was very inequitably applied to these unlucky residents to their great financial distress.<br />
<br />
While I would prefer to see more comments posted on this blog, and the ones posted, even this week, can be a bit difficult to find based on the Google template, you may be interested to know that more than several people have written and/or called the Mayor's office in the last several weeks to request reimbursement and to express their frustration at how they have been treated by the City. I am starting to receive phone calls from these people who leave messages at my home complaining that no one at the City responds to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not our new mayor, and none of our new and current councilmen.<br />
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So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that nearly two months later I also haven't had a reply yet from anyone (unless an e-mail or letter has gone missing). Nor a phone call. This should be very disappointing to all, not just me. Resident raises serious and complicated issue to City Hall and nearly two full months pass with no response, no inquiry to learn more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Kinda looks like the old City Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the words of Pete Townsend, “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wasn’t this last HP election about CHANGE?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In fairness to Mayor Belsky, he always replied, eventually -- probably the amount of time it took Dave Limardi to consider it worthy of his time and to put it on his desk for reply (or to assign it to someone, followed by his and corporation counsel’s review).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Then you'd get the "big official letter." There was never any dialogue. To actually pick up the phone and talk with a resident about a challenging and complicated issue -- well, that would be, let's just say, too personal for that administration. And, evidently, it is the same for this one. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Actually, I wasn’t hoping for a big official letter response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With so many new people on City Council, I was hoping for a call – something along the lines of “I'm a new councilman and don’t know much about this issue but would like to get your perspective.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must have been dreaming…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, today, I wrote everyone on City Council and requested a meeting with each, excluding Steve Mandel because it appears his mind is absolutely shut on this issue and no one likes to waste her time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the invitees agree to these meetings, it will be very time consuming for me, but when it comes to trying to right a wrong, sometimes one just has to make the time. <span style="background-color: yellow;">LET'S NOT FORGET THAT VERY REAL PEOPLE WERE HARMED BY THE CITY ACTIONS</span>. Perhaps these meetings can be bundled, with more than one City Councilman at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I believe up to three members of City Council can be in the same room at the same time without triggering an official meeting, but they know these responsibilities better than I.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My first response was extremely prompt and from <a href="http://www.cityhpil.com/index.aspx?NID=191">Councilman JamesKirsch,</a> whom I just now learned goes by “Jimmy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really appreciated him responding so quickly to the direct request and we’re already scheduled to have a phone conference later this week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Thank you, Jimmy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We’ll see about the rest – I look forward to reporting on this endeavor further. In spite of all, I remain hopeful that the current City Council might actually look at this issue anew. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-89853426356891063332011-08-09T15:53:00.001-05:002011-08-09T16:36:54.504-05:00A new city manager for a new mayor...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCjXVAX6zy_zNrbeV-tZD9siGOJPUV15MaeDjf4fZM-iKWil0vYwPHGbx3nBzONhqB_MB4z6AcxYT9Qk0hRSr168C89VPVKtY6rpEvrWOGmkf87yi0EFHz3Q-qairpJfT_tcWmNBSaxs/s1600/New+Paradigm+Ahead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCjXVAX6zy_zNrbeV-tZD9siGOJPUV15MaeDjf4fZM-iKWil0vYwPHGbx3nBzONhqB_MB4z6AcxYT9Qk0hRSr168C89VPVKtY6rpEvrWOGmkf87yi0EFHz3Q-qairpJfT_tcWmNBSaxs/s200/New+Paradigm+Ahead.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>So, Dave Limardi has resigned. The <a href="http://bit.ly/qKJBKb">Highland Park Patch reports</a> that his resignation is effective January 1 as stated in his letter to Mayor Nancy Rotering and City Council. He has held the position for more than 18 years and everyone will acknowledge that he has been a strong manager. Some might say, too strong, although others might say that certain mayors and city councilmen were just too weak. His leaving will make many glad (no more "Limardi-goo" as some have called his approach to working with the City) and some will miss him. He has helped some, ignored and harmed others. We each have our own perspective, all of which is credible. How we ultimately view his term in HP depends on how much contact we had and what the outcome was.<br />
<br />
