You are currently browsing the monthly archive for June, 2007.
Even though I shouldn’t be, I never cease to be amazed by the way the news media spins, twists and sensationalizes a story. Whether it be for the purposes of selling papers or making their own editorial opinions part of the story, what we read or hear isn’t always the facts or whole truth behind the story.
Case in point is a blurb that appeared in today’s Daily Herald.
Feel the love: During his appearance before the county board’s transportation committee Monday to push the idea of a toll bridge at Longmeadow Parkway in Dundee Township, embattled Carpentersville Village President Bill Sarto — accused this week of threatening a resident via e-mail — asked officials to consider installing toll booths at all new bridges. Sarto said communities north of the Tri-Cities tend to be ignored.“The north end isn’t always treated the same as other areas of the county,” Sarto said.
Notice the little aside that was thrown in here speaking of the email exchange between a resident and Sarto which was reported on earlier in the week here, in the Daily Herald and in the Courier-News.
There are several things wrong with this, and it leads to a question of the Daily Herald’s journalistic integrity. It seems that a few journalists and editors in this region could use a lesson in journalistic integrity. Journalistic integrity has to with not only reporting facts, but also with proper reporting of those facts.
In December 2006, the Northwest Herald did something similar, when it included a short paragraph about a sexual abuse case in a report on the surgery and recovery of Catholic Bishop of Rockford, Thomas Doran. The report had nothing to do with anything else in the article and showed poor judgment on the part of the reporter and the editorial staff.
Fast-forward to the Daily Herald report. One: the aside is irrelevant to what’s being reported and adds nothing to the story. And two: the information presented is incomplete. Whether intended or not, the information is misleading, and seems to be inserted in order to damage or defame Sarto. The ultimate facts in the case was that police said they found no evidence to pursue the matter beyond questioning. End of story.
Journalists and their editors need to handle the information they report more carefully. They need to show better judgment in the facts that they report. And, they need to be more fair and balanced in their reporting. How they report these things is the basis upon which they will be judged. It forms their reputation.
What kind of reputation are they building for themselves? I’d say its far from impeccable, and at times is simply mediocre.
Just some random thoughts today …Carpentersville WebWatch
For those of you keeping track … today is Day 3 that the Carpentersville Village Website has been unavailable. (Update: Checked in around 4:15pm today and saw the site was back online. Unfortunately, even after 3 days, it still has the same, unappealing design.)
Nothin’ Doin’
From the looks of things, you can expect little to be done in the Village by Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer, along with Teeter and Hinz, for the next two years. I’m sure that’s their plan. They don’t want anything too significant to be done during that time; they don’t want anything to possibly be attributed to Sarto. Their use of the immigration ordinance as a ploy to get elected is becoming quite evident. What ever happened to their argument that the Board needs to do what’s right for Carpentersville? Seems like they are just interested in doing what’s right for themselves. In fact, all we’ve heard is what’s happening in other communities; they have offered no specifics about Carpentersville itself.
{sniff, sniff} You smell that? It’s called conjecture.
The Great American Festival
With all the division and animosity caused in the community by the Board, especially over the English-only non-binding resolution and the illegal immigration ordinance, the Village certainly could use a festival to try to bring the community back together. And, just such a fest will be happening this weekend — the Great American Fest will be taking place on the East side, behind Meadowdale Mall. Get out there and enjoy yourselves, and show support for your community and your fellow residents.
Technical Stuff
Thought I’d highlight some points of interest on the blog …
The first is the sidebar. At the top you’ll find a link to “Get updates via newsfeed”. If you use the Firefox browser (which I highly recommend, and which you can download via the link in the sidebar), you can subscribe via Firefox’s “Live Links”, which will create a bookmark/favorite that will update with links to the latest posts. Or, you can use a number of other news aggregators and feed readers of your choosing. Google Reader is actually fairly nice and straight forward. You can sign up with any email account.
The next thing to point out is the Carpentersville News section. It is a Google feed of 5 recent news items mentioning Carpentersville.
