Riverside Community Alliance mailer is accurate
At the March 14 AAUW forum, I heard the Riverside Party refer to a Riverside Community Alliance mailer that I and others received as “negative campaigning.” I read the mailer. It is factual, and even included footnotes referencing sources. It did not attack anyone personally.

It compared records on the issues. I also received and read the Riverside Party’s door hanger, which says that it is paid for by the Riverside Community Caucus. It is a personal attack on one candidate and has nothing to do with the issues. I can only hope that now that the Riverside Party has decried the use of “negative campaigning” that they will stop doing it themselves.
Donna Lanni, Riverside

Don’t listen to sound bites delivered by the RCA
Riverside makes exorbitant use of expensive consultants.
That is a claim relentlessly repeated by Riverside Community Alliance candidates for village office. It’s a sound bite that has a nice ring to it, especially when slickly delivered.

At least as it relates to the use of consultants used to assist with the Plan Commission’s work to update extremely old zoning ordinances. The problem for the RCA candidates is that their sound bite reflects either their lack of forthrightness with residents or their lack of understanding of zoning, or both.

Zoning is a specialized, highly technical and legal discipline requiring the type and amount of skills and resources beyond what most any volunteer commissioner, village staff, or resident can offer.

espite inferences to the contrary, residents have not been beating down the doors of the Plan Commission to offer qualified pro bono assistance. The use of outside assistance in cases such as this is essential to the proper functioning of the Village. These services have been used prudently.

Full disclosure of all outside consultant costs back to 2004 is available on the village’s Web site at riverside.il.us.

I urge Riverside voters to listen through all the noise and misdirection of the RCA candidate sound bites, and to vote for Riverside Party candidates Kevin Smith, David Lesniak, Kelly Navarro, and Tony Miezio. I believe the Riverside Party candidates will bring to their roles of Village president and trustees independent thinking and authentic, transparent commitment to Riverside.
Paul Kucera, Commissioner, Riverside Plan Commission

Kelpsas deserves another term on LG Park Board
I write this letter as a resident of La Grange who cares about the Park District, the parks, the programs it offers, and the all-important green-space we put in the hands of the Board we elect.

Some of you may not know that on April 7 there is an election for Park District Board. This year, there are actually more candidates on the ballot than there are open positions on the board. And so this year, your vote could be the one that decides the election. I urge you to vote for Tim Kelpsas, the current board president, an enthusiastic, dedicated leader.

In these current times, the Park District is more important than ever. It is the institution we turn to at all ages for good, thoughtful and economical programs and events, as well as for well kept outdoor spaces to refresh our mental and physical health. Tim is ideally suited for the job, and he has proven it over the past four years.

Tim Kelpsas tirelessly seeks out residents’ opinions by ensuring their voices are heard at public meetings. He visits all the parks with his kids to make sure the parks are well maintained, both the grounds and the equipment. To better meet the needs of citizens, he spearheaded a shift in the way programs are designed. His efforts have paid off. Programs are more popular than ever and are earning enough money to extend funds to other priorities. 

So I urge you to make time April 7 to vote for Tim Kelpsas for Park District Commissioner.
John Coleman, La Grange

Dan Moon gets writer’s vote for next election
I would like to add my name to all those who have indicated their support for the candidacy of Dan Moon for the Riverside Brookfield High School District 208 School Board.

I have known Dan, his wife Caryl, and their two children since I moved into Riverside 15 years ago. Dan has been an integral part in leading many of our neighborhood activities over the years, and his strong work ethic and integrity have always been on display.

I am proud to endorse Dan Moon for RB School Board member in the election April 7.
Tom Latzke, Riverside

PEP Party candidates have ‘best interest’ for village
I am asking the residents of Brookfield to support our village by voting for Mike Garvey for president, Brigid Weber for clerk, and Cathy Edwards, Brian Oberhauser, and Mike Towner for trustee April 7. I have worked with these folks for the past few years and know that they to have the best interest of Brookfield at heart.

