Common Sense Government

Local government doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s focus on what matters: Good police and fire protection, solid public works, and a fair stance towards all residents and businesses.

Let’s work to not let unnecessary bureaucracy get in the way of doing what’s right.

Every decision that comes to the Village Board has to be looked at on its own merits. Often, less is more. Whenever possible, we should give residents and businesses the freedom to decide what’s good for them and impose rules only when absolutely necessary.

Here’s a recent example: On December 5, the owner of Paragon Mechanical, which is located at the Southern most edge of Arlington Heights, on Arlington Heights road between Highway 90 and the onramp, asked the Board for a land use variation to be allowed to store filters in his building, something the current zoning doesn’t allow. The standards imposed by the village simply don’t make sense in this case, and we have to demonstrate the flexibility to tweak the rules when they don’t make sense. When the petitioner described his experience in dealing with the village and pointed out that “the process is brutal”, he was told by a trustee that “of course it’s brutal”. That’s not common sense, that’s not good government for the people of Arlington Heights. We can and must do better. (Anybody interested can see the full session, including my comments, here: https://arlingtonheightsil.swagit.com/play/12062022-754)