Campaigning At Official Meeting Was Unethical

The following Letter to the Editor states the opinions of the author. Patch is providing a platform for writers to express their views. 

The March 12, 2013 Informal Consideration meeting of the Niles Board of Trustees was a throwback to the days of anything goes, legal or not.   With exactly one month until the most significant and contested election that Niles residents have faced in decades, political campaigning was proposed as an agenda item by Trustee Przybylo and was placed on the agenda by Mayor Callero.   I challenged Mayor Callero’s decision to allow political campaigning at a board meeting as unethical and even illegal.   When the parliamentarian was asked for a legal opinion, none was publicly stated.  The result?  The show, and let there be no doubt about it, it was a show, went on. 

If a candidate wants to present a new idea for implementation or consideration it can be done in a candidates’ debate, in a newspaper article or in literature distributed to residents.  NEVER should a scheduled meeting of the Village Board of Trustees be hijacked and used for getting a campaign message out to the voters.

When I was a candidate two years ago I promised to work for transparency, ethical behavior and openness in the Village of Niles.  The blatant disregard for ethical procedures at the March 12 Informal Consideration meeting is an indication that as a village we have a long way to go towards reaching the goals I campaigned for and still work to become our reality.

A “Niles Concerned Citizen” says I have knocked on his/her door campaigning for one of the slates.  During this campaign I have NEVER knocked on any one’s door asking for support of any candidate.  I have proudly attended a fundraiser for the candidates of my choice on my own time.  When asked for, I will continue to give my opinion about the upcoming election as I have in the past, on my own time. 

Finally, I ran as an Independent for the office of trustee twice.  Each time I felt that the citizens deserved a choice and they needed to see that it is possible for an independent person to be elected.

My victory in this last election, no matter what the margin, was a significant victory for Niles residents.  I have two years remaining in my term.  I will continue to do my best for Niles, to give my all for Niles and to be grateful that I have been given this opportunity to serve all of you, whether we agree or disagree.  I have never been focused on  ” the next election.”  I am doing my best now and that’s what I was elected to do.  I’m not focused on two years from now.

Save your energy and focus on this election because it is a game changer for all of us.

Rosemary Palicki

Trustee, Village of Niles