Kaiser questions Craig's veterans initiative in Hanover Park

Hanover Park Trustee Lori Kaiser doesn't question the merits of Rod Craig's latest initiative as village president.

It's the timing she sees as underhanded.

Kaiser, who will attempt to unseat the freshman mayor in the April 7 election, is outraged with Craig's recent announcement he's forming a veterans committee.

For one, it's being headed up by Rick Roberts, a candidate for trustee under Craig's Hanover Park Progress Party. Secondly, Kaiser said, Craig is going around the village board to take credit for himself.

"He waits until political season comes with another one of his mayor initiatives to get his buddy in the spotlight," she said. "It's another political stunt."

The purpose of the committee is to reach out to veterans and recognize them for their service. Craig said Roberts, who served in the Navy and is president of the Hanover Park Hurricane Football Association, is passionate about veterans causes and was a natural choice to lead the committee.

As for the timing, Craig said he first tried to form the committee as soon as he was elected mayor in 2007 by tapping Trustee Wes Eby as its liaison.

"Eby just sat on it. All I got was 'Yeah, yeah, OK,' from him again and again," Craig said. "This is a way to see if there's any energy behind the cause without making it a full-blown committee."

Kaiser said Craig failed to provide Eby, the board or staff any direction at the time. She and other trustees plan on asking Craig to drop his initiative at Thursday's village board meeting so "it can be done the right way."

"In the entire history of Hanover Park, it's always been a village board initiative or village board committee," Kaiser said. "We've never had this segregation."

One problem with forming a veterans committee as a mayor's initiative is that the board has no input, Kaiser said. Another is that staff isn't clued in, so they're left scratching their heads with residents call with questions.

Some trustees have been critical of another one of Craig's mayor's initiatives to support wind energy. Last month, the board formally joined the Wind Turbine Alliance, a group of about 40 towns, school districts and park districts that back the construction of power-generating wind turbine farms.

Trustees accused Craig of dragging his feet in passing a resolution to become a member, even though this has been his own initiative.