Well, Because You Asked So Politely…

Village Trustee Tim Allen, 27w174 Birch St., sends a flyer seeking free publicity for fish fry dinners at $8 each Friday from Feb. 24 through March 30, running from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. He attaches this note—

I understand that you are back in the publishing business. If you are looking to do one iota of good with your self serving publishing venture, maybe you can find some space in your crap-tacular rag to publish the following.

Putting honest charity events in your paper will give it the credibility that is generally destroyed when people know it is you doing the publishing.

—Tim Allen

Time and Temperature in a Printed Newspaper?

Mr. Lionel Katz, 27w734 Gary’s Mill Rd. writes to inquire—

So how’s that supposed to work?

—Lionel Katz

The time advances every minute, and the temperature changes every so often. Why do you ask? Is your copy broken? Did you open and close the pages several times to keep it wound? What did you do, drop your newspaper or step on it? You really need to be more careful. The Time and Temperature is an exclusive feature of The Winfield Register and you should take better care of it. When the salesman offered the exclusive on it, and before we paid, some skeptics said the very concept of time and temperature in a printed newspaper was absurd. And before we shelled out our money we did pause some, but then we remembered that a whole generation of Americans grew up being entertained by a ventriloquist on the radio. If that absurd concept worked for Charlie McCarthy’s Edgar Bergen, this can work for us.

—The Editors

Newspapers are Needed For a Free Community

Marianne Bruss, 0s470 Wilmar Ct., writes—

An internet posting by a Village Trustee calls for a boycott of local businesses. Their crime? Advertising in The Winfield Register.

Why? Well, I was unable to find any good reason, just some extremely negative rhetoric and name-calling based on personal dislike of Stan Zegel, the Publisher of The Winfield Register. That newspaper has provided this community with comprehensive, in-depth coverage of relevant issues, and ample space and opportunity for those who disagree with the content of those articles by publishing Letters to the Editor as well as invitations to submit articles of opposing viewpoints.

The residents and the merchants would be the losers if the campaign called for by this Trustee is successful. The merchants do not have to —or need to— agree with the editorial views of a publication in order to increase their business. It is their right to publish an ad in what they believe to be a widely distributed and read publication.

In these trying economic times, one wonders if this trustee will continue and encourage others to hurt financially those merchants who remain steadfast in that right.

I too could be included in that group that feels they have been wronged by interference from Stan Zegel, but I see paramount importance to the community to have information vital to making reasoned decisions.

One may not agree with everything in The Winfield Register, as one does not agree with everything in the Chicago Tribune or the Daily Herald, but it is crucial to have the knowledge to agree or disagree.

As Alexis de Toqueville states, “To suppose that newspapers serve only to protect freedom would be to diminish their importance: they maintain civilization. The evil they produce is therefore much less than that which they cure.” 

—Marianne Bruss

Mayor Should Just Give Up and Go Quietly Now

Village Trustee Tim Allen wrote this message to Mayor Deborah Birutis on Feb. 1. “411” refers to the website he runs.—

“Sigh. Whatever... Debbie, it's clear you are unhappy. It’s also clear that we have built a coalition that wants development and they are interested in working on Roosevelt Road.

You can try to stop us but it will only work for a little while. Stalling the expansion of the vision of the Economic Development Task Force is a perfect example. It may have taken 4 meetings but I will have what I want. After that we do the Marathon & Fire Station. After that we revise the Comprehensive plan. Then we start changing zoning. Then we start making sustainable revenues.

Madam President, your entire career as a politician revolves around stopping this, and it will happen anyway. How sad. Moving would have been a less emotional option. I am really sorry. This isn't about revenge. It's about the 10% of this town that is unemployed and the 30% that is scraping by. It's about how you would selfishly raise the taxes of 10,000 residents to prevent 11 houses on Normandy Lane from having something distasteful in their back yards. It's about the road referendum that you would prefer to tax rather than earning the money through commercial development.

This isn't some epic struggle between your ego and my ego. It's an epic struggle between my core values and yours. I am going to win this because my core values are to protect 10,000 tax payers and your core values are selfishly protecting Normandy Lane.

You love to talk about how this is some kind of game to me. Let me be very clear; Life is a game. There are those that play it well and those that play it badly but everybody plays. I have strategies for winning. I create and execute them daily. It has made me successful in business and it will make me successful in politics. Currently my strategies are out-flanking yours.

Word on the street is that you would like to quit being the president.

Jay Olson would make a fine president and it wouldn't traumatize the village staff too much.

Tell the village that you need to take care of your family and you are resigning. We will all say how sad we are to see you go. I will be silent on 411 and I will make sure all the commenters are too.

You are going to lose. It's just a matter of time. What is gained by waiting until 2013? 

—Tim Allen

She’s Not Going Anywhere

Mayor Deborah Birutis responded to Village Trustee Tim Allen on Feb. 7—

Nope, sorry, I am not resigning.

I was elected to serve the residents of Winfield. That is what I will continue

to do.

If you actually had core values you wouldn't threaten people and lie about them if their viewpoint differs from yours. Honesty, integrity and civility to others are my core values.

—Deborah Birutis