RIP-- State Senator Adeline Geo-Karris

Yesterday I learned that former State Senator Adeline Geo-Karris passed away at 89 years young.

I met her about 7 years ago right after I became Mayor and in her direct way she dissected me and my political beliefs, always accusing me of being a Republican which I denied, because of course I am not. Our standing joke was always me trying to convert her to the wisdom of the democratic party and hers was to convert me.

Since she was Greek we had her visit us for Greek Easter periodically which was always an adventure, I had to drive to Zion, pick her up, drive her giant Lincoln (which was like driving a giant pillow) all the while listening to her shout at me that there was stop sign coming up, and calling me Billy the whole time. Which only my sister is currently allowed to call me!

Anyway even though the village of Round Lake has exactly one parcel of land in the 31st Senate District and no residents, Geo always and I mean always, looked out for the village of Round Lakes interests. When I called she responded and helped.

While she did not change my political leanings she did encourage me to run for the State Senate and if I can be 10% the Senator she was I will be happy! Geo I will miss you and so will the village of Round Lake

The Birthday Boy's Post!

Today is my birthday, I have been told it happens once a year! I reworked the post slightly to better reflect where I am today from last years post.

48 Years Ago-- I was born in Port Jefferson New York. (1959) Oddly enough the White Sox clinched an American League pennant that day.

47 Years Ago-- My sister Gaye showed up to steal all the attention! (1960)

39 Years Ago-- My Dad did a sabbatical in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where I went to school in a one room school house with 15 other kids ranging from 1st to 8th grade. (1968)

37 Years Ago-- My parents both took early retirement and moved to Guadalajara Mexico, where my sister and I attended Mexican schools until we went to college. (1970)

31 Years Ago-- My grandfather took me to the Montreal Olympics (hooking me on Track and Field) and the Baseball All-Star game in Philadelphia. (1976)

29 Years Ago-- I went to college, where a few years later I would emerge with a degree in History and a minor in English Literature from Texas Pan American. (1978)

26 Years Ago-- I bought my first car a white 1973 Toyota Corona for $400, it had 73,000 miles on it. Sold it for scrap 6 years later with 201,000 on it. I would still be driving it if had not self destructed. (1979)

25 Years Ago-- I got my first "real" job. I was a warehouse manager in New Orleans and then later Dallas. (1982)

21 Years Ago-- I moved from Dallas to Chicago (1986)

20 Years Ago-- I met the First Lady of Round Lake, a couple of shotguns, a few slaps upside the head and I was married! (1987)

19 Years Ago-- I played golf at Renwood with my father in law and was amazed that civilization existed outside the city of Chicago. My first exposure to Round Lake.

17 Years Ago-- The first kid arrived, my daughter Denise. (1990)

15 Years Ago-- I lost my mom to a long struggle with cancer. I miss her to this day. (1993)

13 Years Ago-- We moved to Round Lake buying a townhouse in Tree House in the Woods. I also purchased my first Big Gulp at the Rollins Road 7-11 one of nearly 100,000 since! (1994)

11 Years Ago-- I was appointed to be a trustee of the Round Lake Area Library District.

9 Years Ago-- Was appointed to be a member of the Round Lake Planning Board (1998)

8 Years Ago-- Became Chairman of the Round Lake Planning Board (1999)

7 Years Ago-- I lost my dad miss him everyday as well. (2000)

6 Years Ago-- Elected Mayor of Round Lake, what was I thinking? I also resigned from the Library Board where I had won re-election twice. (2001)

5 Years Ago-- I weighed 283 pounds (2002)

4 Years Ago-- I weighed 194 pounds (2003) Thank you Mr. Atkins!

3 Years Ago-- Re-elected Mayor, this time my eyes were open, and I knew what I was getting into.

3 Years Ago-- This blog was born and nearly 900 posts later is still going strong!

2 Year Ago-- I still weigh under 200 pounds (barely) but damn I look good.

1 Year Ago-- Considering a run for State Senate, and working through the process and building support.

Today-- I am 48, I am running for State Senate, things are on the up in Round Lake, and I am enjoying my life immensely!

Congresswomen Melissa Bean Intergovernmental Forum

Yesterday after work I attended the 8th Congressional Districts Intergovernmental Forum in Schuamburg, where numerous Mayors and elected officials from the 8th district talked about our friendly federal government! The major topics that we talked about were 53, health care, transportation and some small business initiatives. The congresswomen serves on the committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Small Business in the house so she had some excellent insight into issues affecting businesses that were intriguing!

She made one interesting point that was kind on amazing to me, by per capita income, her district is the wealthiest in the United States that is held by a Democrat in this congress. Which if you think about it, is quite the statement on many levels, especially if you study the map!

LCML Legislative Meeting Last Saturday

Saturday I attended the Lake County Municipal League's (LCML) annual Legislative Meeting along with Trustee Michael Blum and Trustee Sherry Perkowitz. There were about 70 attendees from around the county, maybe 20 mayors, 10 state legislators, and a variety of trustees attended. The major initiatives that were on the agenda were as follows:

• Transportation-- Develop a capital plan to fund the 2005 and 2006 projects.
• Education Funding Reform-- A more equitable state education funding formula and including accountability of local districts.
  
