LF_121219

LakeForestLeaderDaily.com sound off
the lake forest leader | December 12, 2019 | 15
Social snapshot
Top Stories
Top stories from LakeForestLeaderDaily.
com as of Monday, Dec. 9
1. Northbrook: Glenbrook North custodian,
wife ID’d as victims in Buffalo Grove double
murder
2. Cocoa Crawl rings up sweet, warm
memories for Lake Forest shoppers
3. A Look into History: General MacArthur
visits Lake Forest and Lake Bluff
4. Northbrook’s Eataco quickly becoming new
downtown favorite
5. Local Boy Scout creates project for
American Legion’s 100th anniversary
Become a member: LakeForestLeaderDaily.com/plus
On Dec. 4, Lake Forest Library posted,
“Today is Librarians Mary and Carla’s favorite
time of year ... Michael and Karen are
having fun making all kinds of holiday ornaments
... Stop by the Children’s Library later
from 2:00–6:30 pm for round two of our Trim
a Tree Party. All ages welcome. #trimatree
#holidayfun”
Like The Lake Forest Leader: facebook.com/
TheLakeForestLeader
On Dec. 5, Bernie’s Book Bank tweeted, “We
have so many people to appreciate on International
Volunteers Day! We wouldn’t be able
to function without our volunteers who make
a difference every day. #BooksForABetterLife
#InternationalVolunteersDay”
Follow The Lake Forest Leader: @TheLFLeader
From the Editor
Remember to send in your holiday cards
Peter Kaspari
peter@lakeforestleader.com
The holiday season
is my favorite time
of year. Everybody
seems to be happier and
more kind to each other,
there are plenty of fun
activities for the whole
Letter to the Editor
Shields Township’s Latest
Money Plundering Efforts
Supervisor Terry Darraugh
has for several
months allowed a few officials
and staff members
to engage in untethered
bullying during Shields
Township meetings. The
attempts to beat board
members into submission
has been captured in all
its ugliness on video. Evidently,
Ms. Darraugh was
not pleased with the public
exposure. She has decreed,
“Beginning with the October
meeting, township
meetings will no longer
be available on the LF-TV.
Meetings can be viewed on
the township website.”
At the Nov. 21 Budget
Meeting, Ms. Darraugh’s
motives became clear.
Since taking office (May
2017), she has limped
along in the performance
of duties and refused to
produce metrics on spending
practices. During the
same time period, she has
bewailed lack of taxpayer
revenue for herself and
family, and the holiday
music always puts me
in a good mood, even if
sometimes it can be a little
overplayed.
But my favorite part
of the holiday season is
receiving holiday cards
from my friends and family.
When I was growing
up, my family would send
a Christmas card every
year. But as my sister and
I got older, it seemed my
family sent cards less and
less often. But when I was
in college, I started sending
cards to my friends, a
her special interests. One
of the major bullies, Chief
Deputy Assessor Kelly
Ugaste-Cooprider, has
convinced Assessor Scott
Helton and Terry Darraugh
that they need to raise the
levy to provide the same
level of social services, but
in fact the money is needed
to continue the present level
of easy living.
Shields Township is a
small township. Sixty percent
of all Town Fund revenue
has gone to pay salaries
and overhead for the
Assessor’s office. In any
given year, two deputy assessors
with help from the
Assessor could easily evaluate
the township’s land
parcels. During Quadrennial
(every fourth) assessment
years when, for a few
months, the workload is
heavier, other small townships
outsource the extra
work. Not Shields Township.
This 2019 Quadrennial
year, the Chief Deputy
Assessor felt the need to
have three other deputy assessors
to help her and the
tradition I have continued
in the eight years since I
graduated.
This year, The Leader
is once again holding its
annual Holiday Greeting
Card Contest, and entries
are still being accepted
from both Lake Forest and
Lake Bluff.
There are only a few
rules:
1. One entry per family
2. Card must be from
this holiday season
3. E-cards are accepted
Please send your entries
to Attn: Holiday Card
Contest, 60 Revere Drive
Assessor handle the load.
She now wants more money
to keep the staff of four
in the coming year. It is a
shameful money grabbing
situation.
Ms. Darraugh has hinted
that if the raise is rejected
there will be less money
for social services. Last
year the township office
portion of the Town Fund
distributed less than 1 percent
of tax dollars received
to General Assistance clients.
Only 18 percent went
for social services. Eightytwo
percent went to pay
salaries and overhead for
staff and officials. Small
wonder township meetings
no longer are on public access
LF-TV. Ms. Darraugh
wants to hide the fact that
her self-interests (and
those of the Chief Deputy
Assessor) are more important
than sworn duty
Join us at the Dec. 12,
2019 Shields Township
meeting. Voice your outrage.
Janice Schnobrich, Lake
Bluff
ST 888, Northbrook, IL,
60062, or email editor
Peter Kaspari at peter@
lakeforestleader.com.
Entries are due Dec.
18 and winners will be
printed in a future issue.
Good luck and Happy
Holidays!
go figure
An intriguing number from this week’s edition
500
The number of kids who
participated in the Kids Only
Holiday Shop last year. Full
story on Page 4.
The Lake Forest
Leader
Sound Off Policy
Editorials and columns are
the opinions of the author.
Pieces from 22nd Century
Media are the thoughts of
the company as a whole.
The Lake Forest Leader
encourages readers to write
letters to Sound Off. All
letters must be signed, and
names and hometowns will be
published. We also ask that
writers include their address
and phone number for
verification, not publication.
Letters should be limited to
400 words. The Lake Forest
Leader reserves the right to
edit letters. Letters become
property of The Lake Forest
Leader. Letters that are
published do not reflect the
thoughts and views of The
Lake Forest Leader. Letters
can be mailed to: The Lake
Forest Leader, 60 Revere
Drive ST 888, Northbrook,
IL, 60062. Fax letters to
(847) 272-4648 or email to
peter@lakeforestleader.com.
www.lakeforestleader.com