Incumbent Niles Village Board Trustee Chris Hanusiak and new board candidate David Carrabotta issued a joint statement outlining their positions and vision for the village government.
In their statement, the candidates called for greater scrutiny when it came to creating new village government positions, greater public participation in village decisions and a different approach to granting tax incentives and creating Tax Increment Financing districts. They also spoke out against red-light cameras and speed cameras, and spoke in favor of finding an alternative water supplier.
This municipal election, village board candidates are running for three seats currently held by Hanusiak, trustee Rosemary Palicki and Trustee Joe LoVerde. LoVerde is running as part of the Niles Forward Party slate, which also includes recently retired Niles Police Chief Dean Strzelecki and Niles Ethics Board member Denise McCreery. Palicki and Hanusiak are running as independents, as is Carrabotta.
Hanusiak served as a trustee for the past five years. Over the past two years, he and Mayor Andrew Przybylo clashed on a number of issues, including the fate of the Leaning Tower of Niles, the appointment of the Niles Inspector General and the possibility of creating a TIF district to encourage redevelopment in Touhy Corridor area.
Even though this is Carrabotta’s first time running for office, he isn’t a stranger to the village hall. He was one of the several residents to speak out against the original version of the Niles Tree Ordinance. He also spoke in favor of granting a special use permit to the controversial Sportman’s Club gun shop and firing range during a July 2014 Plan Commission hearing.
The candidates said that, while they are still running as independents, they wanted to put together a joint statement because they had similar positions on a number of issues.
In their statement, they denounced “Chicago style politics,” with Carrabotta speaking out against hiring of “administration ’employees.'” When asked to elaborate, the candidates specified that they were referring to the village lobbyist, inspector general and appoint a liquor commissioner.
Echoing the concerns he raised at the time those positions were created, Hanusiak said that the positions weren’t properly vetted.
“The whole process was ramrodded through without timely consideration given to non-administration trustees to vet the candidates or even question them during the process,” he said. “Things were left to the village attorney and administration trustees, freezing out the independent trustees like myself. It all smacks of cronyism.”
What would the candidates do differently?
“First it should be determined if such a job needs to be created, and why such salaries are given without timely input from the trustees,” Hanusiak said. “Board discussion is limited to three minutes per trustee. Other job considerations must be properly discussed and finances worked out.”
In their statement, the candidates said that they felt the village gave tax incentives such as Class 6b tax classification too readily, citing the Village Board’s recent decision to extend Shure Incorporated’s Class 6b status as an example. The statement specifically called for the village to “rethink” the proposed Touhy Corridor TIF.
“All the discussions [about the plans for the corridor] are vague and incomplete,” said the candidates. “There is no real information coming from the village administration about what is being discussed. It would be folly to create another TIF without vetting the assumed commitments first.”
The candidates said they would be open to giving tax incentives – but they wanted a greater vetting process.
“There should be input in discussions from citizens and other taxing bodies within the Niles corporate limits which are affected in the long run by 6b decisions,” they said.
More Top Picks Best Dry Erase Boards For Adhd Planning
In the statement, the candidates said that they would “seek out volunteer taxpayer membership on boards and commissions.” When asked to elaborate, candidates said that they felt that, too many times, such appointments were made based on political connections. The appointments, they said, should be made entirely from the pool of residents who volunteer for the positions, with commission members selected based on “talents and experience.”
In the statement, Carrabotta expressed concern about the Niles Forward Party’s proposal to incorporate green infrastructure into future stormwater runoff projects. Because it affects residents’ finances, he said, any decision about requiring green infrastructure shouldn’t be made without residents’ input.
When asked what sort of input he had in mind, Carrabotta said changes to the ways committees are appointed that the candidates proposed would accomplish what he was looking for.
Throughout the statement, the candidates said that they would do a better job of listening to residents’ concerns. When asked to elaborate, they stated that they would follow-up on comments and issues raised at board meetings – something that they feel the current board isn’t doing.
“Citizens make comments at the end of board meetings, but there is no apparent follow up, nor information provided to trustees if there even was such a follow-up,” they said. “So much hangs in limbo and eventually gets forgotten, and the residents get frustrated. Citizens are at times belittled, and walk away from these meetings concluding that he or she was simply patronized and that the issue at hand and that the opinion provided is wholly disregarded.”
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.