of Land and Lawyers

In 2005 there was a business in Morton Grove named Domicile Furniture. This business was located in the Lehigh-Ferris TIF district and the village wanted to acquire the property. The landowner did not wish to sell, and there was ongoing litigation. Finally, the village president with the advice and consent of the village attorney and the majority of the village board reached a negotiated settlement with the land owner. Subsequent to taking possession of the property in question for more than twice the value it was originally appraised at, it was discovered that there was contamination in the soil which required an EPA remediation, (cleanup) which would cost between $500,000 and $1,000,000 over and above the purchase price. Apparently, someone on the village side did not do their due diligence and the property stands vacant to this day.

On Lehigh avenue at Chestnut stands another parcel of property owned by the village. Pequad’s, a well known local pizzeria wanted to relocate there and anchor a development across from the Morton Grove Metra station. Once again, soil contamination became an issue with the redevelopement .Once again, apparently someone in the village didn’t do their due diligence and the property stands vacant to this day.

 

On Dempster street, between Ferris and Lehigh sits a rather large parcel of property. It used to house two fairly popular Morton Grove eateries until it was acquired by the village. There were grandiose plans for a multi-use structure, but the original buyer was foreclosed on by the bank. Through intervention by the village, the property was resold to a political contributor to mayor DiMaria for the purpose of building a restaurant. Those plans fell through, and the village repurchased the parcel giving the mayor’s buddy a quick $500,000 profit. Within the last year, the Moretti family, restaurateurs and friends of mayor DiMaria were given the opportunity of leasing the property from the village for a ridiculously paltry sum for an extended period. They were to build a large restaurant/banquet facility. There was, however, a problem that raised it’s ugly head. This land too, was found to be contaminated and required EPA clean up. Once again, apparently somebody failed to do their due diligence, and, you probably guessed it, this parcel too, stands vacant.

 

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

The village attorney in Morton Grove handles all legal matters and real-estate transactions for the city, acting as a general counsel and giving legal advice for city departments. That would seem to include making sure that the required investigation of defects was made prior to committing tax dollars before purchasing real estate, (overlooking the argument as to why the village is in the real estate business in the first place).

Over the course of the past eleven years, there is one constant throughout this saga. The person who was responsible for protecting the interests of the village and the taxpayers, the person who had the duty to see that everything was done properly, the person who failed the village and it’s residents was the same person, the village attorney, Theresa Hoffman Liston.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Same old, same old…

On January 12, 2016 Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the Village of Morton Grove’s general obligation (GO) rating to A1 from Aa3 affecting $12.9 million of Moody’s rated GO debt. The downgrade to A1 reflects a declining trend in operating fund cash and the village’s elevated pension liabilities that are expected to continue to grow given current contribution practices. Also reflected in the A1 rating is the village’s solid economic profile characterized by above average resident income and a high full value per capita, a satisfactory reserve position, and a manageable direct debt burden.

After Moody’s Investor Service downgraded the Village of Morton Grove’s bond rating from Aa2 to Aa3 on Feb. 6,2015, the village board called in an expert to analyze the move.

Elizabeth Hennessy, managing director of William Blair & Co., an asset management firm, told board members at their Feb. 9 2015 meeting the downgrade was not something to worry about. “You’re still in the double A category, which is the most important thing,” she said, adding that the impact of the downgrade is “not a lot.”

Trustee Bill Grear said his understanding was that the bond downgrade came about because of three factors: a lack of revenue in the Waukegan Road TIF (tax increment financing) district, lower cash flow due to the state being three to four months behind in payments and because Morton Grove’s pension funds are only 52 percent funded.

So, from 2009 the village bond rating fell from Aa2 to A1, meaning that Morton Grove bonds went from a rating of “High quality and very low credit risk” to “Upper medium grade and low credit risk” What this means in plain English is that the village will have to pay a higher premium on their debt obligations due to the downgrade.

There seems to be a pattern here that started with the election of the current administration and the “revolving door” of village department heads.

Speaking of revolving department heads, here is a little tidbit that will make your head spin.

The local paper reported a while back that the Fire Chief, Tom Freil was the acting Finance Director.

I read something last year that the Fire Chief was in charge of the Civic Center including Senior programming and Fire Chief, Tom Freil was also acting Village Administrator  before the Village hired back the old fire chief to be village administrator…again!

