82% Of Voters Not Enough To Sway A Majority Of The Highland Park City Council

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More than nine months earlier, the mayor voted against an amendment to lift the City Code’s prohibition on police and elected officials being issued liquor licenses earlier this year leading to 3-3 deadlock.

That effectively forced the seventh councilmember — Ravinia Brewing Company co-owner Jeff Hoobler, the only candidate Rotering refused to endorse and the one who received the most votes in last year’s municipal elections — to choose between his business and his seat on the council.

Rotering said sticking with the existing schedule, which calls for taking up the matter at some point after next April’s elections, shows how city officials are committed to thoughtful decision-making.

“The suggestion to deviate from this plan and call for an immediate vote on this issue is not only unnecessary, but it undermines the collaborative and transparent process we rely on to make decisions,” the mayor said. “It’s vital that we approach this topic in a way that’s consistent with our value, respects the voices of all residents and allows for informed deliberation, not rushed judgments.”

Two councilmembers — Andres Tapia and Annette Lidawer — sought to put the amendment to the city’s liquor code back on the City Council’s agenda on Monday, but they lacked the support of the mayor or a third colleague to do so.

Describing the situation as a “tennis match between common sense and the Mad Hatter,” Tapia said a true representative is committed to honoring the voice of the people, even when it is challenging or inconvenient, and leaders should reflect the communities they serve rather than try to rule over them.

“In essence, to be a representative is to be both a servant and a leader, acting swiftly and responsibly to the community’s behalf. The people have placed their trust in us to reflect their will,” Tapia said.

“And common sense also dictates the corollary: that ignoring or delaying the people’s will isn’t just the breach of duty, it’s a failure to honor their vote and their will,” he said. “And what was that vote? That 82 percent of voters in our city came together to approve the referendum. They sent a clear message.”

Lidawer said people are clearly asking for a change, and city staff already have a draft of the amendment that they could vote on and the city has already expended plenty of resources on the matter.

“This is not a measure that’s going to cost money. This is not a measure that’s dependent on all sorts of new facts that might come in,” Lidawer said.

The mayor questioned the need to react right away to the vote, likening ballots cast by more than four out of five Highland Park voters on the matter to past local issues where vocal groups of community members have advocated for various city policies.

“I guess I just have a question for those who want an immediate vote, and that is what has changed that has created this urgency?” Rotering asked.

“We’ve had other situations where people have spoken very vociferously. I can talk to you about the boaters, I can talk to you about Bucky’s, I can talk to you about the high school parking lot, whatever you want to talk about, there have been plenty of other situations where this community has been really kind of, you know, activated,” she said. “So I’m curious to know what is this urgency for taking action.”

“What has happened is that on Nov. 5 we had an election,” Lidawer responded.

“It was an election that everybody in this country, one way or another on some level, was involved in, and many, many people in this community came out to vote on this issue,” she said. “And they wanted their vote to be heard, and they wanted their voices to be heard because several members of this council said, ‘We’re not sure how the public really feels.’ So now that they’ve told us in the privacy and protection of their voting booth, so they didn’t feel pressured by a large group going one way, they’ve told us how they feel.”

Ten members of the public spoke Monday in support of amending the code. None appeared satisfied with Rotering’s explanation for why the matter would not be placed on the agenda anytime soon.

Faye Rosenberg, owner of the Ravinia Business District shop Vintage Rescue and a supporter of the referendum efforts, acknowledged that the results of the vote are non-binding but said she was nonetheless gobsmacked by the City Council’s response.

“To say that you value public opinion is laughable and a sham,” Rosenberg said. “And you keep saying it, but it’s obvious that you don’t.”

Peter Sereda, a longtime Highland Park resident who said Monday was just the second time he has addressed the City Council, said people rarely want to admit when they are wrong — but in this case there is no need to do so, merely to accept that the vast majority of the town has a different view on the matter.

“They feel very strongly about this issue, and that’s not going to change. They feel that you’ve nullified an election, and they believe that they’ve been wronged by you,” Sereda said, a reference to how Hoobler was compelled to resign and be replaced with an appointee by Rotering.

“A viable leader has to be able to either convince his or her electorate to take a position, or, failing that, accept the will of the overwhelming majority,” he said. “It may be legally feasible for a while to ignore the views of the voters, but it can’t go on forever, and it’s not right. In fact, now people are going to think that you are nullifying their second time, this time on the referendum.”

There are four seats on the council on the ballot in the upcoming April 1, 2025, election.

Four candidates are running for three full terms as councilmembers. incumbents Lidawer, Tapia and Barisa Bruckman, the councilmember Rotering appointed to replace Hoobler, are facing a challenge from James Lynch, the executive director of the Art Center of Highland Park.

Three candidates are running for the final two years of Hoobler’s term, set to end at the same time as Rotering’s term. The trio includes Jonathan Center, Kevin Cullather and incumbent Councilmember Kim Stone, who sided with Rotering and Councilmember Tony Blumberg against an amendment to the liquor code earlier this year.

Richard Becker, a local architect who spent a dozen years on the Highland Park Zoning Board of Appeals and Preservation Commission, said Monday the entire matter was a stain on the town that makes it appear like there is some kind of conspiracy behind the scenes.

“Please stop gaslighting on this issue and address this now. Please respect the will of Highland Park voters. You work for them. You can and should do better,” Becker told the mayor and councilmembers.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware in this group, how you project kind of a contempt for the community by your inaction on it,” he said. “I know you maybe don’t see it that way, but I’m telling you, if you self-reflect, I think you would see that there’s a contempt that’s being pushed out, and it’s visible to everyone that I speak to. Maybe you don’t see it, but Highland Parker do see it.”

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