The Riverside Village Board has delayed a vote on a proposal by Trustee Ben Sells to reinstate the Riverside Parks and Recreation Board until March 7.
The vote was to have occurred at the village’ board’s meeting on Jan. 18, but was tabled since two trustees, John Scully and Lonnie Sacchi, were not present. Sacchi was a main architect of an ordinance passed last September dissolving the independent recreation board and replacing it with an advisory commission.
Trustees agreed to wait until the village board’s first meeting in March to hold the vote, because that will be the next date at which all six trustees and the village president will be present.
Sells introduced his proposal to reinstate the independent recreation board after an advisory referendum in November. That referendum question asked, “Shall the Village of Riverside retain its Parks and Recreation Board?” Voters answered in the affirmative by an almost 4-to-1 margin, but the referendum was non-binding.
In December, Sells said he was introducing the proposal as an acknowledgement of the November vote.
“I think it would breed cynicism to let it languish and have nothing happen,” Sells said.
Even waiting for a full board to vote, Sells’ gesture may end up being a symbolic one. In December, Sacchi reiterated his support for an advisory commission and Trustee James Reynolds voted against reconsidering the September decision.
In addition to those two trustees, Mark Shevitz and President Michael Gorman voted to dissolve the recreation board in September. One of those two would have to change his vote for Sells’ proposal to have a chance of passing.
– Bob Uphues
