What wrong with some knowledge?

What's wrong with wanting to inform Hainesville residents of decisions planned by the elected officials? What's wrong with suggesting less costly options? Why does our mayor see any alternative offered as a personal attack?

Since I am personally mentioned in a recent letter to the editor about Hainesville, I feel compelled to reply. I believe that I have shown my interest in our village by the contributions I have made for over the past three years, plus. I have organized and chaired our seniors Great Age Club, I initiated and organized our village-wide garage, created the five-year Cranberry Lake Restoration Project and planned block parties. My husband and I have attended nearly every board meeting for the past several years.

Unless residents attend meetings it is difficult to know what is going on. We felt that on major issues like forming our own police department or committing the village to be permanently obligated to a pension plan for our five employees, only one of whom is full-time, should be brought to the attention of residents. Flyers, in most cases signed by residents, were distributed to all households. In all cases, only facts were presented. A referendum by the residents was initiated to allow residents to express their opinion on, at least, the pension issue. Why were these actions necessary?

The mayor called a "special meeting" on a Saturday morning with the intention of having the board approve the establishment of a Hainesville police department. He seemed surprised that over 50 residents showed up. The mayor said there will be no public comment allowed because it was a special meeting. Protests were met by the mayor calling on the Round Lake Park/Hainesville police department, ironically the department he was planning to replace, to have residents removed from the meeting.

I have always presented facts and alternatives in an orderly and respectful manner. At a meeting last year, the mayor announced that he planned to have a company, which he said was the only one qualified to do this kind of work, remove buckthorn from around Cranberry Lake and other undeveloped areas of Hainesville for $104,000 for one year. We researched the issue, found several qualified companies and wrote a five-year restoration plan and bid proposal for Cranberry Lake. We now have a qualified company doing the work for a total cost for five years of under $65,000.

Most recently, residents have established a Yahoo group for all residents. Residents only can register at:

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Hainesville_IL/. Its purpose is to keep people informed and allow suggestions, comments, questions and opinions be expressed. If this is wrong, I plead guilty.

Georgeann Duberstein Hainesville