Carpentersville – Tuesday, May 5, 2009, two new Village trustees and a new Village president were administered the oath of office by Village Clerk, Teresa Wilde.
The two new trustees are Patricia Schultz and Bradford McFeggan. Also taking the oath was Edward Ritter as the new Village president and Kay Teeter who was reelected trustee for a second term.
A short time later Clerk Wilde was reappointed to her position as Village Clerk and also reappointed as Treasurer was Finance Director, Lisa Happ.
The new Village President made some unusual moves upon taking office. Village President, Ed Ritter, decided to change the way things have been done in Carpentersville as far back as anyone can remember. He will NOT be voting on any issues that does not require his vote.
This in my opinion demonstrates a lack of will to LEAD by the new President of Carpentersville.
The Village President by statute is not allowed to make a motion or second a motion that has been made. Only trustees may make a motion or second a motion. Trustees are required to vote on ALL matters that come before the board, unless they have a conflict of interest in casting a vote on a specific item. Then, they are allowed/required to abstain from that particular vote.
There is a very good reason for elected public officials to cast votes on legislative bodies. It’s to allow the public to know their record of supporting or opposing important issues. To NOT vote is to NOT lead. The public has a right to know any elected public officials stand on any given issue. The votes cast by elected officials provides the public record for that office holder. That public record then is a guide for voters to determine who they will support in the next election. To duck that public voting record is a mistake by any public official. Government works best when it is transparent and open. President Ritter is showing his disdain for the public’s right to know beginning on day one of his administration. I would not consider that to be getting off to a very good start.
Another change will be that the President will no longer address the Trustee’s by their elected position title. He will instead address them by their first names. So, in recognizing a trustee the President will call on them as, Brad, Keith, Kay, Paul, Judy or Pat. This again shows a lack of respect by the President for his colleagues. In my view another early mistake by an inexperienced public official who does not fully understand how government works.
Both of these changes are troubling coming from a Village President who campaigned on a platform of showing “respect”. Right out of the box, President Ritter is demonstrating his lack of respect for the public and those who were elected to serve with him.