Praises, genuine and disingenuous, have been and will be heaped on Mr. Limardi. It is likely that both former Mayor Mike Belsky and Councilman Jim Kirsch's praises are sincere. They worked closely with Dave for more than a decade and relied on him -- far too much, which is one of the reasons that the Master Neighborhood Storm and Sanitary Sewer program was accepted and, ultimately, repetitively defended, by City Council. It cost one exceptionally fine councilman -- Mike Brenner -- his re-election, and Terri Olian her election in the recent mayoral race, although even Terri may not recognize this.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/qITpOZ">Steve Elrod'</a>s praises in the Patch? Dave's been authorizing the checks to Steve and his law firm, Holland & Knight, for a long time, so Steve's praise is likely genuine. Most of us like the people who have ensured our success. <br />
<br />
What about Mayor Rotering's praise? “<i>Dave Limardi has served our city very well during his 18 years on the job...His professionalism and thoroughness as well as his creativity have given us a tremendous foundation and continuity.</i>”<br />
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Shall we chalk this up to Mayor Rotering's good political behavior? Sensitivity to Mr. Limardi's feelings? Legal concerns? There must be hundreds of us who opened our doors to Nancy when she running for councilman and, later, mayor, who heard her voice her opinion that Mr. Limardi was a big problem in working with the City of HP and had to go. Shall we now think that Mayor Rotering has lived up to one of her campaign promises, or did Dave Limardi just decide he didn't want to work with her and resigned, or was it just time for him to pursue new opportunities? Is it important to know the reality?<br />
<br />
It only matters if you're interested in seeing Mayor Rotering live up to another one of her earliest promises -- to terminate the Master Neighborhood Storm and Sanitary Sewer Program as we know it. More than two years after becoming a councilman, and several weeks after <a href="http://bit.ly/Plea2Rotering">my letter to her to request reimbursement </a>to residents who paid (it now appears more than) $250,000 (in the aggregate), we've yet to hear Nancy Rotering officially confirm that, as Mayor, she supports the elimination of the program (as designed by Dave Limardi) and will work to effect a reimbursement to the residents who were treated so poorly and inequitably by the City of Highland Park. As you see, David Limardi's exit is meaningful to 47+ families who paid substantial sums for that ill-conceived program, who complained to him throughout the process, and whose complaints fell on completely deaf ears. It should be meaningful to the thousands of other residents who will be subject to the sewer program and who are at risk of having to pay $4,000-$20,000. We still are waiting to learn if Mayor Rotering is listening and responsive. I remain hopeful...<br />
<br />
We are judged by many measures. David Limardi will leave the City of HP in sound fiscal shape, at least based on the recent publication of the City's budget. This is no small feat and, while the Mayor and City Council sets the budgets, Mr. Limardi has proposed them and carried them out. In this economy, that's good, if not great. A well done for that net result, and a hearty pat on the back. Thank you, David Limardi, for that.<br />
<br />
However, in my family, we will remember Dave Limardi more for times when he and his staff showed complete disregard for our complaints and concerns. Regardless of any organizational charts that he would frequently share with commissioners in which he'd show the City Manager reporting up to the residents, David Limardi managed in a way that the residents had to report to him, and he was up on high...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-45844506396266859582011-07-15T00:02:00.001-05:002011-07-15T00:04:58.440-05:00"They had my back up against a wall..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PS6YtDU4BQn_TJ5kNgtlNCWFFdrweBNP8lV_VmA7PrdHYD4gOgaiUqvKEhxQzUz-CKhHV90M72Or2nIVrMM8YRQFcn1skL3_1HY-F75eZkV_osvEl4iwEOik5WFFddpsKMv77QqAgYU/s1600/complaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PS6YtDU4BQn_TJ5kNgtlNCWFFdrweBNP8lV_VmA7PrdHYD4gOgaiUqvKEhxQzUz-CKhHV90M72Or2nIVrMM8YRQFcn1skL3_1HY-F75eZkV_osvEl4iwEOik5WFFddpsKMv77QqAgYU/s200/complaint.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's been a busy summer in Highland Park. Between work and the week without electricity (spread between three outages in June and July), there has been precious little time to keep up with the blog. Still, the community outreach continues.<br />
<br />
Last week we wrote to the first series of residents coerced into paying for the unnecessary "repairs" to their lateral sanitary sewer line. This week we began to hear from them. To a person, each one has said that they paid for these "repairs" because they were forced to do so by the City. Some even used the word “threatened.” No one knew the reason for why the repairs were required - all had asked the City. Some people specifically referred to poor treatment received from David Limardi's office and Mary Anderson, director of Public Works. Some highlights of what some said:<br />
