(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Salem Lakes, Wis. — The Village of Salem Lakes’ top administrator is under scrutiny after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) launched an investigation into potential illegal wetland disturbances on municipal property. The property in question is zoned C1. Lowland Resource Conservancy (C1) zoning is intended to prevent the destruction of valuable natural resources, including wetlands, shorelands, and areas subject to flooding. This is among the most restrictive zoning in the County.
Cassandra Hiller, the Village Administrator, has retained a Milwaukee-based attorney known for handling employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and civil rights matters. This legal move comes in the wake of multiple complaints to the DNR regarding unpermitted excavation and tree removal behind Village Hall.
According to the DNR, no permits were issued for the project, which allegedly involved cutting trees and constructing a walking or biking path around a large lake adjacent to Village Hall. A source within Village government told Kenosha County Eye that Hiller ordered the work herself.
DNR officials have visited the site at least three times this week, conducting inspections tied to the complaints. KCE is told that an expensive piece of equipment got stuck in the pond and had to be removed by heavy equipment. All of the work was done without Village Board approval.
On Thursday, Village President Rita Bucur called an emergency board meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m., citing the need to consult legal counsel on a potential litigation matter. The agenda item referenced “recent complaints to DNR of wetland/pond violations by Village personnel and handling of same.” The meeting was closed to the public and lasted approximately 90 minutes, with Hiller absent.
After the closed session, two Village attorneys entered Hiller’s office, where her personal attorney was also present. Later, the entire Village Board met for an additional 90 minutes in a restricted area of Village Hall. Hiller remained in her office throughout and did not make any statements while KCE was on site. Board members also declined to comment following the meeting.
Hiller, a former Lake County, Illinois bureaucrat, has historically been responsive to KCE inquiries, but she declined to answer questions about the project. Her silence marks a stark contrast from her previous openness with local media.
Several current and former Village officials told KCE they are hoping Hiller steps down. One former employee resigned during a board meeting and delivered pointed criticism of Hiller’s leadership.
From the beginning of her tenure, Hiller’s hiring drew concern from residents and officials who questioned whether a Democrat from suburban Chicago was the right fit to lead a small, predominantly conservative Wisconsin community. Her critics now say those doubts have been validated.
As of press time, Hiller remains in her role as the Village’s top administrator. The DNR investigation is ongoing.
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173 Responses
How does this board not know what’s happening in their back yard?
Because they’re all trash.
Anybody check for buried bodies?
Ooooo!!!! RIGHT?!!🤣
****** ******* ******** ******* ******* ******* ********* ******. The newest female board member was courted by Hiller herself run last fall during a series of lunches. I don’t think the current Village Administrator is supposed to be recruiting individuals to run for elected positions in their municipality.
Check Bristol, same activities. Administrator runs and hand picks personnel.
Elected officials, i.e. board members, are not “personnel”; they are elected by the resident voters. If no one wants to take the time to serve, recruiting is a logical step.
Quite literally, their backyard.
I’m not going to say I told you so, but I told you so. I said way back that she screwed Lake County who was more than happy to get rid of her. She does not know what she is doing. Wake up. The Village just keeps getting worse, including the Fire Department. People are still bailing. The Chief needs to go.
Because they are uneducated with running a Village and think they can do whatever they want. They put too much faith in that Administrator, President of the board and the Fire Chief. Get rid of them all.
The fire chief is the only one of those three who has integrity. I was indifferent about Rita but there’s no way she didn’t know this was going on, so she needs to go as well (or prove why she should stray).
There’s no reason to keep Cassandra.
Because, they drive in, get out of their cars, walk in and sit. The only thing they see is what is between their house and the hall and don’t look sideways to behind the garage.
RESIDENTS GO WALK THIS POND!. I did this morning., Walk around the entire pond, you will not believe what you see. This was done without any regard to these wetlands. It looks like idiots did this, you can’t comprehend unless you walk the entire pond, I took at least 100 pictures.
I do not believe for one second only this administrator did this or knew. NO WAY!!!!!!! If this isn’t a violation of DNR protocols, then nothing is. I’m not an expert, but if you look up DNR violations in a wetland online, the images look just like what I’ve seen. This is public property, go look for yourself, DO NOT TAKE MY WORD!!! This makes me very Angry as a resident that this s**t is still going on. I’m Sad
Oh great, Swamp Gate!!! Who knew????
This story will evolve, this feels like a possible cover up, Why? Somebody made mistakes, own them and move on.
