Sold — to the lowest bidder.

Sold — to the lowest bidder.

Last night’s Village Board meeting was eye-opening. Here’s what residents were told:

1️⃣ The Board will vote on selling the village-owned parking lot to a developer.
2️⃣ No public input will be allowed before the vote.
3️⃣ During the “public to be heard” session, we were told we could only raise new topics — not ones already discussed.

Residents were clearly frustrated. Applause for speakers was banned. A first-time attendee, who spoke calmly and respectfully, was later reprimanded by the president for “disrespect.” She left the meeting distraught, asking, “Was I really disrespectful?” In my opinion, she was not.

When I spoke, my comments were interrupted by a trustee. I reminded him, “This is my time at the mic.”

I also pushed back on the claim that selling public land to a private developer is somehow equivalent to building a library. A library remains a community asset. This lot, once sold, will be gone forever.

The numbers matter, too:

• 24% of Shorewood households (about 1,600 families) are low-income, based on HUD and census data.
• Yet the Board is planning steep tax and fee increases that will hit those households — all while pushing a project with only 19 below-market units.
• On top of that, we learned the Village faces a $410,241 budget deficit even after planned tax and fee hikes.
• And importantly, the Board confirmed that TIF monies could be returned to taxing authorities — a choice they are not pursuing.

I’ll end with this: If you believe any of the facts I’ve shared are wrong, let me know. I’ll check and correct them. But if you simply disagree with my conclusions, that’s okay too — healthy debate is part of democracy.