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<div style="margin-left: .5in;">“Your note reminded me that I had explicitly asked for information on what was the nature of the defect, why the video results necessitated the work done, etc., etc. I was pretty much ignored and upon threats of greater charges I selected the payment option.”</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: .5in;">“Hopefully the new Mayor will be more responsive.”</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: .5in;">“What could I do? They had my back up against the wall. I was selling the house and they were demanding payment. I had to pay.”</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: .5in;">“Ravinia wasn’t the only neighborhood that protested. We protested in the Highlands. We had meetings in our homes…we even had a lawyer who joined us. And we met with the City. No matter what we said, they didn’t listen!”</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: .5in;">“Over the past three years, I’ve called the City to find out the status of this program. They tell me it is on vacation because the economy is bad. Well, the economy was bad three years ago to, but they made me pay. Why should I pay when no one else has to?”</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div>Really. Quite a sad story. Welcome to Highland Park. The place where City Manager David Limardi ignores your questions and complaints and, worse, yet, threatens you with liens and higher payments for the same service. <br />
<br />
And, one more thing. We were quite shocked to learn that there was a group of residents in the Highlands who protested the Sewer Program before Ravinia did. Hadn't heard this before. Also, as readers may recall, we requested documents from the City of Highland Park pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act demand concerning any correspondence from the residents about the Sewer Program. Did the City improperly withhold information? We’ll have to explore that question together.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-32221784220121288592011-06-26T10:21:00.001-05:002011-06-26T10:22:30.367-05:00All to pay for sewer lining when home is sold? Outrageous!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdX7tj-kEb7N1GBstYLFxOQlzF1Aq1U0ORtRsLCTMDSJHMAdagxQFunZbeRHWorCxVleMPZ4vAe-Kmt7mCUL6iOp1589KsdDeWGwj2ynfWrI3errri6clDnPzrCRUU6ywvGnLWwg0HPI/s1600/worry_now_pay_later_487149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdX7tj-kEb7N1GBstYLFxOQlzF1Aq1U0ORtRsLCTMDSJHMAdagxQFunZbeRHWorCxVleMPZ4vAe-Kmt7mCUL6iOp1589KsdDeWGwj2ynfWrI3errri6clDnPzrCRUU6ywvGnLWwg0HPI/s200/worry_now_pay_later_487149.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><div><i>Again, trying to keep everyone up to date, following is the response received from Steve Mandel to the previous correspondence. Perhaps the most important thing to note is that <u>Councilman Mandel continues to put your savings at the core of repairing City of Highland Park infrastructure.</u> Highlighted below, you'll see that one of <span style="background-color: yellow;">Steve's "solutions" to our complaints is that the residents be forced to pay for sewer lining upon sale of their homes. Pay now, or pay later. </span> You'll be paying, and, most likely when you're most vulnerable, needing to sell. And, imagine the impact on our already depressed real estate market. Friends, neighbors, you've got to speak up, now!</i></div><div></div><div><i>Please remember that for most of us, there is nothing wrong with our sanitary lateral lines -- our plumbers come out and rod them from time to time to remove tree roots. They don't suggest replacing, repairing, lining, because they know that no liner will ever withstand a tree root -- and, believe me, your plumber would love to tell you that you need an expensive repair, if you really needed it for your household or if your sanitary line was invading a neighbor's property. That simply isn't the case and I've discussed this with my plumber.</i></div><div></div><div><i>This is an HP infrastructure problem, a matter of how HP storm sewers function and impact on our property and, yes, interface with the sanitary lateral lines. Councilman Mandel and the rest of City Council need to focus on managing the HP budget to take care of infrastructure issues and not pawn them off on residents who already pay high taxes specifically for such things. </i></div><div></div><div><i>And, to anticipate Steve's response that everyone won't have to pay for sewer lining, just the homes with "broken" sanitary sewer lines, just remember, the City's definition of broken is whether the line as ever been invaded by tree roots. In HP, as a Tree City, almost everyone has had tree roots at one time or another. Open that checkbook! </i></div><div></div><div>June 23, 2011 </div><div>Steve Mandel to Debra Rade</div><div>e-mail</div><div>Debra,</div><div>Again, the work that was done on the sanitary sewer program was with unprecedented subsidies, a low interest loan provided, and the a negotiated price with one contractor offered to everybody through the fine work of our staff. </div><div>While many other residents through out the city have repaired or had to install brand new sewers on their private property over the past 20 years, none of them had the costs reduced and subsidized as we did in this program. We went the extra mile to help you comply with the law. </div><div>The fact that we could change policies and laws in the future does not mean that old policies were bad or I'll conceived, it just means that we might try a different approach and change the policy.</div><div><span style="background-color: yellow;">As you know, I had proposed we change our policy in Ravinia and look for other ways to accomplish our goals... That does not mean that people with broken sewers would not be required to fix them. It could mean they are required to fix them upon sale.</span> It could mean more or less participation from the city.... There could be new technology to change outcomes that could facilitate a change in policy.