Lakewood Village Trustee Paul Serwatka explains what happened:
Paul Serwatka
Just wanted to provide a quick update to those who have expressed a concern with the transparency & search-ability of our village board-packets.
As most are aware, I have been trying for more than a year now to have the packets created in a format that allows for them to quickly and easily be searched for specific terms/subject matter.
In this time, I was put-off and told that this would create a burdensome workload for staff, however, I knew this not to be true.
While trustee Ken Santowski lobbied to have these packets remain unsearchable, falsely citing the burdensome workload this would put on staff, I knew that the software used by the village staff (Microsoft Word and Adobe Professional 11) allowed for the packets to quickly and easily be created as searchable documents.
In fact, I knew that the method I was suggesting would actually be much LESS time consuming and would be LESS expensive – cutting down on the hundreds of pages of paper and ink that was being printed and scanned to create each packet.
As I reported previously, in recent weeks our newly appointed Interim Village Manager, Shannon Andrews began working to make our board-packets more searchable.
Today, Ms. Andrews’ reports that staff has begun to follow the process that I recommended to create the packets in a fully searchable format WITHOUT creating an additional workload!
Imagine That?
While this may seem a small feat to some, those who work in; accounting, auditing, and government accountability, know this is a significant achievement in working toward transparency.
And, I would add that it is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when staff and board members work together to do what is right.
You can view Village Manager, Andrews’ email notification, below…
Honorable President and Board of Trustees,
I am pleased to report that we have worked within the Adobe Acrobat program to find a solution that will allow for the creation of searchable packets without creating a significant burden on staff.
As with the previous packet, the financials will be printed directly to .pdf format, which should enhance their clarity or readability.
The remainder of the packet will be scanned and then optimized to allow for better search capabilities.
I should note that optimization of the scanned images may not capture all items being searched, but it will significantly improve the search functionability.
Finally, the completed packet will be saved and posted to restrict editing, but will continue to allow for the use of sticky notes and highlights.
If you have any difficulty with the format of the new packet when it is uploaded this afternoon, please be sure to contact me.
Regards,
Shannon
Another small victory for those who believe in transparency and smaller, more efficient, government.
This is great news, but was it really necessary to take a shot at another trustee as part of your announcement?
Seriously Paul, where is your level of professionalism?
Lakewood Resident,
I think the more suitable question is:
Though he is typically in the company of other board members in repeated acts of secrecy, deception and intentional “opaqueness” – on this he acted alone.
The repeated and intentional actions by these trustees, to avoid transparency, hide information from the public and prevent residents from communicating with the board they elected is simply revolting.
Hence my running to become village trustee to begin with!
(And I might add, hence residents setting a historical record with my election, by casting more votes my way than for any other elected official in the entire history of our village! And of course, this, as a write-in candidate!)
As I PROMISED many hundreds of frustrated and apathetic residents since my first day of campaigning to become a Lakewood trustee…
I may be only 1 of 7 on our village board…
and I may continue to cast a sole/losing vote on issues of transparency, accountability and responsible spending…
But, I WILL continue to do more than just cast a sole/losing vote!
I will continue to expose deplorable acts of secrecy, deception malfeasance and intentional “opaqueness”.
If I can’t convince fellow board members to simply do the right thing, I will attempt to guilt them and shame them into it…
And if that still doesn’t work, I will EXPOSE them and seek to REPLACE them!
THAT was my promise to Lakewood residents two years ago, and it remains my promise to residents, today!
“Lakewood Resident” –
We are in the midst of an awakening in our village…
I hope you’ll be a part of it!
Paul, at our last meeting in a private conversation, I asked you to cool down your rhetoric.
Please refrain from attacks on fellow Board members, and the Board in general.
We all serve as good citizens and nothing more.
There are no hidden agendas, no deplorable acts of secrecy and ceretainly no desire by any of us to lock horns with you.
Agasin I ask, please act as a decent and positive force for better.
Ease up on the personal attacks, innuendos and plain mean spiritedness.
Thank you.
Paul, the focus of your announcement should be on the positive — the ability of village staff to deliver searchable board packets.
The rest of your rhetoric is ridiculous and rather unnecessary.
If what Paul said about Santowski is true, really working to keep packets unsearchable, how is it in any way unprofessional that Serwatka calls him out publicly for it!
What about that is ridiculous?
I say Kudos to Serwatka for coming out with this and for everything else he had shed light on.
Some members of that board have no shame
Gene, Ken, Paul and others,
The idea of genteel interaction between Citizen servants presumes gentility from all involved.
Paul is still a blunt instrument indicative of years of governmental overreach in Lakewood.
He wasn’t elected because The People were feeling well represented in a profoundly tiny municipality.
Paul was elected because it is clear those currently elected were completely ignorant of their duty and to whom this duty is owed.
Should the clarion call of this election not have properly indicated how fed up the electorate is with faulty representation please take Paul’s continued action as indication of how to promote Good Governnance.
He is not perfect but he is learning.
Show some aptitude for learning and growth and perhaps gentility may follow.
Lakewood has quite a long way to go to turn away from backwards policy decisions.
Try harder and then beg for respite from accountability. Your hearts are not in question.
Your decisions, process for making decisions and representation of the electorate in making your decisions are all in question.
“Please refrain from attacks on fellow Board members, and the Board in general. We all serve as good citizens and nothing more. There are no hidden agendas, no deplorable acts of secrecy and ceretainly no desire by any of us to lock horns with you.”
Gene, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
It’s ridiculous to think that you should be immune from criticism because you play the “poor, old me card.”
You sound like my mother, not like a man.
You’re an elected public official. You volunteered to do a job.
If you can’t tolerate people telling you you’re doing a poor job, you shouldn’t have volunteered for it in the first place.
At least I use my own name.
What’s yours?
And you are welcome to share your take on meetings and village affairs on McHenry County Blog, Gene.
Board Packets should be:
1. Searchable.
2. Allow Copy and Paste.
3. Be available to the public 48 hours or more prior to the board meeting.
4. Easy to locate on taxing district website.
5. Indefinitely archived on the taxing district website.
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Another transparency measure for Lakewood would be videotaped board minutes that are archived on the village website.
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Susan is working on adding searchable board packets to Woodstock District 200 (school district).
Susan could use support in her efforts from other Woodstock District 200 taxpayers by attending board meetings and speaking in favor of the measure.
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A large McHenry County taxing district with no board agenda packets (thus no searchable board agenda packets) is Crystal Lake High School District 155.
CHSD does post some board minute packets.
In addition to the board minute packets, which are available after the board meeting, board agenda packets should be made available prior to the board meeting.
Board agenda packets available prior to the board meeting allow residents to more effectively advocate for themselves at board meetings, creating a more level playing field between the administration / board and the taxpayers.
For example, citizens can make more knowledgeable public comments before or after the board meeting.
And, citizens then have much of the same information as the board at the meeting, instead of sitting clueless in the audience due to a lack of information.
CHSD 155 also does not videotape board minutes (thus does not indefinitely archive videotaped board meetings on its website).
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