Swami is worried about Gurnee. Apparently, the First Amendment to the Constitution has been rendered null and void there. No free speech. The mayor says she just did what her lawyer said to do.
During all the mess with the moving of the Auto Parts City salvage emporium across the street on Washington to expanded digs, the mayor of Gurnee had nothing to say. Mums the word.
The stated reasons why have changed over the months. Mr. Ridiculous meet Mr. Absurd.
Someone (they won’t say who) issued a petition (they have not produced it) that expressed the wish that Kristina Kovarik not vote (we are told) when the Village Board decided if the salvage yard move was kosher. When were citizen petitions granted the force of legal gag orders? Swami was out of the country on that day thta law was passed.
Further, she suggested the enabling local ordinance (which no one can find) prohibited her from even issuing a public statement on her preferences about the matter (again, no one can find any of the legal ammo for this position).
Finally, she just said they the lawyer thought it was better that she shut up.
As the result of a petition no one can find and based on a law no one can identify, Kovarik took the town attorney’s advice and refused to speak.
Sorry, folks, but we think the First Amendment to the Constitution supersedes any local-yokel gag ordinance which may or may not exist. We’ve even heard one explanation that the petition was filed by protesting residents of Park City, as if Gurnee would pass a law binding itself to the wishes of another town.
This baby is a whole new brand of weird.
And we sort of think that a mayor has a slightly broader duty to her constituency than to hide under the table during a minor, local debate which, despite some signs, probably never interested the vast bulk of Gurnee-ites (Gurneans?) anyway.
We’d bet most of them didn’t even know the previous auto salvage site was a part of Gurnee. Lot of people thought it was a part of Waukegan. Others thought it was inside Park City.
The number of people who care about this is very small and most of them are Park Cityites. Or people with a large lump in their esophagus over perceived political evildoings.
Swami is especially dubious that a proficient public servant would use a phantom ordinance to justify a self-imposed gag order.
Isn't this still America? Or is it the just the New Land of Oz with Taller People?
It all seems like a like a giant lack of leadership to Swami.
As the Lion said in Oz: “Whadda they got that I don’t got?”
C-c-c-c-ourage.
Cue the Flying Monkeys.
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