How can the Fire Chief wear so many hats in one town? 

Who was running the Fire Department while the Tom Freil was running everything else??

I looked up on the village web site where it list all of the wages paid to everyone who works for the Village of Morton Grove.  Fire Chief Tom Freil  base salary is  $144,212 per year plus pension, plus hospitalization.

The burning question is; “Does the Village of Morton Grove really need a Fire Chief if the one we already have has time to run the Finance Department, The Civic Center /Senior Programming, and fill in as The Village Administrator?”

The Fire Department seemed to perform well without Tom Freil giving his full attention to it.
With the hiring of Ralph Czerwinzky the old Village of Morton Grove Fire Chief as Village Administrator and the filling of jobs of Finance Director and the fact that the Fire Department worked just fine without Fire Chief Tom Freil, does the Village need the expense? Why not save the $144,212  per year plus pension, plus hospitalization and stop the revolving door of village departments heads leaving.  

Then we have this; according to the December 20, 2015 Morton Grove Champion, The Morton Grove Village Board has voted unanimously to help bring a 10,000 square foot Moretti’s Restaurant to the village in the hope the move will be an economic and social boost for the community, officials said.

“I think it’s a real catalyst for other things in this transit oriented development we have in the midsection of the village right near the tracks,” Morton Grove village administrator Ralph Czerwinski said Friday.

During its Dec. 14 regular meeting the Morton Grove Village Board voted unanimously to approve an ordinance authorizing a redevelopment agreement for a new Moretti’s Restaurant at 6415 Dempster Street. The proposed 10,000 square foot Morton Grove Moretti’s will be located on the village-owned vacant property on Dempster Street, east of the Metra tracks, and will accommodate approximately 350 patrons in three separate dining areas, bar and outdoor patio area, officials said.

Under the terms of the redevelopment agreement, the village will finance the restaurant owner’s $1.66 million purchase of the land, Czerwinski explained. He said the loan owed to the village will be reduced based on new property and sales taxes generated by the business. “It’s buy as you go type agreement,” he added.

Business wealth

So a multi-million dollar restaurant operation gets a sweetheart deal where they get land owned by the village for no money down and they pay the “loan” back using tax money generated by sales at the establishment. Why was this “deal” rushed through by the administration and the “rubber stamp” village board?

Why wasn’t the due diligence of a traffic safety study done? Where was the hearing by the zoning board. Why wasn’t the appearance commission allowed to have input on his project?

Usually, when a deal like this sails through so quickly, it means that the rails have been liberally greased… that’s the “Chicago way”. But wait a minute, this happened in good old Morton Grove.

Something stinks here, and it’s not a skunk from the nearby forest preserve. 

Morton Grove’s Very Own Tony Soprano

A tale of two Italians who called themselves “ Businessmen”.

Al Capone had Cicero. Capone took over Cicero  coercing residents to vote his way with sub-machine guns.

The effects of Al Capone turning a small residential suburb into a gambling Mecca still haunts Cicero to this day

DiMaria Has Morton Grove.

DiMaria took over Morton Grove by promising  voters lower taxes and bring in new businesses.

It has taken only, two and half years for DiMaria to increase the number of liquor licenses and increase the number of slot machines throughout the village.

Let’s not forget the new look Morton Grove has on Dempster Street. Flashing neon signs are back in vogue,   

bringing in that “Las Vegas feel” to a community that was voted  as “Top Ten Place to Raise a Family’ in 2006 and “Top Ten Place to raise Children”  in 2010.

Does anyone want to take bet$  on if Morton Grove would receive that distinction now!

How all of this happened and so quickly? All you have to do is look at the donations that have flown into Mr. Di Maria’s and Mr. Gear’s slush fund.

It is all on record, at least the portion that is reported. Check the Illinois State board of Election web site Committee ID Number 18561 and you can see who gets taken care in Morton Grove now.

It reads like the old Chrysler commercial in the 1970’s: “Buy A Car, Get A Check”.

It seems as though in Morton Grove it’s more like: “Write a Check, Get a Variance”   “Write A Check, Get A Liquor License”  “Write A Check, Get A Slot Machine”  “Write A Check, Get Village Business”

Both Capone and DiMaria had a dream… to create a place where the liquor flowed and the cash rolled.

