Oakwood Hills Power Plant Meeting: All Dressed in Red and No Chance to Talk

OH sign 7-31-14 Power Plant crossed out verticle in audience

Homemade signs dotted the room ofd about 500 protestors.

A very short Oakwood Hills zoning meeting was held at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn Thursday evening to consider the siting of a gas-fired electric generating plant behind Village Hall.

The length was dictated by the power plant applicant’s losing its attorney.

Joe Gottemoller

Joe Gottemoller

Joe Gottemoller withdrew, apparently concluding that his representation was a danger to his political ambitions.

He is running for re-election to the McHenry County Board this fall, along with newcomer Don Kopsell.

Challenging the current Republican lock on District 3 is former member Kathy Bergan Schmidt, a Democrat. She attended the meeting.

The Oakwood Hills Zoning Board of Appeals adjourning.

The Oakwood Hills Zoning Board of Appeals adjourning.

After Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Marty Gierut called for a vote to adjourn the meeting, which passed with one “No” vote from Bruce Wallace, the audience was understandably upset.

The next meeting was set for October 9th.

The meeting a couple of weeks ago consisted of the applicant’s presentation and the beginning of audience comments.  Many, many people who wanted to speak were not given the opportunity.

Many returned Thursday night.

Another view of the crowd.

A view of the crowd.

Those from Lake Killarney even had political convention-style signs reserving a whole row.

Lake Killarney had a row reserved by residents who arrived early.  This photo was taken before the meeting began.

Lake Killarney had a row reserved by residents who arrived early. This photo was taken before the meeting began.

There were heated comments from many crowd members after the adjournment.

Smiles were hard to find after the meeting adjourned.

Smiles were hard to find after the meeting adjourned.

In reply to one questioner after he left the stage, Gierut said,

“I don’t like it any more than anybody else.”

Oakwood Hills ZBA Chairman Marty Gierut listens after the meeting.

Oakwood Hills ZBA Chairman Marty Gierut listens after the meeting.

The delay reminded me of the time over a decade ago that the McHenry County Board was considering applications for two peaker plants near the northern intersection of Routes 47 and 176.  The County did something that resulted in a lawsuit that was settled for a $5 million payout from its insurance company, if memory serves me correctly.

There was a line of red shirts waiting to sign the register of the meeting.  Ogranizers such as Chris Christensen handed out information sheets with a place for people to provide email addresses.

There was a line of red shirts waiting to sign the register before the meeting. Organizers such as Chris Christensen (on the right) handed out information sheets with a place for people to provide email addresses.

Denying the petitioner due process might have triggered a similar suit against Oakwood Hills.

 


Comments

Oakwood Hills Power Plant Meeting: All Dressed in Red and No Chance to Talk — 8 Comments

  1. Thanks for covering this!

    I hope that the power plant developers get the hint and go back to building power plants next to schools in Canada and not here, not now, not ever

  2. Gottemoller is the kind of politician that runs when the heat is turned up.

    He ran 4 years ago in Grafton Township.

    Do we need politicians who have a history of resigning?

  3. Poor Old Joe ……. If the Bolsheviks were in power, he’d be a Bolshevik ………

    if a Hugo Chavez-type socialist regime was running McHenry County and Illinois (well, I guess they ARE running Illinois, already, heh, heh) ….he’d be a Chavez supporter ……….

    he seems like one of those pathetic politicos who’s always scheming for his own advancement …. a Jack Franks archtype.

  4. I am not aware of a Gottemoller candidacy in Grafton Township. He lives in Nunda Township.

  5. Great photos, you really captured the overwhelming opposition to this!

    Look at all the red!

  6. I think the reference to Joe ‘running’ is relative to his resignation as an attorney for the township during the Moore vs the Trustees fiasco.

  7. Due to personal threats to Board members and threats to prevent the conducting of business at the scheduled Village Board meeting for August 7, 2014 at 6:30 PM the meeting has been CANCELLED.

    Village Clerk hours are suspended until further notice.

    NO public business will be conducted.

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