What's at Stake This Fall

We're less than 75 days until Town Hall … and 3 Village Council Seats are in the balance.

Friends, the fireworks have barely fizzled, beach days are in full swing, and half the village seems to be off on the last vestiges of summer adventures.

So what's at stake this fall, and why are we sounding the alarm bell?

Simply put, three Village Council seats are up for grabs.

It is the opinion of Our Town Winnetka that the Village Council needs new direction, new voices, and a new vision.

Our community goes as far as our Village Council Leadership takes us, and to be perfectly honest, the last several years have seen Winnetka constrained by limited progress and leadership that favors red tape over results.

For example, delays with the Elder/Centennial beach plan and unnecessary road blocks killed a visionary bid to co-join two beaches. As a consequence, our community is without the use of one of its greatest assets -- our lakefront.

But entrenched and intransigent bureaucracy isn't the only issue on the table. The following key issues are on the current and future agenda for our village:

• Resolve the aforementioned Elder / Centennial beach issue to deliver a game-changing co-joined beach that serves our community for decades to come
• Plan for a smart, visionary Post Office site, which sits at the heart of the West Elm business district. Our community deserves a project that will change the trajectory of Winnetka's business district, housing choice for commuters and empty-nesters, and parking for shoppers
• Streamline internal processes and make Winnetka easier to do business with, both with residents seeking to improve their historic properties and business owners (big and local) who wish to serve the community
• Reopen the renewal commitment to the IMEA, the nonprofit municipal energy cooperative, to seek smarter sustainable energy sources with a firm commitment to energy transition cost, reliability, and pricing for all municipal members … otherwise, what is the point of plugging in an EV to a high-sulfur coal source?
• Revisit the bluff ordinance that has triggered a federal lawsuit, added needless confusion and red tape to even routine shoreline stabilization and maintenance projects, all while yielding no actual improvement to our shoreline or sense of community. We are penalizing a group of Homeowners that have always borne the cost of lakefront liability as well as potentially redistributing these lower assessed values to the rest of the Village
• Decide the long term future of our aging District 36 schools and the future upkeep costs/reinvestment of their physical plants -- and how the Village Council would support that effort led by the Winnetka School Board
• Attract police officers to our open positions so that Winnetka has the security force it needs

Serving on the Village Council is one of the most significant ways to contribute to the well-being of our community.

Council members shape long-term planning, set staff priorities, and guide the direction of local government.

In short, the council sets the tone for the community. And we need to accomplish BIG THINGS!

When we think of leading Village Council members over the last several terms, Andy Cripe comes to mind.

He sought 'win-win' solutions through hard work, a respect for dissenting views, and a willingness to push himself and his colleagues on the Village Council to strive for improvement - recognizing that good policy is not static and must continually evolve.

During his 4 terms, he was dedicated to delivering results, such as the Stormwater Plan, which delivered needed flooding relief by moving water more efficiently along its natural westward path — after years of taxpayer money being wasted trying to develop an unworkable plan that no one really liked and which would have dumped untreated stormwater into Lake Michigan.

WCC Village Council Slating Committee chair Nat Roberts is seeking candidates to 'step into the arena.'

The slating committee includes:

• Kristin Kalter
• Nicholas DiMauro
• Mary Hickey
• Jack Straub
• Leigh Dyer
• Patrick Carroll
• Hilary Hoye
• Edward Keller
• Nat Roberts, Slating Chair
• Andrew Weissert

In August, this slating committee will interview candidates to determine a slate. From there, the three slated candidates will be presented at the Wednesday, October 8th, Town Hall.

This is your chance to share your vision and priorities and show how your experience can benefit the village.

If interested, please reach out to WCC Village Candidate Chair Nat Roberts at hello@winnetkacaucus.org.

For more information on the Village Council, you can find links to past agendas, minutes, and meetings here.

And a final note ... the WCC is out with their annual survey. The deadline is August 11.