I HATE Tech!!! Among Other Things, It Cost Me the October 8 Meet the Candidates Event in Person.

 To make a very long story short, I was on the phone off and on, and all day October 8, with T-Mobile.  And things are still not settled correctly.  But I did just now finish watching the event on youtube.

youtube listed this as a 2 1/2 hour event.  The first half hour was meaningless milling around, finally ending in introductions at about 29 minutes.  At that point, candidates gave their introductory comments.

Veronica Amsler has been here for some number of years, was working, then decided to become a stay-at-home mother.  Mario Carrozzi does some unclear job which involves corporate work and teams, and he mentioned curiosity, "ideation" (unclear what that meant), and leadership.  Jonathan Groth is a lawyer and currently a Trustee on the BP Foundation.  Judi Hamelburg mentioned her ambitions.  Veronica Olivera has been here three years and considers herself a "community friend."  That seems to mean she has come to know some people.  Dan Samaria said he got elected in 2018 and has met all of his goals.  He did not specify what they were.

Each candidate was asked in turn what made him or her best suited (from the field) to be a Commissioner.  The six answers to this question were a snooze fest, with non-specific and rambling answers, and did not separate the candidate speaking from anyone else.

Each candidate was then asked what were his or her three most prominent issues regarding the Village (what needed attention most).  Veronica Amsler was unfocused.  Mario Carrozzi, Jonathan Groth, and Veronica Olivera mentioned 6th Avenue.  Some offered more unspecified and unfocused ideas.  No one kept to three areas.  They mentioned drainage and other themes.  Judi Hamelburg mentioned water, too, and getting Village reliance on septic tanks converted to public sewage.  Dan Samaria wants to lower taxes.

Candidates were asked what the Village should do to address climate change.  This is a frankly bizarre question, and it has no meaningful possible answers.  Some candidates mentioned one or another form of diversion of flood water.  Interestingly, in Mario Carrozzi's rambling non-answer, he mentioned the "double-edged sword of the homestead exemption."  This was not relevant to the question at hand, and Mario said he looked forward to being glad in coming decades that his tax increases would be limited, but he did seem to recognize the problem.  Dan Samaria said he is "not the greatest person on the environment," and he later, in response to something else, said he was "not a Code person."  As a side issue, it was baffling what someone who lives in a "Tree City USA" which is a "bird sanctuary," and who is "not a Code person," is doing on the Village Commission, or why such a person would want much of anything to do with the Village, let alone trying to get re-elected.

Regarding what the dynamic between the Village Commission and a Village manager should be, Mario Carrozzi had a clear and correct understanding.  Everyone else rambled.  Judi Hamelburg, for reasons only Judi would know, commented that a millage of 9.5 was not going to get things done.  But Judi later said that almost all Commission votes during the past two years have been unanimous, so it's unclear why she voted for a millage she considers inadequate.

There was irregular and glancing mention of the medians, especially regarding the generally meaningless question of whether or not anything should be done about lawn services that block the streets, and make too much noise.

One question that was startling in an otherwise harmless way came from someone in the audience, and it was whether lighting in the Village should be more or less than it is, or the same as it is.  And the questioner specified a request for "no double-talk."  Jonathan Groth sort of said there should be more lighting, but most of his response was the proscribed double-talk.  Veronica Olivera began her response by recalling the proscription against double-talk, then proceeded to deliver all double-talk.  All other candidates offered nothing but double-talk.  Of interest, I think it was Veronica Amsler who said something about not tolerating four-hour Commission meetings (in response to another question), then gave us an example of how they get that way.  People ramble, and just like to hear themselves talk.  Even when they're asked a very specific question, and asked for one or two word answers (more, less, the same), they can't force themselves to do it.

The final question was about how candidates imagined engaging with residents.  Veronica Amsler produced prattle, then mentioned that Nextdoor would be something to monitor.  Mario Carrozzi mentioned "data," "digital," and Nextdoor.  Jonathan Groth used words like "platform," "venue," and the Village website.  But he also mentioned face time with Village residents.  Judi Hamelburg, who was the only candidate who was not at this event in person, said she expected to interact at Village events, and rely on Nextdoor.  Veronica Olivera mentioned the recreation center, Village events, and thought a suggestion box would be a good way for Village residents who are not Commissioners to communicate with Village residents who are Commissioners.  (Of note, I was away all summer, and I returned very early in the morning, October 2 -- eight days ago.  None of these people who want to interact with their imagined constituents have come to my house in the past week, nor left a flyer.)  Dan Samaria thought the Village e-blast would be a good way to communicate.  He then blamed Village residents for not being willing to share their e-mail addresses.

In closing statements, Dan Samaria said he needs to correct his heretofore failure to respond to Village residents.  (So, apparently, it wouldn't matter if Dan did have residents' e-mail addresses.)  He's been a Commissioner for four years, and it's only now that it occurs to him to correct his failings.  Veronica Olivera said she thought the six candidates were all similar and on the same page.  She did not say what page she thinks that is.  Judi Hamelburg rambled for a while, finally ending sort of where she began: at the start, she recalled how the Village mistreated her, and now, she wants to help others who are treated poorly by the Village.  Jonathan Groth's and Veronica Amsler's closing statements were appreciative and not further enlightening.  Mario Carrozzi noted there were 40 chairs in the room, but 1000 houses, which led him to conclude we need better communication.

The most essential goal is not to re-elect the two incumbents: Samaria and Hamelburg.  You can guess about the others, but those two have provided proven inertia, lack of ideas, and tendency to use their Commission time criticizing other Commissioners.  And as much as several candidates noted the things we can't do, for budgetary reasons, Samaria is still talking about wishing he could get the millage lower.  We live in a unique community where we rely only on ourselves, and there are no commercial pockets to pick.  Anyone who wants to live somewhere where the residents don't have to do the heavy fiscal lifting should move.

Of the others, they are in many respects mostly still pigs in pokes.  Jonathan Groth is the safest bet.  Veronica Amsler and Mario Carrozzi showed what could be interpreted as the next best possibilities.  Veronica Olivera seems to be a very nice person, but she's way too green for this.  And none of those four, except Jonathan Groth, has bothered to do the kind of volunteer work (boards) that would give a better insight into how the Village runs, what are its problems, why we haven't solved them, and how to try another approach.  It was noteworthy that one question was where the candidates expected to get the 20 hours per week someone estimated it would take to function as a Commissioner.  They all had answers.  So, if they can find 20 hours a week, why haven't they, except Jonathan, bothered to find three hours a month?

The whole thing was pretty disappointing.  We've had two very bad patches in the 17 years I've been here.  They were the Jacobs years and the Truppman years.  If the next 2-4 years aren't too bad, it will only be if we get lucky.