Letter to the Editor: Affordable Housing and the Upcoming Election

Kristin Ziv weighs in on Affordable Housing and questions Winnetka Village President candidate Chris Rintz's motives.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Winnetka Resident Kristin Ziv. Is Affordable Housing Rising from the Dead in this Election? The election of Winnetka Village President should turn on questions of storm water management and revitalizing the business districts. But the presence of insurgent candidate Chris Rintz focuses the election again on the question of Affordable Housing. This is ironic. Rintz insists that Affordable Housing is beside the point and even argues that those who raise the question of his past support for it are being uncivil. Yet there seems to be no reason for Rintz’s candidacy other than Affordable Housing. He does not explain any deficiencies in the Caucus-slated candidate Gene Greable, and he offers …

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Letter to the Editor: The Winnetka Caucus Council is a Partisan Group

Winnetka resident Sue Connaughton weighs on on the Winnetka Caucus Council's role in this election.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Sue Connaughton of Winnetka  I have received numerous emails from the Winnetka Caucus Council regarding the upcoming election. Initial communications encouraged me to support the Caucus slate of candidates and to remember to vote on April 9th. On Monday April 1, I received an email from the Caucus Council with a very specific message to vote for Gene Greable. The communication went so far as to provide a link to Mr. Greableʼs campaign website and to suggest that I “...request a yard sign, attend a “meet and greet coffee” and volunteer as needed.” With this communication, the Caucus Council has crossed a line and is now actively campaigning for a specific candidate and acting as a …

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Letter to the Editor: In Support of Chris Rintz

Winnetka resident Chris Hurely weighs in on why he is voting for Chris Rintz for Winnetka Village President.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Chris Hurley of Winnetka.  In Chris Rintz, Winnetka has a candidate for village president who is both well qualified and willing to stand up to the tactics of WHOA (Winnetka Home Owners Association). Some might ask what is WHOA? WHOA  is the creation of Winnetka resident Carry Buck and a few others. It has no public membership list, no public by-laws, no public meetings and therefore no accountability.   The only thing WHOA seems to do is circulate a blog that promotes the issues and candidates of Carry Buck's choice. Many of our current trustees, including Carry Buck's son, Jack Buck, were elected with WHOA's support.   WHOA is now aggressively promoting Gene Greable for village …

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Action Jackson

11:33 am on Saturday, April 6, 2013

Really? Go to http://www.bad-influence.org/permanentrecord.html She brings so much positive attention to Winnetka that she/WHOA made this list.   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Inaccuracy in Winnetka

Winnetka resident Michael Edwards weighs in on inaccuracies in Winnetka government records.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Michael Edwards of Winnetka.  On December 8, 2008, at Winnetka’s Village Hall, Zoning Board of Appeals Commissioner Hal Francke suggested to his peers that a variance under consideration might be “adversely affecting the character of the locality,” yet in the minutes of that meeting, Mr. Francke is quoted as having suggested that the variation might be “affecting the adverse character” of the locality [italics mine].”  Although the two phrases differ by exactly one word, the semantic content of each could not be more distinct.  In the first case, Mr. Francke is providing a caution while in the second the implication is that the locality in question (including our family’s landmark home) …

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Letter to the Editor: Suburban Cops Allowed to Work Half Drunk

The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists finds it utterly unacceptable that any police agency would knowing allow their officers to report to work with any level of alcohol in their system.

In response to NBC-TV news story “Many Suburban Cops Allowed to Work Half Drunk” which aired on local news February 14, 2013. The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) finds it utterly unacceptable that any police agency would knowing allow their officers to report to work with any level of alcohol in their system. We feel that departments that have a written clause in their union contracts that have an allowable illegal BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of 0.08 with any blood alcohol content and permit officers to report for duty should rethink their policy. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) legal limits do not define a level below which it is safe to operate a vehicle or engage in some other activity…

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New Trier Gun Control Panelist Reacts to Protests

Bill Jenkins, a panelist at Sunday's gun control panel, discusses his stance in this letter to the editor.

To the Editor, I was the featured speaker at the New Trier Democrats’ event on gun violence last Sunday. Word had gone out from the Illinois State Rifle Association warning that this would be a “recruitment andorganizational rally” and “These are the people leading the charge to raid your gun safe and confiscateand destroy your guns. … These are the people who don't care if you or your family members are raped,robbed and murdered by violent criminals. They only care about one thing - disarming you.” Althoughnot at all true, it was with this incitement that gun advocates came from all over the state to our littleevent, loaded for bear, as it were. From the moment they hijacked the meeting’s agenda by turning the Pledge of Allegiance into …

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Chris Rintz Responds to Anonymous Attack

In this letter to the editor, independent village president candidate Chris Rintz responds to an anonymous threatening note that he recently received on his doorstep.

To The Editor, Recently, a plain white envelope was left on my doorstep. It contained a number of articles and the following unsigned note: “If you think it’s bad what was done to Pat Livney, wait til you see what is said about you. We hope you appreciate the enclosed materials and good luck.” The articles detail a devastating event that occurred 12 years ago when a child lost his life while playing in the sand on a piece of property my construction company owned. The pain suffered by the parents of this child is unimaginable. The sorrow shared by myself and my family, while paling in comparison, still remains. As anyone would expect, my company was sued. While litigation is common in the building and selling of real estate, especially …

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Antonia Duhe

3:43 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

His dedication is to himself and his own pockets....and several of his supporters are Affordable Housing investors...A dishonest man with a cadre of dishonest supporters.   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Schneider for Congress

Former Lake County Board Member Carol Spielman supports Brad Schneider.

Letter to the Editor: Schneider for Congress

Former Lake County Board Member Carol Spielman supports Brad Schneider.

I look for leadership in deciding who I want to represent me in congress.  I also look for someone who stands up for the issues important to me.  Women’s health issues is high on that list. Any assessment of Congressman Bob Dold’s stance on women’s health issues is that he does not  lead or stand up for women when it matters. I was there in 1973 when women were granted the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies.  This momentous decision for women will always need legislative reinforcement.  Supporting that right should include supporting the institutions that care about women’s health by providing basic health services.   Bob Dold voted for the “Protect Life Act” - also known as the “Let Women Die Act.”  This amendment …

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Letter to the Editor: Vote 'No' on Proposed Constitutional Amendment 49

Illinois voters will decide whether a three-fifths majority vote should be required for any state governing body to increase public pension benefits.

Dear Editor: Voters in Illinois will find a Constitutional Amendment on the 2012 General Election ballot on which they will be asked to vote 'yes' or 'no.' The Amendment, passed by the Illinois General Assembly in the Spring of 2012, must be voted on by Illinois voters and would amend the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Constitution to require a three-fifths majority vote of the Illinois General Assembly, any governing body of a unit of local government, school district, or pension or retirement system to increase a benefit under any public pension or retirement system is sought. The League of Women Voters of Illinois is opposed to proposed Constitutional Amendment 49. Its opposition rests solely on the three-fifths majority …

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