Give credit to the Northwest Herald for publishing this Letter to the Editor from Crystal Lake Library expansion critic. It is published with author Steve Willson’s permission:
Editor:
Did you know the CL Library bought six pieces of property for their fantasy library, the one the voters have turned down twice?
They paid almost $2 million for property that the assessor said was worth $1 million.
They paid over $220 a square foot for one property.
They paid $150,000 per unit for a four-flat at a time when condos were selling for as little as $67,000. And they bought one property after they lost the referendum!
What incredible gall!
We’ve also learned that the Library paid over $700,000 to their architect for a library that isn’t going to be built because the voters turned it down, the same architect that was the main contributor to the “Library Yes” campaign and that stood to make over $1 million if the referendum passed and a new library was built.
No conflict of interest there!
And where was the Crystal Lake City Council when this was happening? Asleep at the switch or complicit.
And where was the Northwest Herald in reporting this?
Missing in action.
There’s an election coming up next month.
If you stay home or you vote for the business-as-usual candidates, and I mean not only on the City Council but in school board elections and at McHenry County College, then you can expect higher property taxes and more government waste.
Steven Willson
Could there be a more blatant slap in the face for the voters and taxpayers?
The nine library board of trustees are appointed to 3 year terms by the Mayor with approval by the City Council.
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Library Board of Trustees:
Chuck Ebann
Ron Eberle
John Engebretson
Alice Fellers
Carol Heisler
Don Peters
Terri Reece
Monica Szalaj
William Weller
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City Council
The City Council is comprised of the Mayor and six City Council Members:
Mayor Aaron Shepley
Ellen Brady
Ralph Dawson
Cathy Ferguson
Haig Haleblian
Brett Hopkins
Cameron Hubbard
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April 4, 2017 election
Crystal Lake Council
(3) 4 year terms are up for election.
Vote for three or less.
Cameron Hubbard (incumbent)
Haig Haleblian (incumbent)
Ralph Dawson (incumbent)
Sally Munn (opponent of 2j016 Crystal Lake library bond referendum)
Stefano Liparoto (voted no on the 2016 Crystal Lake library bond referendum although a supporter of the library system – see Northwest Herald 2017 Election Questionnaire for more detail).
Looks like Mike Madigan math.
Let’s not forget the $$ they cost us in lawsuits with the ‘BLEACHERS”
then we have the unnecessary sales tax hike the constant flow of $$ into the gravel pit, the WCC business that we must pay for now, and yes the leaving of the library spenders in place and they continue to let them purchase land, while the police and fire pensions suffer in the back ground…
time for a Big CHANGE…
AND ITS TIME FOR THE TAX PAYER TO DO IT!
GET OUT AND VOTE ALL THIS HAND PICKED AND NOT BY THE PEOPLE runners out of Boards….
we need to give some new a chance
We Don’t even need all these people we have way to much waste … to many people sittin around … spending our tax $$ not the way we want them to “wisely” !
A most excellent and spot-on letter if there ever was one!!!
It was the school district d155 and superintendent that costs taxpayers money with the bleachers not the city.
Everything with that lies solely with 155 and Thomas but Wagner and the board gave him his raise and bonus and even extended his contract two years before it was even up.
Put the blame directly where it should be.