And finally, the Blog archive contains a list of posts categorized by month. Good for scanning back at past posts. Enjoy!
Where has the Village gone? Maybe they are converting the website to English-only? 
I was watching the Google video of the Village Board meeting of October 17, 2006 at which the immigration ordinance was tabled by a 4 to 3 vote (Trustees Sigwalt, Humpfer and Teeter voting not to table the ordinance, not to wait for Hazleton, and to make plans to hold a public discussion in order to pass this legislation as soon as possible. Where are they now, by the way?)
But, the point I want to refer to is about the 1 hour mark in the video, when Trustee Ritter notes that the concerns of the Village are, as they ought to be, “to get our streets paved, to get our sidewalks fixed, to get new businesses in here and what will improve our housing stock.”
This is the point that needs to be seriously considered. The illegal immigration ordinance will make it more difficult for those goals to be realized. There is no need to pass it, or discuss it, in order to get the work of the Village done.
Something needs to be done to revitalize the East side business district, and update and improve the East side of the Village. I think everyone on the Village Board is in agreement with that fact. This includes those things that Trustee Ritter spoke about in the meeting, cited above.
However, the question is, shall these efforts fall squarely on the backs of taxpayers — particularly those property owners on the West side? I don’t think that’s the right way to go about things. If this immigration ordinance is passed in the Village, rather than on a nationwide or even a statewide level, making it more difficult for businesses to do business, that will be the case. As one resident I communicated with put it, “the taxpayers are going to take it where the sun don’t shine”.
Yet that does not need to be the case. While not ignoring the East side — the opening of the Fresh Market in the old Jewel space is a case in point — the West side has a perfect retail center available along the Randall Rd corridor, which can bring in businesses, stores and restaurants, etc to build on the hub that Algonquin and Lake in the Hills further up the road have helped make it.
Of course there are a number of details that need to be worked out, such as traffic flow along Randall Rd, etc. but by doing this, rather than bringing in more rooftops from home developers — especially those wanting multi-family dwellings — Village revenue will increase, enabling the Village to do more for roads, parks, and revitalization efforts on the East side, such as that which is being worked on at Morningside.
As I said in a previous post, the issues on the East side are not simply going to go away with the passage of an English-only ordinance or an illegal immigration ordinance. There is no quick fix. There has be a definitive plan and common goal, and it will take time — years, in fact.
But, if something like this immigration ordinance is passed in isolation in the area, it may not be realized in any of our lifetimes.
With the birth of their brand-new non-binding resolution after 9 months of labor, so begins their lives as parents of this little rug-rat…
1HeckOfAGuy is showcasing the fruits of Trustees Sigwalt’s and Humpfer’s labor in the Village over the past 9 months which will hang on the walls of Village Hall for years to come:
A commemorative plaque below the document will immortalize the words of Trustee Sigwalt upon passage of the resolution:
Even though a resolution is just fluff, we are still making a statement
Words which embody the spirit of Carpentersville Village government, and an example which few would dare to follow.
Here’s to you, Ms. Non-binding-Resolution-Passer!
On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune published an article about President Sarto. Apparently it got at least one resident a bit out of hand after reading it, firing off an email to Sarto. [Update (6/27/07): The Daily Herald reports that the residents name was Richard Grass, not Green as was reported in the Courier News on Tuesday.) [links appear at the end of this post]
Allegedly Carpentersville resident Richard Grass read the article that appeared in the Tribune and sent an email to Sarto and more than a dozen others, calling Sarto “a low-life worm” and “sick in the head”.
The section of the article that was referred to is as follows:
Sarto and his wife, Cheryl, had settled here in 1996 because she wanted to live close to her father. When her father had a stroke, he moved into their five-bedroom house. Bill’s parents lived downstairs.Then both of their fathers died within six months. Soon afterward, Cheryl was diagnosed with breast cancer. She and Bill divorced, largely, he says, because she didn’t want to put him through another illness. They remained good friends until she died on Jan. 1, 2005.