The implementation of Capone’s dream led to political corruption, liquor crime, gambling crime, prostitution and the ruination of the quality of life for the citizens of Cicero.

Neither DiMaria nor Grear are Capone… more like the clueless Fredo in The Godfather.

Necertheless, there is no good reason to believe that history will not repeat itself in Morton Grove?

Whose welfare is the Village attorney protecting?

According to the local press, the Morton Grove Board of Trustees held a first reading of an ordinance that, if approved, would result in a number of changes to village liquor laws.

The ordinance would create two new types of liquor licenses – the Class M liquor license for microbreweries and Class N license for “video gaming cafes,” which would establish caps on how many liquor-license holders can have video gaming machines on the premises at one time. Additionally, the ordinance would raise permit fees on certain liquor licenses and increase the maximum number of Class A licenses.

During discussion of the ordinance at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting, trustee John Thill asked if it would be possible to set a more permanent cap on the number of establishments that have video gaming machines. Terry Liston, attorney for the village of Morton Grove, said a cap would not be possible because it would hamstring future boards. That answer just doesn’t make sense. If the Board of Trustees has the power to change ordinances, which they obviously do, why would it not be possible for a future board to change the cap if they so chose?

Thill added that he was concerned about video gaming’s effect on Morton Grove’s reputation, as well he should be.

Originally the home of the Huscher family before it was converted into a “swanky roadhouse.” During the late 1920s and early 1930s, The Dells eclipsed its competition. Located at the northwest corner of Austin and Dempster, it became the best known and most patronized of the roadhouses in Morton Grove, Illinois. The Dells offered live music and entertainment, dancing, fine food, comfort and ambiance.

The Dells was an incredibly popular and successful commercial enterprise. It boasted a spacious dance floor, broadcast its music performances over the radio airwaves, and, because it was not subjected to the musician union local controls within the city, freely imported nationally renowned musicians and entertainers. The Dells had tasty cuisine — steak, poultry, seafood and even frogs legs — in a well appointed setting on a tranquil wooded lot.

There was more, of course, because The Dells’ prosperous run was concurrent, not the least bit coincidentally, with the Volstead Act and prohibition. Additional attractions included beer, liquor and gambling and gangland wars over the profits of the same. The Dells was said to be owned or controlled by Al Capone and his gang. It is commonly referred to as the most notorious of the Morton Grove roadhouses.

Although slot machines and other forms of gambling were banned in Illinois and Cook County before the turn of the century, they remained relatively easy to find.

The hottest place around here was the “Little Bohemia” strip in Morton Grove, on Dempster Street near Austin. While prohibition was in effect, law enforcement was especially scarce and easily controlled in sparsely populated and rural unincorporated Cook County. Roadhouses there included Club Rendezvous, Lincoln Tavern, Wayside Inn, Club Morton, Walton Club, and most notoriously, The Dells, a roadhouse with a small casino on the second floor, stocked with slot machines, roulette wheels, and other games.

The Dells casino chip

Gambling was permitted to operate in the outreaches of Cook County under a hear no evil, see no evil code of inaction and paid protection during prohibition.

During Morton Grove’s gambling heydays operations were protected through political connections. Surprisingly, today, the man who rides herd of gaming interests in Illinois is none other that State Senator Lou Lang (D-16), who represents Skokie & Morton Grove. Whether it’s gambling, booze or tobacco, Lang’s campaign coffers benefit from contributions. Lang’s campaign fund is one of the largest for a state lawmaker, with more than $1 million. During his 28 years as an Illinois legislator, Lang received more than $6.56 million in donations, state campaign finance records show.Lou Lang isn’t a household name, but the veteran state legislator is well known to many as the driving force behind one of the biggest changes to Illinois’ law books in decades: The legalization of medical marijuana.

Before his work on medical marijuana, Lang earned a reputation for expanded legalized gambling in Illinois, proposing dozens of bills over the years seeking to increase wagering in casinos and horse tracks, with slot machines, video consoles and the Internet.

He was among the forces behind the controversial 2009 legislation that allowed municipalities to offer video gaming. Since video gambling went live in 2012, thousands of machines sprouted in thousands of locations including florist shops, truck stops, cafes and coin laundries. Even Lang said the law went well beyond the original intention.

Morton Grove village attorney, Terry Liston, says that to cap gaming in town would hamstring future boards. Since Senator Lang is also an attorney, I wonder if it is possible that he consulted with attorney Liston on this opinion?

