The Bully Pulpit

Island Lake -- the Village of Friendly People^® -- is getting a new mayor. If it hasn't happened already, Charles Amrich is to be sworn in there, at some future date or other ... it's not exactly known when to your LakeCountyEye.

The Daily Herald, who endorsed Amrich, must be none too displeased:

We endorse Amrich, who was mayor for 20 years and will have to use his experience to mend fences and cut through the politics that often clouds Island Lake decision making. He stresses the need for better communications, to listen to residents and answer their questions. We agree that's a good start.
Endorsement: Amrich for Island Lake mayor

Amrich led a ballot slate -- For the People -- one that included village trustee candidate Anthony Sciarrone, who also won. Sciarrone had previously served as Island Lake's Chief of Police.

In a burst of candor, the Daily Herald now reports that Sciarrone has been accused of having threatened violence against Island Lake police officers and Village officials.

One Island Lake officer ...

said he heard Sciarrone say someone should put a bullet in trustees' heads.
Island Lake trustee-elect denies making threats

An Island Lake detective ...

reported hearing Sciarrone threaten to shoot village officials "in the head."
Island Lake trustee-elect denies making threats

Ordinarily your LakeCountyEye does not suggest operatives should admit to their political slate someone who has been accused of making violent threats. But then again, never having actually lived in Island Lake, what does your LakeCountyEye know?

Be that as it may, there are better ways to intimidate your political enemies, other than with threats of bodily harm. Your LakeCountyEye can think of ten, right off the bat:

Ten Politically Correct Ways to Intimidate Your Political Enemies

Threaten to take them for a ride on the Route 53 Extension. Walk the dog over their medicinal marijuana plot. Promise to share a sample of their DNA with the Lake County State's Attorney Office. Threaten to tie them to the CN railroad tracks, like Snidely Whiplash would do back in the day. Put a horse's head in their bed, like Don Corleone would do back in the day. Call in the Antioch Rescue Squad. Vow to blow the whistle on where they conceal their carry. Suppress their right to vote. (Wisconsin voters only.) Rat them out on the LakeCountyEye. Steal their yardsigns.

Look for your LakeCountyEye strongarming a dumbbell near you.

Beer Money

Now that US Treasuries have been downgraded to triple-Z, the LakeCountyEye paper shredder has been working overtime. The junk-status Treasury Bonds have been removed from the LakeCountyEye 401K, in an effort to make room for other investment vehicles, in particular high-yield super-safe municipal bonds. According to Moody's ...

most state, local government and public authorities that issue debt in the municipal bond market are "well insulated from shock," but added that some could be vulnerable to risk during major market volatility.
Some states and cities could face stress: Moody's

And as readers of this blog are richly aware ...

Dollars & Munificence

your LakeCountyEye promised to rate some local municipal bonds, from A to Z. Yesterday your LakeCountyEye evaluated Ingleside's bonds -- while tomorrow, as promised, will be Ivanhoe. All of which means today must be Island Lake.

As readers of this blog are laughably aware, Island Lake -- a community of friendly people™ -- has gotten some bad press lately ...

rebuttles.com

none of which bodes well when evaluating any municipal offering. Island Lake, after all, is a village with a track record of resolving its inter-governmental differences either by lawsuit or by filing charges. Your LakeCountyEye has to wonder, after settling up with the lawyers, how much will be left in the bank to pay off their bond holders?

There is one silver lining to this otherwise cloudy forecast. Island Lakefest is scheduled this weekend, and this year the village will be operating the beer & wine concession:

the village of Island Lake voted to sell alcohol at the upcoming summer carnival. Historically, the privilege has been the Lion's Club to sell alcohol at village events. Instead, the board voted 4-2 in allowing the village to sell alcohol at the carnival.
Village will sell alcohol at upcoming summer carnival

Your LakeCountyEye knows that in a village as friendly-peopled as Island Lake is, anyone operating the beergarden at their summer carnival is poised to make out like a bandit. Deep-6 those worthless T-Notes because your LakeCountyEye gives Island Lake's bonds a AAA rating.

Operatives are encouraged to attend Island Lakefest 2011 this weekend. Grab a brew, and a ringside seat to the action!

rebuttles.com

Island Lake, a community of friendly people™, have lately gotten their share and more of media attention. The Daily Herald for instance observes ...

The political infighting that has overtaken the Island Lake village board in recent years has served mostly as a lesson in ineffective local government. Leaders in other towns should take note, lest they be tempted to allow personal passions to draw them down a similar path. The Island Lake tragicomedy, with its bad behavior and gridlock, plays out a couple of Thursdays each month for all to see.
Money wasted on dueling lawyers

Of course whenever a village board is perceived as a tragicomedy of bad behavior and gridlock, they have a problem. More specifically a problem of perceptions, and one that some aggressive PR damage-control would turn around in a jiffy. And by aggressive PR damage-control your LakeCountyEye means, of course, a new website.

Well thanks again to the Daily Herald, your LakeCountyEye is happy to report there are no flies on the Island Lake village board:

Island Lake Trustee Laurie Rabattini is seeking local residents to join a subcommittee that will discuss improving the village's website. Meetings will be in the evenings and weekends as needed. If interested, email lrabattini@villageofislandlake.com
Island Lake website group forming

Your LakeCountyEye notes that the domain name ...

rebuttles.com

is still available.

Operatives wishing to be subcommittee members are urged to act quickly before domain squatters get there first.

