Morton Grove is truly on the move, all you have to do is take a look with an objective eye. We elect leaders to make tough calls for the common good and to be fiscally responsible (that’s what has kept our bond rating high). It should be noted the “reporter” positioned the quote first about saving money - not the candidates!

The Action Party members of the Board accomplished much and to name just a few: More communication (tv, internet, print, email), finding new solutions to challenges (North Shore Senior Center Partnership), economic development (hired a new director, re-wrote the sign code, rebuilt Dempster Street), included more residents in the decision making process (instituted a new Finance Advisory Commission comprised of residents).

Does everyone know that besides a future Culver’s, there’s a new Cajun restaurant nearing completion on Waukegan? Let’s not forget all the other wonderful places we have in town that I hope we all frequent which nicely meets our diverse community’s needs (see the article “Dining Out In Morton Grove” on TribLocal - Sept.30 under Food & Drink).

The great thing about our democratic form of government is that we can support candidates who we feel will do the best job and sometimes just because they are your friends. I do hope everyone takes a closer look at what has been accomplished (by who and from what party) when considering which candidates deserve their vote next April 5.

Anyone who has lived in this town for a number of years should be able to recall the seedy motels that were on Waukegan Road. They were an eyesore, police nightmare and a blight on our community. Isn't that what TIFs allow communities to do: redevelop and improve blighted areas? I hardly think that having upscale car dealerships (which bring in tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue each year) and a cleaned-up main artery in the village is "disastrous". As for Abt Electronics, they simply outgrew their facility on Waukegan and were not able to find a large enough parcel of land within the village to build a new megastore that would also afford them warehouse space and plenty of parking for their customers. I've not only read THAT in the newspaper, but heard it directly from the owner's mouth. Some of the sales tax revenue that was lost when Abt decided to move to a larger location could have been recouped if the past administration had not been so stubborn about approving off-track betting in Morton Grove. When Rick Krier and his Caucus party voted it down, Niles jumped at the chance. Their OTB brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year thanks to the OTB.

It's true that the seedy motel needed to go, but we did not need a TIF to do it. The planned TIF was much larger in scope and never got off the ground. There were much less painful ways to get rid of these motels that would not have put us in hock for all these years. Another downside of the
TIF's is that it takes money away from our schools. The other TIF that Action Party started in
Leheigh Ferris has been also much less than a success. It seems like the idea was to fill it with condominiums, and that market is and will be down for many years. Any money that could be used for improving the infrastructure of the village is being poured into real estate ventures of
questionable return.

I think that if the village had offered ABT more room on Waukegan Rd., they may have stayed.
Their old location is much more accessible than their current Glenview location because Waukegan
Rd. is an easy jump off of Edens and the Tollroad. Action did not try hard enough to retain them.

Krier had nothing to do with the OTB not coming to Morton Grove. It was concerned residents who did not want gambling in our neighborhoods, especially close to Maine Township High School. Menards listened to our residents and nixt the deal with the OTB. Of course, we didn't know that our greedy neighbors, let by ex-mayor Nick Blase (now serving a term in jail) would
grab up this dirty money.

OK, I may have gotten the name of the high school incorrect, but there is a high school just a few blocks from the Menards. That's the fact. You and your buddy Action trustee Dan DiMaria continually moan about the loss of the OTB. Maybe you both can find a 'cat house' to take it's place.

A cat house Mr. Dubren? You're going a little overboard with all your negative , off-color comments sir (kids might be on this site you know)! Don't you have anything constructive to say? Sure, some people in governments elsewhere may not all be the best these days, but it seems the ones in Morton Grove right now are at least trying to do something good for us. Let's give them a break and keep it clean, OK?

Mr. Windsor thinks I am being negative by pointing out that members of the Action Party
support gambling in our village. He also is living in some kind of Victorian world if he thinks my
verbiage is offensive. He considers my comments as negative, whereas I consider them as a form of
constructive democracy. If he is more comfortable burying his head in the ground and not looking around to see what is actually going on and what is not going on, that is his privilege.