Refusing to Learn From History

The Morton Grove Village pension obligation is one of the highest for a local taxing body In Cook County. Every full time employee is entitled to get a pension, and Mayor DiMaria has increased the village payroll substantially since taking office, thus increasing the village pension obligation. Even the Village Attorney gets a pension and she works part time.

When she was appointed to be the village Attorney the village was supposed to be saving money by have an attorney compensated with a flat fee rather than being paid on the hours of service rendered to the village. This might have looked good back in 2004 when then Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski  wanted her for the village attorney, but  now, ten years latter the village attorney has less duties to perform because, the Mayor hired an outside law firm to handle Village Adjudication Court held on Wednesday’s that was being handled by the Village attorney.  Surprisingly, there was no decrease in compensation or hours allocated to the position so as not to  prevent her from being vested in the village pension program.

With the village pension liability topping one hundred million dollars with no end in sight and with the Village Administrator and the Village Finance Director leaving under mysterious circumstances what does the Village President (Mayor ) do?  He brings back the highest pensioner the village has and puts him on the payroll .

Ralph Czerwinski, the former Fire Chief, has left Morton Grove employment twice before after qualifying for not one, but TWO pensions. You can rest assured now that those pensions will be honored and paid promptly… regardless of cost to the taxpayer.

Ask yourself this question; if you are already getting 75% of your salary of over $100,000 after 30 years of service and then put in another ten years on  another job with a different village that would qualify you for hefty additional retirement benefits, would you need yet another source of income at taxpayers’ expense? What you have here is not a double dipper but a triple dipper at the public trough.

Municipal  Pensions that continue to burden and drag down  the State of Illinois are alive and growing in Morton Grove.

Ask yourself another question; “Why was the village bond rating downgraded?” One answer; “PENSION DEBT”; another answer; Mismanagement of Local Government… or maybe, with the recent Chicago Tribune article showing how Morton Grove is becoming famous in the drug culture for a codine-based cough syrup manufactured in town, mixed with Skittles candy and a soft drink  to make what they call Sizzrup or Purple Drank… the administration got curious and tried some.

It has been said that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, those of us who have learned from history are doomed to watch our unenlightened elected officials repeatedly mess up.

The Shot Heard ‘Round The World

It was 240 years today, and in the dim hours of the morning came 400 British regulars, soldiers of their own government, well known as the mightiest and most well-trained army in the world. 80 Minutemen stood in defense of their homeland.

They were there to confiscate any supplies of defense – shot, powder, firearms, and cannon. Paul Revere’s famous ride had warned scouts that informed the villages. The men assembled upon the Lexington common, including one slave who was a Minuteman Private (wounded but survived, fought throughout the war and was emancipated). An army officer demanded they lay down their arms and be searched. They refused.

A shot was fired – “the shot heard round the world” – and from this resistance sprang forth a revolution that birthed America.

But, as usual, there is more to the story.

Samuel Whittemore was born in England on July 27th, 1695, and came to North America as a Captain in His Majesty’s Dragoons, fighting the French in 1745. He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, Fort Louisburg, and there captured a decorative french officer’s sword, which he cherished for the rest of his life. About its capture, all Sam would say is that its previous owner had “died suddenly”.

It is recorded that Sam believed in American independence stating that he wanted his descendants to be able to enact their own laws and not be subject to a distant king. So, it is not surprising when he again took up arms on April 19th, 1775.

That night he watched as Colonel Smith led his column of 700 soldiers through Menotomy. He was probably concerned, but the British had come out of Boston before and there had not been any serious trouble. Later that morning he heard rumors that there had been fighting at Lexington and Concord. But, when General Percy marched through the town with an additional 1,400 soldiers, Sam’s military experience told him there was serious trouble – – ‘why else would the British be sending reinforcements?’ , he probably asked himself.

Word had come to Menotomy that the combined, heavily engaged, columns of Smith and Percy were retreating toward the town, and were burning homes along the way, so the aged warrior decided to take action in spite of his being eighty years old! He strapped on his captured french sword, stuck his brace of dueling pistols in his belt, put on his powder horn and shot bag, took his musket from its place on his fireplace mantle and went to war!

Sam selected a position that gave him a excellent view of the road from Lexington, and sat down to wait. His fellow minuteman from Menotomy pleaded for him to find a safer position, but he choose to ignore them.