Our board, in establishing the tax increment financing district, has put a great tool in place to rebuild and reshape the future of Ogden Avenue. I get excited when I think of the look of that business district in 15-20 years. I see people driving through town during the week and wanting to come back to shop and have a good meal on the weekend. The change in that one area will have a great effect on our home values in town also. Our management staff has brought in more than $7 million in grant funds in the last four years to get major project in town done which wouldn’t have been possible with out this funding.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I trust these people and I believe you should also. These are the folks that will keep working hard for Brookfield and Brookfield only.
Yvonne Prause, Brookfield village trustee

Candidates motivated to serve on School Board
Honesty and integrity are two of the many qualities I look for in candidates for public office. Michael Warkentien, Eileen Tucker, Mark Smith and Jan Kinsley are four people with these qualities and a lot more.

In my 14 years as a village trustee and 25 years in law enforcement, I have had a chance to work with all four individuals. They are all highly professional and motivated to keep School District 105 fiscally responsible in these tough economical times.

The future of our children’s education will be in good hands if they are all elected April 7. Voters in Countryside, Hodgkins and La Grange, please vote for Warkentien, Tucker, Smith and Kinsley for our School Board.
Ernest Millsap, Hodgkins village trustee

Baldermann needs to exit as RB superintendent
A leader leads by example. Let’s look at some of the examples Superintendent Jack Baldermann has set for Riverside-Brookfield High School students:

1) Failed to do his homework and knowingly allowed his certifications to lapse for a year in violation of state law, exposing citizens to fines.

2) A married man, he had a relationship with an employee and exposed citizens to the costs of a sexual-harassment lawsuit. He confessed only after weeks of denials and after citizens paid an investigator about $10,000.

3) Asked by Suburban Life to comment on Freedom of Information laws, he missed the irony and refused to answer questions.

4) When his school ranked 2,192 of 3,698 schools in the state's Adequate Yearly Progress report, he singled out Hispanic students.

5) Hit taxpayers up for $63 million for renovation and within two years said the school might need to borrow more or seek a tax increase.

6) Professed dedication to his job, staff, students, and community, while he applied for a job in Green Bay.

This man should be shown what real leadership looks like. The School Board should lead him out of town, and if they do not do so before the election April 7, the citizens should lead the School Board out of town.
Craig Goldwyn, Brookfield

Pleasantdale School Board needs to get back on track
Kudos to Pleasantdale for winning so many awards! I am sure the hours and hours of test prep is paying off. Unfortunately, test scores don’t mean anything when you have one-third of a cohort failing their grade level curriculum and many of the district's children reading below grade level.

Pleasantdale needs to shift their focus from standardized test prep to mastering the Illinois learning standards. The current School Board fails to recognize that a standardized test merely ranks the students against their peers. What is does not evaluate is critical thinking, creativity and the ability to transfer knowledge from one subject area to the next. Pleasantdale School administrators rely solely on test scores to put kids in more challenging classes without teacher input.

This takes away the teacher’s ability to evaluate students and makes them dependent on test scores instead of their own instincts. All this dependency on testing leads to stagnation in the classroom and is boring and unchallenging to the students. It’s time to move away from pumping their fists into the air to shout out another accolade and get down to the business of really teaching kids.

Pleasantdale is too dependent on parents to do their job by putting more teaching responsibility on the parents while they focus on raising the test scores. Our teachers are our greatest asset, not money or new programs. I support the election of a new school board and feel the slate of candidates comprised of Valentin, O’Halloran, Scaletta-Nelson and Rak is what that district needs to get learning back on track.
Mary Jo Slivinski, Willow Springs

Writer endorses Sinde for RB School Board
I am writing in support of Matthew Sinde Jr., who is running for the Riverside Brookfield High School Board April 7.

I have known Matt Sinde as chairman of Brookfield Zoning Board of Appeals and serves on the Planning Commission that I chair. He also was the chairman of the 2020 Master Plan Committee.

