𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱: 𝗔 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱: 𝗔 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱

An opinion piece.

Shorewood’s village trustees hold an extraordinary amount of power over our everyday lives, and they know it. Unlike state or federal systems where power is split among representatives, senators, and a chief executive, here in Shorewood, 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 trustees hold the authority to pass ordinances, raise taxes, and spend public money.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, they can reach into your wallet through property taxes, new fees, and regulations. Most people would use that power carefully and with humility. They’d listen to residents, consider feedback, and make thoughtful decisions. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re seeing.

I’ve watched people who respectfully share their opinions at meetings get dismissed or talked down to. Trustees scold those who suggest existing residents should be their priority. Votes have intentionally been scheduled before the public even gets a chance to speak, or put near last on a full agenda requiring residents to stay until 9 p.m. to speak.

Village property gets sold far below market value, while efforts to obtain independent valuations are deliberately blocked. And when questioned, trustees lean on the village attorney’s opinions as justification. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲” 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. By selling the public parking lot below market value, the trustees gave away $1M of assets (i.e. land) that was paid for via a special 20-year tax assessment on local property owners to ensure sufficient parking for tenants.

Not every trustee is aligned with this approach. Only a couple seek to force their agenda of subsidized housing to benefit a few at the expense of everyone else. The others, I believe, are simply following along, and I hope they reconsider before Shorewood is pushed over the financial edge. Meanwhile, Trustee Kathy Stokebrand has been one of the only consistent voices advocating commonsense governance and resident-focused priorities.

Some people have told me I should be gentler, that trustees deserve thanks, not scrutiny. And sure, if this were a church committee or a school bake sale, I’d agree. But trustees wield real, consequential power. Past boards have changed our village, sometimes in ways that weren’t for the better. This current board isn’t shy about flexing its authority, and that should concern 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 resident, renters and homeowners alike.

They don’t want us showing up. They don’t want us speaking up. They want a blank check.

If we don’t stay involved - - boldly and in large numbers - - the financial health of Shorewood will suffer requiring yet higher taxes and fees, reduced public services, and $1 million withheld from the school district.

There is strength in numbers. I encourage you to ask neighbors to sign up for updates at http://affordableshorewood.org/

𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡: 𝑊𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦, 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚/𝑉𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐵𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 1916 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐻𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒.