setting strategies/planning is one thing; implementing is a whole different/more complicated ball game. for that, i've been in Vandewalle & Associates camp. unfortunately, i believe they're off the board's docket. it figures.

too bad.

my next pick is Houseal Lavigne. not for their nice web site, but for their history/client list and what appear to be superior planning services.

for numerous reasons, i hope the board does not pick either of the remaining two.

Have you sent an e-mail? There is a link in the info that I painstakingly authored above. Let your voice be heard, t.a. BTW, should there be a period after "t.a.?" As in . . .Let your voice be heard, t.a..

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
BTW, should there be a period after "t.a.?" As in . . .Let your voice be heard, t.a..

look it up yourself. you wouldn't listen to me anyway -- as in the notorious "that vs. who" error in your 9:52 post of today.

One of those things that will never change. As a child...bring vs. take...big trouble. Couldn't spell restaurant, either. It is comforting, however, to know that we have more than one grammar cop on board. I was concerned that if anything ever happened to Fish that spelling/usage anarchy might break out on this BB. You know, because most of us ceased finding it clever a while back.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
. You know, because most of us ceased finding it clever a while back.

when was that, post number 4458?

;^p

btw, the worst grammar anarchists are those lower case only a-holes.

quote:

when was that, post number 4458?

That is funny. Kudos, sir.

Message sent. I hope the right people are listening and reading! Thanks for the input Clam.

lower-case anarchists indeed! i thought i was just lazy...but anarchist! that's cool! (sent my letter to the board too!)

This whole idea of tabling the discussion and having the trustees submit to Hase their first and second choices seems really screwy to me. Anyway, looking at this matter a bit more closely, I have come to realize that it appears that one of our selection committee members, consutants if you will may have an apparent conflict of interest. If I’m right, it appears his wife and he are/were principals of a firm, which has competed with Houseal in the past and which have lost bids to. I’m curious if this was ever brought up anywhere along the line. Anyone know about this?

I would be willing to bet it WAS brought up.

BB & JR you are correct,
This was brought up it just wasn't picked up by the press. Our "free" consultant who was on the selection committee at first denied having competed with HL. As it turns out his "wifes" company lost two projects to HL just this year. Look up Corporate Services Inc. on the Il. Secretary of States, Business services website and you will find him listed as president and his wife as secretary. Oh his real name is Norbert. In all fairness this should have been disclosed prior to his involvement. We probably wouldn't be in this situation.

quote:

Originally posted by Candidate:
BB & JR you are correct,
This was brought up it just wasn't picked up by the press. Our "free" consultant who was on the selection committee at first denied having competed with HL. As it turns out his "wifes" company lost two projects to HL just this year. Look up Corporate Services Inc. on the Il. Secretary of States, Business services website and you will find him listed as president and his wife as secretary. Oh his real name is Norbert. In all fairness this should have been disclosed prior to his involvement. We probably wouldn't be in this situation.

my prediction: the board will throw HL out on some trumped up technicality and go with the lesser qualified Town Builder Studios (who is also probably the lowest bidder).

thx for the heads up, BB. this will be interesting to watch unfold. perhaps a scandal in the making?

Hi,

T.A.Superette....I disagree. There are too many people watching this situation unfold for anything unsavory to be allowed at this point. I must have received that call-to-action email 10 times already. If even half of those people responded and sent an email to the Village, it would seem pretty stupid on their part to ignore what so many VOTERS are saying. Don't you agree?

I am not certain why someone removed this story from the local paper, but here it is in its entirety.

"Trustees split over potential downtown development teams

By Brian Hudson, bhudson@mysuburbanlife.com
Glen Ellyn News
Wed Dec 12, 2007, 04:18 PM CST

Glen Ellyn, IL -

The Glen Ellyn Village Board of Trustees has hit an impasse over which economic firm would best guide downtown development.

After hearing from four economic development teams in recent weeks, trustees laid their cards on the table during a workshop meeting Monday, Dec. 10. But when they could not agree on one team, board members postponed their decision for at least a week.

