Reason not to vote for Rodgers, Figueroa

In 2004 Brenda Rogers was one of the three council members who would have potentially voted to hire the same law firm that the parents currently have suing U-46, which has resulted in putting $6.7 million of taxpayer money into the hands of lawyers on both sides.

Any council person worth their pay would have researched the issue and saw that the same law firm in Rockford over 10 years in the past cost Rockford school district $250 million of taxpayer money with the suit there.

I will not be supporting Brenda Rogers nor Juan Figueroa because of their misplaced lack of leadership regarding this issue.

Juan went as far as the mayor and actually picketed U-46 over their new boundary plan and then was potentially ready to vote to hire the law firm that is currently suing U-46.

If it were not for Gilliam and Sandor opposing this hiring of the law firm and finally Walters coming over to their side, which would have made it a 3-3 tie issue, we would have then potentially had a 4-2 vote to hire the law firm at an initial cost of about $40,000.

The taxpayers' money is precious and must be protected at all costs in my book. That is why Rogers and Figueroa can stand by with their past views, and I will do everything I can to remind the voters of this past costly lack of leadership on their parts.

They should have done everything in their power to diffuse the situation, not incite it. The only thing that will teach them is to vote others with more common sense into office that will protect my taxpayer dollars.

Clarence Hayward

Elgin