Daily Action Report: May 2, 2008

Good Morning, Carpentersville!

Today is Day 58 that Paul Humpfer retains a seat on the Board since conviction on 4 counts of domestic battery, and Day 345 since he last had residence in the Village of Carpentersville.

The $0.02 gas-tax went into effect yesterday … with no difference in gas prices from those in surrounding towns …

Rain is expected today — about an 80% chance — with thunderstorms, some severe, later this afternoon. A high of near 73 degrees is expected, with a cool front sweeping in to drop temps into the low 50s overnight. High tomorrow only in the upper 50s.

A letter appearing in the Courier-News today from a 46-year resident of Carpentersville expresses disappointment “that Trustees Kay Teeter, Ed Ritter, Keith Hinz and Judy Sigwalt do not have the character to do the right thing and remove Paul Humpfer from the village board for his conviction on attacking his wife with a baseball bat.” Folks know that Humpfer’s conviction of an infamous crime makes him ineligible to serve on the Board, and he has not had residency in the Village for about 11 months.

One “Speak Out” related to Carpentersville appeared in the Courier-News today. It is interesting that most of the “Speak Out” comments that are critical of those seeking to remove Humpfer are sure not to mention anything negative about those Trustees who are ignoring — and in some cases, breaking — the law. By this point, we all know that is pretty much the same group of callers and commenters. It’s basically their “campaign” to help out their buddies on the Board.

Speaking of those on the Board who essentially ignore the law, have you noticed a pattern? Yesterday, I wrote about Sigwalt and Co attempting to change the powers of the President, which the Village Attorney already advised was unenforceable. Folks may recall other earlier things that they tried/failed … such as the illegal immigration ordinance, the “English-only” ordinance, censure and even an attempt to infringe on First Amendment rights.

These same Trustees are now also planning to take action against things like happened with the Audit and Finance Commission members. There is a “discussion and direction” item on the agenda for the next Board meeting regarding appointed positions and absences. Readers will recall that resident members on the Commission, and President Sarto, refused to attend the meeting (and one member said, all future meetings) until the Trustees took action on Paul Humpfer.

It’s all just par for the course with these guys. When things aren’t going their way, they want to change the rules to suit themselves, and put down legitimate protests. This time, because the law condemns their friend, they are trying to change things so that no one can do anything to try to enforce it.

How long will it be before their actions target you, and your rights as a citizen in the Village?