Rapacious Wilmette Officials

I've never seen anything so cold-blooded, so close to home, in my entire life! A local father and businessman who has been a good neighbor to many Wilmette residents, facing health problems, went to Village of Wilmette officials in good faith and has been treated abominably.

Tony Cash operates the cafe in the Metra train station and the village administration has put his lease out for bid. Wilmette Life:

Cash said the lease was put out to bid after he approached Village Manager Mike Earl with a proposal to sell his business to another operator last summer.

At the time, Cash had been diagnosed with tumors on his spine, and he was uncertain if he would be able to return to work. He was able to return after a successful surgery, but the wheels had been set in motion which would ultimately lead to another operator being named. Gross Point Cafe, which has a store at Wilmette Avenue and Ridge Road, will take over Cash's space 30 days after the contract is approved by trustees, who are set to vote on the matter in March.

"I was stunned. Instead of getting someone saying well how can we help you I get this stone cold response saying well you should have read your lease," Cash said. "I was kind of naive going into this."

Cash said he never worried about the 30-day term of the lease in the past because the original holder, the railroad, never sought to move him out.

For $230 a month Wilmette officials are willing to rob a man of his livelihood at a time in his life when you would think he could expect some consideration:

He knows his regulars by face, if not by name, and knows which ones come in at the last second, so he can have their order ready to hand off as they run onto the platform. He spends a fair amount of time tracking down commuters who leave cell phones and laptops behind.

Cash said part of what disappointed him about the bid process was the fact that a key meeting was held at 7:30 a.m. when he could not attend, and that no one evaluating the proposals seemed to have a retail background.

"It seemed strange with all the committees we have in this village that someone from the Chamber of Commerce or someone who's' a business owner would not be invited to be part of this process," Cash said.

Cash said he was hoping to stay on the job as long as he could. His surgery removed one tumor, and doctors are treating a second with medication. He probably faces another operation, but that might not happened for two or three years. He hopes trustees review the decision rather than simply signing off on it. If he gets his notice to move out, he'll probably have to close almost immediately to have time to remove his gear and the fixtures he installed in his booth.

Wilmette trustees are due to vote on this at a meeting this month. According to the calendar their next meeting is Tuesday, March 11th. Please contact Village Trustees and the Village President to ask them to vote against this stunningly heartless action.