Erin Smith Appointing Jason McMahon to Fill Ken Santowski Village Board Spot Without Asking Residents If They Would Like To Serve

In Lakewood Village President Erin Smith’s winter newsletter she announced that she would be recommending that Jason McMahon take retiring Village Trustee Ken Santowski’s spot.

Since there is over two years left on Santowski’s term, I figured that she would have put out a press release asking for volunteers.

To check, I called the Village Administrator and discovered that no such opportunity had been offered village residents.

I don’t know McMahon, but searching for his name on my blog, I found the following comment under a May 18, 2016, report from Trustee Paul Serwatka on what happened at a village board meeting.

Paul,

My name is Jason McMahon and we have met.

Several times in fact.

We spoke at length prior to your being elected to the Village Board and dropping election materials at my home.

We have also had discussions regarding the SSA at Crosspoint.

I supported your candidacy but now I see you are nothing more than a community organizer looking for a conspiracy to whip up into an issue.

I have participated in Village politics off and on since my wife and I moved to Lakewood in 2002.

I know Trustees Iden, Santowski, Furey and Davis.

In fact, Trustee Davis originally reached out to me asking if I would be interested in the Commission back in 2006 or 2007 I believe.

Most of the other Commission members have also previously served or have participated in our community in one way or another.

You have been a Trustee for over a year now.

If this is such an important committee to you, why haven’t you reached out and met with the Commission members?

Your entire rant simply shows your unwillingness to do your homework.

And in case this isn’t enough to put your grand conspiracy to bed, I am going to let you in on a little “not-so-secret”:

The Commission does not have any power.

We are merely a recommending body to the Village Board. Anything we see, you see and vote on.

In fact, sometimes the Village Board does not even accept our recommendation.

We typically meet once a year, maybe, and our big job is looking at a fence or swimming pool variances.

In the time it took you to craft your letter to Cal, you would have been able to read ALL the minutes from the past 10 years and understand how most of the Commission members vote and maybe how the Commission works as well.

Or you could have called Catherine, requested contact information for the current and proposed commission members and done the research yourself.

Maybe it is time to stop trying to be a community organizer, whipping everyone into a frenzy with empty rhetoric and start actually making an effort.

I fail to understand your original complaint.

You do not like the Catherine and Erin’s recommendation based upon their knowledge of the candidates but you want them to provide you with more information?

Do your homework.

Stop being an obstructionist and start doing what we elected you to do, solve problems and participate in solutions.


Comments

Erin Smith Appointing Jason McMahon to Fill Ken Santowski Village Board Spot Without Asking Residents If They Would Like To Serve — 5 Comments

  1. Steve, I have to agree.

    Furthermore, it seems he hasn’t a clue as to the role of staff to provide necessary information to the board.

    Paul is the only non yes-man on the board.

    If a Smith appointment didn’t speak volumes enough, his words here certainly do.

  2. I would be happy to meet face to face with anyone that has questions. I find face to face meetings are much more productive and civil.

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