You are currently browsing the daily archive for Aug 7, 2007.
Grant has a few new videos up over at YouTube that you might want to check out which were posted Sunday.
1. Sarto explains his ruling based on the rules for public comments that the Board had approved. [View]
2. Sarto moves to enforce the rules and 5 trustees, without explanation and dodging any questions about what their intent is, decide to overturn those rules for friend and cohort, Bob Sperlazzo. Sarto is correct in his ruling because the Board chose not to discuss it; and continues to say that it will not discuss it. To let members of the public continue to comment on it is illogical and rightly outside the purpose of public comments and the Board meetings. [View]
3. A woman flies off the handle into a tirade of near incoherence because someone, allegedly a trustee’s husband, told her she “was done”. A fine representation of the kinds of comments the Board must endure which have little-to-nothing to do with what the rules require, namely that comments concern matters “relevant to Village business”. [View]
4. Tom Roeser, President of Otto Engineering (Carpentersville’s largest employer) provides evidence of how poorly the Board and staff are managing the Village.[View]
[Note to Grant: Despite your discontentment with me, I do appreciate your efforts and work, especially on the YouTube/Google vids. Thanks!]
I wanted to wait a bit to comment on the New York Magazine piece until a bit of time had passed to gauge the reaction around the media-sphere and blogosphere.
So far, I haven’t found any that sums it up better than Slate:
The cover story delves into the racial politics of Carpentersville, Ill., a small Chicago suburb with a large Hispanic population. Two “village trustees” are waging a campaign using the increasingly popular technique of “[passing] ordinances and legislation aimed at making life miserable for illegal immigrants.” It’s a pretty flimsy cover for latent racism, and fliers for the campaign scream of a raging cultural superiority complex. Locals claim that Hispanic immigrants refuse to assimilate. If that’s true, it might be to their credit: Studies show “as immigrant children become more like Americans … they spend less time on homework, their blood cholesterol rises, divorce rates go up and levels of incarceration increase.”
The author of the New York Times cover expose, Alex Kotlowitz, was also on Chicago Public Radio today talking about the article. One of the things that I found of particular interest is when Kotlowitz spoke of Trustee Sigwalt’s and Humpfer’s purpose being driven, in part, by rising crime in the Village since the Hispanic population began to rise. Echoing what he wrote in the article, he noted that “crime in Carpentersville is actually down significantly over the past 5 years” and has been reduced by half in the last 10 years. Ouch! That’s gonna leave a mark!
My impression of the article, overall, is that it really showcases the aim of Trustee Sigwalt, and Trustee Humpfer to a lesser scale and by association: To get Hispanics out of town.
“I’ve gone into the Polish deli and the German deli, and they’re so friendly,” Sigwalt said. “When I go into the Hispanic grocery store, I feel like an intruder; I feel unwelcome.” Humpfer added, “It’s gotten to a level where the number of illegals is so big, these stores can cater to only one culture.”
That cuts right through all their attempts at spin; all their attempts to say “it’s not about race”. This epitomizes and clarifies their agenda. More evidence from the paragraph just prior to this reference clinches it; as does a racist flier distributed with the knowledge of Paul Humpfer prior to the April 2007 elections that contributed to the win.
The real shining star of the article, though, is Otto Engineering president, Tom Roeser, who has the right ideas for the Village. As the head of Carpentersville’s largest employer, he should. He’s also actually making a difference in the Village.
He tried to persuade Habitat for Humanity to come in, but they told him they don’t do renovations, so over the past couple of years, Roeser has bought 20 town houses that he then fixed up. He rents the houses to employees for $600 a month, which according to a local real estate agent is well below the market rate. He also purchased a nearby restaurant to keep it from being converted into a tavern.
However, what destroys the arguments of Sigwalt and Humpfer (and their allies) are the stats behind the arguments, which the article presents.
Still, Sigwalt and Humpfer are getting what they want: Hispanics are leaving Carpentersville, in droves, if you will. They are leaving empty, unkempt homes and fledgling or closed businesses in their wake.
It is clear, though, that Sigwalt and Humpfer have had an impact. Hispanics are leaving town. On the east side, for-sale signs seem as ubiquitous as the cicadas that emerged this spring; the number of homes for sale has nearly doubled from the same time last year. While part of that may be a result of the slow housing market, real estate agents told me that some people say they want to leave town, either because they or a family member is illegal or simply because they feel unwelcome.
Despite all the damage they are doing to Carpentersville, they seem undeterred. And, until folks stand up and put them in check, they will continue to tell Hispanics to get out of their town. As I’ve said, this is their only plan. They have no other plans for the future. Even their supporters can’t tell you what else they’ve done; what they’ve done positive for the Village.
Saturday’s Daily Herald had an editorial comment, “Seeing green?”, about Trustee Sigwalt’s plan to impound cars of those caught driving without insurance or a valid driver’s license. Though it says its about generating revenue, its really another bullet in the “illegal immigration”/anti-Hispanic scheme. After all, the plan is to make Carpentersville an unwelcoming place for illegals Hispanics.
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