I went out this morning and walked it, too. It’s awful. I took pictures but they don’t capture the scope of the damage. You really need to experience it in person to get the full effect. There are trees that look like they have been partially shredded and I’m not sure some of them will survive the massacre. Debris from trees, brush, and plants that were torn up just left where it fell or piled up and pushed to the side. Whoever did this didn’t seem to care about the level of damage they were doing to the pond or vegetation. If you are at all unsteady on your feet or have mobility issues, the area is not easy to access or navigate. It is a wetland, so if you want to visit I recommend wearing boots or shoes and clothing you don’t mind getting wet and possibly muddy. I parked on the west side of the village hall as it’s the closest to the pond. There’s no clearly marked path but I was able to see the area I was trying to get to from the parking lot.
Thank you for caring, wish more people did. We worry about development in our Village, but the runoff has to store somewhere. That why wetlands exist and the animals that need it to help them survive, that’s their home. Protecting wetlands is not political, ignoring the damage because you like one politician over another is morally wrong IMO. Go out in nature and sit quietly and watch and listen to the animals, this is their home.
…. of the new brush hog machine.
Cassandra wanted the road guys to show her how it works
Well well well…..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪, those guys can call me I have the number to Army Corp of engineering and the DNR, not to mention a delineation report certified agent also. These are the people you need to contact not just the village administrator. The village has no( zero) jurisdiction when it comes to wetlands!!!! Ask Bristol administrator and board 😜.
I’d stick with DNR and not involve the idiots with the Army Corps of Engineers unless you want it screwed up even more than it is. (Examples of how inept they are – they built a horrible tire reef off of Emerald Isle, NC that totally screwed up the ocean’s tides and how the waves came to shore which subsequently destroyed/ eroded a LOT of the shoreline; and then their good old levees in New Orleans that didn’t do a thing to help the city during Katrina and more than likely added to the storms destruction of NOLA. I wouldn’t ask the Army Corps of Engineers to build me a bird house. It would probably kill the birds or cause a catastrophic forest fire.)
Who is in charge over there? I thought Rita had this under control.
She called an emergency meeting to address it.
She’s known about this for months. She didn’t call an emergency meeting until DNR found out.
What about the clerk? She’s there all day every day- she needs to answer a few questions as well.
Not the clerks job.
She/he is a recorder, not a trustee or admin.
Could there have been a mention? Certainly, but not the clerks job, especially as an employee instead of an elected official. We gave that up when the appointed business occurred. On us!
She up Cassandra’s ass. You can see her feet dangling!
They better not pay her a dime when they cut her loose!
They already overshot their budget when they hired her! No one wanted her but Rita- literally no one.
Hiller proved everyone right.
Shouldn’t the board know about this from some budget plan and board meeting presentation. What about p&z board. Does whatever was done meet with what was planned for that spot? Did Mr wonderful dnr friend denni fabor know about this? Did he give an okay?
No internal promotions please and let’s get a Wisconsin person wot experience of lakes, river, rural and urban in their experience list.
Who’s Denni Fabor… do tell!!!!!😎
A major league asshole . That’s who.
She didn’t ask for permission, she just ordered village employees to complete the work. That was explained in the article.
Exactly. The p & z board had no idea, that’s the IL way.
And Steinbrink Sr and Jr’s way in Pleasant Prairie. Glad neither one of them are employed by the VPP any longer, but we need to be on top of all this kind of stuff with the new President, Dave, as well. We need to get rid of a few other administration in PP too or the corruption will continue.
WTF who does she think she is??
She’s Cassy Hiller dammit , and she makes the laws !
🤣🤣
I attended a P&Z meeting and the leader, not sure if he is considered president of P&Z, at one point made a comment that he felt that anyone should be able to build what they want in the village. So based on this comment I do not believe he really would care. Granted this was a single comment about housing but if that is his overall belief then who knows that they overlook. I also cannot find any public recordings of the P&Z meetings and it does not seems like they were scheduled on a regular basis.
Lol are you having a stroke?
If this is a c-1 or 2, has anyone from the County visited the site? My neighbor cleared some brush in his C district and was crucified for years. How much was cleared?