Matt worked with the members of the 2020 master plan to develop a document, which will serve as a guide for the leaders of Brookfield for the future. Matt is a leader who will serve the RB community and make our high school a great place to send our children. I urge all residents in the RB High School District to vote for Matt Sinde April 7.
Chris Straka, Brookfield Planning Commission chairman, Brookfield


Riverside Party candidates will lead village well
The Riverside Party candidates will lead us effectively, because of their involvement in the community. We need people who have the skills and better yet know the ins and outs of this community which is important to have if you plan to lead a special village like Riverside. On April 7, vote for Kevin Smith for President and Kelly Navarro, Tony Miezio and David Lesniak for trustees.
Melissa Kotrba, Riverside

VIP, Brennan will help change Brookfield
I have lived in Brookfield with my wife and family for a number of years. I have seen administrations in our government come and go. The current administration has done some creative things, but the mistakes made do not balance the ledger. It’s time for a change!
I personally have known Wil Brennan for many years and feel that he has the character, drive, dedication, ability and time to lead our village. Vote for all the VIP Party candidates April 7.
Tom Scianna, Brookfield

Caucus selected candidates don’t have political agenda
All the candidates should be congratulated for offering their services to our Riverside residents and village. As the election gets closer we must to decide for whom to vote, and how to make that determination.

The Riverside Party consists of candidates endorsed only after an exhaustive selection process by the Riverside Caucus. In distinction to the other candidates in the current race, the caucus-endorsed candidates are not asked about their specific stance on political issues. The candidates are chosen based on the qualities of their previous histories in service to Riverside, their open mindedness, their aptitudes, and their capabilities to work productively with others. While this process results in excellent candidates, it does not necessarily result in a group that runs on a unified “political” platform.

As I understand it, the self-selected RCA candidates center on issues. These candidates were very active last year in opposing the central business district TIF advisory referendum, and in opposing the tax referendum. They have now expanded these issues to create a political platform on which they all run.

For the past 82 years, the Riverside caucus process has consistently chosen experienced, open minded, capable candidates to address village issues. I believe that Riverside Party candidates Kevin Smith, Dave Lesniak, Tony Miezio and Kelly Navarro, will best represent our Riverside residents.

I encourage everyone to vote April 7.
E. Jay Van Cura, Riverside

PEP Party has made government transparent
“Transparency” is the latest buzz word thanks to our new administration in Washington. While we can all debate our personal views on the various candidates and their actions, let’s not forget the lack of transparency and distrust that existed during the Russ administration.

As we strive to improve our local governments, we should not reach for the wrong tool to implement change. I have enjoyed the professionalism applied during the tenure of the current PEP government. While it may not have always hit the mark, there is transparency. As involved citizens, if we see something that we don’t like, we should voice our concerns through the various means at our disposal.

Our “State of Corruption” should be a disgrace to all of us and correcting it is mind boggling. We can take a small step by making sure that our local officials are not corrupt. So far, the PEP party appears to fit this criteria and the VIP party does not.

Bill Russ is not an option for positive change, nor is the VIP party for me personally, until Bill Russ is no longer a part of their organization. As long as he seeks office, the VIP candidates will not receive my consideration. This is probably unfair, but they are painted with the same brush of lack of credibility and malfeasance as existed during his time in office.

A VIP candidate recently rang my door bell seeking my support. When I told her of my feelings about Bill Russ, she responded by saying “but that doesn’t make me a bad person.” No it does not. But until the VIP party moves away from his style of politics, this party’s candidates will not receive a fair evaluation from me personally.
Chuck Lynch, Brookfield

Sinde, Welch and Moon will make RB future bright
It is with pleasure that we write a letter of endorsement for Matt Sinde, Mike Welch and Dan Moon. After meeting and speaking with them we were, for the first time, very hopeful that positive change could be coming to the Riverside Brookfield School Board. We have a child at the school and one future RB student so we have been concerned with all the goings on in District 208. 
With the experience and talents they possess, Sinde, Welch and Moon have instilled in us  confidence that RB will have a brighter future in the years to come. 
Yasin and Shelly Guzeldereli, Brookfield

Kelpsas provides solid direction for Park District

I want to get the word out about for Tim Kelpsas, the current president and his bid for re-election to the Park District of La Grange board. Unlike some years, when the number of candidates was equal to the number of positions, this year there are more candidates than seats up for vote, and so each and every vote caste has the potential to be the deciding vote.

