Lisle's Election Season Marked by Anonymous Criticism
Village officials have been the targets of sharp criticism on an anonymous blog. Elected officials say they want dialogue, not propaganda.
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Lisle's election campaign has been marked by anonymous information. In addition to recent anonymous e-mail blasts, anonymous government criticism has been the subject of a blog called For Clean Government in Lisle.
The blog, created on Blogger.com in January with 30 posts as of March 23, reflects a negative view of Lisle’s leaders. The author is unknown and a disclaimer on the site makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information. While some of the claims are backed with village documents, others don't offer supporting data.
Patch checked some of the claims that were backed with official sources:
1) In many entries, the blogger discusses how Lisle has engaged in deficit spending over the last eight years. The information comes from page 135 of the Lisle Ten Year Financial Report. The information checks out as accurate.
2) The blogger also often discusses rising property tax levies have risen in the last 10 years. This also checks out on the Lisle Ten Year Financial Report on page 139. The levy has increased from $2.909 million in 2000 to $4.12 million in 2009.
3) The blogger states that Navistar purchased the former Lucent property for $34 million, far below the fair market value of the property. This is true because Navistar received government incentives to come to Lisle through a tax-increment financing district. ABC 7's John Garcia reports that Navistar is getting the property for less than 10 cents on the dollar.
How other others responding to the posts?
Lisle Mayor Joseph Broda thinks the anonymous blog posts are personally attacking him and the trustees.
“It is propaganda,” Broda said. “They’re twisting the truth around and making numbers look like what they want to look like. There’s no name assigned to it. I don’t pay attention to any of the blogs.”
Broda said concerned citizens should to come to board meetings and to Coffee with the Mayor as a more effective way to get their voices heard.
“If they have issues, they could confront us at the board meetings,” Broda said. “Our meetings are open and public. Nothing is hidden. We have policies and rules that we have to deal with because our meetings are basically structured and we try to conduct them in a civil manner without a free-for-all. Everyone has an opportunity to speak at our meetings and talk about whatever they want.”
Jeff Knezovich of Lisle Township Democratic Organization said the blog seems to represent the opinions of a disgruntled individual, but the writer is not addressing problems correctly.
“My position is the website needs to identify who the authors are or the organization it represents,” Knezovich said. “Everybody has a right to say whatever they want, but we also have a right as citizens to respond to those claims. It’s difficult to respond to those allegations that appear on the website when there is no one to respond to.”
Knezovich said without an author’s name attached, the blog’s information is discredited and could not be used in presentations.
“In most areas, it would probably considered nonsense,” Knezovich said.
Trustee Mark Boyle said he and the Village Board make sure the governmental process is open and transparent. He said there were hours of public hearings for Navistar. After viewing the blog, Boyle said it is not credible.
“For Navistar, we did not have anything suggesting that we are stopping discussion,” Boyle said. “We were proponents that the process stayed open. There is a spin going on that is not true. With electronic media these days, for people to not turn around and have an open discussion on who or what they are, I don’t put any credence in it at all. Some of the articles in there are a downright lie. It’s sad that somebody would distort things they way they do.”
Trustee candidate Gary Ledvora has never looked at the blog, but doesn't like anonymous writers who are not being accountable.
“When I ran for mayor, I got some mean comments like that,” Ledvora said. “There are some people that are very spiteful out there. We all have opinions, but at the same time, you want to be very professional in your opinion, appearance and commentary.”
Trustee Cathy Cawiezel said without official documentation and authorship, she as an accountant could not use financial statistics from the blog.
“I have no problem with someone who wants to have constructive criticism,” Cawiezel said. “I think that is healthy. But if you don’t put your name to it, how strongly can you feel about something if you’re not willing to put your name out there?”
Julie Schnell of Citizens for Healthy Development said the blog has a group or person who is really angry and feels they did not get their voices heard. She said the blog is used to get information out.
“Some of the things that I read that I’m familiar with seemed really factual,” Schnell said. “I didn’t go and fact-check it. I think you are going to see more of this unless Lisle residents are willing to open up and begin listening to organizations, groups, individuals and neighbors. People feel they need to be heard.”
So why continue to remain nameless? Schnell thinks a person or group would post anonymously because repercussions could occur if the poster(s) are affiliated in a job or group with a Lisle representative.
“This is the only way they feel they would prevent receiving potential backlash,” Schnell said.
Jane
12:47 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
I would like to thank the "Anonymous Clean Lisle Blogger" for taking the time to put all that information out there and challenging people to become more informed, check his facts or dispute them or just discuss it. Information empowers citizens and a democracy is run by the citizenry. I would rather have anonymous facts and truths than identified lies and spin.
As for Broda, he of "our meetings are open and public" lies and "project jane" fame - if you've ever been to a Village Board meeting you will know you are met with "this is not a Q & A" and "your time is up" and then there was the time he made the cop come down and remove Rich Wilkie out of a meeting for going a tiny bit over his 5 minutes.
Joe anonymous
5:17 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Once again the patch has proved that integrity is not required to write and post an article. This article however goes further than any other I have seen by using Mr. Wilke's campaign slogan "deficit spending" repeatedly. Mr Bajek did not write an article he copied a campaign speech and posted it!
Steve
9:34 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Maybe Ed Young will call up the Patch and make them remove another story!
