Shepley a Bit Defensive on Lake Watershed Issue

I got the feeling Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley was a bit defensive Tuesday night.
Throughout the part of the meeting on the watershed manual, it seemed that he was almost trying to rehabilitate drainage engineer Gary Schaefer’s reputation.

Shepley was like a lawyer (which he is) putting his witness through a series of leading questions concerning his hiring by the city before McHenry County College approached the city, how his only concern was for the lake, that no one had ever talked to him about putting commercial establishments on the watershed.

Except for Schaefer’s obvious employment by both the Crystal Lake Park District and city government and the potential difference in perspectives of the two agencies, I don’t know of anyone who has questioned the engineer’s integrity or qualifications.

Shepley’s questioning just seemed a bit much.

Maybe it was because of what Nancy Williamson said. (See yesterday’s article on the meeting for her words.)

Or maybe it was because I suggested the sales tax revenue that could be obtained from stores that could be built in the watershed.

Just before I left Shepley said,

“Everybody sitting here is doing this for one reason. It’s not for power or money. It’s for love of community.

“The suggestion that there’s been some sort of a conspiracy to push this through (has been made.)

“If I were not on the council, would I say ‘There’s some connection with the college?’

“I might.

“It isn’t crazy.

“There’s no amount of tax dollars from developers that would motivate us to do something to the lake.”

Shepley pointed out that as a Home Rule city, “we have the power to raise taxes,” if more money is needed.


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