</div><div>The bottom line here Debra is that the city council made the decision they did with the communities best interest in mind and it was not a mistake. Policies and laws have changed quite often over the years but I have never recalled us refunding money for private repairs due to policy change. </div><div>Economics have hurt all of us over the past 3 years and the idea to not stress our residents at this point in time was a change in policy that was generated by the change in Economics. I would be very surprised to see any current or future City Council refund public money to you for work on your private property. As a matter of fact it could be illegal and I would think extremely unlikely.</div><div>You can share my words with whomever you wish... As a matter of fact I will probably write about this matter in my blog and send it to the 1000 people on my list for their feedback. I don't fault you for your advocacy but I am troubled by the tone of your past rhetoric and claims of some wrong done to you by our city. </div><div>We will continue on refining our policies and laws to fit the time, technology, and our priorities. Our consideration of our residents individually and as a whole will always be foremost on our minds...... </div><div><br />
</div><div>Steve</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-43790148829342945932011-06-24T19:16:00.001-05:002011-06-24T19:17:25.860-05:00Do the right thing. Reimburse the residents. Now.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZAuHmO3UBkKCWxEGNnjkUntbLsDx_5JU8npe7ddhyUUnUfGeOu9teC3kv_rLbtTDGvOF9jcjoHCIbAApNCIa4OdZszLZOQfds__q6BaBZ8xknsvS_nF-WEY_qlTH7AZzHPYzOX6CWZ0/s1600/to-do-list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZAuHmO3UBkKCWxEGNnjkUntbLsDx_5JU8npe7ddhyUUnUfGeOu9teC3kv_rLbtTDGvOF9jcjoHCIbAApNCIa4OdZszLZOQfds__q6BaBZ8xknsvS_nF-WEY_qlTH7AZzHPYzOX6CWZ0/s200/to-do-list.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>For those of you waiting with bated breath for my response to <a href="http://bit.ly/ksYKO1">Councilman Mandel's reply to me</a>, posted earlier today, it follows here in whole. Frankly, it was great to get a reply from Councilman Mandel -- it was the first time we heard from him on the issue, even though my brother was writing to all the Councilmen in City Hall on the subject since 2007! At least we now have a better idea of where he stands. </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Please do take the time to read Councilman Mandel's reply. Now is also a good time to let him know your opinion. He is our elected representative...</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>As always, your comments are most welcome. </i> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>PS This will be my last posting today. New blog posting will resume on on Sunday, when I'll post Council Mandel's response to the following e-mail. Yes, there's more. Will try to keep you up to date. . </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sent: Thu, Jun 23, 2011 4:22 pm</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Subject: Reimbursing Residents for the Failed Sanitary Sewer Program</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear Councilman Mandel,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First, thank you for taking the time to reply as a Councilman to my letter to Mayor Rotering, copied to all City Councilmen. It’s good to see our elected officials articulate their positions. <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please be assured that the statements in my previous letter concerning your position on the Master Plan for Storm & Sanitary Sewers (“the Sewer Program”) was based directly on your own communications with my family. <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In August 2007, my brother, David Rade, wrote his first letter in a series of letters/e-mails to Mayor Belsky, with copies of all to City Councilmen, to complain about the Sewer Program, particularly with regard to the inequitable treatment of residents, the extraordinary cost, the coercion by lien, the demand that residents agree to undefined repairs with undefined expense, the requirement they provide indemnifications to the City and to the contractor and their neighbors for work done solely at the City’s direction, with the City’s contractor, etc. Frankly, there were so many flaws to the Sanitary Program and the manner it was implemented, so many insults to residents, and callous disregard for them, that it would take too long to cover it all here. You and the rest of City Council, particularly the new Councilmen, can easily access the history through the Mayor’s and David Limardi’s office, and some of that correspondence and relative facts are posted on the Down the Drain in HP blog.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Throughout nearly four years of correspondence, only Mayor Belsky and former Councilman Mike Brenner responded in writing. Only Mike Brenner, and much later, Nancy Rotering, called David to ask questions about his letters, to demonstrate an active interest, and approached his correspondence with an open mind, in learning how this single resident viewed the program. (We did not know then how many others had also complained to David Limardi’s office, their complaints also falling on deaf ears - needed a FOIA search for that.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe David’s last e-mail to Mayor Belsky, copied to all, was on October 27, 2010 (see attached PDF). Only after three years of this series of e-mails sent by David to the Mayor and Councilmen, did you finally send David a response -- on October 30, copied to David Limardi and Scott Levenfeld only, as follows:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">“David,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing is a no brainer…..No. 1-- just because I oppose this continued program does not mean it is public or Council policy No. 2—just because we change public policy does not mean it is retro active. