Why rush to approve redevelopment pact?

Could it be an election is coming? Lake Zurich Mayor Tolomei is at it again. There is an apparent race by Mr. Tolomei and certain village board members to get a contract with ESG approved for the downtown Lake Zurich redevelopment, despite there being flaws in the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District that need to be corrected, and the contract with ESG needs to be submitted to a formal notice and bid process.

Some facts:

• The contract with current developer McCaffrey Lake Zurich is still in force and has not been settled, resulting in the village providing significant indemnification for ESG.

• The TIF District needs additional revisions because some properties contemplated for the ESG agreement are not included in the present TIF district.

• At last week's special village board meeting, village attorney Mark Burkland publicly advised the mayor and board that the contract needs to be sent out for bidding as the statutory bidding requirement has not been met. If approved as-is the ESG agreement is effectively a NO-BID contract.

The village has a significant record of mismanagement with respect to downtown redevelopment, and it has incurred significant debt. I, for one, say it is time to slow down and complete the process correctly. There are no looming deadlines, and, as the whole world knows, the housing market will be dormant for the foreseeable future. Why not take the time to fix the TIF district and bid the redevelopment? Might Tolomei be in rush because there is an election coming, and he has nothing to show for the past four years but failed development and $26 million in debt?

Furthermore, approving a no-bid contract might raise questions as to the validity of the contract, should someone decide to challenge the village's action.

Mark Ernst

Lake Zurich