WINNETKA'S "LOUSY" VOTERS ARE HOODWINKED

Candidate petition challenge shenanigans, dirty little secrets and the No. 1 stormwater fee.  You can now add another accolade to Winnetka's recent political scene: "Lousy."  Quoted in the press, this comes from a Village Council member who doesn't like the fact that the community decisively voted "NO" to the stormwater tunnel. The 35% Winnetka voter turnout and 9-point spread was "lousy" he says. We didn't turn out to vote, even though New Trier Township had the highest showing in Cook County at 23%, driven to that height by Winnetka's historic turnout, and it is all too complex and complicated for "lousy" voters to understand anyway.  Yet prior to this historic vote, this same Trustee was at the Hubbard Woods train station passing out propaganda urging you to vote "Yes" for the tunnel.  Improper? You bet.  See #Winnetka'sLousyVoteQuote: http://winnetka.suntimes.com/news/willow-WTK-03202014:article

Despite a Council desperate for a "Yes" vote to justify their actions, voters resoundingly, emphatically voted "NO." Should we gloat over the results as others did when the caucus stormwater planks were defeated at the Town Meeting attended by roughly 200 people? (See the 11/19/13 email in photo boxes above.) 

No. Unfortunately, your vote is meaningless. As reported, 1,679 residents, more than voted for Home Rule status for Village government, more than voted for any of the incoming Council members, and a higher voter turnout percentage than anywhere else in the State this election cycle, said "NO." Yet, the very next day, that same Trustee told the press that the turnout was "lousy" and was overheard telling people that everyone is still on board with the tunnel, including incoming members.

The Council can ignore your vote because it was a 'non-binding' referendum due to our Home Rule status. Your vote meant nothing to a runaway tax/fee-and-spend Council who not only dismantled an in-depth public engagement plan for your input and consensus, but then rushed to 'get the horse out of the barn' before you could weigh in with a vote. With a $2 million engineering contract already awarded for tunnel construction, and almost $20 million in bonds issued at 4.1% and 4.59% interest despite no regulatory approval for the tunnel (while we sit on over $40 million cash reserves earning less than one-fifth of one percent) this Council also approved a budget loaded with increases in property taxes and fees.

On April 5, 2005, the #WinnetkaHomeRule vote was Yes - 1,592 to No - 923.  At the time, it was a clear directive to Springfield that we didn't want to be under their thumb any longer. On March 18, 2014, Winnetka's "lousy" voters gave another clear directive, this one to our local government: We won't be under your "Springfield-esq" thumb either.

Ironically, voters elected two residents for Trustee who ran on a pro-tunnel agenda in their 'private-only chats' prior to the election. But in a public proclamation, Fessler declared "...it's important to have someone on the Village Council who can leave their agenda at the door and serve the will of the people of Winnetka."  See #FesslerLeaveAgendaAtTheDoor quote:       http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-10/news/ct-winnetka-new-trustee-candidates-tl-ns-1205-201...

Hoodwinked, Winnetka? You bet.