A Closer Look at Rob Apatoff's Experience

We have seen the fliers and read the emails circulating in favor of the 3 incumbent candidates for village council.

As you may know, the Caucus Council by a slim margin of 6 votes, chose to ignore the original recommendations of the Caucus slating committee -- and substituted incumbent Rob Apatoff for newcomer Ryan Harrison.

Harrison, it should be noted, was initially recommended by the slating committee following a thorough vetting and interview process.

Like the Caucus slating committee, we find Ryan Harrison refreshing.

As part of the pro-incumbent attacks he is now facing -- which include rumors that he is 'our candidate' -- Our Town Winnetka is just trying to present a balanced point of view.

Please make up your own mind regarding Harrison by reading his heartfelt mission statement here.

As best we can tell, the objections to Ryan are these: He's a newcomer! He has no experience in town government! He has not attended every council meeting in person and instead has watched many online.

In short, those in opposition insist he is inexperienced while the incumbents, specifically Rob Apatoff, believes "experience" overrides the ability to listen, reason, have no pre-conceived agenda, and are willing to work for the community.

Let's quote Mr. Apatoff from his inflammatory email to Caucus Council Members dated September 15th airing his dismay:

Despite my 5+ year proven track record as Village Trustee and President Pro Temp … the slating committee chose to recommend a candidate with no history of village service or preparation for this job.

Mr. Apatoff doesn't seem to know American history.

Some of our most effective leaders have been newcomers -- anyone remember Alexander Hamilton? -- with great ideas.

They were effective precisely because they came to the work free from bureaucratic orthodoxy, weren't mired in governmental minutiae, and were unfettered by a reverence for procedure.

That said, let's look at Mr. Apatoff's record. Because we think it's a record that speaks powerfully to why we need new representation on the council.

The Post Office?

We give him credit for not getting that site properly developed so it brings in revenue.

His preference? A band shell, so the village pays taxes eternally to keep it up. (FYI: We have one in Hubbard Woods)

Ours? A mix of green space, commercial and retail ... and boldly define Winnetka for generations to come.

Mr. Apatoff has had 3 terms to move this forward, yet it sits ... and sits … and sits … with no clear plan going forward.

Here is a Chicago Tribune article from November 28, 2007 that speaks of its redevelopment at that point! And the person proud of tying up that project' is Vicky Apatoff, Mr. Apatoff's wife, as was stated in this DePauw Alumni Newsletter on March 25, 2008.

Beaches?

We give him full credit for their ongoing closure. And high marks for being continually obstructionist with the Winnetka Park District, who wish to meet with the Village Council to resolve their issues and move forward.

Even last year's Winnetka Caucus Council Survey stated that intergovernmental cooperation between the Village Council and the WPD was the #1 issue … and still NOTHING!

Embedded in all this is our flooding issues across town.

Let's remember that it took nearly a decade for the Village Council to break ground on a west side stormwater solution after the 2008 floods.

Council spent nearly 5 years and ~$500,000 on 3rd party project costs to study conveying stormwater under the tracks and dumping into the lake?

Then, with a clear head, the Park District master planned and finished Skokie Playfield with storm water conveyance and storage by 2013.

We simply want execution by our elected officials.

The Village Council is now "studying" east side stormwater and it took a year for them to acknowledge the storm water pipe should be replaced.

Plus, regardless of your position on Elder-Centennial don't you want to replace and relocate the stormwater pipe to avoid swimming in storm water waste?

Seems like a good idea to FINALLY collaborate with the Park District and re-open the beaches with a similar win-win which lowers execution cost and delivers a vital solution to east side residents.

Spend time solving and executing big problems, finding a way to say "yes".

One Winnetka?

Yes he gets credit for dragging the process out for more than a decade, both from the inside as Village Trustee and with his wife Vicki, who has opposed nearly all downtown development.

Best of all, the 'fudging' of economic development states that we have less than 2% vacancy rate for commercial property … yet DOES NOT include the data from this entire city block.

While our Trustees are patting themselves on the back about the new commercial tenants shouldn't we be asking why there was so much vacant space in the first place?

Our high commercial turnover rate is because we have BIG unmet needs that go beyond street lights and flower boxes.

Ask yourself where you spend your time in a given month to shop and dine: Wilmette, Glencoe, or Highland Park versus Winnetka -- where there is known vibrancy?

Bluff Ordinance, aka Steep Slope?

Yes, he led the passage of the terrible MC-01-2024 ordinance which handcuffs lakeshore homeowners with costly regulations and permitting processes, when they want to improve their properties and protect their beaches with their own money, no less.

All of this then brought on a lawsuit from 47 Winnetka Residents, which is in Federal Court and costing the Village hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend.

Permitting?

We acknowledge the change he's helped bring to our permitting process, which now can take three times as long and cost thousands more dollars to make even a simple addition or alteration to your home.

Then there's Energy Policy?

He led Winnetka back to the past, in a vote for a contract that was absolutely great for IMEA (Illinois Municipal Electric Agency) and bad for Winnetka. Bad is subjective, of course. We mean bad only with regard to cost, flexibility and sustainability. And if you need reminding, see our last newsletter.

Being Present?

He also pioneered the increase in the number of council meetings that members can miss, to accommodate him during the months he isn't living in Winnetka.

From our calculation, he has ONLY attended 59% of the council meetings while being present in Winnetka.

Those is 'Glass Houses' shouldn't point fingers at candidates who choose to watch council meetings online.

And being 'present' also means being able to listen actively, engage with curiosity, and show empathy for other points of view.

We encourage all residents to review the minutes from the Village Council meetings for themselves.

Let's give Mr. Apatoff credit for every single solitary thing in this record.

So here's the thing.

We like that Ryan Harrison is a breath of fresh air. We like that he brings a skill set that, far from demonstrating entitlement, instead balances accomplishment and kindness.

We care less about the experience Mr. Apatoff has had and more about the experience we want. In a word, we want results.

On Wednesday, October 8th our community has a choice.

New and fresh and open perspectives.