Long Grove needs to focus on downtown

As a longtime resident of Long Grove, I am in frequent contact with residents from all parts of town. The one consistent theme I hear from them is, "When are we going to fix up the downtown?"

It's time to recognize that this is our common bond across the village - the thing that cuts across subdivisions, public and private, large and small, formal and informal. Let's make the downtown a place where we can come together as a community.

I will say that there does seem to be a minority element in town that would like to make this referendum about the roads in a few subdivisions and seems intent on dividing the community by painting a facade of paranoia and mistrust.

Why the vitriol? I say, let's vote for Wachs, Razny, and Sintetas and their "unite the community" plan to get the downtown going again. It's something we can all agree on, won't raise our taxes, and a vibrant downtown could well be the start of making Long Grove the close-knit community that we all want.

Steve Besbeas

Long Grove