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">If that were the case my parents should get back the money they paid for a public street being paved (Ridge Road). That is also not our policy anymore for us improving arterials……. and that was a public improvement, not on private property.</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, I say all of this because I am 100% behind the policy change but I am not sure about your second request for reimbursement….. Don’t fry me yet since I have not vetted that issue.. but is far from a no-brainer to me. Hey, I also finally got my taxes reduced from them doubling them but that did not save me from the years I was unfairly taxed… Can I hire you to get that reimbursement?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Call me if you want to talk further.<br />
Steve Mandel<br />
847.456.6933”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you are unhappy with what I wrote, look to the response you sent to my brother, who has been working diligently for three years to gain reimbursement for all the residents of Highland Park, including himself, while City Council ignored him and other residents who had complained.. Frankly, you responded with a “life isn’t fair” type response to a resident on mission to ensure that all residents are treated appropriately and fairly. We’ve always expected that HP Councilmen are on that mission too in making our voting decisions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yesterday’s response will be shared with others interested in this issue. Many of them remember you running for election the last time, promising that you were not supportive of the Sewer Program. Three years later, nothing has been done. Indeed, most residents in Ravinia thought the program was dead and were shocked to learn it was merely “on hiatus.” They will be interested to learn that you believe the program was a “huge success” and that, even if it isn’t, your position is that the 45 unlucky targeted residents for 2008 should pay for an expense that thousands of others will not have to pay, except in increments of less of than $10.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just yesterday, I received an e-mail from a highly articulate Ravinia resident encouraging me to point out to City Council that:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">· There has been no quantitative measurement of success for those neighborhoods where the program has been implemented; </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">· The City has not sought additional/alternate funding sources to pay for the Sewer Program (if the City decides to move ahead with it), as promised by David Limardi at the public meetings of irate residents at the Public Works building; and,</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">· It does not appear that the City has changed the way in which it handles improvements to the main and lateral junctions for current infrastructure projects, potentially damaging the very laterals the residents are then asked to improve.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Huge success? Maybe Mr. Limardi, former Mayor Belsky and you think so. If anyone else on City Council thinks so, he should let me know, preferably in writing, so I can share it on the blog and with the interested residents – or, better yet, they can post their positions directly to the blog. We need to hold our Councilmen accountable.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, I suggest you take the time to read the AECOM report, attached. It may help you understand the technical issues as well as options considered by other communities. Frankly, a report like this should have been required by City Council before the Sewer Program was voted on. In any event, the report is actually issued by the same folks who helped Mr. Limardi design the Sewer Program in the first place. After the public meetings with the RNA, the City agreed to get a third opinion. This hardly qualifies as an unbiased opinion, but you will find that, as stated in my previous letter, it is a useful document and notes that no other community in Northern Illinois forced individual residents to pay for this. <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope that all the new members of City Council will look at these issues with fresh eyes, and not just rely on Mr. Limardi and Mary Anderson to explain it to them – they certainly didn’t do a good job of it when questioned at the Public Works meetings set up for the RNA in 2008. Also, I am available to sit down with you and the others at any time to talk about the Sewer Program. <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In any event, the issue of reimbursement is quite separate. The City of Highland Park NEVER should have required individual residents to pay for unnecessary “repairs” to their private property to address a City infrastructure problem. The residents should have their payments refunded immediately.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your e-mail response notwithstanding, this is not a personal matter with you. Our family is among your constituents. Your constituents need to be heard and represented. This is important City business. I certainly respect your contributions to Highland Park and your long service on the City Council. This is a single issue that continues to deserve your reconsideration and all the good work you’ve done does not detract from the fact that you’re very off base here. Do the right thing, reimburse the residents, now, with the new found money in the reserves.