Only 1 out of 4 former aldermen show up & Ponto beats Berg 8 to 1

There was a good sized crowd attending the council meeting last night, but three people were notably absent: Dick Brunner, Jim Heinrich, and Tom Schellinger. Former alderman and mayoral candidate Cindy Kilkenny was the only former official to attend.

Many family members attend the swearing in and stand up in front for the ceremony. The mayor was first with his wife and daughter, then Bill Carnell from district 1, followed by Bob Reddin--district 2--with his wife and 2 children, on down the line of the unopposed incumbents--districts 3 - 5, then newly elected Jerry Mellone--district 6--with his wife Laurel, and lastly, Lisa Mellone--district 7--with husband Steve and 2 sons, all took the oath of office. Lisa and Steve Mellone's 2 young sons led the council in the Pledge of Allegiance.

On to the first order of business: Public Hearing for the new McDonald's on Mooreland. After the people involved in the promotion of the new McDonald's were finished, resident John Manescellco (sorry about the spelling) got up and raised some valid concerns. The McDonald's intended on placing a decorative ironwork fence at the east side of their property which would be the buffer between the residential area and the fast food restaurant. John asked what good a transparent fence would do the neighbors for protecting them from noise, view, traffic, and litter? That was a very valid point. He mentioned that at a Pick 'n Save in a similar situation the neighbors had a brick wall separating them from the noise and view. He was requesting that an opaque style fence be used at the McDonald's.

John brought up a second very valid point concerning "Phase 2" of this project: the service road. Keep in mind this service road was stopped in 1999. It was to have been a north/south road running from next to the Vitamin Shop, behind Ameritech, behind the McDonnald's up to the country club (I believe). He and his neighbors were upset that the road they stopped 7 years ago was again being proposed. He asked, What kind of democratic (system) is at work here? You have letters on file, a petition, and yet the road is a slam-dunk? What happens to my (and neighbors) quality of life when that service road goes in 50 feet from my property? Why is phase 2 even being considered? The whole plan goes back to the Plan Commission.

Last real bit of business for the council was to elect a new Council President. Scott Berg had been promoting his name and Steve Ponto was too. The surprise candidate was Dan Sutton. The first ballot was Ponto 7, Sutton 5, and Berg 2--no majority. Second ballot was Ponto 8, Sutton 5 and Berg 1. Ponto wins. Ponto was the better choice than Berg, but am disappointed that Dan Sutton did not prevail. Although Dan frequently votes with the crowd, he has good insticnts and raises valid questions during the discussion. I am hoping that with the new aldermen on the council that Dan will trust his good instincts more and vote accordingly.

I agree with the MJS article that the final vote of Ponto 8 to Berg 1 (I think we know where that vote came from) was the council's way of showing their disapproval of Berg's treatment of Cindy Kilkenny on his blog during the election. The Journal stated, "Although Berg has been appointed by Mayor Jeff Speaker to some leadership roles on task forces, he upset some peers with his election Web site, which strongly criticized Ald. Cindy Kilkenny in her unsuccessful bid to defeat Speaker for mayor. Even some aldermen who did not support Kilkenny disliked the tone of Berg's site."

As for Berg's actions and blog--both his regular one and the special election version--it would have been nice if the mayor would have reined him in these past years by not giving him prestigious appointments or by telling Scott he was off topic when making personal attacks during council debate.

Links: www.betterbrookfield.com and www.better-outcomes.com
www.brookfield2008.com and www.brookfieldnow.com

Weed control links: Mary Knoll Weed Out, garlic mustard and garlic mustard's pretty cousin, Dame's Rocket. (It can take over native areas too.) Garlic mustard should be thrown in the trash--do not compost!