Carpentersville board discord continues

Carpentersville trustees Tuesday night unanimously approved a five-member ad hoc committee charged with setting guidelines for a code enforcement panel.

But the committee's composition will likely change at a future village board meeting as several board members vociferously condemned one trustee's exclusion.

Village President Bill Sarto named residents Adam Ruiz, Patricia Schultz and Karen Sutter to the committee. The trio will be joined by Trustees Kay Teeter and Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski.

The group will determine the goals and objectives--as well as the makeup--of the Carpentersville Improvement Committee, which will educate residents on the village's residential codes and train members to spot code violations.

"I have selected this as a team, a group that will work well together," Sarto said. "I believe they represent the best interests of our community."

However, Trustee Judy Sigwalt, an initial champion of the committee, was not included among the ranks, leading some board members to suggest the political differences between Sigwalt and Sarto were to blame.

"You point out that this is a team, but your team is a player short," said Trustee Ed Ritter, who called the decision to exclude Sigwalt a grave error. "The person who came up with the idea and pushed the idea for months, and months and months should have been on the team as well."

Trustee Kay Teeter, who sponsored the idea along with Sigwalt and Schultz, said the decision did not make "one iota of sense."

"It is a vindictive measure because you don't want her on the committee," Teeter said.

Trustees suggested amending the makeup of the group at the next village board meeting.

Sarto, however, said his appointments were not politically motivated, but were recommendations from the Metropolitan Mayors Causcus.

"I feel the group will work well together and will be able to show the real, true face of Carpentersville," Sarto said. "It's not about what one individual set out to do."

The appointments, Sarto said, were based partly on diversity and representation of minority groups. Trustees, however, argued the west side of the village was not adequately represented and that women are considered minorities.

Sigwalt, who is the only member of the board not appointed to a village commission or committee, said she gave up her position on the audit and finance commission to focus on the improvement committee.

"I stepped aside to see the committee get going that we have been working on since the last election," Sigwalt said. "My willingness, ability and experience is being tossed to the wayside. It is a travesty and a shame."