Today is the first day that Cook County is accepting absentee voting applications. According to state law, if you’re a registered voter in suburban Cook County, you may cast an absentee ballot if you are:

• Expecting to be out of Cook County on Election Day
• Physically incapacitated or hospitalized
• Temporarily away at college
• Serving on a jury
• Serving as an election judge or election official
• Observing a religious holiday

For more information on absentee voting, visit the Cook County Clerk’s Office website or calling their office at (312) 603-0944. You can also get an absentee ballot application here.

The Riverside Community Alliance slate would like to thank everyone who attended our Town Hall meeting on Sunday. We had a standing-room-only crowd in the room. After a presentation of our platform, we took questions from the audience for about 90 minutes – until there were no questions left from those in attendance.

There was a wide range of people in the audience of more than 60: Village Trustees (and President), other candidates for Village Board, commission members and mostly, village residents.

Thank you to all who attended and all who helped to make the event the success it was.

A copy of our presentation can be viewed here: town-hall-2009-02-22ppt

Riverside Community Alliance pledges a new era of open, transparent government in Riverside. In that spirit, we invite all Riverside residents to our Town Hall meeting.

Smith & Riverside Party/Caucus Slate Running to Perpetuate System Smith Called “Part of the Problem”

Once decried “Caucus dominated administrations,”
now embraces them.

“For, if you are part of the problem (Caucus dominated administrations, past and present), you cannot be the solution.” Those are the words of now Caucus-selected, Caucus-endorsed Riverside Party candidate for Village Board President Kevin Smith, as he campaigned against long-time one-party rule by the Riverside Caucus in Riverside in 2001.

The question now posed by the Riverside Community Alliance, which is running a slate of candidates to challenge long-time, one-party rule by the Caucus, is does candidate Smith of 2009 agree with candidate Smith of 2001?

The Riverside Community Alliance slate calls on candidate Smith to explain why he and the rest of the Riverside Party/Caucus slate are running to perpetuate the single-party rule of the Caucus and running on a platform of continuing the policies of the current Caucus-dominated Board when he is on the record as saying “can Riverside afford the cost of turning its government entirely over to a single political party?” Between 2001 and 2007, the Caucus-dominated Riverside Village Board increased overall village spending by 47%, with non-capital expenditures rising 42% during that period. The Village spent more money than it has taken in every year between 2002 and 2007.¹

And if Smith was concerned enough about one-party Caucus rule in 2001 to write “If Lord Acton’s famous observation is correct, that ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’: can Riverside afford the cost of turning its government entirely over to a single political party?”, then why should he expect voters to feel any differently in 2009 about Smith and the rest of the Caucus-backed “Riverside Party?”

“Mr. Smith uses very strong language to describe the effects of Caucus-dominated administrations. Words like ‘corrupt’ and ‘exclusionary,’” said Mark Shevitz, one of Riverside Community Alliance’s Village Trustee candidates. “He was forcefully against one-party Caucus rule just a few years ago, yet now he is leading a slate that would continue longtime Caucus domination of the Village Board? This seems like a case of ‘I was against one-party rule before I was for it.’”

“In the last two village elections, residents voted against the Caucus-dominated Board’s plans for a TIF and 32% property tax increase by a 4-to-1 margin,” said Jim Reynolds, one of Riverside Community Alliance’s Village Trustee candidates. “Perhaps this is a manifestation of ‘political survival tends to take precedence over building broad-based community support,’ as Smith describes it. Although Smith was on the Board during both votes.”

According to both the Riverside Brookfield Landmark and Riverside Suburban Life, the ‘Riverside Party’ candidates, including Smith, were “selected” by the Caucus to run for Village Board for the 2009 election. Smith also ran on the Caucus slate in 2005.