Working Blue

They must not be feeling the love in Island Lake. The Daily Herald penned a we-are-not-amused editorial about them ...

The dysfunctional Island Lake village board continues to set the standard for politicians behaving badly. We've criticized them before in this space for squabbling like alley cats instead of concentrating on the people's business, but they show no signs of changing.
End the bad behavior in Island Lake

So mean!

On top of that, Island Lake is being ignored by your LakeCountyEye. In your LakeCountyEye's defense, this is a non-partisan blog and would be ill-advised to step into any public scene of partisan mud-slinging. Besides, Island Lake has as its village motto ...

A Community of Friendly People

It's hard to satirize anything with as well-endowed a talent to satirize itself.

The Inbox does contain a nice note from one Island Lake Trustee, thanking your LakeCountyEye for compliments. Your LakeCountyEye, though, was chided for the use of profanity. The Trustee (who will remain nameless) noted that Island Lake Trustees have mothers who read these blogs. In your LakeCountyEye's defense, the tactical use of profanity has been permitted in the past, but the point is well taken.

The Trustee also has a blog ...

What's Happening in Island Lake

and sharpeyed operatives will notice it has been added to your LakeCountyEye's Local Blogs of Note. It's quite obvious that all they crave over in Island Lake is just a little attention. Your LakeCountyEye is happy to oblige.

As as added incentive to operatives, some handy Google links to the blog have been provided ...

Google

Google

Google

Google

Pottymouthed mofos may look for your LakeCountyEye posting comments over at ...

What's Happening in Island Lake

Q the Eye/07.26.09

Dear LakeCountyEye,

I'm the ex-mayor of a small town. So small, my wife ran the municipal daycare center. Now I've been indicted because I voted a couple times while in office to OK my wife's paycheck. I've heard of being in hot-water, but this is like throwing out the baby with the bathwater! Any suggestions?

Take it Out of My Hide

Dear TOMH,

Your LakeCountyEye salutes the hard work and dedication of our underpaid and underappreciated daycare workers. For every little one under the caring and watchful eye of one of these unsung heroes, there is one less unsupervised little one riding their bike over your LakeCountyEye's front lawn.

So your LakeCountyEye has taken a personal interest in your predicament. The bad news is that had you been reading Q the Eye™/07.18.09 you would never have gotten into the stew you're in. In that tale, a local mayor was caught pilfering health insurance for himself from his municipal employee's plan. Still, the State's Attorney's office (overseen by Michael Waller, a Republican) declined to pursue that case because they found no evidence of criminal intent, only an honest mistake. The moral of that sorry story was if you get caught with your hand in the municipal cookie jar, make sure you're in good standing with the GOP establishment. Lake County Republicans take care of their own.

If you're anything like the hapless ex-mayor in this Daily Herald story, you're doubtless convinced you did nothing illegal. And even if one of those annoying conflict-of-interest laws was trampled on, you acted in good faith. But take it from your LakeCountyEye, the difference between criminal intent and an honest mistake in the eyes of a State's Attorney's office is often a judgment call with lots of latitude for play, knowwhatimean?

Your LakeCountyEye is not about to name names regarding who the GOP establishment is. But Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller's D2 filings are a good place to start looking. His donor list is a cornucopia of local movers & shakers. Waller has pocketed re-election dollars from local Mayors and Trustees and Township Supervisors and Judges and State Reps, and many, many more GOP heavyweights.

Waller had a tough election in 2008 and only managed to win by less than a percentage point. Your LakeCountyEye is sure all those contributions were greatly needed. And if human nature is what it is, greatly appreciated.

So if you ever decide to run for office again, before you do, you might want to consider throwing a few bucks toward your State's Attorney's re-election PAC. Think of it as insurance money.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

Voted Off the Island Lake?

The village of Island Lake describes itself as A Community of Friendly People, but your LakeCountyEye doesn't think the city hall there ever got the memo -- there is a political fault line dividing the Island Lake government. Resulting in what seems to be misconduct on the part of its elected officials.

The outcome of the April 2009 election found Island Lake's village board split down the middle. In one corner were John Ponio, Laurie Rabattini and Don Saville. In the other corner were Connie Mascillino, Donna O'Malley and Rich Garling. The Mayor, Debbie Herrmann, stood as the tie breaker.

The uneasy equilibrium broke when Garling resigned.

As the Northwest Herald reported last week, Herrmann, in her position as mayor, has the authority to name a replacement trustee. Mascillino, O'Malley and Herrmann want former trustee Don Verciglio. (Verciglio missed re-election in April by a few votes.) Herrmann intended to exercise this authority during a scheduled May 28 meeting.

Apparently Ponio, Rabattini and Saville caught wind of this -- and skipped the May 28 meeting. Lacking a quorum, Herrmann was unable to legally convene the meeting. As things stand, Island Lake is currently short a trustee.

According to the Daily Herald, Ponio, Rabattini and Saville denied that they had boycotted the meeting by pre-arrangement. Rabattini said she has the stomach flu. Ponio said he was out of town. Saville was not returning calls.

If you heard something sounding like a seismic seiche surging over Island Lake, that was really the sound of your LakeCountyEye's shit detector exploding.

Ponio, Rabattini and Saville seem to have agreed in secret and in advance to boycott their May 28 meeting. Isn't a conspiracy of that nature a violation of the Open Meetings Act? And aren't willful violations of the Open Meetings Act by elected officials prosecutable offenses?