According to Kenosha County Interactive Mapping: Parcel 70-4-120-233-0205 has areas of I-1 (institutional), C-1 (lowland resource conservancy), and PR-1 (park-recreational) zoning. It’s I-1 where the buildings are and in a small area south and west of the C-1 area pictured in this article, kind of in the middle of the parcel. The two pieces of I-1 are completely separated by a C-1 area. There are 2 areas of C-1. The area in the picture captioned “Lake Behind Salem Lakes Village Hall” extends from the north lot line about 575′ off of Hwy 83 and runs diagonally from west to east down to around 80′ from the south lot line. The other area of C-1 is about halfway down the western lot line and kind of snakes down to the southern lot line. It follows the path of some wetlands and leaves an area of PR-1 in the southwest corner of the parcel, cut off from the other area of PR-1 that forms kind of a stretched Z shape running from the northwest corner down through the middle around the C-1 and I-1 districts and over to the southeast lot line. Nearly all of the C-1 areas are wetlands. Wetlands extend onto part of the I-1 area west of the C-1 area where the body of water is, and onto a little of the PR-1 area adjacent. (I’ve done my best to describe/explain what it looks like. Anyone can visit Kenosha County Interactive Mapping-it’s a free, public resource. There is a disclaimer that the maps aren’t legally recorded nor surveys. You can decide how much credibility to give the information listed.)
I told you so
Was this a training exercise in wetland destruction?
It has become increasingly clear that hiring Cassandra was not in the best interest of the community. The board has been aware of these concerns for some time. This is not the leadership or direction that the residents of Salem Lakes expected when they voted for change two years ago. It is time for the board to honor its commitment to the community and take decisive action to move in a more effective direction.
Email your elected officials and tell them to fire her immediately-
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
& don’t forget Cassandra’s bestie [email protected]
If I remember correctly the board voted against the citizens choice, well enough said. The old board has already infected the new, some virus.
The Board also voted against the suggestions of the different committees chosen to help select the new Admin.
Allegedly, one of the businesses on 94 just got dinged with a 4 million dollar fine for the destruction of approximately 15,000 sq feet of wetlands,. this can be serious. What is a C district?
Conservancy. C-1 is lowland resource conservancy. C-2 is upland resource conservancy. A very, very basic summary that doesn’t take all possible nuances into account is that C-1 is usually wetlands or wet areas and C-2 is usually woodlands. Village of Salem Lakes ordinances chapter 490 article 29 provides greater detail with definitions and uses.
KCE is this a patch of dirt damaged or something else. I think that matters.
I’ve been there. I took photos. It looks bad.
Time for a cover-up! Think Kenosha County been out their yet? Bet not. They work for Salem Now, nothing to see here.
Has the County been notified? They didn’t have any problem F-in my neighbor. Nope they work for Salem Now.
This is what you get when senior management turns the reins over to jr management and lets them run wild with no reins. There has been many signs that hiller wasn’t fit for our community some not all of the board closed there eyes to the issues because hiller was doing the difficult work that they didn’t have to do because she was doing it. Wisconsin is an at will state and if what’s in this article is true then she should be immediately terminated or at least put on leave. Please board members don’t let the community regret voting you into your positions. It will be controversial for some but fast decisive action is needed. This village definitely doesn’t need more cancer at the town hall we need people to just do whats right for the village and maybe a brake from all this drama
How do we get her out if she’s non-elected? However we do, sign me up!
Why downvote this?
The village president and village board would have to take action to remove her. It would likely take a majority vote of the board.
Hopefully they get on that soon. This lady is a disaster.
Prob a super majority. We need so see her contract to be sure.
Her name is already out there. No quiet resignation is gonna help her now in next jobs.
Anything on woti or knews yet?
Maybe threatening to recall the Village President if she doesn’t fire her? Not sure, but it seems.to me.that if.the Village President hired her, she should know what’s going on and it falls on the President. Just like Steinbrink Sr….he KNEW…we all KNOW he knew what his son was doing ripping off the people of PP tax payers! We should have gotten rid of him then, but at least he’s gone now. Is sad the same kind of guy took his place though. Trained for 10 years under Steinbrink as a trustee. We gotta.stay on top of this new guy!!
Board collective decision, no one person has that power.
You go to next Mondays board meeting sign up for citizens comments and tell the board your thoughts they give 3 minutes. It also helps if you fill the town hall with citizens.
Well if she is getting an attorney she must know that she needs one.
What budget line item was this work charged to?
Did the board approve it?
There’s a few vague items on Febs financials, but I doubt anything will be itemized as “wetlands deconstruction”. Prob some general fund deduction for “Village Hall maintenance”.