Smith’s comments can be found at:

http://www.riverside-illinois.com/Candidates/KevinSmith.htm

The site contains a number of compelling arguments in favor of breaking the longtime — and continuing — dominance of the Riverside Caucus in Riverside village government, including:

“A major concern is that with a single political party controlling the entirety of Riverside’s elected government and its purse strings, exclusionary tendencies will set in. This is not meant to cast aspersions on anyone, but to call attention to a natural phenomenon: the structure that assures political survival tends to take precedence over building broad-based community support.”

“If Lord Acton’s famous observation is correct, that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely“: can Riverside afford the cost of turning its government entirely over to a single political party?”

“For, if you are part of the problem (Caucus dominated administrations, past and present), you cannot be the solution.”

The Riverside Community Alliance believes that one-party rule is a contributing factor to issues such as the Village Board spending $100,000+ in pursuit of a failed TIF plan and the 2008 attempt to raise Riverside property taxes by 32%. Both measures were rejected by Riverside voters by an 80% to 20% vote, indicative that the Caucus’ longtime domination of the Riverside Village Board has created a government that is out of touch with the needs and desires of residents.

The Riverside Community Alliance slate of Mike Gorman (Village President candidate), Jim Reynolds, Lonnie Sacchi and Mark Shevitz (Village Trustee candidates) is running to provide Riverside residents with a smarter alternative to one-party rule by the Caucus. The slate is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, attracting sustainable businesses to Riverside’s downtown, and open, transparent government.

¹ Village of Riverside Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2007

In response to Riverside Party/Caucus candidate Kevin Smith’s press release concerning “disclosure,”"honest people” and “the public interest,” Mike Gorman, Riverside Community Alliance Village President candidate, said:

“This is candidate Smith’s third village election, and to the best of my knowledge this is the first time he has been forced to address transparency in Riverside government. It makes me wonder why he didn’t feel the same way about transparency for the past eight years as a Village Trustee. In this, my first election, I am happy to provide voters with information about my background.”

“If Trustee Smith really wanted this kind of information from me, all he had to do is ask. But he did not. He did not contact me in any way about this issue. Instead, he went to the media in an attempt to get some attention for him and his slate,” said Gorman.”It’s ironic that he calls for transparency, because in 2007 he voted with the rest of the Caucus-selected, Caucus-endorsed Village Board to restrict the number of residents who could comment at Board meetings and to limit the amount of time residents had to make their comments.*”

“This is a typical Caucus political tactic: don’t focus on the real issues, like the fact that every year that Trustee Smith has been on the Board, the village has spent more than it has taken in**, or that the Riverside Party/Caucus ticket is talking about’home rule,***’ which would allow the Board to raise property taxes without any sort of resident vote,” said Gorman.”I guess if that was my record, I would want to change the subject, too.”

“Here are the facts about my background: I am an attorney with an active license from the Supreme Court of Illinois (ARDC) and have held such license since 1979,”said Gorman. “I have worked in the private sector since earning my law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. I have spent the majority of my career as in-house corporate counsel. I am a certified public accountant and actively practiced as a licensed CPA from 1973 through 1976. I always take pride in the fact that I was awarded the Elijah Watts Sells Award on the 1973 CPA exam. This Award is presented to CPA candidates who receive the highest scores in the United States. For the May 1973 exam, of 29,668 candidates, 49 Sells Awards were presented.”

“I am a member in good standing with the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. I am currently retired and I do not have, nor have I ever had, any professional or personal relationships that would impact my ability to serve as an effective, fair and open member of the Village Board. But Mr. Smith knows all of this. I have filed the required Statement of Economic Interests with the Cook County Clerk and the Riverside Village Clerk. And my resume has been publicly available since it was filed with the Village in January, 2007 when I was appointed to the village’s Long-Term Finance Committee.”

“Because I am retired, I will have the time to focus on the real issues facing Riverside: creating a sustainable budget that provides the services that residents want in a fiscally responsible way; bringing businesses to our downtown; and creating a more transparent village government that is responsive to resident needs,” said Gorman. “And I know that the rest of the Riverside Community Alliance slate is committed to making these things a reality for Riverside as well.”

