Gurnee rejects $400 request from private Navy support group

Budget difficulties were cited by a Gurnee village board majority that recently denied a private Navy support organization's $400 donation request.

In rejecting the U.S. Navy League's Lake County affiliate, Mayor Kristina Kovarik and other officials said the village receives too many inquiries for public money from worthwhile groups to accommodate them all.

However, Trustee Greg Garner, a Kovarik political opponent, questioned how Gurnee can't afford to part with $400 for projects for sailors at Great Lakes Naval Station near North Chicago.

"They're the reason we sit here today and not be afraid of what goes on in the world," Garner said of the sailors during a meeting last week. "And I think $400 is a nominal fee for a community as rich as Gurnee is. I just think there are times we make exceptions, and this is one of them."

Fergal J.P. Gallagher of Grayslake, the Navy League's Lake County branch president, pitched the village board on the merits of contributing the $400. He said additional dues-paying members would bring more assistance to sailors.

Gallagher said the Navy League's big upcoming project is a "returning wounded warriors" workshop, designed to help Navy reserves getting reacquainted with civilian life after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Navy League donations will pay for goody bags and speakers for reserves and their spouses who attend the event featuring psychologists, financial experts and religious personnel, Gallagher said.

"Your money and your help would go a long way," Gallagher told the Gurnee officials.

Trustee Hank Schwarz said while he sympathized with the Navy League, fulfilling its donation request could lead to the local American Legion or other similar groups seeking village money.

"It just doesn't stop," Schwarz said. "I'm a veteran myself. I'd love to be able to give to all these worthy causes, but we don't have an endless stream of cash."

Kovarik said Gurnee's budget woes have led to the village holding memberships only in groups directly related to departments that serve the public.

U.S. Navy League affiliates are scattered across the country. The nonprofit group's stated mission is providing education about the importance of the Navy to national security while supporting sailors and their families.

Internal Revenue Service documents show the Lake County Navy League had total expenses of $64,113 and $28,867 in revenue for the 2007 tax year. The group's top fundraisers were an annual meeting, a pasta night and a golf outing.

Kovarik said Gurnee could help promote the Navy League fundraisers. She also said elected officials can donate to the organization on their own.