I will be voting for Tim Kelpsas for commissioner of the Park District. I’d like to take this opportunity to give voters some background on Tim, and why they, too, should vote for him next month.

• Tim is dedicated to fiscal responsibility; under his leadership, the district programs have generated enough income to allocate excess funds to other areas in need of financial support

• Tim listens to the residents; he has initiated multiple meetings over the years to hear what those in the district think of potential proposals to the board. He even offers his phone number to everyone so that when an idea strikes a resident, it’s possible to call him right at that moment
• Tim is enthusiastic about, and committed to, the district; he works tirelessly to improve the quality of life of the residents while making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently
I cannot emphasize enough Tim’s focus and energy when it comes to the Park District. I believe there is no other candidate as worthy of my vote as Tim’s.
Chris Johnson, La Grange

Building department in much better shape
Recently, Mike Slinkman wrote a letter critical of Brookfield management and the Building Department. The manager’s office has three people, and one of those serves also as the head of the Building Department. That looks pretty lean to me.

Mr. Slinkman must not have been around before when the Building Department was in a complete shambles. There have been written many stories related to no cost permits being issued, and rules not being followed by the previous administration. We read about water bills being written off. Under the prior administration, there wasn’t even anyone heading up the department for several years.

I recall two of VIP’s political supporters serving as “code inspectors” … one of those I saw the other day once again putting up VIP signs. Is he looking to get his “job” back? VIP showed us how they run things for four years. We can’t afford to go back. PEP has done a good job dealing with the real problems, and has taken politics out of the way business is done in Brookfield.

Garvey and the PEP trustees have done a great job making Brookfield a better community. I can now log online to see what is going to be on the agenda next week. I can listen to the meetings online, or I can watch them on TV. The board meetings are cordial. Garvey gives everyone time to speak. I can even pay my bills online. Plus, he didn’t have to put his name on everything like some past officials. Garvey, Weber, Oberhauser, Towner, and Edwards are getting my vote.
JoAnn M. D’Altorio, Brookfield

Former School Board member makes her picks
It‘s time for a new Riverside Brookfield High School Board unencumbered by personnel and financial decisions of the past to be seated. Fortunately, three highly qualified candidates have come forward to run for the three seats open on the school board. Matt Sinde, Mike Welch and Dan Moon represent the community’s best chance to meet the academic, financial and other challenges facing RB.

These candidates will promote a level of transparency and accountability that will foster a greater level of communication between the school and the community. This is especially important as all indications suggest that RB will need increasing amounts of funds to operate in an economic environment that may not recover for two or more years.

The present school board is committed to pursuing a referendum in 2010 to increase its tax levy. In the new environment in which RB will have to operate, the success of the referendum is problematic. Sinde, Welch, and Moon will bring new ideas to maximize the school’s finances.

Moreover, because they all have children attending RB, their ideas will not be implemented at the expense of the academic programs.

I believe the election of Sinde, Welch, and Moon to the school board is an important moment in the history of RB. The problems of public education have never been more challenging, and it is very important that qualified individuals are elected to the school board. I hope that the residents of the RB school district will cast their votes for these outstanding candidates.
Robert DeDera, former RB School board member

Writer endorses trio for RB School Board
I have been a resident of Riverside for the past 12 years as an adult, and I also am lucky enough to have grown up in Riverside.  The community and the schools within it are a big part of what makes Riverside so unique and special. This upcoming election for the Riverside Brookfield High School Board of Education is of significant importance to the school and the community as a whole.

I served on the Board of the Riverside Swim Club for several years with Mike Welch, who exemplified responsibility, integrity, and most importantly, honesty.  Mike worked diligently to restore fiscal integrity, transparency, and responsibility for the RSC. I am grateful to all three candidates for their willingness to run and serve our community and the high school. Mike Welch, Matt Sinde, and Dan Moon have my vote.
Julie Scully Tucek, Riverside