Better question is what is the new line item of $30,000 for “election contingency” under the elections section that the tax payers are paying for in 2025? With Cassandra’s new assistant position, that’s a whole lotta new taxes. Looks like they are adding all kinds of stuff.
Apparently it’s for electronic poll books that require a ton of training. That’s Sara’s (unnecessary) pet project.
There’s a bunch that Cindi purchased…no need for new. Software update is all that is needed
The DNR has too much power. These politicians have too much power.
Who signs off on the stuff she does? You’re telling me no one else say this and didn’t question if it’s a good idea or not (or if it’s a good use of taxpayer money)? SMH
Just fire her already! Cassandra Hiller is an immoral, unethical, unscrupulous politician who will do and say whatever she wants to get her way. She is untrustworthy and if her mouth is moving…she’s lying. Make the right choice and let her go…it couldn’t happen to better person! Just look at the way she’s treated Village employees. Karma is a bitch.
Is she why Shannon left too?
She why many good left
Dem from Chicago: 🚩🚩🚩
Enough said.
It’s prob all for personal use too, all she does is spend her time taking trips and bicycling. Prob made her own personal bike trail to train on.
Way to waste my money on yourself. Go back to IL and quit ruining Salem.
I’m shocked in 2025 a Village official would enter a wetland and do this, no permit?, please KCE share pics.
If a resident did this, the state would own your property. Almost not believable
Just drive over to the village hall and take a walk and look for yourself.
Secret meetings to hide this from the public. Wow
Every tree is important to me… when they cut a single tree down, insects die, birds die and lose their home, and so much more, and all for a walkway! This is shitty!
Well she should be removed especially if she doesn’t care for conservation!
You are not allowed to cut down vegetation in a wetland without a permit. There is no grey area there.
Executive Kerkman should visit site and see what her staff is overlooking. Can someone please post pics of this online somewhere?
Village of salem lakes employees are not Kerkman’s staff.
She wouldn’t even come to Bristol when I called and personally talked to her over the same issues. She claimed she wasn’t aware of how the village was run and of the personnel here. But yet she shows up to meeting to hand out awards and was in the parades! She in it for herself she don’t give a f$&k about the people! Ask her ethics committee…….
Nothing yet in knews
Nothing yet in woti
Thanks kce
Maybe if she lived in Salem Lakes, she would be more concerned about how tax money is spent.
Or, wasted with attorney fees and time spent away from real village business.
Why don’t they require ALL village employees to reside in the Village? It makes sense, then they have skin in the game.
…all the sheriffs deputies would have to live in the village.
A resident requirement would limit the job pool to who with what qualifications ?
Cassandra is more than qualified. Did she do something wrong here ? Obviously.
Why is the question.
Tough decision for Rita here. Fixing the fuck up is first priority. Finding the next administrator is the next. Firing Cassandra is in there somewhere.
How was Cassandra more qualified than the 5 left in the 13 Admins who applied? Oh, bc she pretended to give a sh*t about Salem Lakes? If that is how we vet out-of-towners than we deserve what happens to us. The separate committees appointed to look into who would be the best fit didn’t even choose her as thier 1, 2 or 3! She’s a sh*t show…but she “seemed nice” so they selected her and paid whatever she wanted (and have her an over-budget assistant).
Another dei hire, eeh?
Residency requirements were abolished by Governor Walker and the Republican legislature in 2013. Emergency personal can be required to live within 15 miles of the community they serve.
No doubt her attorney told her to not speak.
Good that she follows instruction.
It’s a bs situation for us, but smart for her.
Hmmmmm
So she brings the board a budget item to replace her broken desk which is not a high budget item but then does something like this? Something does not make sense. Was she distracting the board with silly stuff while in the background she was ordering staff around to do what she pleased? Or over time did her head her too big with everyone putting her on a pedestal. I for one thought she was doing a great job when she was first hired, proved wrong. Very sad for our community. I do believe Rita will do the right thing. But maybe I’m wrong there as well, I hope not.
She told them her desk was broke? Another lie …
All of the old furniture is sitting in the basement- there’s a lot down there just collecting dust. What a waste.
Oh, you mean the new office furniture purchased for the administrator, clerk and HR lady. From the very same company that the village president works for? Where were the three quotes? Where was the RFP, Mr. Poli? Or was that a pass to spend because it was from Rita’s Uline? Something is fishy!
Really ??