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Respectfully yours,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Debra <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">PS With regard to your parting and unnecessary comment that I should run for office if I want to change city policy: It is your job, as Councilman and oft times Mayor Pro Tem to listen to your constituents in setting appropriate city policies and laws. My brother has done an extraordinary job of fighting for equitable treatment for all, and I've been proud to support him in doing the right thing. It is a shame that either of us and the Ravinia Neighborhood Association has had to work so hard and so long for such little success with our representatives. Three years after the two meetings with the RNA, three years after promises were made and not kept, nothing has been done to address the underlying issues other than place them "on hiatus." Steve, I'm doing a good job of being an constituent. I'm looking for you and the others to change the policy and to do the right thing. That's your job, you know that... </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-44265628656444099752011-06-24T09:50:00.000-05:002011-06-24T09:50:32.237-05:00Councilman Mandel: Sewer Program a "Huge Success"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KPLic4Fj6Voxc-1wjzDRaYInS5F1BvkiMOS3w4lBzhvcfg8ggi9Po-f8QiiTcckTdzyuh6XMy6umEb4WPOUkCi7OslkX_YhUIENSYUyK4CngukMRpdWW2NuTjzrEFAMrvAAI9HA8lMA/s1600/sanitary+-+storm.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KPLic4Fj6Voxc-1wjzDRaYInS5F1BvkiMOS3w4lBzhvcfg8ggi9Po-f8QiiTcckTdzyuh6XMy6umEb4WPOUkCi7OslkX_YhUIENSYUyK4CngukMRpdWW2NuTjzrEFAMrvAAI9HA8lMA/s200/sanitary+-+storm.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Haven't heard back from Mayor Rotering yet, although am confident she will reply in due course with her considered response. I remain hopeful that she will live up to her campaign stances.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Meanwhile, Councilman Mandel responded promptly, on June 22, copied to City Hall and the others on my initial list. His response is provided in full, without comment. Wishing to avoid you having to read too much in any one sitting, my response to this e-mail will be provided later today. </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>In the meantime, please provide your comments directly to the Mayor and your City Council representatives, hopefully sharing your comments with us on the blog. If necessary, the blog will publish comments anonymously, but only if you provide us with your name and address and we can verify you are a "real resident" here. There may be some who fear commenting on this issue publicly, especially from the many who do, or wish to do, business with the City. Nonetheless, their voices should be heard...</i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">E-MAIL FROM COUNCILMAN STEVE MANDEL TO DEBRA RADE, 6/22/2011</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">"Thank you Debra for representing my position of why I am opposed to funding…NOT! My parents are not the only folks over the years that have been made to pay for public improvements. There have been thousands of residents that helped build the PUBLIC streets that we all drive on. I do resent your tone on suggesting that my logic is based on a personal matter and find it extremely offensive. You could not be more incorrect. I spent countless hours on this issue working for resolution and you have a lot of nerve writing off my opinion on a personal note…. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Now, YOU’RE not even asking for reimbursement of a public improvement that is owned by the City of Highland Park. You are asking for reimbursement of a PRIVATE line that was leaking and causing back up in other people’s homes because of massive water infiltration that was overloading the lines from broken pipes like yours. And many folks in Sherwood forest (many more that 45) spent money on their laterals and private lines due to flooding issues without the city subsidy that you received.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Even though I personally requested we put the program on hold and asked that we look at changing our policy, the policy which caused you to fix your broken sewer line was the opinion of the entire council without one no vote. This decision was based on factual data presented by the staff and was enacted to protect the citizens that had basements that were flooding. The City has also spent millions of dollars of all of our taxpayer money in your and other effected neighborhoods. We instituted a master plan to address these matters across the city and continue to have a robust spending policy to deal with flooding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Finally the program was not a failure, and quite the contrary a huge success since many that were having water issues are now without flooded basements. Sorry you’re so upset but please do not represent my thoughts for me. If you want to change city policy, run for office and see how well your rant is accepted by the voters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Steve" </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-68791281378126080282011-06-23T17:33:00.001-05:002011-06-23T17:42:12.805-05:00Time to reimburse the residents, without delay....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Fy4i-gpoa0YPfLMAA-K9ZJgFmEgCzQybfopk3QQ6wTboB-uHuULtzN3RWy3jZo6o5Zq0PWvgs4KmcmipCR5W6AYp_Y1Tc_JmzuSueCOCbSE8TMyVO1oZ2OIXMmcEkC_yuuJkXRAwu_A/s1600/Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Fy4i-gpoa0YPfLMAA-K9ZJgFmEgCzQybfopk3QQ6wTboB-uHuULtzN3RWy3jZo6o5Zq0PWvgs4KmcmipCR5W6AYp_Y1Tc_JmzuSueCOCbSE8TMyVO1oZ2OIXMmcEkC_yuuJkXRAwu_A/s200/Time.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i>Following is a letter sent to Mayor Nancy Rotering, with copies to the entire City Council, requesting that she take action now to reimburse the 45+ residents who paid $237,046 (in the aggregate) for unnecessary "repairs" on their private property based on the City's threat of lien and other financial penalties. This blog will keep readers updated with responses.</i> <br />
