Ah, democracy!
Where else but in a country such as America could you have a candidate forum where one Park Forest trustee (Robert McCray) questions the veracity of another trustee (JeRome Brown), who, in turn, alludes to alleged lies about him in an online publication run by a third trustee (Gary Kopycinski)?
This all stems from an unpleasant history between Brown and Kopycinski from when Brown ran for the village board in 2013, and Rosemary Piser, an editor for Kopycinski’s eNews Park Forest website, raked him over the coals in a column as a candidate who in her opinion spouted untruths and could not deliver on the promises he made.
Brown went so far as to criticize Kopycinski at one of the nonpartisan candidate forums that year. What made that odd was that Brown, who won election by six votes, now shares the same dais as Kopycinski.
One would hope the two could have settled their differences and would get on with the business of helping govern the community. Apparently it was not to be. Now, two years later, Brown wants to be mayor and is challenging three-term incumbent John Ostenburg. Ostenburg is the longest-serving mayor in the village’s 65-year history, and it must be said, seemed to have adequate answers to the questions posed by members of the audience.
Three trustees — Kopycinski, Georgia O’Neill and Mae Brandon — are seeking re-election in a five-way race featuring challengers Johnathan Vanderbilt and Tiffani Graham..
At the second candidate forum earlier this month, Brown displayed his long-standing angst about Kopycinski. It began with a question posed to Brown by McCray, who, it must be said, has been known to have his differences with Brown. In essence, McCray asked if both candidates were telling the truth “because I’ve heard a bunch of lies.”
Brown replied, “I speak the truth,” but then objected to “flat-out lies by a not nice newspaper,” adding that, “what goes around comes around. Negatives create negativity.”
It was apparent that the “newspaper” Brown was referring to was the online eNews operation.
Near the end of the forum, Brown, who was just warming up, took off his candidate hat, put on his citizen hat, stepped to the microphone and asked the trustee candidates about “negative things happening,” wanting to know what they thought about a local “newspaper” sharing the same name as the village, a publication he said was filled with “negatives and biased opinion” and how it can affect the perception of the village.
The consensus was that news is news, good or bad. Brandon said, “If the information is correct, that’s what it is.”
For his part, Kopycinski wanted to be above the battle.
“I’m not sure what Brown is referring to,” he said.
One was reminded of the cautions voiced by a boxing referee who warns both combatants to defend themselves at all times and cautions each about low blows.
The trustee candidates stated their positions on issues in response to questions. The incumbents shared their knowledge of local government. Graham, the loser to Brown by those six votes two years ago, outlined her views, and Vanderbilt hammered home his plan to build a second water plant so Park Forest could sell bottled water, using the profits to help rebuild its infrastructure.
The current water plant cost about $15 million and resulted in higher water bills each time we turn on a faucet to get the “the best-tasting water in Illinois.”
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The final forum will be held March 22 at the viillage hall. The fun has just begun.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].