Steve in Lisle
7:56 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Broda says that data from the Lisle annual report is "twisting the truth"? The truth is that Broda has been hiding facts for years -- he gets away with it because people are too busy trying to earn a living and pay ever increasing taxes to dig into hundreds of pages and get the facts out about Broda and the trustees. Want to see real twisting of the truth? Look at what Broda did with his "state of the village" propaganda:
http://cleanlisle.blogspot.com/p/lisle-sov-2011-spin-vs-truth.html
Ken
8:10 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
The blog is a small ray of sunshine directed at the very dark and sordid corner of the world run by Broda. The blogger only has access to public information -- Broda is hiding much more. No other town has anything close to the number of secret meetings that Broda and the trustees do in Lisle.
Broda cannot dispute the facts in the blog, so he tries to create a distraction by attacking the anonymity of the blogger. All Lisle residents should ask themselves why Broda cannot refute the facts in the blog, and why Lisle taxes continue to go up despite the recession.
Karlie Baker
9:36 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
You make a good point, Ken. I think it's fair to ask the village what's being 'spun'--no one would comment further to us regarding specific information in the blog. So someone call, please!
The resounding thing I heard last night, from all candidates, is that there needs to be dialogue on both sides. I haven't agreed with anything more in months. I would hope that those who've filled Patch's comment streams with criticism (to all candidates, and most of their fellow citizens) and calls for action will actually show up at the polls. With the 'Anonymous' dropped.
Jan G
9:09 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
I believe that the writer discusses “deficit spending” because that is the number one issue on the minds of Lisle citizens. After watching the Trustee Q &A last night, maybe I should say it is on the minds of everyone EXCEPT the incumbent trustees……they seem to be fine with deficit spending.
Bob Bajek
3:41 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Jan G,
That is one of the reasons I wrote that because even if you unbiasedly look at the financial sheets of the village, they say Lisle has been spending more than has been coming in for years. I was just putting the facts out there with the information that is available in public records.
Taxed to Death
10:01 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
"Anonymous Clean Lisle Blogger" Is a Lisle HERO~! Went out and put all this information together with charts and graphs to clearly show the truth about Lisle government~!! God Bless Our Lisle HERO~ "Anonymous Clean Lisle Blogger"
Tom
10:02 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
There are alot of good reasons for a blogger to remain anonymous. Its not important really, who prepares the graphs, data summaries and information. Sometimes the identity of the information can detract from the importance of the information. For example - what is the author were a Navsitar employee? What if the author was a former Lisle official? What if the author is a current Lisle employee? What if the author works for a company that gets contracts from Lisle? Newspaper reporters use "unnamed" sources for information and tips all the time.
Andrea
10:06 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Steve, if accurate information is printed, stories would not have to be removed. The story, with corrections, has been reposted. I can't imagine Mr. Young's frustration when a story gets a fact wrong that has been essentail to his platform for so many years.
Annonymous sources are different from anonymous authors. If an author is choosing to be anonymous, there is no accountability for the author to "report" accurate information.
Joe
10:36 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
If you will refer to the story - you will find "Young contacted both Bob Bajek and myself regarding the error on Friday evening; he requested we remove the piece." (with the comments) - He did not request a simple correction of a typo.
Following by example
10:26 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Integrity, the Lisle definition...anonymous people promoting an anonymous blog. What a surprise.
Jan G
12:38 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Welcome to 2011....but if it gets things out in the open, I have no problem with it.
And thank you anonymous person for pointing this out!
Taxed to Death
11:26 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Facts are the Facts no matter who writes them! God Bless Our Lisle HERO~ "Anonymous Clean Lisle Blogger"
Throw the Rascals Out
1:00 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011
I know the anonymous blogger. (It's not me.). All he wants to do is throw the RASCALS out! Politicians are like babies diapers. They need to changed often and for the same reason.
Steve
3:42 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011
Broda said concerned citizens should to come to board meetings and to Coffee with the Mayor as a more effective way to get their voices heard.
I have been to board meetings and coffee with the Mayor. At the board meeting you get your 5 min then the Mayor will say think you and he doesn't even care what you have just said and won't answer any questions that you have asked.
At Coffee with the Mayor. Broda just told stories and again never answered the questions.
We need a people on the board that not only will let you talk, but will listen and answer your questions.
Autumn Geist
6:12 pm on Friday, March 25, 2011
Everyone should vote based on an informed decision and not from one or two sourcs. Get out and educate yourself. Yet, if you are going to present yourself as credible source of information, there should be some confidence in the delivery and stop using "anonymous". Part of communication is taking responsibility for what you say. That's confidence and conviction and even if we disagree, its respectable.
I also encourage people to look for opportunities to rally this community and not divide it with the hostility posted on the Patch all day, everyday. Patch is a news source for our community and not a sounding board for every gripe. It loses its purpose and value for good information that people are seeking.
Dick
9:25 am on Saturday, October 1, 2011
Total expeditures exceeded total revenue - Again!
Fiancial report for year ending Apri 30, 2011 shows once again total expeditures exceeded total revenue!
You can find the summary here:
http://www.villageoflisle.org/docs/20111003-vbpacket.pdf
see page 40.
Lisle WatchDog
11:03 am on Thursday, November 8, 2012
More Lisle secrets...
Meijer property is NOT being sold to Hovnanian Homes.