Honesty would have been best for meetings about illegal immigration

The unpublicized meetings between Carpentersville trustees and members of an anti-illegal immigration group do not bode well for the village -- but especially not for the trustees involved.

If Trustees Paul Humpfer and Judy Sigwalt had applied to use the meeting space as a non-profit organization, they would have been spared public scrutiny and name-calling.

Instead, the trustees said they were meeting with constituents on Friday mornings preceding board meetings at Fire Station No. 3 to discuss the agenda.

But the trustees were meeting with members of the Fox Valley Citizens for Legal Immigration, a group formed to support Humpfer and Sigwalt in their April 2007 election campaigns.

Though there is speculation that the trustees would coach residents and visitors on what to say at board meetings, those involved deny any such practices.

Whom do you believe?

If group members were not in concert with trustees about what to say during public comments, then why meet under the guise of public servant and constituent?

For now, the meetings have been shut down until the trustees get their paperwork in order -- paperwork that should have been completed and filed in the first place.

Trustees Humpfer and Sigwalt exploited their positions in office for a freebie to which they were not entitled.

Sure, the $25 it would have cost to rent the space and the proof of insurance are not exorbitant expenses, but the trustees' integrity has been damaged.

The meetings are likely harmless, but sneaking the meeting by Village Manager Craig Anderson and other village staff is indicative of the trustees' character.

Why not apply like any other non-profit organization, instead of pretending to meet with taxpaying residents?

If the trustees were only meeting to hear concerns from residents, why was an agenda needed?

Why were future board meeting dates listed, with planning and discussion items also listed?

The insurance and signup fee were minimal. There was no reason take the back door and slip by the village manager and staff.

It was not a simple oversight of neglecting to fill out the usual paperwork.

The trustees knew if they applied as the Fox Valley Citizens for Legal Immigration there would be fees and requirements involved, and the possibility that the village would deny the request.

They were trying to save a buck, because other sites -- like the West Dundee VFW hall -- had charged the group about $100 per meeting time.

Trustees say now they will sign up and pay to use the space.

It is too little, too late, though. They have already dodged the village manager, staff and residents.

There is no taking back what they have been doing for the past year. Many residents no longer trust what these village officials are doing or saying.

Why not meet at a neutral site? At a coffee shop. In someone's basement.

Why take a group so entrenched in the political climate of the village and meet in a village meeting room?

• Larissa Chinwah covers Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee. To reach her, call (847) 931-5722, or e-mail lchinwah@dailyherald.com.