Grass allegedly wrote in response that Sarto “…needs a severe punch in the @#$%ing nose! … Not to mention a kick in the @#$%.”
Perhaps Sarto said some things he should not have, but Grass appears to have baited the situation. (UPDATE) In fact, I’ve seen some emails as well as comments on NWHerald.com that display the kind of crass language and lack of sense that is reported in this story. For him to call Sarto ‘a low-life’ is like the pot calling the kettle black. It is obvious that this was a personal attack against, and a threat to, Sarto, whom, the article states, lost his father and wife in the span of a few short years, and only a few years ago.
This kind of behavior is completely inappropriate!
As one who has been part of a long list of recipients on various emails between residents and Sarto, I must say that I think Sarto should take steps to filter those messages worthy of a reply from those that do not. This was one of those emails that did not deserve a reply, but the venomous nature of the statements is enough to elicit some form of reply from those who usually exercise the utmost restraint.
Grass should drop the complaint and apologize for his detestable actions. In fact, Grass’s inflammatory speech may not necessarily have First Amendment protections. Having not seen the actual email, I cannot be certain, but the nature of the limited information released, if it was not the worst of it, might lean that way.
Residents need to contact the Village Board only with appropriate communications on actionable Village business in which they can contribute information. Village Board members need only reply to these items and should seek to appropriately filter those emails requiring a response, or from whom they need more information.
Chicago Tribune: Village leader stands firm as debate rages
Daily Herald: Mayor in weekend email brouhaha
Courier News: Resident calls police on C’ville village president
Leaders in Carpentersville, Algonquin, East and West Dundee, Barrington Hills, Gilberts, Hampshire, Huntley, Lake in the Hills and Sleepy Hollow are backing a plan for the Longmeadow Bridge and Parkway.
I don’t know that I’ve seen a project of this scope with this kind of cooperation, said Jan Carlson, chairman of the transportation committee.
The area is in severe need of another bridge crossing the Fox River in order to alleviate some of the traffic tie-ups at the bridges of Carpentersville, Algonquin and Dundee. Traffic coming from the north as well contributes to congestion in Algonquin and Fox River Grove (Rt 14).
However, the bridge is being pitched as a toll bridge.
The idea of a bridge at Longmeadow Parkway has been discussed for more than a decade. Officials fear the bridge will never be built unless a definite funding plan – such as a tollbooth – is found.The tolls would be used for construction and maintenance of the bridges and would be removed once construction is paid off and a maintenance fund has been established.
Unfortunately, this is the same as was said about toll roads, such as Northwest Tollway, which makes me think that, unless specifics are provided for when this will be paid for and yearly reports are made available to the public regarding the progress toward such goal, this toll will never go away.
Years ago, something similar existed over the Rock River north of Rockford. The toll continued year after year until some bright citizen looked into the funds collected and found that such a goal had been achieved years earlier. A lawsuit resulted in a “reverse toll” being established, whereby for a specific period of time motorists were given $0.10 every time they crossed the bridge.
The reason why a toll bridge is unfortunate is that it will act as something of a deterrent to being fully utilized. Some people will be put off by having to pay a toll, and will continue to use the other bridges on a more regular basis, even if it means sitting idly and inhaling exhaust fumes.
If a toll is what it takes to get this bridge built, then so be it. But, it would be good if a larger portion of funding could be obtained from developers (i.e. home builders) in Hampshire, Gilberts, Huntley, Crystal Lake, Carpentersville and Algonquin, since more rooftops in this areas — not to mention commercial/retail development — are contributing significantly to the congestion. Such a plan would pay for the road faster — particularly as the area’s population continues to increase. It would also help establish the maintenance fund, and ensure greater usage in a shorter period of time, which would benefit all.
The Longmeadow Parkway, when complete, is to connect Huntley Rd on the West (just west of Randall Rd) with Algonquin Rd on the East (just east of Rt 25). An issue that needs to be considered on both the east and west sides, however, is that this 4 lane road will terminate at what are now two lane roads. If this remains, and this road is build, it will only contribute to the congestion, especially on Algonquin Rd-Rte 62 through Barrington Hills.