Do you really think there was or is ANY connection between this village purchase and Rita’s employment with Uline ?
Uline is a billion dollar company !
Rita’s job there has nothing to do with working with direct sales.
I have made a purchase or two from Uline over the years. And while not necessarily the cheapest choice they have and had Exactly what I was looking for when I couldn’t find it anywhere else.
Our government officials are citizens first.
They all have their own jobs, businesses or are retired. Trying to make a connection of office supply or furniture purchasing to any gain by a board member is ludicrous.
I’m so disappointed in Cassandra.
From the first time at a beach or out fishing with your family as a kid, especially here in Wisconsin, you know that you are not supposed to do anything to vegetation anywhere near water.
A bike trail ? Really ?
And how about the employees doing the work ?
Did they question the validity of it ?
This is not rocket science.
While some people don’t like Cassandra because she’s into EVERYTHING, she’s into everything because we are a NEW Village. So many things that need to be looked at and revised and brought into compliance.
Was she the right person at that time ? I think so. Does she rub a lot of people the wrong way ? Sure. But we became a village to stop mainly, Paddock Lake from stealing our land. Anyone remember that ?? But the past board didn’t know what to do after. And that was 8 years ago. 2017. Remember ?
We are NOT a Town anymore !
Did Cassandra over step here ? Probably.
Why ? I can’t even guess.
So I am so disappointed in this because I really hoped her overly extensive knowledge of government would help us get into “compliance” and leave us in a better position moving forward.
In some ways she’s already done a lot to help.
That’s all besides the fact that the previous administration was so effed up that anything we did was better than before.
Regardless of the legal ramifications, I really would like Cassandra to explain what her thinking here was ?
This woman needs to be investigated from so many angles. Employes are leaving in droves from the town because of her over reach and lies. She has also created multiple positions of employment for her friends, most of which are unqualified for their positions. I thought the adminstrator was supposed to curb spending, not spend more.
Yes, she loves to hire her friends. Almost all new employees are friends or relatives of friends or her mentor. Just wait until they fill the her high paid assistant position, I’m sure that’ll be a doozy! Watch out VOSL, the swamp is only getting deeper!
I’m not going to say I told you so, but I told you so. I said way back that she screwed Lake County who was more than happy to get rid of her. She does not know what she is doing. Wake up. The Village just keeps getting worse, including the Fire Department. People are still bailing. The Chief needs to go.
Fire her and hire Allen Dunski.
The arsonist? HA HA HA! Lets just take back Murdock too while we’re at it!
Hire Tiffany Henyard. She’s looking for a job. Can’t do much worse. Isn’t it about running the Town dry and making your friends rich along with yourself??? She’s your candidate.
Heyward? Explain.
Look at Dalton I’ll.
LOL! Good one! She’s just about a major looney!
Maybe Cassandra should resign. Makes it easy for her and us.
She’s too arrogant and self centered. Narcissist from every angle. Claims she’s so honest moral and ethical… and a farm girl…not even close … grain farmer that is her father not spoiled cassie …over educated idiot who’s the victim of Everyone… All of her husbands, her mommy, men in the work world… oh yah …and pete poli picks on her … because she’s a woman. Ya know that software she wants to bring in for the trains … it’s her Fbuddy that’s selling it.
Wow! I didn’t know that, but I see it clear as day!!
I did know about all the lies she uses about how she’s a farmer, etc. she ran outta town the second she could and only uses her family for her gain. She’s so dishonest.
She claims to be “transparent” and constantly tells everyone how honest she is. She actually says that she has never told a lie. That woman lies like a rug and cannot be trusted. She is best friends with and has the same background as whoever is in the room…except she does it better!
Grain farmers are not real farmers.
I don’t think where she came from should be that big a deal. T is known a bit more. Hell, Pat Casey came from wry liberal Evanston Illinois. Don’t be foolish, he wasn’t conservative. JUST silent about his leanings unless provoked. Pat knew to stay away from water related issues probably because of the work involved with them and maybe smart enough to ask Denny to get it approved first by his DNR buddies.
Anyone from IL is a swamp creature and should be scrutinized.
Hello Linda
DNR = Damn Near Russia
The article doesn’t specify but is the “expensive equipment” that had to be removed from the pond the skid steer the Board approved for purchase last fall?
Wouldn’t Public Works Director Zautche be responsible for authorizing staff to use this expensive equipment?
