Much ado about little, Daily Herald

Your complaint that a Grayslake Elementary School District 46 contract should be voided and re-evaluated is based, ostensibly, on your observation that, 1) it wasn’t reviewed by an attorney, 2) it was for two years, not one, 3) the board didn’t have copies of the contract when they voted on it, and 4) it benefited a former board member.

For many years, in this state and many others, “self-dealing” on government contracts has been commonplace. School districts have routinely given raises to retiring principals, superintendents and others for the purpose of (considerably) increasing lifetime pensions.

Our state legislature has done it, with attorney review, to bestow million-dollar gifts to Cook County union officials, out of state teacher retirement funds. Pension, highway, public works and other contracts benefiting campaign contributors and cronies have created hundreds of billions in current and future Illinois taxpayer obligations.

DuPage County boards and agencies, such as our water and housing authorities have squandered millions. The amount at issue in your Grayslake editorial, $75,000, is a paltry sum. Let’s take a look at other contracts in need of rescission.

Stephen Hanson

Warrenville