Is he transparent or is he opaque?
At a time when we are experiencing one of the worst economic crises in the last 60 years; at a time when our greatest fears include losing our jobs, our homes, our respectability, and our way of life; at a time when we are looking for ways to survive this, Mark Ernest, for his own political interests, is suggesting that we as a village do the opposite of what even the White House is highly recommending: Act swiftly and boldly so a bad situation doesn't become dramatically worse.
Who is Mark Ernest? He advocates leadership and vision and says the board has "ethical lapses and blatant mismanagement." The facts are that the contract with McCaffrey is NOT in force. McCaffrey was "fired" for not performing their fiduciary duty and being in breach of contract. McCaffrey is appealing but this will not impact ESG in any way. There are no revisions to the TIF that are needed. There are NO additional properties being included in the present TIF. And there are at least three uptown bids that are currently being considered by all parties.
Regarding "transparency," which we all agree should be part of government, I question Mark Ernest's current intentions. Could it be that Susan Branding has already appointed him as her replacement to the position of trustee should she win as mayor? I would call this being opaque. Antonio Castillo
Plan Commissioner
Lake Zurich