My name is Cathy Haley and I work in the village office in Riverside. I am also a resident of Riverside. This is the first time I have ever posted anything on the forum, but events that transpired in the office yesterday compel me to speak out.
While I was working at the front counter of the village office, covering for both the building and finance departments during the lunch hour, I was verbally assaulted by not one, but two, irate men who apparently felt that it was perfectly acceptable to yell profanity and insults at me and my co-workers and behave in a manner that I can only describe as abusive, unreasonable and un-called-for. I am very thankful that the Riverside Police Department is right next door and that the police chief’s secretary happened to walk in while this scene was unfolding. She called for police backup and the officers responded right away.
I have served you, the residents of this community, as a village employee for more than three years, and I have had some bad experiences with angry individuals, but what happened yesterday was, by far, the worst day I have had dealing with the public during my time as a village employee. My experience yesterday made me question whether I really want to continue working for the village and even why I bought my home here.
One of the men who was raging at me yelled (among other things): “You’re what’s wrong with America! You’re the reason there’s so much unemployment! Big government won’t cooperate with small business owners and nothing can get done!” The reason for his rage? He is a roofing contractor who wanted a permit for a job in the village. The problem? His license, liability insurance and surety bond were all lapsed and the village does not issue permits for work unless a contractor is licensed, bonded and insured. This procedure is in place for the protection of you and me, the residents.
The other man is a resident of Riverside who owns a lot of fancy cars and a house in Michigan. Apparently he believes that gives him the right to be abusive and crude to anyone and everyone. I won’t go into further detail regarding the racist remarks he made or his use of profanity, but I have to say that I’m really tired of residents walking through the door of the village office and dumping on me about the outrageous taxes they pay and how little the village does for them. I am a resident too. I pay taxes also.
And guess what, over 84% of the taxes you and I pay go to other taxing bodies such as Riverside School District 96, Riverside-Brookfield HS District 208, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District, Riverside Township, the Cook County Forest Preserve District, etc. We just received the second installment of the 2010 property tax bill at our house. I’m sure you did too. Please take a look at your property tax bill and become more informed about where your tax dollars go before you come into the village office and insult me and my co-workers about how much you pay us and how little we do. We all pay taxes and we all work hard.
The second man’s problem? He and his wife did not purchase vehicle stickers for 4 of the 9 cars they own and keep in Riverside. I don’t know why they didn’t purchase the stickers, but for some reason, the man felt compelled to come into the office and abuse the staff after receiving a follow up letter from the finance department. His visit came hot-on-the-heals of a long, abusive phone call to another staff member. If the budget allows, I recommend the village board consider purchasing audio recording equipment like the police dispatch center uses.
Are Riverside vehicle stickers expensive? Yes, they are. We have two cars at our house and we purchase stickers for them every year. Do I wish Riverside vehicle stickers were less expensive? Yes, I do; but I look at it this way. Vehicle sticker fees are a tax that we (the residents) pay directly to the village. The village does not have to share these funds with any other taxing body. 100% of vehicle sticker fees are retained by the village and used to fund village projects and initiatives. In a community where property taxes are the main revenue source for municipal government, this funding is crucial to village operations. A person who owns 9 cars and a second home out of state, can surely afford to buy vehicle stickers.
District 96 has an operating budget of $22,000,000, and a large staff of fine educators and professionals whom I respect a great deal. They serve approximately 1,500 students 185 days a year, not including summer school. The Village has an operating budget of about $8,000,000, a significantly smaller staff, and serves almost 9,000 residents with fire, police and public works services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The village also provides recreation programming, building, finance and administrative services. Everyone on the village staff works hard every day, with increasingly limited resources, to be responsive to the needs of this community, yet we serve you, our friends and neighbors, in an increasingly hostile climate.
The economy is bad. Many of us are experiencing financial and other stresses in our work and personal lives, but that is no excuse for behaving in such an abusive manner. If you have a problem with a village ordinance, please don’t come into the office and take out your frustration on the staff. Write a letter to the village board of trustees. Address the board at a meeting. Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month in Room 4 of the Township Hall.
In 2009, I suffered a dislocated knee that required major surgery and 12 weeks on crutches as the result of an encounter with an unleashed dog while walking on a public sidewalk here in the village. As I was down on the ground, the man who owns the dog called out to me to “Quit faking!” I had to call 911 myself. He left the scene before the ambulance arrived. He has never apologized. How would you feel if you or someone in your family had been treated this way?
Last year, I had to confront a member of the village board and tell him to stop touching me because it made me very uncomfortable. He responded in a very threatening manner. This same individual also let himself into my home, uninvited, through an unlocked door while I was incapacitated after my knee surgery. He has never offered a sincere apology for his actions. How would you feel if someone treated you, your wife or your daughter this way? These things really happened. If you don’t believe me, you can FOIA the police reports.
Yesterday, two men behaved in a completely outrageous and abusive manner toward me and my co-workers yet again. Enough is enough! According to my property tax bill, I live in the Village of Riverside, but increasingly, it feels like the set of the Jerry Springer Show. Please change the channel. Watch something uplifting. Say hello to your neighbors. Smile at people you pass on the street. No employee in the public or private sector deserves to be treated the way I was treated yesterday. No one has a right to touch me or enter my home without my permission. Each of us must take responsibility for our actions and consider how the way we behave impacts others.
Riverside is an exceptional community with many amazing and wonderful people. We have so much to be thankful for, despite the tough times that many of us are experiencing. This is my personal appeal to all Riverside residents: Please be civil to your village staff, your village board, your children’s teachers and one another. Treat others as you would want them to treat you or someone else you care about.