All Signs Point to an Election Tuesday

In the closing week before voters head to the polls April 2 to elect their local representatives, there have been 'signs' of controversy injected into an otherwise quiet Village Board race.

Bonnie Lemmer, who is challenging Jeff Steliga for seat five on the Village Board, on Wednesday submitted a letter to the editor alleging the village was unfairly enforcing its campaign sign ordinance.

“What has happened to me is an obvious form of discrimination and I think the residents should know how one-sided the government is in trying to keep the incumbents in office,” Lemmer wrote.

Lemmer claimed her campaign signs were removed “mysteriously” between Sunday and Tuesday. She said village staff contacted her Monday to inform her that her signs were in the right of way, and gave her two days to remove them.

“Since we determined that these signs were placed in non-hazardous locations, in accordance with our policy, we worked with the candidate to allow sufficient time for the signs to be relocated outside of the road right-of-way,” said Director of Public Works Arlyn Johnson. “The Public Works Department has not removed any campaign signs.”

Jerri Gronitz, who works in zoning and inspections with the village, said she’s received two complaints regarding campaign signs this week. One involved a sign placed by Trustee Michael McDonald, and another regarding the placement of Lemmer’s signs.

According to the village’s ordinance, signs must generally be located between 12 and 20 feet from the roadway depending on the type of road. In urban areas, signs are within the right of way if they are between the sidewalk and the gutter, for example.

McDonald, who is being challenged by Jeremy Walz for seat four, and Steliga deny the claims made by Lemmer.

“No one is getting preferential treatment. Part of the purpose of being a serious candidate is knowing how to properly place your signs,” McDonald said. “I’m very careful to keep them out of the right of way.”

Steliga said there’s really no reason for the village to give incumbents preferential treatment, and denied the ordinance was being enforced unfairly.

“We’ve laid people off and cut benefits while we’ve been on the board, so we aren’t the most popular people with village staff,” Steliga said. “My signs have always been further away than they’ve needed to be.”

Lemmer also said McDonald and Steliga acted out of line by placing campaign signs near the sidewalk in front of the Shorewest Realty offices - her place of work - on Appleton Avenue.

“I work at Shorewest and this is a slap in my face,” Lemmer wrote.

However, both Steliga and McDonald said they received permission from the building owner to place their signs on the property.

BID Experience Questioned 

A few anonymous Patch readers sent over information questioning Lemmer’s experience as a member of the downtown Business Improvement District board. Lemmer lists that as a qualification in her biography brief on Patch. However, neither the past nor present BID director remembers her.

Robyn Turtenwald, who was the first BID director, said she “did not know this woman.” Current BID director, Barb Watters, doesn’t recall her experience on the board either. When asked by Patch about her BID board experience, Lemmer said:

“I attended regular morning BID meetings in the late 90's when the BID was meeting at the Appleton Ave. fire station.  There were only a small number of us so maybe the group wasn't considered a board at the time.  

“I represented Art Dimensions, a printing broker company, which I own.  That was almost 15 years ago so if I really wasn't part of a board then I apologize for declaring that qualification.  I will certainly remove the notation from any flyers that might be printed from here on if this is the case. The other qualifications I list on my flyer are correct.”

You can learn more about the Village Board candidates and the other races on the ballot by checking Patch Election Central.