Residents sound off over Wilmette Harbor lease issue

Trib local. And from one of my regular readers:

Dear Mr. Brault:

I am opposed to the expansion of local government, particularly in a community like Wilmette with both a declining population and tax base.   The Wilmette Harbor Association has capably managed the harbor for decades.    On the other hand, the Wilmette Park District has experienced serious management issues, including employee theft and cost over-runs on the construction of the golf course club house.   Harbor Association workers are not government employees, with government employee benefits, but WPD harbor employees would be government workers.  And it is unlikely that the MSD would permit the Park District to consider Wilmette residency in slip fees, so the harbor would not be a cash cow.  And, Wilmette residents would be at increased risk for lawsuits with an inexperienced  Park District management team operating a harbor facility.

There is no need to change the current management of the Wilmette Harbor.     Don't compete with the Wilmette Harbor Association.

Contact the Park District here. Enough of the empire-building at our expense.

This is a time when our local government should be looking to pare down the number of employees--a huge and unsustainable cost-- and cut spending.