• Improve academic and fiscal accountability, management practices and cost control efforts.
  
• Develop an accountability system & stick with it.
  
• New State revenues to under-funded school districts.

There was quite a bit of other issues that we took stands on, such as pension reform, and reform of the Motor Fuel Tax administration. Link to the documnet is here.

Illinois Legislative Caucus Foundation

I was invited to speak to the the Illinois Legislative Caucus Foundation yesterday by the Hispanic delegation of Senators and Representatives to Springfield. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the conference during the day, because of other commitments, but I enjoyed the part I was involved in. Six mayors were invited, myself, and the Mayors of Blue Island, Aurora, Berwyn, Palatine and Waukegan.

I talked about the need for representation of the Hispanic community of greater Round Lake in the elected process. My central point was around grass roots participation in government and to wit I mentioned that the Round Lake Area is roughly between 35% and 45% Hispanic. Yet at this time there are: (by the way this is off the top of my head the numbers, hopefully I am wrong and missed some people).

• 32 Municipal leadership positions (Mayors Clerks and Trustees) 1 is Hispanic! (Sylvia Valadez the Clerk in Round Lake Beach) and 2 speak Spanish fluently (me being the second).
• 19 other positions (Park Boards, Library Board, School Board) 3 are Hispanic!
• So there are 51 elected officials and 4 are Hispanic--- so that means 8% are Hispanic.

There was a question and answer session afterwards that was more like a group of people making statements rather then questions, which was educational. I was impressed that Mayor Dick Hyde of Waukegan brought his own hecklers/loonies with him. He pointed them out in the audience to me beforehand, and then basically paraphrased what they would say. Sure enough they said it almost verbatim. Over an issue the city solved a few years ago no less as well.

Thoughts on the Use of Eminent Domain

I have been doing some research on all the questions I have been getting about eminent domain and the recent Kelo case decided by the Supreme Court. The following seems to be a very balanced and fair look at the issues from all sides of the case with an Illinois focus. I am not advocating one way or the other, but I think this article fairly represents the issues.

What the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kelo does not do.

• The Court did not expand the use or powers of eminent domain in the Kelo decision, but simply reaffirmed numerous existing decisions made by the Court over many years; that economic development qualifies as a "“public use" under the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
• Rather than expanding the use, the Court placed new limits on the use of eminent domain for economic development purposes, emphasizing the importance of a "“carefully considered development plan"” for the area based upon "thorough deliberation," that was not adopted to "“benefit a particular class of identifiable individuals."” Contrary to what some critics have said, the Court noted that it would not necessarily uphold "“a one-to-one transfer of property, executed outside the confines of an integrated development plan."”
• The effect of the Court'’s decision is even more limited in Illinois. The decision will have little effect in Illinois and the seven other states that prohibit the use of eminent domain for economic development except to eliminate blight. This "“blighting"” requirement did not exist in Connecticut state law. The Illinois Supreme Court'’s decision in the SWIDA case placed further restrictions on the use of eminent domain for economic development.
• The use of eminent domain is additionally constrained in Illinois under code provisions related to specific economic development programs. For example, both the Commercial Renewal and Redevelopment Areas Act and the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act require a redevelopment plan, the declaration of blight, and provision that property owners receive just compensation.
• The law of eminent domain is still particular to each state. The Supreme Court'’s ruling does not supersede state laws and constitutions that govern the local application of eminent domain. It did not overturn the laws of any states, such as Illinois, that currently have restrictions.
• The U.S. Supreme Court also did not foreclose a stricter review of future takings cases that challenge certain applications as truly a "“public use."
• The ruling in Kelo is simply consistent with seven previous rulings in the United States Supreme Court, reaffirming that where the public use by a government is legitimate, the courts will not stand in the way of the use of eminent domain.
• The rumors of the death of property rights are greatly exaggerated; in fact, the Kelo decision may have the opposite effect. Cities are now under an additional spotlight when it comes to eminent domain.

There are clear checks on the misuse of eminent domain by cities.

• Appropriate checks and balances exist through the Illinois statutes and the public hearings municipalities must conduct, providing both transparency and due process.
• The use of eminent domain by cities is further checked by the fact that the legislative bodies of cities must act for eminent domain to be used. This is not necessarily the case at the State or Federal levels.
• Elected officials very carefully balance the needs of the public good with the consequences on individuals. Nothing in local government attracts more scrutiny and criticism than the use of eminent domain, and local officials do not make these decisions lightly or arbitrarily.
• The Federal and State Constitutions'’ Just Compensation requirement ensures the just treatment of property owners, as do State laws that govern the use and limits of eminent domain.
• The media spotlight demands accountability, and public scrutiny is intense concerning these sensitive issues.
• As to compensation, a jury of their peers determines the value of property, after a lengthy proceeding, weighing each party'’s arguments.
• Since the eminent domain process is time consuming and expensive, it is the last resort pursued during a land assembly process. Many local authorities rarely exercise their power of eminent domain, and when it is used it is because efforts to reach a negotiated settlement have failed.