<br />
June 22, 2011<br />
<br />
Dear Mayor Rotering:<br />
<br />
It was reported last week that the City of Highland Park has discovered it has $1.73 million more in its reserves than had been reported at year end 2010. This provides the City with a final audited reserve of $13,153,861 - a more than ample reserve of 45.6% of its projected expenditures for the current fiscal year. Now is the time to reimburse the 45 residents who paid, in the aggregate, more than $237,000 - and there can be no excuse for delay.<br />
<br />
More than three years ago the Rade family vigorously objected to the City of Highland Park about the Master Plan for Storm and Sanitary Sewers (a program that has also been known as the Neighborhood Sewer Program and is referred to in this letter as the "Sewer Program.") This formal complaint to Mayor Belsky, the entire City Council, and City Manager fell, and continues to fall, on largely deaf ears. My brother David's family wrote a check, under coercion and threat of lien, to the City for $4,591.53. It was so marked. However, starting in November 2008, when the Ravinia Neighborhood Association (RNA) stood up to David Limardi, Mayor Belsky and the whole of City Council in public forums, their voices were heard and more effective. We thank our neighbors in Ravinia for taking an active stand against this patently inequitable, ill-conceived, and financially destructive program.<br />
<br />
No one in City Council should understand better than you how poorly conceived this program is. It was this issue that began to propel your own political career in Highland Park. You became a vocal opponent of the program early on, attending the public forums and speaking out. Your opposition to this program was an essential part of your platform in your successful races for your seat as a Councilman and later as Mayor. Yet, after you were elected to City Council in 2009, and now as mayor in 2011 , it seems this issue remains under the sewer covers, without an advocate. It is time for you to take action and resolve, once and for all, the Sewer Program that, according to former Mayor Belsky, has merely been on "hiatus" waiting for a better economy (and, can there ever be an economy in which individual residents can afford to pay $5,000-$20,000+ for unnecessary "repairs"?).<br />
<br />
More importantly, it is time to reimburse the 45 residents, including some former residents who were scalped before they sold their homes, who were coerced into paying, in the aggregate, more than $237,000 for unnecessary, questionable "repairs" to lateral sanitary lines on their private property.<br />
<br />
As you are familiar with the issue, I will not detail all the facts and issues here, other than to remind you that the Down the Drain in HP blog covers the whole saga. In addition to the serious fmancial harm done to those who have paid up to $12,000+ for sewer lining really intended to benefit City infrastructure problems, there is the continuing issue that homeowners in Highland Park should be disclosing this very real potential financial liability whenever they attempt to sell their property which should seriously further depress the City's real estate market. Any homeowner who has ever had their sewer rodded will need to inform a potential buyer of the City's current Sewer Program and that the real estate may soon incur a substantial expense.<br />
<br />
Please let me know as soon as possible what action you will take to ensure that the 45 residents are immediately reimbursed for their payments to the City of Highland Park in 2008. I assume that most of the residents would accept repayment in full now, without seeking appropriate interest, even though the City as part of its initial coercive plan had threatened to charge homeowners interest for failure to pay. Additionally, what is your schedule for removing the Sewer Program from its "hiatus" and terminating it, as well as designing an appropriate program to address flooding issues?<br />
<br />
We're looking to you, as Highland Park's new mayor, to finally do the right thing. While you told everyone at the RNA meeting at the Ravinia Train station during your race for the office that you will only be one voice among many councilmen, we look to you for some true leadership.<br />
<br />
Respectfully yours,<br />
<br />
Debra S. Rade<br />
<br />
Copies to: City Councilmen, David Limardi (City Manager), Donald Miller (President, Ravinia Neighborhood Association)<br />
<br />
