Despite crowd, Gurnee veterans memorial stays in limbo
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik received enough support from fellow elected officials to let stand her veto of an agreement that would have allowed a village trustee's foundation to lead development of a memorial for Iraq and Afghanistan troops.
In front of about 125 spectators jammed into village hall Monday night, board members voted 3-2 against overriding Kovarik's veto of the deal with Trustee Kirk Morris' private organization, named for his Marine son who died in the Iraq war in 2004.
State law required four of six village board trustees to vote in favor of negating Kovarik's veto. Citing a conflict of interest, Morris didn't discuss or vote on the issue.
Heroes of Freedom Memorial Park has been at the center of a dispute between Kovarik and Morris that became public in October. The memorial is pegged for village-owned land where Gurnee police headquarters once stood on Old Grand Avenue.
After the meeting late Monday, Morris and some of his supporters said they were headed to the partially completed memorial and intended to remove nine flags representing each military branch and would turn off temporary lighting.
"I don't have a next move right now," Morris said.
Kovarik said Morris' foundation has done little on the site since the village board passed a resolution in March 2005 dedicating the property specifically for a memorial honoring troops who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Morris took command of raising private money and building the memorial under an informal agreement four years before he became a village trustee. He and his supporters say the memorial would be unique and a regional attraction.
Village board members in December voted 5-0 in favor of the agreement that officially named the foundation as developer and included construction milestones with a Dec. 31, 2014, completion date. Morris' lawyer and Village Attorney Bryan Winter crafted the deal that was supposed to end the tiff.
But Kovarik vetoed the agreement Jan. 4, calling it a bad deal she was surprised the village trustees approved. She voiced concern about the village being on the hook for spending an unspecific amount of public money it can't afford this year on sidewalks and benches for Heroes of Freedom.
Trustees Michael Jacobs, Cheryl Ross and Jeanne Balmes voted against overriding Kovarik's veto, with Trustees Hank Schwarz and Greg Garner in favor. Jacobs said one reason he voted for the agreement in December was Morris had threatened a lawsuit against Gurnee.
Before Monday's vote, Gurnee attorney Peter Karlovics gave a 30-minute presentation on why the Pfc. Geoffrey Morris Memorial Foundation should remain in charge of building Heroes of Freedom. He asked the village board to negate Kovarik's veto.
"We speculate that the mayor's emotions over her political rivalry with Kirk Morris got the best of her, which is something that can happen to any human being," Karlovics said.
Nine flag poles representing every military branch and temporary lights represented the most visible work done on the memorial. A garden, bronze statues projected to cost $250,000 and the walkway and benches have yet to be built.
Although Kovarik said she's committed to Heroes of Freedom, she contends it should be on a smaller scale. She also doubts Morris' ability to raise the $250,000 for the sculptures.
Veto: Organizer goes to remove military flags