The use of eminent domain for economic development is appropriate for cities.

• Eminent domain is indispensable and is most often used only as a last resort for revitalizing local economies, creating much-needed jobs, and generating revenue that enables cities to provide essential services.
• The authority must be used prudently, in the sunshine of public scrutiny, with public comment and in full recognition that the resulting action will achieve a greater public good that benefits the entire community.
• The options for assembling parcels for broader economic purposes pose a serious challenge for many cities.
• Cities and towns in mature and older communities do not often have sufficient areas of developable tracts. Eminent domain helps cities assemble parcels into developable tracts.
• Often the alternative is to use undeveloped land on the fringes of cities, which is often cheaper and easier to develop, but contributes to sprawl, increased infrastructure costs that must be absorbed by the larger community, and traffic congestion.
• With cities and towns facing ever-shrinking resources, cities need all the help they can get to redevelop neighborhoods and provide jobs for citizens. Eminent domain provides a tool to do so and must be used wisely, with ample citizen input and involvement.

Eminent domain for economic development purposes does constitute a "“public use"”.

• Eminent domain used prudently is a tool to help local governments respond to the needs in their communities. Those needs are varied and include direct public benefits like roads and schools, and other benefits like economic development in blighted sections of cities. This supports a strong urban economy necessary to sustain good jobs and help improve the quality of life.
• Municipal governments are best suited to assess local needs and develop the strategies and plans necessary to meet those needs.

Lake County Municipal League Legislative Initiative

The crafting of public policy has been compared to making sausage (thats what is going on in the picture by the way), the implication being that the process may not be quite as attractive as the end result and not necessarily to be witnessed by the faint of heart.
Anyway, Round Lake is a Member of the Lake County Municipal League which is a Council of Government (COG) formed under the Illinois Intergovernmental Cooperation Act.
Its members include cities and villages within Lake County as well as the Lake County organization that represents unincorporated areas. The League enables member municipalities to better fulfill their mission through legislative action, training and information sharing.
Municipalities are subject to a wide range of costly state and federal mandates and our civic responsibilities require resources and tools that are only obtainable through the legislative process. In order to deliver vital services to our constituents, the League has developed a Legislative Initiative that outlines and explains its legislative priorities for the upcoming year. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness of the challenges Lake County faces with regard to transportation and our fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayer.
The League works with a variety of municipal organizations including other COGs, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the Illinois Municipal League. Our Legislative Committee meets regularly, monitoring the progress of important initiatives. This years legislative committee was Thomas G. Adams Mayor Village of Green Oaks (Chair) Terese Douglass Trustee Village of Grayslake Michael J. Ellis Village Manager Village of Grayslake and Bambridge Peterson Village Administrator of Round Lake.

Executive Summary
Lake County has 644,356 constituents, representing just over 5% of the population of the State of Illinois. In addition to being a large population center, the County serves as a major seat of commerce and is home to a number of large global conglomerates such as Abbott Laboratories and Motorola. There are 367,930 registered voters and 320,367 employees in Lake County. Over $1.5 billion in property taxes were collected in 2004.
To support the future prosperity of our member communities, the League has established the following 2006 legislative goals that recognize the importance of controlling the taxpayerÂ’s burden, enhancing economic development opportunities and improving our quality of life:

• Obtaining funding for certain unanimously endorsed Lake County consensus transportation initiatives. Improve the pension funding process, with special attention to controlling the impact on taxpayers.
  
• Secure legislation for certain administrative reforms regarding motor fuel tax funds that will cut costs for both the State of Illinois and local governments.
  
• Restore dedicated funds to their intended purposes and previous funding levels.
  
• Include school districts in the discussions of the Local Government Consolidation Commission.

Sponsorship of needed initiatives and support of our proposals as listed in the 2006 Lake County Municipal League Legislative Initiative will be greatly appreciated. So when you see a statelegislatorr tell them about these issues.

For those of you with an intense interest in the document, I will email you a PDF of it. Since I know I mentioned schools, loyal reader Tim L. will be asking for it I ought to just send it to him now! Lets see if he gets down this far on the article!

Lake County Municipal League Legislative Meeting Today

Today I am attending the Lake County municipal leagues Legislative Breakfast at University Center in Grayslake. The LCML does this every year and its always quite informative, with some excellent give and take with our county state legislators. After that I am going with Dave Young the President of Lake County Partners to meet with some companies on a variety of issues. Then in the evening I go to the Stormwater Management Commission where I am a mere board member where we debate exciting topics like the Wetlands Delineation Ordinance and its 112 amendments, one by one! Oh baby!
By the way I feel like I am the "Man on the Run" in the movie "North by Northwest", if only I could look that good!