His fellow minuteman started firing at the oncoming British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot, falling back to reload, then firing again. Sam waited. Finally, when the column was directly in front of him, he stood and fired his musket. A grenadier fell dead. He drew his two pistols, firing both at almost point blank range. Another grenadier fell dead, a third fell mortally wounded. The British soldiers were on top of him, he had not the time to reload his musket or pistols, so drawing his sword, he . started flailing away at the bayonet wielding soldiers. A soldier leveled his Brown Bess musket, at point blank range and fired. The .69 calibre ball struck Sam in the cheek, tearing away part of his face and throwing him to the ground. Sam valiantly tried to rise, fending off bayonet thrusts with his sword, but he was overpowered. Struck in the head with a musket butt, he went down again, then was bayoneted thirteen times and left for dead.

After the British column had fought its way clear, the town’s people and minuteman started to search for their wounded compatriots. Several had seen Sam Whittemore’s “last stand” and approached to remove his body. To everyone’s astonishment Sam was not only still alive, but conscious and still full of fight. Laying there, he was trying to load his musket!

Using a door as a makeshift stretcher, Sam was carried to Cooper Tavern, which was being used as a emergency hospital. Doctor Nathaniel Tufts of Medford attended to Sam. He cut off his bloody clothes, and exposed the gaping bayonet wounds. Sam’s face was horribly injured. Doctor Tufts knew the injuries were fatal, stating it wouldn’t do any good to even dress the wounds. Sam’s family and friends insisted and Dr. Tufts did the best he could. He tried to make the old man as comfortable as possible. After his wounds were attended to Sam was carried to his home, to die surrounded by his family. To everyone’s utter amazement Captain Sam Whittemore lived! He recovered and remained active for the next eighteen years. He was terribly scarred, but always was proud of what he had done for his adopted country. He is quoted as having stated that he would take the same chances again.

And now, as the late Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story.

Say a prayer of thanks for the brave patriots who started the experiment that became our American Republic.

We Always Lie To The Voters

Sooner or later, within the next couple of days, some idiot, speaking of the election on April 7th will say; “The people have spoken.” In Morton Grove, at least, that is a bit far from the truth. In a village of 14,873 registered voters only 2,381 found the time to participate in choosing who will run the town for the next 4 years. What is even more astounding is that the difference between the third place candidate who was elected and the fourth place candidate who was not, was the astronomical number of 315 votes. Since there are 16 precincts in Morton Grove that comes out to just under 20 votes, (average), per precinct. If you chose not to vote on April 7th., 20 folks in your neighborhood decided who was going to control your tax bill, who was going to determine how much you will pay for water and whether or not your street will be repaired. There have been many theories put forth on why people refuse to participate in elections. Some say it is because people aren’t interested as long as the garbage is picked up and the snow is cleared in the winter time. Some have voiced the opinion that folks feel that their vote doesn’t make any difference, so why bother? They believe that elections are about Hope and no change – Going to the voting booth only changes the players… not the game. Every single election cycle people fill themselves with hope. They delude themselves into believing that everything will get better if they vote the right guy into office. Of course, the right guy very quickly turns into the last guy. And nothing changes.   There’s a trend in politicians that I have always found repulsive, and that’s the idea that they are akin to modern royalty — that they are elected and given free reign to do whatever they want, and they aren’t responsible for carrying out the wishes of their electorate. That the voters who elected them are too stupid for their own good, and need someone to make the important decisions for them. This can be seen in the imperial attitude of Morton Grove’s current administration.     The entire point of an election is to identify a candidate who supports your beliefs and will be an advocate for your opinions in government. In order to make that possible, candidates put themselves in the spotlight and make their positions known on everything from  gun rights to whether they want to spend money fixing the pothole on your street. The system only works so long as the candidates truthfully describe their own beliefs, and detail what they will do once in office. The current administration lies about each other, they lie about themselves, they lie about issues they know intimately, and they lie about issues they barely understand. If an Action Party politician met you, he’d tell you a lie within 15 seconds of shaking your hand, and if he knew he were going to meet your mother, he’d invent a special set of lies for her. Politicians lie not because they’re wicked – though some are – but because they’ve learned that political markets rarely reward honest campaigners. The political market spoke many years ago and continued to speak on Tuesday: Telling the truth is not great for winning political campaigns –  if it were, more people would be doing it. Still… remember if just 20 more people came out and voted in each precinct in Tuesday’s election the outcome, could have been very different. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Restaurant-Style Easy Baked Potato Soup

With the north winds blowing, snow swirling and temperatures below OMG, now is the best time to think about a nice
bowl of hot soup.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
3 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces bacon – cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
-Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour,
and cook 5 minutes to make a roux.
-Pour in chicken stock and water.
-Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes.
-Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme.
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard.
-Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half.
-Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick.
-Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

ENJOY!

