A VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
By Rich Trzupek
South Elgin Report
Having covered the South Elgin Board for a year and a half, this reporter will now be moving on to other assignments. You�ll still get The Cheap Seats folks, but village business will be the responsibility of a new, and no doubt much better-looking, reporter.
Leaving an assignment is always bittersweet, but it does afford your humble correspondent the rarest of opportunities: to tell you What the Reporter Really Thinks. We don�t get to do that very often, or at least we�re not supposed to do that. Objectivity is the goal, though it�s too often elusive for today�s media.
The quick report is that, in my opinion, South Elgin is very well run. I have seen government run much worse and haven�t seen many municipalities run any better.
South Elgin earns high marks for professional management, careful and reasoned consideration of residents� concerns and for establishing sensible priorities. Growth can be difficult to manage. This board and this staff have worked hard to balance progress against preservation and, in my opinion, has done it very well.
Are there things I would change? Sure, there are, but they are mostly of the ticky-tack variety, issues that affect a reporter�s ability to deliver the news, but that don�t really affect much else.
Reporters get what is commonly referred to as a �press packet,� for example. In every other town I have covered, the press packet includes a wealth of background information that is very helpful when trying to construct an accurate story.
In South Elgin the press packet consists of a tense staff memo, that contains a bare minimum of information. Staff is very willing to give you anything else you want, but it�s tough to know what you might want when you�re operating in a vacuum. A little more disclosure up front would be good.
The timing of the village board�s meetings is also a bit annoying thought it affects no one but the press. Other villages hold two meetings on the same night; a Committee of the Whole meeting and an official Village Board meeting. Most of the time, the public notice for those two meetings defines a time for the Committee of the Whole meeting, with the Village Board meeting to follow immediately thereafter.
In South Elgin, both of the meetings are assigned definitive start times, 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. Which means that, if the Committee of the Whole meeting lasts 10 minutes, reporters, staff and trustees have 50 minutes to pick their noses before the next meting can officially begin. Just change the public notice language folks�it�ll be OK.
Those things don�t actually matter of course. They fall under the heading of �bitching and moaning,� which is part of the press� job too.
More importantly, much more importantly in fact, you�ve got a quality staff. The most important staff positions are Finance Director and Community Development Director. Together, they define the direction of your town and how your tax dollars are invested. You�ve got two very competent professionals in those roles.
Art Skibley came to the village from a private enterprise background. He brings the best of both worlds to South Elgin, understanding both the need for innovation and the public�s need for accountability. He�s a fine professional, but without any of the arrogance.
The same goes for Community Development Director Steve Super. Super brings a self-depreciating sense of humor and a balanced approach to a job that is one of the most difficult in a growing community. He also brings a collection of ties that require sunglasses to view, but that�s probably a small price to pay for professionalism.
Chuck Behm is what a Public Works Director should be: a nerd doing a nerd�s job (which wins the approval of this nerd). Village Attorney Derke Price has the ability to translate legalese into English, which is vital in his role.
Police Chief Chris Merritt combines a cop�s practical cynicism with an understanding of political realities in an �au shucks� attitude that is particularly effective. Last, but not least, Village Manager Larry Jones makes the most of his crew, evaluating decisions and delivering recommendations that make common sense.
But, no matter how good the staff might be, a village can go to hell very quickly if the board that oversees that staff is unable to understand its role. In days gone by, the village board (I am told) was unable to hit that note.
Micro-management can be as destructive as under-management. If a board tinkers with every staff decision, staffers will ultimately do nothing, out of fear, and the village will gain nothing for all of the dollars invested in their salaries. If the board sits back too much, staffers can run wild. The role of a board is subtle; they must keep tabs and offer direction, but they can not destroy initiative and innovation.
This board gets it. Trustee Mike Kolodziej is a treasure, combining pointed, often irreverent, observations with respect for the professionals that he and his fellow board members have chosen to employ. Kolodziej is exactly the kind of everyman that voters want as their representative.
As are John Goodman look-alike John Sweet, the eternally rumpled but always insightful Bill DiFulvio and the ever-observant watchdog, Lisa Guess. Steve Ward displays the ability to see into the ultimate consequence of a decision and Scott Richmond provides another perspective on a board that is willing to consider another point of view. Matronly Village Clerk Margo Gray is quietly efficient.
Village President Jim Hansen sits atop the structure, but he�s not a guy who seems enamored of his position. A former trustee, long-time resident and family-man, Hansen rejects the pompousness that often goes with his position. He�s equally willing to crack a joke and to appreciate one. �If this job isn�t fun, what�s the point?� he has observed.
Hansen lets residents speak their mind, even when those residents don�t follow Roberts Rules of Order. Most of all, he is not inclined to micro-manage, which sets a healthy tone to the rest of the board. Yes, he�s a bit reserved, which some residents define as arrogance. From my perspective, it�s nothing more than caution, which is a good thing to have in a village president.
From my point-of-view, you�re doing pretty damn well South Elgin. Keep it up. I�ll miss ya.
