Eleven months ago, our current village president was videotaped screaming his head off in a near nonsensical rage at the police chief. Over the next few months, it came to light that simply put, true leadership is lacking at the top levels in village hall. It appears that our administration backed by the majority board has created a culture where blame, poor work product, and anger prevail.
And in those same eleven months, the residents of the community have risen up and tried to make it clear that is unacceptable for our village. This isn't the values of our families. This isn't the values of our community. And ultimately, the vast majority of the residents want our ideal, peaceful, respectful community back.
Four people, backed by hundreds, have stood up and said, "Let's do this." Let's put calm and reason back into our government. Let's remember the fiscal policies that got us a AAA bond rating and made sure we could afford stellar services. Let's put our staff first and egos second. Let's stop the insanity. Those four people have put ourselves, our reputations, our names out there to be judged, to be scorned, to be attacked. We all did it because we could not sleep at night if we didn't. Standing up for what is right will always be hard. Standing between the angry person yelling nonsense and the defenseless is hard. Putting your name on the line is hard -- putting it out there when the opposition has a proven loose relationship with the truth and facts takes courage.
So, while lies and half truths don't deserve a response, let me share mine. If the authors of these pieces are so confident in the words, where is their name? Why hide your identity? Could it be because you think you are protecting the candidate you support because he can claim it didn't come from him? Are you not proud of your work? Are *YOU* afraid of the justifiable backlash from these pieces?
Honest people sign their names. Honest people deal in full facts, not out of context hate-mongering. Even Mr. Trustee Berman had to sign his name when he accused us of felonies -- he was wrong and the election board explained that to him, despite the fact he keeps trying to perpetuate that lie --- much like the other narratives he crafts, like FOIAs is a subversive plot to bring the village down, despite no actual proof for it. But Mr. Trustee Berman has also proven that he has a loose relationship with the truth and facts -- so what do we expect?
Here's what I know for an absolute fact, if Dave Stavropoulos is elected the tone of the board will completely change. Anyone who attended the town hall last night should walk away knowing that to be true. I also know that there's an awful lot of mud-slinging to protect something that is supposedly so perfectly ok. That alone has all my "something isn't right" senses going off.
Whoever the author of these postcards is, they apparently can not argue the facts. They can not back-up their side's record. All they are left with is to try to attack a good man's character.
In 20 days, the public gets to turn in this administration's report card. Do not only judge their results (which frankly are still fairly poor), but judge how they get things down. This board has left a path of destruction in its wake -- destruction of values, of public trust, of people. The ends never justify the means -- and certainly when the means are just a cover for being giant bullies.