I have voiced constructive ideas in the past, like stop overspending in this time of economic difficutlties. Bringing in a more democratic government to Morton Grove, where decisions can be questioned, rather than rubber stamped. This Action Party has a long history of goof ups and they
have had two years to show improvement. I have not seen any. Yes, the village has not fallen apart,
but there are dangers present, such as forcing our seniors out of town because of rising taxes and
lack of assistance. So what you are saying is if people in government are not the best these days,
we should retain them and not try to bring in new people. If Morton Grove were a commercial
business, people doing a poor job would be replaced, without hesitation.

I have heard that the Action Party does not want to hold a debate with the Caucus candidates. If
it is true, that is another sign that they don't want to even discuss the state of affairs in the village.
Not a very healthy atmosphere.

We all have opinions. This new medium has offered us the opportunity to share personal viewpoints with our neighbors. Our country is blessed by a long tradition of a free press which makes a site like this possible. But we must remember that opinions are not facts! Most of the contributors here are not disinterested third parties like writers from the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal or the Morton Grove Champion. This is a new medium offering a blend of un-filtered viewpoints with professionally written stories. Let’s make sure that we differentiate personal opinions from researched and substantiated facts.

Are you saying we should not be taken seriously because we are not 'professional' writers?

I have stated many opinions on patch, but they are based on factual information. Even the professionals in newspapers occasionally get things wrong, but that does not negate their value.

You infer that people like myself are not basing our opinions on substantiated facts, implying that they are mere fiction. It is easy to make blanket statements like that, but you yourself are not backing this up with counter facts. There are certain things I mentioned that cannot be disputed.
We lost ABT under the stewardship of the Action Party and went on to create a Waukegan Rd. TIF
that acheived much less than originally planned and became an anchor we continue to drag around to this day. The village is getting into the real estate business by pouring TIF money into projects like the Essex building. The Action Party gave Elliot Builders 5 million to build senior affordable housing, which they never did. The Action Party approved the granting of over 2 million dollar contract for upgraded water meters without doing an open bid process, a violation of our ethics ordinance. The village recently forgave the Culvers Restaurant coming into the village soon to pay
any property taxes for a few years.

I would be glad to hear you refute some or any of these things, but for the most part I believe them to be factual.

A "suburban myth" is that Morton Grove “GAVE” Elliott Builders $5 million to develop a vacant property that was only producing minimal taxes of around $16,000. FACT, the village insisted that Elliott put up their own money to fund this development. If they proved successful the village would then rebate back to the developer. Remember, streets and other infrastructure had to be put in. Elliott would have been out their money if the project failed, it was their money at risk. It would have made the $5 million a mute point. At no time was any money designated for affordable senior housing, just infrastructure. Another company, McShane Builders, proposed to build assisted living (seniors and special needs), but they did not go through with the project when market conditions changed. Once and for all, Elliott did not get $5 million to build affordable senior housing! Morton Grove's TIF consultants estimated that our investment will return over $40 million to the village over the life of the TIF from taxes derived from increased valuation and subsequent developments (such as Essex and Trafalgar). The additional revenue allows us to put in new enhancements in this area. Most people can clearly see if you can return eight times your investment in about twenty years, you’d be foolish not take advantage of the opportunity. Also, the village would not have been doing its fiduciary duty to the residents of Morton Grove.

Trustee Thill is right in step with Mr. Matz in trying to re-create the history of this village.

Morton Grove did give Elliot Builders 5 million dollars to assist his building project with an added requirement to provide for senior housing. It was only after Elliot complained that McShane Builders said is was not feasible for them to do a senior project that the village removed the requirement to include senior housing. Elliot Builders still got the 5 million.

The rejection of McShanne Builders was a godsend for Elliot as they never wanted to dedicate part of their condo development to low cost housing, when they could receive full market prices instead.
The village gave in too quickly. They should have pursued the senior housing aspect with well known providers like Alden and Essex. As far as I know, even back then there was an extreme shortage of affordable senior housing, and there still is. The 19 apartments in the new Essex building in the Leheigh Ferris TIF is not going to even come close to fixing this shortage.

