Domestic terrorism on the rise?

Is domestic terrorism on the rise in McHenry County?

Last week I didn't pay much attention to the plight of Lake in the Hills resident Al Williams, when the Northwest Herald reported on the repair of a landslip on his property. However, after reading the news on www.FirstElectricNewspaper.com about the squabble over a building permit, it's time to weigh in.

Williams apparently received a village insurance settlement for the repair work. His contractor began repair work. The Village showed up and screamed, "Foul!"

Actually, they probably screamed, "Show us the money!" ($750 worth), but it came out sounding like, "Where's your permit?" Then a "he said, she said" problem arose. The Village said the contractor needed a permit; the contractor told Williams that the Village had told him he didn't.

At an administrative hearing on Thursday, the hearing officer told Williams he needed a permit by the next day. That was news to Williams. And none of the Village's three representatives at the meeting knew of any notice to Williams about the deadline for the permit.

These days municipal employees get big bucks for designing complicated procedures for getting things done. Maybe things got a little too complicated in Lake in the Hills!

Friday the contractor tried to get a permit. Even through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources had approved the project, the Village Engineer denied the application for a permit.

All this reminded me of Woodstock back in 2002-03, when a new resident to Woodstock tried to convert a nice old home to a bed-and-breakfast. The neighbors ganged up on her, plus the city's Building Inspector made her miserable. He'd give her a punch list of items; she'd do all of them but, when he came back to check on them, he'd give her some more.

Woodstock required her to install a commercial fire-suppressant system throughout her four-bedroom home, costing her thousands of dollars that she'll never recover. Woodstock required a rear fire-escape contraption that resembles the bridge to nowhere. The final straw was a fireproof window in her nice dining room that was going to cost $5,-6,000!

That's when she said she would just board up the window!

The neighbors presented her with a list of 50 questions and demanded answers. One of the questions was, "How will the City know if you go out of business?" (Like it was any of their business.)

I helped her with the answers to some of the questions. For that one I suggested the following answer: "The ashes will be cold, and the firetrucks will be gone."

I seem to be fresh out of answers for Mr. Williams to give the Village of Lake in the Hills. Any suggestions?