Woodstock....City Divided

In unity there is strength and solidarity. In division there is weakness and individuality. It appears that some elements within the City Government and certain departments of Woodstock Illinois have chosen to take the road to weakness and individuality, where the "wants" of the one or few take precedent over the good of the many: where ego and the need to "win" overwhelms common sense and where the high cost to the taxpayer does not enter into the equation even in these hard times.

On March 7, 2008, about one month following the unanimous decision (3 to 0) of the Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to reinstate Sergeant Steven R. Gorski and to pay him all his back pay along with interest as dictated by State statute the Police Chief Robert W. Lowen Jr. filed through his City paid attorneys, Zukowski, Rogers, Flood and McArdle in the Circuit Court of the 22nd Judicial Circuit McHenry County, Illinois a COMPLAINT IN ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW against the City's own Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of Woodstock Illinois and now the Board's new co-defendant, Sergeant Steven R. Gorski. So with this filing by the Chief of Police Robert W. Lowen Jr.against the City's own Board of Fire and Police Commissioners we have a situation where the City is paying both for the Chief's attorneys and the Board's attorney. This is a very interesting use of the tax payers of Woodstock's money. Someone should ask who authorized the Chief to pursue further costly legal action in this matter: to date no one has that I know of. It seems that the only entity involved in this scenario that would come out ahead would allegedly be the firm of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood and McArdle because I am sure they will be paid promptly by the City of Woodstock.

Oh, by the way, not one penny was paid to Sergeant Gorski following the order(directive) of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to do so. Why would anyone now or in the future want to be on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners if their decisions and directives are not obeyed and honored. In fact why even have a Board of Fire and Police Commissioners if its actions and decisions mean nothing and only (according to some allegedly) just rubber stamp the decisions of the Chief....obviously this time they did not...and that is why we are allegedly in this current situation. In the end however no matter how this turns out the legal fees will be paid to Zukowski, Rogers, Flood and McArdle at the tax payers expense...isn't that the way it seems to always end.

I don't know who is going to live happily ever after but I sure hope that its the Sergeant, his family and three young daughters. I am sure the City and the lawyers will continue to survive nicely.