Lone dissenting alderwoman's opinion of her colleagues in Des Plaines on passing TIF despite referendum opposing:
http://www.journal-topics.com/dp/06/dp061110.5.html
The overwhelming rejection of the "Five-Corners" River-Rand Tax Increment Financing Dist. (TIF) with 78% voting against it might have been seen as a big victory for TIF opponents. However, the official vote on whether or not to pass the TIF came the night before from the Des Plaines City Council, and the result was overwhelming again. This time, the vote was in favor of TIF supporters as it passed 7-1.
So did the referendum's defeat really change anything?
"No, nothing," said Ald. Tom Becker (6th), "it's not going to stop anything. We didn't do any advertising for it. With the amount of money they put out, I would've been disappointed if they didn't get those results."
"I wish instead of spending all that money on this," Becker continued, referring to TIF opponents, "if they would've spent the money on the property over there we wouldn't have had this discussion."
Meanwhile, Ald. Carla Brookman (5th) had a decidedly different view of what this all means.
"This vote shows that the elected officials, the mayor and the aldermen, are clearly out of touch with the constituents they claim to represent," Brookman said.
Brookman said that people were concerned with the public cost of the TIF, the possibility of it causing a tax hike, and the idea that the government would take private property from one business owner and turn it over to another.
She said now that the voters have spoken against the TIF, the council should heed their will.
"Pushing this through the night before the vote clearly speaks to the arrogance of this administration, and demonstrates the disrespect and the contempt that this City Council has for the residents."
Brookman said that comments have been made from the council floor implying that the constituents couldn't understand the TIF, and shouldn't have a vote one way or the other.
"The real fear," she said, "is that the voters do understand the TIF issue and would cast a negative vote at the polls and that's why they rammed it through.
"They shouldn't move forward on this TIF."
Becker said that opponents of the TIF fed the public a lot of misleading information, and was not at all surprised by the results at the polls.
Does any of this change anything?
"The final vote was taken," Becker said. "It's a done deal."