These issues need to be addressed now.
Trustees and local news media have been critical of President Sarto’s handling of comments shouted from the audience during Village Board meetings…
In the YouTube video below, Sarto takes the time to explain the rules of decorum during the meeting, and the intent to remove violators from the building. I, for one, think he needs to do that — as he said — at every board meeting, and then follow through on it.
The Daily Herald noted that he has removed several members of the audience in the past weeks. The volatile atmosphere present at last Tuesday’s meeting certainly may have presented a challenge to ruling perfectly, but the fact that he has been removing members should be given more consideration.
In fact, the example that the Daily Herald gave in the editorial actually works against their point:
First, the antics of a woman is mentioned as an example of Sarto’s failure to control the room …
After one member leapt out of her seat and launched into a tirade, it was obvious they were there to make a scene.
But, in the very next paragraph, it is noted that she was removed.
While the woman was eventually escorted out of the boardroom…
Oh wait … there’s more …
…she was allowed to carry on for far too long.
So the issue wasn’t that nothing was done, but that it wasn’t put down fast enough. Ok … then don’t make statements like this …
It takes more than a light tap of the gavel.
… because Sarto did do more than that.
Something about the intent behind the Illegal Alien Immigration Act that has bugged me since it was proposed in September 2006 is the harm that it may ultimately do to the Village.
There have been those who have cheered the fleeing of Hispanics from Hazleton, PA when the city passed a similar ordinance there. But, it hasn’t necessarily painted a rosier picture in Hazelton, as businesses began to struggle shortly thereafter.
Looking at the surnames of those business owners featured in the article, one might be tempted to say “good riddance.”
Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of forethought associated with such sentiments. With an East side that is something of an eyesore today, attempts to run Hispanics out of town certainly doesn’t seem the answer.
If what was said to occur in Hazleton happens on the East side of Carpentersville, what will be left? Empty retail buildings and homes. When the customer base leaves, the businesses will be forced to close. When the homes are empty, who’s going to come in to buy them?
The affluence of the West side will not be realized on the East side — and if it ever is, it will not be in the life time of any of us here today. Are the kind of folks living in the $500,000 – $1 million homes on the West going to be moving into the small ranch homes of the East? Of course not.
Perhaps some think a developer will come in an buy up blocks of those abandoned homes and raze them. Highly doubtful, unless they could get them for $100 or less per lot. Thinking that is a pipe dream.
So, a business district shuts down, the property tax base falls, and all the property owners living over on the West side are stuck footing the brunt of the bill.
But, perhaps the brainiacs in the crowd will enjoy the added tax break — give the county $5,000 – 7,000 more and save $300-500 on income tax. Yeah, that’s genius!
Editorials from Chris Bailey at the Daily Herald about government in Carpentersville are not always as even-handed as the one that appeared in today’s edition. As such, I feel it is necessary to give credit where credit is due. I hope that Ms. Bailey will provide future opportunities to offer such praise.
She is quite correct in her assessment. Leadership, not lip service or lashes with a wet noodle, is what the residents of Carpentersville need from the Village Board. However, not all of what she presents is spot-on.
For instance, Ms. Bailey notes that the Daily Herald agreed that President Sarto was playing politics to the harm of the Village. What is not presented is that Sigwalt and Humpfer appear to be doing the same.
Cal Skinner, on McHenry County Blog, noted the politics that Sigwalt and Humpfer appeared to be playing:
Call me cynical, but the timing of the English-only campaign in Carpentersville— leading up to the municipal elections — has had me thinking it was primarily a way to re-elect the two village trustees leading the fight.
One wonders, though, if Trustee Sigwalt feels it is likewise necessary for her to compromise on anything, as she continues to play politics, with the residents of the Village at stake.