* Village of Riverside Board Minutes, April 3, 2007, Item VIII, Ordinance Amending Section 1-6-4 and 1-6-6 Of The Village Code Regarding Order Of Business At Village Board Meetings And Guidelines For Public Comment and Item IX, Resolution Adopting Guidelines for Village Board Meeting Participation

** Village of Riverside Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2007, p.92

*** Riverside Party Stresses Need for Revenue, Business, Riverside/Brookfield Landmark, January 20, 2009

Riverside Community Alliance pledges a new era of open, transparent government in Riverside. In that spirit, we invite all Riverside residents to our Town Hall meeting.

Riverside Community Alliance
Announces Platform
for April 7, 2009 Riverside Village Board Election

Riverside Community Alliance (RCA), which is running four candidates in Riverside’s April 7, 2009 election (Mike Gorman, candidate for Village President; Jim Reynolds, Lonnie Sacchi, Mark Shevitz, candidates for the three open Village Trustee seats) today announced the party’s platform.

Giving Riverside Residents an Alternative to One-Party Rule

For decades, the Riverside Caucus has dominated Riverside government. RCA believes that one-party rule, and the lack of accountability that comes with it, has led to many of the issues that Riverside faces today: fiscal problems, a declining downtown and unresponsive government.

Rather than continue the policies of the Caucus-dominated board, as the Caucus candidate for Village President has promised to do, Gorman, Reynolds, Sacchi and Shevitz pledge to bring new ideas and a more positive direction to the village. RCA is a new party not beholden to the policies and politics of the past. The slate will take a smarter, fresh approach to the village’s issues, and hopes to usher in a new era for Riverside.

“We offer a real change from the policies of the past,” said Jim Reynolds, RCA candidate for Village Trustee. “We are offering Riverside residents a choice in the upcoming election: more of the same Caucus-dominated board, or a new direction guided by smarter policies to address the village’s issues.”

The RCA Platform:

If elected, Gorman, Reynolds, Sacchi and Shevitz pledge to work to enact all of the portions of this platform. “There are seven seats on the Village Board. We are running as a slate, and by voting for all four of us, Riverside can count on us to deliver on what we promise,” said Gorman. “The village has an opportunity to make a fresh start in village government and break from the old policies of one-party rule.”

1. Fiscal Responsibility

The foremost issue facing Riverside is its budget and fiscal policies. Creating a new budget dynamic that brings village operations in line with current fiscal realities to create a sustainable budget that maintains and enhances services to residents is RCA’s top priority.

Between 2001 and 2007, village spending has increased 47%, from $6.95MM to $10.23MM. RCA believes that this skyrocketing spending over such a short period necessitates a top-down, line-by-line budget audit to identify areas of cost savings and better efficiency.

If elected, the RCA slate will:

Undertake a top-down budget analysis to identify cost savings — without service cuts — through:
- A review of both how services are provided and how Village resources are managed.
- A review of management and support positions to ensure the Village is staffed to support current realities — considering both the residents’ needs and their ability to pay.
- Perform this review with the goal of providing a better level of services to residents without having to spend more of the village budget.

Hold the line on property taxes. The RCA slate does not foresee a need to increase property taxes, does not want to raise property taxes, and has no intention of doing so if the slate is elected.

Work with the Parks and Recreation Department to ensure that it maximizes the programming that it offers Riverside residents. RCA wants the Parks and Recreation Department to not just survive, but thrive, as a self-sustaining department that does not need tax dollars to support itself. RCA feels that the Parks and Recreation Department is an important part of Riverside’s community.

Reverse the trend of spending more than the village takes in to address the so-called “structural deficit” and create a long-term, sustainable budget and level of service.

