SAUK VILLAGER PERSON
OF THE YEAR! This award is established to honor a person who has made a
significant impact to or for the Village. Just as Time Magazine had
honored Adolf Hitler and Joe Stalin in 1938 and 1939, respectively and most
recently named Donald Trump for 2016 as their persons of the year, I choose
David Hanks as the Sauk Villager's Person of the Year 2016. David
Hanks' announcement in September to retire from politics may be the most
significant single impact to the Village’s future!
This announcement was the biggest and
most historic announcement of the year in Sauk Village and was cautiously
and hopefully expected by many. (CLICK HERE to see Video) (CLICK HERE- to read the story)
It could be the impetus for voters to bring to an end the Village's continued
political turmoil which began back in May, 2009.
Hanks fell into the office of mayor on the heels of Lewis
Towers' disgraceful resignation on November 8, 2012. In Towers' wake,
Towers left a trail of financial woe; leaving over $1,000,000 in unpaid bills
in addition to a General Fund Deficit totaling over $1.2 million. Credit is to
be given to the then sitting Board of Trustees who were diligent in preventing
Towers from illegally using the $3 million balance in the water fund.
David Hanks and the Trustees that support him, however, have managed
to erase that $3 million reserve by voting for the same illegal usage of
the water fund that they were so diligent in preventing Towers from doing. As
a result, this lame duck Mayor will likely leave office with over $1.7 million
owed to the water fund, in addition to over $1 million in unpaid
bills.
Hanks financial incompetence was further exacerbated when he
appointed his staunchest trustee supporter, Rosie Williams to the position of
Finance Committee Chair, after two of his Trustees loss their re-election bids
in 2015. Hanks, with the help and guidance of Trustee Rosie Williams,
have been using water fund revenues to pay for expenses unrelated to water, causing
an even greater fund balance deficit of nearly $1.7 million today!
The Village has been on a steady decline since 2013 because
Hanks has had full control of the Board of Trustees and they have historically
voted in lock step for every major decision that affects the Village. Even
with Hanks' appointments of a Village Administrator, an assistant for
the Administrator, his Finance Director and
appointing him an assistant, with all this manpower, the village
should have expected a vast improvement over its finances. Instead,
the Village's financial staus is on the brink of insolvency!
The Hanks' legacy will be marred by other questionable and
scandalous events; too many and too big to mention here.
But today Hanks gets the honor of being 2016
Sauk Villager's Person of the Year for announcing he would retire from
politics and more importantly, for keeping his word!
Past Honorees:
Click the links below to read those stories
Click the links below to read those stories
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