We are the Borg of Morton Grove

 

In a letter to the Morton Grove Champion 12-30-2014, Action Party secretary Terri Cousar said, in part; “The Action Party started over 40 years ago with the goal of listening to the residents and working together for the best interests of Morton Grove. National political affiliations don’t matter(1). We are, and have always been, “inclusive,” and by that I mean we have often sought out and encouraged people who ran against us in the past to join us.

Mayor DiMaria’s (2), election in 2013 spurred many new people to get involved in village government(3)…”

(1) http://www.russstewart.com/articles/2005/01-26-2005.html “Two-term (1997-2005) incumbent Mayor Dan Scanlon is retiring… Scanlon’s predecessor was Dick Flickinger (1977-97), a Democrat and Sutker ally, whose Action Party was really an adjunct to the Caucus Party/Democratic Party.”

(2) Morton Grove does not have a Mayor, it has a Village President.

(3) Niles Bugle Thursday, December 23, 2004 Letter to the editor from (then) Trustee and Action Party President Dan DiMaria: “This letter is in response to the Morton Grove Caucus Party and their 11^th hour attempt to confuse the residents of Morton Grove into thinking they could turn the 2005 budget from having a potential shortfall into a huge surplus. It became clear to me that Mr. Krier is more interested in his own political gain than the good of the people of Morton Grove… By the way, I ran for trustee because I was and still am tired of “typical” politicians…

2005 Caucus Party candidates:

From the 2005 Caucus Party Brochure:

It sounds like the Morton Grove Action Party has more in common with the old Chicago Democratic machine or the Borg from Star Trek than it does with a non-partisan group of small town folks looking out for the residents of the village.

 

The Borg were a pseudo-species of cybernetic beings, or cyborgs, from the Delta Quadrant. No single individual truly existed within the Borg Collective, as all Borg were linked into a hive mind. Their ultimate goal was the forcible assimilation of diverse sentient species, technologies, and knowledge. As a result, the Borg were among the most powerful and feared entities in the galaxy, without really being a true species at all.

So, Ms. Cousar,

Ethics? We don’t need no stinkin’ ethics!

 

The fact that something is legal doesn’t make it ethical.

Let’s make the case explicitly, and explain why legality doesn’t determine ethics.

First, we can proceed by enumerating a few counter-examples:

1. Most kinds of lying are perfectly legal, but lying is generally recognized as being unethical;
2. Breaking promises is generally legal, but is widely thought of as unethical;
3. Cheating on your husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend is legal, but unethical, though the rule against it is perhaps more honored in the breach;
4. …and so on.

So, if you want to hold that what is legal is also ethical, you’ve got to bite an awful lot of bullets, and accept as ethical a lot of behaviors that you very likely don’t want to accept.

The following contributions to the Morton Grove Action Party are probably legal, but you decide if they are ethical:

SOURCE: http://www.elections.il.gov/campaigndisclosure/ItemizedContrib.aspx?FiledDocID=543879&ContributionType=Individual+Contributions&Archived=True&OrderBy=LastorOnlyName-AtoZ&ItemizedContribFrom=D2Quarterly.aspx

Campaign contributions Morton grove Action Party

A-1 Contractors                                120 E Marquardt Dr Wheeling, IL 60090 $500.00

Do these folks do business with the village?

Advanced Dentistry        5821 Dempster St Morton Grove, IL 60053 $400.00

Aren’t these forks subject to inspection by the village?

Bill‘s Complete Landscaping Service, Inc              6100 W Oakton St Morton Grove, IL 60053 $250.00

Do these folks provide services to the village?

Chasers Sports Bar & Grill, Inc   9003 N Milwaukee Ave Niles, IL 60714 $550.00
Why would a Niles gin mill contribute to a political party in Morton Grove?