Put significant capital improvements to a referendum, undertaking multi-million dollar projects only with voter approval. If these projects are truly needed, then the village government should be able to make the case to residents.

Review the propriety of all of the village’s no-bid contracts.

Implement a project-based accounting system designed to keep track of project costs on an ongoing basis.

Identify areas where the Village can call on residents’ expertise to replace excessive spending on consultants.

“The current Village Board has maintained that Riverside has a revenue problem, and things like the TIF and recent property tax increase are a reflection of that view,” said Mike Gorman, RCA’s candidate for Village President. “The RCA slate, if elected, will look at both sides of the equation: spending and revenue. Let’s see where we can control costs while enhancing services. The Caucus-dominated boards have not performed the kind of top-down, line-by-line review that we are pledging to undertake.”

2. Sustainable Businesses in Downtown Riverside

RCA feels that a landmark community like Riverside deserves a landmark business district. For too long, too much of Riverside government’s focus has been on catering to developers and high-density development rather than attracting businesses. RCA’s goal is to have a business district with businesses that residents are excited to support. This starts with the recognition that we, as Riverside residents, are responsible for supporting businesses, and the Village Board is responsible for bringing together residents, businesses and landlords to attract those businesses and encouraging residents to support them.

If elected, the RCA slate will:

Focus on bringing businesses, not just development, to Riverside. As the budget allows, we will bring in a professional who specializes in leveraging the assets of historic communities to attract businesses.

Recognize that decisions made by the Village Board impact our local schools — that high-density development will not only change the character of our village and overburden our infrastructure, but it will also exacerbate the overcrowding of our local schools — and is not a viable option for Riverside.

Promote “green” development in order to become a model green community in the Chicago area.

Make the needs of residents — not developers — our top priority.

Retain and assist our current businesses and retailers, while pursuing new ventures which will complement our existing businesses and which our residents will support.

Treat the Central Business District as a distinct Landmark Commercial District within our National Historic Landmark Village. Development needs to be appropriate for a Landmark Commercial District.

Promote Riverside as a historic destination and capitalize on Olmsted’s legacy.

Leverage the qualities of the Village which are the reasons most residents have remained here or moved here in the first place: location; school districts; historic legacy; access to transportation; serenity; all augmented by surrounding resources and amenities.

“There is no reason why a nationally-recognized historic community like Riverside cannot sustain a viable downtown that serves the needs of its residents,” said Lonnie Sacchi, RCA candidate for Village Trustee. “RCA has a new approach to our downtown. With the right leadership from the Village Board, we can bring together residents, business owners and local landlords to bring in the kinds of businesses that Riverside would support.”

3. Open and Transparent Government

The results of the past two local elections, a rejection of both the TIF and the property tax increase by 4-to-1 margins, are indicative of the disconnect between local government and residents that is caused by longtime one-party rule. RCA wants to have a more engaged Riverside, where residents feel welcome to attend and contribute to local government meetings and are encouraged to take an active role in what happens in Riverside.

If elected, the RCA slate will:

Put as much village information as possible online, with the goal of making it easy for residents to know and understand what their local government is doing and where their tax dollars go. This includes:
- Video of Village Board and commission meetings
- The village “checkbook” — all expenditures and revenues
- All other appropriate village information

Eliminate “Committee of the Whole” meetings — anything that the board discusses should be open to public comment.

Change the policy of restricting resident comment at Board meetings. The Board needs to be aware of resident opinions before a vote is taken.

Allow for public comment at two consecutive Village Board meetings before an ordinance is voted upon.

Hold periodic, village-wide “State of the Village” meetings where trustees have a Q&A with residents, where any issue is open for discussion with the Village Board.

Make meeting minutes available to the public on a more timely basis.

“For too long, it has been too difficult for residents to find out what the Village Board is doing. Our vision is ‘government information on demand’ — whenever they want, Riverside residents should be able to find out how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Mark Shevitz, RCA candidate for Village Trustee. “And we will ensure there are more opportunities for resident dialogue and participation before the Village Board takes action on issues.”