(It should be noted that the sum of$12,000 is referenced based on the HP list for 2008 that HP provided to me in response to a FOIA request. I have heard from others, not on the list, that they have been required to pay sums of up to $20,000.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-631839454118793917.post-23390986557593573082011-06-17T15:32:00.012-05:002011-06-18T09:49:33.915-05:00City finds $1.73 million but still hasn't reimbursed residents $237,046<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAfZUymBGtPsp3Q8oP8MpHXqGwij-fg6sy7ObkqlKwd3g-XdZh0MDwKlWyavBaKcKIJeIwnKBb3OQXJiYE4mDlrRVsNWW_drTeq5lGhbo5_EQFgBKaq6X7joHNGOOghNID76-Nb4Mwfo/s1600/pot+of+gold.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAfZUymBGtPsp3Q8oP8MpHXqGwij-fg6sy7ObkqlKwd3g-XdZh0MDwKlWyavBaKcKIJeIwnKBb3OQXJiYE4mDlrRVsNWW_drTeq5lGhbo5_EQFgBKaq6X7joHNGOOghNID76-Nb4Mwfo/s200/pot+of+gold.jpg" alt="" 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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The <a href="http://bit.ly/lZrRKS">Highland Park Patch </a>reported “good news” this week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Seems Highland Park has found some real money. At <a href="http://bit.ly/lWsIu4">the last City Council meeting</a>, it was disclosed that the <a href="http://bit.ly/j3tmhJ">Comprehensive Annual Financial Report</a> – Highland Park’s audited financial statement for 2010- revealed that HP had a larger fund balance than projected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Instead of the $11,423,899 projected (or was it reported), the final audited amount was $13,153,861 according to Finance Director Elizabeth Holleb. So, what does this mean?<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s a “finding” of $1,729,962 that HP unintentionally didn’t spend last year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>According to the report, the unreserved, undesignated fund balance in the general fund at December 31, 2010, “represents 45.6% of the 2011 general fund operating expenditures, exceeding the City’s policy guidelines set by the Council for budgetary and planning purposes.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, in general, it is mighty good to find an additional $1.73 million in your purse.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pretty soon, you’re talking real money…<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yet, this also begs additional questions and raises a fine opportunity for the City of Highland Park to correct a terrible inequity it foisted on certain residents. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let us not forget that <b style=""><a href="http://downthedraininhp.blogspot.com/2011/01/whos-afraid-of-city-of-highland-park-47.html">47 HIGHLAND PARK RESIDENTS PAID $237,046 TO THE CITY OF HP UNDER COERCION</a> </b>for unnecessary "repairs" to lateral sanitary sewer lines performed on their private property to address City infrastructure problems. Let us also not forget that these residents allowed this work to be done only because of coercion and threat by the City, and that the Master Neighborhood Sewer Program still exists and could be assessed against other residents at any time. The residents who paid need to be reimbursed (unless you talk to Councilman Steven Mandel who is clearly on record as being unwilling to do so) and the good news is that the City of Highland Park just found the money pay them back and still retain $1.5 million in its coffers from the new found money!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">During the recent mayoral elections and 2011 budget discussions, former Councilman Terri Olian raised the possibility of repayment to these residents but questioned how and when the payments could be made without adversely affecting the budget.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Candidate Nancy Rotering, now Mayor Rotering, when asked about reimbursing these residents, <a href="http://bit.ly/isrOIC">told the group at the Ravinia Train Station</a> that while she was supportive of reimbursing these residents, as mayor <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>she would only be just one voice among all the councilmen, that she could not promise reimbursement if she were elected.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Well, Mayor Rotering, you’re elected, and in large part due to the support of the <a href="http://bit.ly/lwmmcK">Ravinia Neighborhood Association</a>, primarily because of your criticism and willingness to stand up during the fiasco in 2008 and 2009 with regard to the Master Sanitary Sewer Program.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> Now it's</span> time for you to show real leadership and address this program head on. City Council needs to immediately reimburse these 47 HP residents who have suffered significant financial damage at the hands of City Council, led by City Manager, David Limardi, who ignored everyone’s complaints about the program and pleas throughout. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The good news is that City Council now has “found money” to reimburse these residents and to put this shameful period in this fine city behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> The City has the funds to cut a check today. Do it! </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And, to Mayor Nancy, you were elected to right these wrongs, so we’d like to hold you accountable for getting this done. You need to talk with the councilmen and secure their agreement, at least by a majority, to do this -- that's what leadership is all about. You're not just another councilman now, you're the Mayor!<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And, we’ll leave for another day the questions about what budgeted expenses, approved by the City Council, weren't fulfilled to result in a “surprise” net $1.73 million; whether there were any accounting irregularities that caused this budget surprise; how the City’s auditors are selected (as in, do we bid this work out and do we want any City service vendors to have less than 15% women partners?), and other fine questions that arise whenever we’re treated to budget surprises, favorable or unfavorable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Of course, we like the good news surprises better. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0