We … urged Sarto to reappoint Humpfer, who played a key role in righting the village’s finances. Sarto agreed to compromise, offering to name Humpfer audit commission chairman and even permit him to name two members of the commission. Defying logic, Humpfer and Company rejected the offer.
Though Sarto withdrew the offer, he then reached out once more. Trustee Judy Sigwalt boasted, “He realizes he can’t do anything without us.”
Too bad they don’t all realize none of them will get far if they can’t find compromise instead of conflict.
I hope Trustee Sigwalt, most of all, is listening. President Sarto, for his part, is willing to listen, but should sometimes stop and take a few deep breaths before trying to deal with issues before the Village Board, residents’ outbursts during meetings, emails, and the disrespectful mumblings from Sigwalt and Humpfer during Board meetings. And, he should filter what requires and deserves a reply from what does not.
This town, frankly, needs — and deserves — far better than romper-room rhetoric and behavior. Although, clearly, the immigration issue is a volatile catalyst for conflict, elected officials in many communities find ways to differ respectfully. Carpentersville residents deserve no less from their leaders.
Quite right!
Here’s a guy who really knows what he’s talking about!
A few outtakes …
- passing a non-binding resolution that confers upon this decision an authority and prestige equal to that of legislative actions establishing National Pickle Day, Backpack Safety Month, and Dairy Goat Awareness Month
- Clearly a more restrictive definition of official language is required. First, dialects and accents not native to the area within a 100 mile radius of Carpentersville should be outlawed. In addition, an official Village Vocabulary with no words of more than two syllables and no slang terms developed after 1967 should be mandated for all written and spoken communication in order to ferret out those la-di-da smart alecks showing off their fancy-schmancy big words and those whippersnappers doing that jive-talk. Further, once the detection technology is available, humor and (especially) irony should be forbidden. Then and only then, can true unity prevail.
- Further, difficult decisions lie ahead: Are euphemisms to be banned? Is American Sign Language acceptable? And there is the crucial issue of determining which language a mime is not speaking.
This stuff is hilarious and really sheds light on the foolishness of this ordinance.
Ok, just having a little fun on the weekend. After all, don’t want people to think that I’m all serious, all the time.
Here’s a perfect example of the kind of “junk” that some bloggers will try to feed you. Notice the difference in that blogger’s opinion, and the reality.
Let’s start with the title, shall we?
“English Only” in Carpentersville PASSES!
It’s non-binding. It changes nothing. What’s with the celebration? There’s no victory there.
Moving on …
[President Sarto] wanted to vote on it.
Not particularly. He wanted the Illegal Alien Immigration Relief Act to be voted on. Sigwalt, Humpfer and Hinz, who all promised voters that they would pass it, all remained silent when the item was proposed. Aren’t these the folks that the anti-immigration folks voted in to deal with this issue? Now they won’t even talk about the issue you voted for them to support. Nice!
They voted on it, and now I’ll bet he’s wasting thousands of tax-payers’ dollars having the city attorney look for a way out.
I seriously doubt that he’s got anyone looking into it. It was a meaningless resolution. There’s no need for “a way out” because it was never “in”. But, Judy Sigwalt seemed to have no problem wasting taxpayer’s dollars on this meaningless bunk. Nor did she or Paul Humpfer seem to have any problem wasting taxpayer’s dollars on a campaign issue that they now won’t even talk about. Wow!
It’s so sad to hear that your village president is not concerned about the safety and well being of it’s employees and residents.
According to the Courier-News, Daily Herald, Northwest Herald, Kane Country Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, it was concern for employees in particular that caused this to be changed to a hollow resolution. It was concern for both the employees who work out in the community and the residents that caused Sarto and Ramirez-Sliwinski to vote against even the resolution.
The Courier News’ resident pro-illegal flake reporter, Ben Lablahblahblah, tried to extract a negative comment out of the police and fire chiefs last week regarding this proposal, of course playing on the scanario that police and fire officals will NOT be able to provide services to their citizens in Spanish if this passes.
