Winnetka Residents Debate Affordable Housing at Council Meeting

Though messy at times, the right to free speech was exercised Tuesday at Winnetka's meeting. The result: Trustees plan to put to sleep any further discussion of affordable housing.

A heated debate about lingering affordable housing issues dominated the meeting, which spilled into the hallway with only standing room for audience members.

Caucus Stats

Carol Fessler, of the Winnetka Caucus Council, presented survey results that showed that 67 percent of taxpayers in the village do not want to pursue the Affordable Housing Plan, as drafted by the Winnetka Plan Commission. Conversely, Fessler said, 27 percent of those surveyed said they thought there should be at least some action taken to provide housing options for a more diverse range of incomes.

The 2011 survey results (posted in the Patch Media Uploader) show varied responses according to the question. 

Question 19: "As an overall concept, should Winnetka expand its Affordable Housing Plan to set aside affordable housing units and provide tools to bridge the affordability gap for qualifying households?"

Answer: 69 percent of those surveyed said "Winnetka needs more affordable housing options for seniors," and 64 percent said the same for "those who work in the community."

Question 20: "If you think that Winnetka SHOULD NOT expand its Affordable Housing Plan, please specify the reasons."

Answer: 85 percent of those who do not support more affordable housing said, "It is not appropriate for Village government to be involved in determining who can live here and what prices can be charged for housing in Winnetka," and 79 percent said, "The Village has higher priorities than Affordable Housing."

Debate Ends in December

Residents spoke. Opinions differed. But in the end, trustees took a straw poll and said they would heed their constituents' desire to put a formal end to the discussion at their Dec. 6 meeting.

But in spite of all the strong feelings, one trustee said the spirit of free speech impressed him most of all.

"I chose to come to this country because I was told it was the best country in the world," said Trustee Arthur Braun. "I never understood what this country stood for until I watched what's going on here. People are taking strong positions on either side of an issue, listening to what each other has to say, taking a vote, and standing by a decision.

"In other countries, this is often decided by fighting. By shooting people. By people disappearing."

Trustee Richard Kates proposed a resolution to end the discussion, but Village Attorney Katherine Janega explained that, according to policy, any resolution must be available to the public in advance of a council meeting. Kates' resolution was not.

So at Janega's suggestion, trustees went around the room and directed village staff to prepare formal wording that would end the discussion at next month's meeting.  Only Trustee Christopher Rintz opposed the idea.

Trustees:

• Richard Kates: "What we're here to do is to weigh the arguments and evaluate, and that's what we're doing. We're not insulting a caucus result. We're considering the facts. The caucuses has indicated the discussion should be closed, which I support."
• William Johnson: "The average tax bill in Winnetka is about $20,000 a year—a tremendous amount of money. My concern [about affordable housing] was about the unintended consequences. Allowing people to rent their coach houses might be an opportunity to step into this softly and see if there are any unintended consequences."
• Jennifer Spinney: "I live in my childhood home, where I have mostly since 1962. I hope that one of my children can do the same. We're not getting a dime for this, so we will vote and make the best decision we can."
• Gene Greable: "I'm weighted toward the voices of the people who live here. I'm going to go with my gut feeling and go with the people of this community. There's another referendum in March, and we can see what happens."
• Arthur Braun: "When I was elected, I said to myself that I was elected to speak for the people of this community. We live in a country where the majority rules. I believe the caucus has given us the information about what they want. And I believe that's what should be done."
• Christopher Rintz: "This discussion was named wrong from the beginning. 'Affordable' is an oxymoron for the Village of Winnetka. Income levels of $100,00 are laughable in the context of truly affordable housing. It should have been called 'preservation of diversity of housing in Winnetka.' And what happened in 2008 was because of a lack of government intervention." 

At that point, murmurs surfaced from the audience. "No. Incorrect!" Gerald Scully said from the back of the room.  

Others shook their heads and whispered their disagreement with Rintz, underlining the fact that whatever the decision on affordable housing, there are foundational disagreements in the village about what the government's role is. On Tuesday, the council listened to its constituents.

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