Trustees Sara Lee, Tim Armstrong and Pete Ladesic supported the team led by Houseal Lavigne Associates, while Trustees Jim Comerford and Peter Norton and President Vicky Hase backed the team led by Town Builder Studios. Trustee Michelle Thorsell, with the tie-breaking vote, supported the Vandewalle and Associates team, but she said her second choice was Houseal Lavigne. The fourth team, which received no votes, was led by Teska Associates Inc.

Monday’s discussion ended soon after the board cast their unofficial votes. Trustees will resume the debate during the next workshop meeting Monday, Dec. 17, at which time village leaders hope to break the deadlock.

Trustees who backed Houseal Lavigne said they were impressed with the team’s incisive presentation as well as its pedigree of awards.

“They had 10 minutes to tell us about our community, and I learned a few things,” Lee said. “This community deserves an award-winning corporation to guide us.”

They also mentioned the team’s marketing expert, Daniel Gardner, is a prominent Glen Ellyn resident and a former village trustee.

“Dan has to live in this town,” Armstrong said. “(If things go poorly), he’ll have to hear about it.”

Ladesic said that before the village began accepting applications for economic development teams earlier this fall, he looked at a number of firms including Houseal Lavigne, which had not yet hired Gardner.

He was impressed by the firm even then, Ladesic said, and its case became stronger when Gardner joined.

“I thought, boy, you know what, the planets are really aligned,” he said. “I think they stood out head and shoulders above the rest.”

The supporters of Town Builder Studios cited above all the leadership from firm President Jim Louthen.

“I was looking for expertise,” Comerford said before casting his vote.

They also noted the strength of the team members, including the architecture firm and marketing firm.

Hase said she was impressed that Gruen Gruen and Associates, the team’s marketing firm, seems eager to tailor a business plan specifically to Glen Ellyn’s needs.

“They don’t use boilerplate plans,” she said. “We need to have real honest answers.”
Thorsell said she supported Vandewalle and Associates largely for their environmentally friendly agenda with their emphasis, for example, on bicycle transportation.

The delay in a decision means the village will not hire a firm until at least a month from now.

If the trustees come to an agreement next week, the village would have to negotiate a contract before trustees officially hire the firm. With the holidays approaching, the next village meeting after Monday is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14."

"Removed from the Paper"

What do you mean?

I am fairly certain it was on this thread...but disappeared. Unless I just can't find it. Nonetheless, here it is, as printed in the paper.

I think it is an important read.

BTW, are you going to the meeting tonight?

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I am fairly certain it was on this thread...but disappeared. Unless I just can't find it. Nonetheless, here it is, as printed in the paper.

I think it is an important read.

BTW, are you going to the meeting tonight?

No, I've got an open gym with my eldest daughter.

I believe I posted the article earlier...I didn't know it was taken down.

quote:

Originally posted by MaybeNotSoCoveted:
Hi,

T.A.Superette....I disagree. There are too many people watching this situation unfold for anything unsavory to be allowed at this point. I must have received that call-to-action email 10 times already. If even half of those people responded and sent an email to the Village, it would seem pretty stupid on their part to ignore what so many VOTERS are saying. Don't you agree?

i'm going to answer blind here because i don't know what "call to action" letter you're talking about. is it the one from Godowntown! that asks us to vote for one of the two final firms? or is it the "call to action" post from BB that describes the possible conflict of interest between HL and one of the GE board members. if it's the latter, i disagree w/you, i think this thing could turn into a train wreck with HL being crushed under its wheels. again, my prediction only.

if it's the former, i don't understand what you mean by "what the VOTERS are saying." what are they saying? are you implying there are already many voters saying that they are concerned about the conflict of interest? i have no knowledge of any emails going to village hall with this concern (but i wouldn't have that info anyway -- i'm just a caveman/citizen) if you do have info suggesting a contingent of GE citizens/voters in an uproar and writing emails to the village regarding a possible conflict of interest, then i agree with you 100%.

make sense?

Upon further review, the story was not removed from the local paper. The story, which originally appeared in the local paper, was removed from this thread. Perhaps by the original poster, perhaps by Ted E., perhaps it is still there and I cannot find it, perhaps it appears elsewhere on the GEBB. Nonetheless, an important story that all in the village should read.

i believe someone (potts?) posted a link to the article. it was good then and has gotten better with age.

thx, clam!