I was present at the North Riverside Village Board meeting on March 20, as many residents were, and it was truly evident that with just two weeks from the election that supporters of the MVP political party and their union firefighters would demean our fire chief, Brian Basek, and his reputation in the way they did at this meeting.
This hateful rhetoric was deplorable, unwelcome and uncalled for. Our village has no room for this type of animosity by interlopers from another town, village or city and for our residents to witness such an act was unjustified to say the least.
Our mayor, Hugh Hermanek, should be recognized for the kind, compassionate and dignified way he handled a most contentious board meeting and Chief Basek should be granted the respect he so rightfully desires as he prepares for his retirement.
It would be my hope that everyone in attendance would have noticed that the candidate and the party they are working so hard to support, H. Bob Demopoulos, actually took a stand to applaud our chief.
I have been a supporter of the VIP Party and their candidates for many years, and I would hope that the MVP Party would be called out for this shameful display of political behavior. The VIP Party does not get their fair share of respect at any election time, and I believe this is one time that they are definitely overdue.
On April 4, please support the Voter’s Improvement Party (VIP) and their candidates as they continue to give this small community with the big heart the kind of leadership they deserve.
P.J. Folz
North Riverside