This dude needs to read more than one paper, and he needs to read more closely too. As I posted several days ago …
Directors from five of Carpentersville’s most vital departments have reiterated concerns that establishing English as the village’s official language would obstruct day-to-day business.
Again, not only did the Courier-News report this, but also the Daily Herald, in addition to mentions in articles in the Tribune and Sun-Times about the lack of support for a stronger measure.
On Fox News Chicago the other night, Bill Sarto talked about the millions of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and didn’t know English. That was a long time ago Bill, and that was the “legal” way to come here as well.
Right. But, there are many who do come here legally who still haven’t learned, or mastered, English. (Heck, there are many who have lived here all their lives who haven’t mastered English.) You better go to ICE if you want to have the citizenship requirements changed to require people pass an English exam prior to receiving visas or naturalization approval. Better throw some taxpayer dollars to pay for that additional cost, too. And, we better be sure we’re doing “random English testing” on all citizens because I swear that many folks who have lived here all their lives wouldn’t pass a test.
Yes, it would be good for non-English speaking citizens to learn English — and many Hispanics speak both English and Spanish — but for those who don’t yet speak English, there is no way to know at what stage of their language education they are at. Further, actions like this make the job of public safety personnel more difficult because even if people know some English, they may be afraid to even try to speak due to fear from the law. That is one of the reasons why those who proposed “English-only” backed down. Except they didn’t do so completely, so complications will still arise from this ill-advised resolution.
And finally …
Now it’s time to start doing the right thing. You don’t have much time left to redeem yourself in the eyes of the voting public…
It seems to me that he’s doing exactly the right things. Unfortunately, folks out there are caught up in the emotion of this illegal immigration thing, which Carpentersville is not going to do anything about (and which Sigwalt, Humpfer, Hinz and Teeter appear unwilling to do anything about).
Meanwhile, the “All-American Team” now agrees with what Sarto said 9 months ago. What the heck took them so long? Are the slow thinkers?
Today, Carpentersville sits exactly where it did 9 months ago. The “All-American Team” is now saying to wait for Hazelton to be decided — which is what Sarto said 9 months ago. The “All-American Team” is now saying that it makes sense to write legislation that will not result in a lawsuit — which is what Sarto said 9 months ago. Sarto said this is an issue that would divide the community. And that is precisely what has happened.
If one reads the reactions of residents in the local news articles, one quickly discovers that the useless resolution passed on Tuesday night has divided the community. Attend or watch any Village Board meeting and you’ll see both a town and a Board divided.But, don’t tell that to Trustee Sigwalt.
Trustee Judy Sigwalt [said] Sarto has lost touch with how to unite the community.
Wow! Again, I just have to shake my head and ask: Really? Sarto is the one who has “lost touch with how to unite the community”? Really?!
Shortly after the his election, the Daily Herald was praising Sarto’s work at uniting a Board that was often contentious, and which the Courier News said has made much progress — until the immigration ordinance was put out there at the hands of Sigwalt and Humpfer.
Although the village board rarely has been as rancorous as it has been during Sarto’s tenure, it also has made a lot of headway during the past two years. It has updated and expanded the village’s nearly 10-year-old comprehensive plan and put money into repairing and maintaining its roads for the first time in decades. The beautification committee started shortly after he took office, and the village is almost finished updating its building and zoning codes, an often meandering list that critics said foiled and frustrated developers for the past 30 years.
Part of the rancor is the different opinions of the right direction for the Village. Obviously, since the Village is moving forward, those debates are not fruitless. But, the immigration ordinances have been nothing but contentious … and have divided the community.
That division is the work of a “uniter” like Sigwalt.
“This resolution makes a statement that says if you come to America and make America your new home, you should learn the English language”.
Remember that stock boy from the Mexican supermarket that I mentioned in one of yesterday’s entries? He mentioned his father’s attempts to learn English…
His father took two years of English lessons in Crystal Lake, he said, but had to quit because his two jobs left him little time to attend class.