I have an idea where Trustee Thill is getting his information from, but I suggest he go back and look at the village records to clear things up.

Everyone’s opinions should be heard and taken seriously. But opinions are easily mistaken or misrepresented as facts by those suggesting others re-write history when they are the ones not learning its lessons. Some will believe what they read not realizing the source may range from a professional third party to a blogger simply posting whatever is on their mind. Bloggers can too easily later comment when their so called facts are proven wrong with statements like “gee, that‘s just what I believed!” Occasionally wrong is one thing, consistently being subjected to mistakes is another. For instance, it was a 6.2% levy increase not 8.5% from an earlier post. In another, it was the late Mr.Goyal - an Action Party supporter - who was removed by a Caucus Party administration. Many readers are probably wondering how many other postings were truly based on seemingly un-researched facts, deliberately incorrect data or pure hearsay (such as a posting based on information which a neighbor read in a newspaper). Just because you believe something to be a fact, that does not make it true, nor should it be portrayed that way to the public; especially when you really know the truth but choose not to share it.

Mr. Matz is now trying to give us a lesson on what we should or should not believe. Should we believe him? If there was any mistakes in previous postings, we are not obligated to dismiss all other comments. He is telling us not to look at the facts, but try to discredit everything we see on this Patch forum. He is careful not to dispute disclosures with his own facts. He is careful not to stick his neck out. It is easy to stand on the sidelines and take pot shots at the players. He is trying to stiffle any independent thought be it from residents or the news media. You can only cover up the truth so long, but let every issue be judged on its own merits. Trying to smear the submiter is
not a valid arguement against anything.

Oh, there you go again Mr. Dubren! I've not asked anyone to believe anything but their own eyes and ears. Facts are facts, they truly belong to no one. Learning how to discern facts from opinions on this interesting new medium, while understanding its contributors' motivation, is a good thing. Many interested citizens regularly attend village board meetings and a host of other events to learn and participate for themselves. I don't seem to remember seeing Mr. Dubren at any? Sorry if I missed you, do say hello next time! As for sharing my thougths and opinions, please feel free to visit the Action Party's website (www.actionparty.org). Not sure how much more open and in the game my neck can be than that? (other than writing here and in other local media too as I do). As for covering up the truth and smearing others, we can leave this to those who seem to enjoy it. Mr. Dubren and I do agree on one point "You can only cover up the truth so long, but let every issue be judged on its own merits". Season's Greetings To All (and yes Sherwin, that includes you too)!

No, it's there you go again Mr. Matz! We only hear from you when you are defending an Action person, especially when there is evidence that they are not giving us the real facts.

I no longer attend village board meetings for many reasons. I did attend meetings in the past and spoke at the podium, as well. I do not feel comfortable at the current meetings with the atmosphere of 'us and them' brought on by the unnecessary rules of signing up to speak and limiting yourself to 4 minutes. There should be no restrictions on residents speaking. The meetings can be controlled without them. I feel that the board would not listen to me anyways and that I can get my ideas across better in the newspapers and patch than being on TV. There are no debates at the meetings and everything is 'rubber stamped' through. This is frustrating, very boring,
and a waste of my time.

What would be more to my interest is a debate between the two parties in contention for this upcoming election. So far, the Action Party is showing no interest in such a debate, indicating to me that they are only comfortable when they are running the show.

The Action Party has been trying to reinvent themselves and cover up any mistakes they have made in the past. If you think they have never made any, you are dillusional. I am just reminding people of this history and pointing out that things have not really changed.

