Mike Marron (Vermilion County) Should Resign –

This was sent as a comment to the Burgin resignation article, but it ranked up there to deserving of its own post…
 
Dear Watchdogs,
It is good to see local officials resign when they become too much of a distraction for the board or committee which is supposed to serve for the benefit of the public, and thanks to Edgar County Watchdog investigative reporting, we are seeing this on a regular basis.
This is why Mike Marron should also resign from being the chairman of the structural safety committee which evaluates applications for wind farms in Vermilion County. Mike’s parents, Pat and Linda Marron, have multiple wind turbines on their properties and host the construction lay-down area. This financial windfall from taxpayer subsidized wind companies has the appearance of being a self- help situation. I believe that this is a huge conflict of interest for Mike. There have been local citizens here who have asked for Mike Marron to be removed from the structural safety committee. I agree with them. I wonder if Mike will hang around long enough to be the next one who finds himself in the Watchdog “doghouse.”
“The interest against which the prohibition is leveled is such an interest as prevents it tend to prevent the public official from giving to the public that impartial and faithful service which he is in duty bound to render and which the public has every right to demand and receive……”
City of Chicago v. Keane (1976) “The faithful performance of official duties is best secured if a governmental officer, like any other person holding a fiduciary position, is not called upon to make decisions that may advance or injure his individual interest.”
If Mike Marron maintains influence to support/encourage/allow another wind farm to be constructed, he remains vulnerable to be individually responsible for having input on wind farm developments as soon as more people become hurt by low frequency wind turbine noise which causes major sleep deprivation which robs the health of nearby residents. This would NOT be something that would make respectable parents proud. If I was looking ahead toward a promising political career, I would not let wind turbine conflicts be the demise of those aspirations. Dee Burgin should have been out long before now. Why does our apathy let this happen? Mike Marron being as young as he is, still has a long way to go. He should remove himself from a dead-end situation before he becomes the next Dee Burgin.
MANY of these community leaders are giving up a lot for a poorly conceived trade-off. It is human nature to refuse acceptance of the blame when mistakes are made. Everyone struggles with accepting responsibility for the unintended consequences for their actions. The nature of righting a wrong is hard and takes effort. Laziness and apathy must be overcome to serve the public. The first step to receiving forgiveness is to open the door for forgiveness. Digging in and trying to be the last holdout does not serve in the best interest of the public. Just ask the Orland Park Library Board. The pregnant mom is definitely the most motivated one and will easily outlast those OPLB members especially now that her and Kevin DuJan’s momentum is building. When it comes to porn in a public library, to error on the side of caution to put children’s safety first and foremost (instead of protecting the rights of porn viewers) would be the clear cut choice.
How about the Vermilion County Board (and every other board) begin working in a way which errors on the side of caution instead of being on the razor’s edge of deception/embellishment/lies/obfuscation/mis-truths/avoidance/delay/distraction/ticky-tack response to questions and concerns raised by the good citizens. The board needs to serve in the best interest of the taxpayers, not themselves. And, please quit blaming the wind farm victims for the problems and decisions. The victims did not provide the shovels you are using to dig your political graves. Deciding to overcome your temporary fears now will pay great dividends in your next worldly and unworldly places. Nobody I know has ever regretted finding the courage to stand up for the right thing. Be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. God is watching us. I have been told, “God’s hands are attached to your arms. Do His work!