Riverside Community Alliance
Announces Slate for
April 7, 2009 Riverside Village Board Elections

The Riverside Community Alliance (RCA) today announced their slate for Riverside’s 2009 Village Board elections:

President: Michael C. Gorman
Trustee: James D. Reynolds
Trustee: Lonnie R. Sacchi
Trustee: Mark D. Shevitz

These candidates bring a wealth of business, financial and management experience coupled with long-standing community involvement. They pledge to bring positive change and progress to Riverside by addressing head-on the main issues confronting the village after decades of one-party domination of Riverside government by the Riverside Caucus.

RCA was originally formed as a community group in 2007 to provide Riverside residents with a voice in village issues. Gorman sees the RCA ticket as a continuation of that purpose.

“We are running to provide Riverside with a real choice in village leadership. Our focus is on four areas: fiscal responsibility, sensible development in Riverside’s business districts, open and transparent village government and strengthening our sense of community. These are all issues that we feel can be improved in Riverside, and we think that RCA has the right plans to make significant progress in these areas.”

Some of the initiatives that the RCA promises to pursue, if elected, include:
• Undertaking a top-down budget analysis aimed at providing better services at a lower cost to residents
• Putting the village checkbook, Village Board materials and videos of Village Board meetings online for public review
• As funds allow, hiring a director of business development with experience in leveraging the heritage of a historic community to attract new businesses and food establishments to our village
• Creating more opportunities for the community to come together — in village governance, commerce, and recreation

“We want to give Riverside residents a smarter alternative to the virtual one-party rule of the Caucus that we’ve had in the village for so long,” said Shevitz. “We want to bring some fresh ideas to the table. We think Riverside can do better than TIFs and taxes, and that’s why we’re excited to be running. We look forward to talking with residents about our plans to create a stronger Riverside.”

Gorman, Reynolds, Sacchi and Shevitz were all active in rallying Riverside residents to vote down the proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in April 2007 and the November 2008 property tax increase.

For more information, visit the RCA’s website, RiversideCommunityAlliance.blogspot.com or call (708) 442-3166.

Michael C. Gorman, 57, has been a Riverside resident since 1979. He is both an Attorney and CPA and has practiced for the majority of his career as Corporate Legal Counsel. In 2007, he served as a member of Riverside’s Long Term Finance Committee. Gorman holds a B.A. from Western Illinois University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Mike and his wife, Linda, have three children who all attended Riverside public schools.

James D. Reynolds, 63, has been a resident of Riverside for the last 15 years. He is the CEO of Father Time Antiques, Inc., the Midwest’s largest restorer and retailer of vintage and antique timepieces, and the CEO of Segway of Chicago. Jim has served as President of the Frederick Law Olmsted Society of Riverside for the last three years. He holds an Associate of Arts degree from Wright College, and a B.S. degree from Southern Illinois University. He and his wife Chandra have a daughter, Aria, who is a mechanical engineering student at MIT, and a son, Preston, who is currently a senior at Riverside-Brookfield H.S

Lonnie R. Sacchi, 59, has been a Riverside resident for 25 years. After establishing and serving as Vice President of Access Automotive, he transitioned his career into commercial and residential real estate investment and today owns and manages apartments. Lonnie has served on the board of directors and as president of the Olmsted Society. He also occasionally contributes articles to the Landmark Newspaper. Sacchi has a B.A. in history from Loyola University and has continued his educational studies with multiple seminars at the Newberry Library.

Mark D. Shevitz, 39, is a ten year resident of Riverside. He is the Senior Brand Strategist at Movéo Integrated Branding. He has served on the board of the Frederick Law Olmsted Society and owned a marketing communications business based in Riverside. Shevitz is a graduate of Colgate University. He and his wife have a son at Riverside Presbyterian Preschool.

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