I’m guessing that if its between learning English and being able to eat, any rational person is going to choose eating.
“We have to start somewhere to bring back the old days when this country was strong and united. It’s not like that anymore.”
Oh, you mean like in the 60s? You know, when there were war protests and civil rights marches? Is that what you mean? Or maybe you mean the 30s and 40s when we resolved to stay out of the war, until we got attacked? Or perhaps the poverty of the Great Depression? Maybe you mean the 70s? Watergate, presidential resignation/impeachment, gas shortages, the Iran hostage crisis? Ok … I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you mean the 50s… not a bad time, although it was bookended by war.
Face it. The world’s changed. Some things are good and some things are not. But you can’t legislate based on nostalgia.
I’ve been hearing a lot of questions already … “Who the heck is this guy?”And, as I mentioned in my intro post, I’m not telling. 
I’m not “chicken” or a “coward”. Rather, I want the focus to be on what is written and presented. Not accepted or dismissed based on who I am or who I know.
You can speculate all you want as to my identity, but I am neither going to confirm nor deny such speculation.
Technorati Tags: carpentersville, carpentersville action network
The Courier News published a story today about reactions to the “English-only” resolution that was passed in Carpentersville on Tuesday night.
In the story, a 15-year old stocker at a local Mexican grocery store reported his parents reaction to the news:
When asked if he thinks the trustees could unite Carpentersville’s diverse community by designating one official language, Loyo gave a distinctly American response.“Pfft — oh, yeah,” he said, the sarcasm practically dripping from his voice. “It’s not their decision to say who should speak what language. It should not be official. My parents feel put down by it.”
The writer spoke to Trustee Paul Humpfer about the reaction and reported Humpfer’s response:
When told of that response, Trustee Paul Humpfer said, “My first question is, are they citizens? I think it would help them to become citizens to learn English.“The intent is not to put people down,” he added. “The intent is to try to get residents to learn the English language.”
Really, Paul? You’re not intending to put people down, but your “first question” when hearing that a Hispanic person doesn’t speak English very well is to question their citizenship?
It’s more telling than shocking.
English-only vote is softer [Daily Herald, June 21, 2007, Larissa Chinwah]
Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer lacked support from the rest of the Board to pass the English-only ordinance. So, they opted for a “non-binding resolution” which even Sigwalt notes doesn’t do anything.
“I knew there wasn’t any support from other trustees for an ordinance,” Sigwalt said. “It doesn’t really change anything, but this is still a victory. We are making a statement that we feel it is good for the village to do what it can to prompt people to learn English.”
Do you really believe that, Judy? After all, here’s what you said only 2 months ago:
While Trustee Sigwalt concurred that it is a wonderful offer from the Sisters, she clarified the Ordinance states that English would be required for Village government business only, not for the community at large.
Trustee Paul Humpfer, again, seemed to jump on the wagon without enough information.
Humpfer said he was unaware of the number of documents and services the village offers in other languages. Humpfer said answers from village officials, including the fire and police chiefs, village manager and community development director, also swayed his decision to abandon the stricter measure.
“There are too many areas where we could find ourselves in trouble if we tried to make it obligatory,” Humpfer said. “But there is no reason why we can’t go back and change it at a later date.”
That answer seems like a bit of CYA with those that voted for Humpfer based on this issue. These “many areas” are areas that are outside of the Board’s purview. I mean, how is it that you are going to “go back and change it at a later date” if there are impediments which are outside the power of the Board to change?
And, what about Sarto’s dissenting vote?
Although the resolution does not affect the village’s day-to-day operations, Village President Bill Sarto said he saw fit to dissent.
“We are sending the message that people, whether they are here legally or illegally, are not trying hard enough to be good Americans,” Sarto said. “It is a stupid resolution that insults the integrity of people who are here to better themselves. I think it is shameful that we did this.”
I think Sarto is right about this, to a point. The “resolution” is pointless, so his vote was to the pointlessness of this resolution, which will probably continue to take up the Board’s time as people come forth to comment on it — either for or against what has been “resolved”.