Loyal Order of Moose Morton Grove Lodge #376  6419 Chestnut St Morton Grove, IL 60053 $500.00
This is a 501(c)3 organization that is prohibited by law to engage in political activity

Lundin, Ron    6902 Church St Morton Grove, IL 60053     $250.00
Owner of Linn-Mar Towing which holds the exclusive towing & impound contract with the village

Marino Real Estate, Inc.    5800 Dempster St. Morton Grove, IL 60053     $550.00
The real estate business is regulated by the village.

McGrath Imports, Inc    9105 Waukegan Rd Morton Grove, IL 60053     $250.00
Yet another Morton Grove business regulated by the village

Mitchell Insurance Agency, Inc.    9140 Waukegan Rd Morton Grove, IL 60053     $650.00
Does this agency do business with the village?

Northwest Realty Group, Inc    7174 Dempster St Morton Grove, IL 60053     $50.00
Another realtor making political contributions.

 Northwest Realty Group, Inc    7174 Dempster St Morton Grove, IL 60053     $500.00
Apparently $50 wasn’t enough so the multiplied it by ten!

Restore Construction    11241 Melrose Ave Franklin Park, IL 60131     $1,000.00
Why would a construction company in Franklin Park contribute a cool “G” to a Morton Grove political party?

Citizens For Lou Lang     PO Box 1815 Skokie, IL 60076 $200.00
The fund raising arm of the Niles Township Democrats influencing Morton Grove politics?

El-Mech, Inc       8700 Waukegan Rd Morton Grove, IL 60053 $500.00
Why would an electronic component company contribute to a political party? Do they do business with the village?

Gene A Eich, LTD              6032 N Lincoln Ave Morton Grove, IL 60053 $165.00; $250.00
What is this Morton Grove attorney’s relationship with a Morton Grove political party. Does he do legal work for, or has been an adversary to the village?

Grendys, Charles             4318 W Carroll Ave Chicago, IL 60624-1705 $350.00
This is a co-owner of Fear City, a business that is regulated by the village and also does business with the village.

Right-Way Rescue       5915 Lincoln Ave Morton Grove, IL 60053 $500.00
This is  a 501(c)3 charitable animal shelter that relies on tax deductable donations.

This violates their non-profit status to write a $500 check to a political party. 

Sponsored the Golf Outing

 

Got a zoning exemption for an over sized sign

 

You can read the code of ethics and see that with the exception of the 501(c)3 charitable organization, the businesses were within the law to make the contributions. It is somewhat questionable if the politicians were within the law to accept them.

Village of Morton Grove Municipal Code: 1-8-12: CODE OF ETHICS:

1.  Prohibition Of Political Contributions:
2.   Any person or business entity whose contract(s), and pending bids for contract(s) with the village of Morton Grove in aggregate annually total more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00) shall be prohibited from making any contributions to: a) a political organization established to promote a candidacy of an elected village official, or a declared candidate for an elected village office, b) an elected official, or c) a declared candidate for an elected village office in excess of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per year per official, declared candidate, or political organization. This prohibition shall be effective for the duration of the term of office of the elected official, or for two (2) years after the date of the election for a declared candidate for an elected village office, whichever is longer.
3.   A political organization established to promote a candidacy of an elected official or a declared candidate, an elected official, or a declared candidate shall not knowingly accept a campaign contribution in excess of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per year from any person, business entity whose contracts and pending bids for contracts with the village of Morton Grove in aggregate annually total more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00). This prohibition shall be effective for the duration of the term of office of the elected official, or for two (2) years after the date of the election for a declared candidate for an elected village office, whichever is longer.

The most striking effect of the Morton Grove Ethics ordinance is in its’ lack of enforcement. It could be because the chief ethics enforcement officer is the part-time village attorney who is very active in the political party to which all of the current elected officials are beholden. It seems as if it is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house.

The most important effects of 2014’s donations of money will come after Election Day. The influence bought by donors will remain. All of the politicians can be counted on to remember the favors that donors did for them.

How will those debts be repaid? How can we be sure that it won’t come at the expense of Morton Grove residents, who can’t afford to buy influence? The answers are the same as they’ve always been. Transparency through real-time reporting , vigilance by the public and the press. And an insistence that our representatives be held accountable.

Based upon recent actions by this administration, we hold out little hope.