Sherwin, Our village's administration speaks for itself. But we all see how you like to poke at the Action Party on behalf of your Caucus Party friends (who have all been mysteriously absent on this site...wonder why)? Your politically motivated pokes often require clarification - which is what I thought you wanted so both sides of an issue can be conveyed to the public? Sorry you don't attend meetings personally, you might learn how the village board functions where every resident wishing to speak, does so. How can you surmise that the board won't listen to you when you yourself make no effort to attend? Perhaps doing so would require your actually having to hear what others say? Sorry you feel the meetings are boring; but government is not "Reality TV", but parliamentary procedure. Interesting that you seem to have some knowledge that the Action Party is not showing any interest in a debate (especially since no one has extended an invitation to it)? Is it not a wonderful thing when we all can work to constantly reinvent ourselves to meet the challenges of the future with new perspectives and opinions? Thanks for pointing out how the Action Party prides itself on listening to new voices and ideas for a better future. Have a nice afternoon everyone...bet we'll all be hearing from Mr. D again soon! (sigh!)

After all that, the only thing I have left to say is "Shut up, Sherwin!" You have become extremely tiresome spouting your mouth off and making wild accusations, making harsh personal attacks on others (who have responded much more calmly than I ever could), and taking your personal grievances to a a public forum.

Being a productive, contributing member of a democratic society takes respectful communication, even when facing extreme differences of opinion. It takes a high level of personal responsibility to learn what is going on in the community, get accurate facts, take part in the process, and be part of the solution, not the source of the problem. You have done none of that, but instead you hide behind your computer, call people names, pout, throw blame everywhere, and shirk all manner of responsibility as a citizen. People have tried to respond to you calmly throughout this site, bringing solid facts and historic information to correct your wild accusations, and all you do is attack them. Enough is enough, Sherwin. You crossed way over the line long ago. So just stop.

Mark, sure you will be hearing from me again. As long as you faithfully reply to my postings and continue with your untruth's, I feel obligated to answer.

As far as keeping in touch, I watch the meetings on the replay on cable TV. I am well aware of what is going on and how the meetings are being run. Last meeting I saw someone come up to the podium and being told to sit down until he filled out a form to speak.

I think one major difference between us is that I have critcized the Caucus Party when I think they are stepping out of line, where as you would never never dream of doing the same for your Action Party.

I think the Caucus Party did raise the issue of a debate with the Action Party. Even if that is not true, I think it would be a very good idea to hold one. It would clear the air and give the voters a chance to hear what the two parties stand for and their plans for the future. As a reform candidate,
I took place in a debate between Caucus, Action, and Reform a few years ago. I felt is was worthwhile for all concerned. It would have been even more effective had it not taken place just a couple of weeks before the election and been publicized more widely.

As for Audry H, all I can say is if you don't like what I am writing, don't read it. She is coy about not giving her last name, but I'm sure she is connected with the Action Party. She thinks I am hiding behind my computer, but she won't even tell us who she is.

Of course I expected to hear from you Sherwin! As you continue to share your opinions as facts with readers, I too feel obligated to provide the counter-point. It is interesting that you label "your" opinions as facts yet refer to mine as "untruth's"? Not very sporting of you! I am glad that you watch the meetings and hope more people will too. So, you obviously knew that the resident you mentioned who came up to the podium (in front of another speaker who was getting up to speak) did submit his form and spoke at length (wonder why you didn't mention this part)? Also, from your definitive comment about the "Action Party is not showing interest in such a debate" you've now changed it to an "I think" and "even if that is not true" after, once again, you have been called on another of your inaccuracies? As for Audrey, I don't know her but can understand why she'd be not want to be known and her being upset. How about this idea...a Christmas Truce like the one in 1914 between the British and Germans? From Christmas to New Year's,
how about we provide some peace and quiet so the other readers can enjoy the holidays?

Well, I see you want to get in the last word. Not very sporting of you.

OK, I will hold off until after the holidays, unless someone trys to stick it to me during this break.

I hope Mr. Matz and Mr. Dubren are enjoying their much deserved vacation! I commend both of you for being so passionate about our village. If more residents cared enough to read this, watch or attend village board meetings, or simply to VOTE, our village would be much better off.

Anyone telling somebody to "shut up" when they could simply scroll past postings they don't want to read seems to be crossing over the line more than anything Mr. Dubren has written.

Happy Holidays to all!