The video below, from the April 16th Village Board meeting, features President Sarto speaking to the issue of illegal immigration. He notes that no hard evidence has been presented, to him or the Board, which indicates that illegal immigration is a problem in Carpentersville.
At one point, a member of the audience begins to debate the issue with Sarto. He gives Sarto his hard numbers: “2 people who no longer live in the Village.” That’s a biiiiiggg problem: 2 out of 37,000.
Now, let me say … if there were 2, there perhaps were 200 or 2000 or 20,000. Who knows? And that’s the point that Sarto is making. To date, the main sponsors of this ordinance — Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer — have provided no hard numbers. They’ve provided conjecture, assertions and speculation at some numbers they are seeing.
Of course, Trustee Sigwalt doesn’t think that’s important. She accuses Sarto of “preaching”, when she pontificated earlier at the same meeting about the public comments. Then, at the end of Sarto’s report, you hear her say, in a heinous show of disrespect, “Thank God”. I think she’s just upset that Sarto is calling her and Humpfer out on this.
What would be nice is for Sigwalt and Humpfer to stand up and say, “You know, Bill, you were correct in saying that we should wait for Hazleton to be decided. You were correct in asking for real evidence that illegal immigration is a problem in Carpentersville. You were correct in tabling this ordinance. You were correct that this issue would divide the community. You were correct that we need to focus on the more important issues facing Carpentersville.” All those things are what Sarto has been saying all along.
The problem is, they won’t do that — even though that is precisely what they are saying when they make explanations about why they don’t want to even discuss the illegal immigration ordinance.
My first few posts might give the impression that I’m for illegal immigration; that I support illegal immigrants.
I will state, matter-of-fact, that I am not.
But, I also believe the issue is not that simple. Yes, of course we have laws in the country, and “illegal means illegal“. We also have limits on the number of visas handed out and naturalized citizenships that we grant each year. And for good reasons.
Yet, there are a lot of things being said and done that are downright racist. By that I mean that many of the comments thrown about are specifically targeting Hispanics, without regard for whether they are here as lifelong citizens, naturalized citizens, on visas, or illegally. Those comments, and actions related to them, are just plain wrong.
The problems in Carpentersville are not due primarily to the presence of illegal immigrants. In fact, no evidence has been provided that links illegal immigrants to the significant problems that need to be dealt with in Carpentersville. Yes, there have been crimes that have occurred at the hands of illegals, but the majority are at the hands of legal residents. Yes, there are many homes having a large number of adults, and some might be here illegally. Certainly that is not case for all, and probably not the majority. Still there just aren’t the facts presented to say that all Carpentersville’s problems, or even a majority of them, are due to illegal immigrants.
And, therein lies the heart of the issue. Why establish ordinances and pay for extra law enforcement training and create a hostile environment over something for which there is little to no evidence is even a significant problem?
Read the comments on some of the articles at the Northwest Herald website and you’ll soon see that it is bigotry, racism and fear that are driving these comments. And, even if there is a certain justification for those attitudes, it does not make sense to establish these are rules of law that would hinder the rights of legitimate American citizens.
Again, I will say that I don’t support illegal immigration, nor rights or amnesty for illegal immigrants. But, I also don’t think that we need to be singling out a specific race (which is what is happening, even if the language is modified).
Because there are millions who are in this country illegally does not mean that one is justified in racism and intolerance.
It’s always interesting the little tidbits that you find when you read back through the Board meeting minutes …
For instance, in the minutes of April 17th, President Sarto had provided information about an educational program, through a group of Catholic Sisters in the Chicago Archdiocese, that could help residents in the community who are having difficulty learning English.
While Trustee Sigwalt concurred that it is a wonderful offer from the Sisters, she clarified the Ordinance states that English would be required for Village government business only, not for the community at large.
So, Sigwalt isn’t really interested in whether the Village and its residents can communicate.
That must be the “statement” you wanted to make, right Judy?
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