The same Mr. Zautche that reviewed and issued permits for the Village and that every County and Village permit application clearly states that the property owner is responsible for complying with State and Federal laws concerning construction near or on wetlands which while not an official wetland delineation are easily and quickly found in less than five minutes on the Kenosha County GIS.
But, Brad is beholding to the village. Sometimes, bigger bosses screw with people who are beholding. Good thing is that these same intimidated people will tell truth when it counts. It’s gonna snack u in the face Cassandra. Will leave a red mark fir sure.
Didn’t the Village recently break some equipment they needed to replace? Was it from this secret project?
Wasn’t that the equipment that Culat worked to death? Was it doing wetlands work then?
How did the employees find all this time to play in the wetlands? The Administrator said they were short-staffed. Was that because of this project? This story better get an explanation from the board.
Short staffed?! She just hired herself an overpaid assistant.
We aren’t Gurnee, we don’t have enough people or funds to justify an assistant for her, quit avoiding work and do your damn job Cassie!
Actually, just quit. We don’t want you ruining our Village anymore. Go back to IL where you still live.
Was the asst in the budget?
Approved by the board?
Then it is the board you should be pissed at.
Blane but please be accurate in your blaming!
Oh I am blaming her for suggesting it and blaming board for approving it (an assistant).
Any administration has many jobs that need to be done. No need to have a $140K person doing basic research and paperwork that a lesser paid employee can do.
Anyone who thinks a single person working only 40 hours a week can run a village of our size with the number of employees we have while at the same time reviewing EVERY part of EVERY department for contract discrepancies and cost savings, hasn’t a clue.
As said elsewhere, we are a NEW VILLAGE !!
So many things we are doing that are wrong and need to be corrected or updated.
This administration from Rita and Cassandra on down ARE making changes that will do this Village good for decades to come !
You are right and wrong, IMO This isn’t as complicated as one would think unless you going to meddle in everything. Other Administrators that have much more going on, they wears many hats and make it work. I believe Twin Lakes and Paddock Lake administration wears many hats, how do they do it? This is not a New Village, 7-8 years in isn’t new, be honest. Has Cassandra done many good things, of course. This issue this article is about is a huge concern, don’t try to deflect. Be Honest. I agree that positive changes are good, but should be done over time in a thoughtful way. We mostly agree.
because the previous board didn’t want to do the work !
Diann didn’t want to hold a hearing for the silver lake, Lake District formation. Sure it was during Covid but she begged off because she said, “We’ve never done this before”
So many things the past board didn’t do once we became a village.
Still catching up
I don’t care if she (or you) thinks the work is “beneath” her- do what you’re hired to do at the budget that was set. Not demand a higher salary and a grunt to do all your dirty work. Lazy and entitled.
I wonder what board members were aware of this; no way nobody knew. Did the Administrator get the secret nod for this? The question must be asked: How Much time was spent doing this? The word is months. Residents should visit the Lake Path Project from hell. I’m going tomorrow.
Nomore-?
Linda? As in Valentine? If so, no way in hell that this wouldn’t have been out in the open on the very first inkling. That woman was everywhere, everyday, all day. In my opinion, a good thing for the town with a slime board doing nothing or fighting her. Not til the Rita board was there a change.
If not, explain please.
V was a very good thing for the town ….she didn’t have the support and that was sad
Keeping count.
Still no mention on West of the I.
Zero chance, this isn’t community news to West of I.
West of the I is exactly what the owner wants it to be. A income source for his family.
Darren provides a valuable service to this community and all other communities Westofthei reminding us of the local meetings as they occur month to month. Heck, if you aren’t on the village email list do you even know when there is a meeting or agenda to look at ? To decide if you want to attend and voice your opinion or concerns?
Not just where you live in Salem but others like Bristol and Twin Lakes ?
Don’t you like to know things like the Aquanauts are expanding their footprint for their audience in Twin Lakes ? Or the recent announcement of Paddock Lake approving 174 new homes right on Salems northern border ?
Westofthei has an important place in our community to keep us informed of the background information and when things are happening that concern us both in government and school functions. Also important press releases from the sheriffs department along with important weather notices.
Things that KCE hasn’t got the time or space for.
Heck, it takes the Kenosha News 3 days or more to report on a “overnight” story.
Darren also tells us about local celebrations both in our children’s school accomplishments and death notices of local people that may or may not live here anymore.
Then all the festivals and happenings around.
And if you are interested, he allows anyone to look back at every story in his archives to when he first started in 2006. Almost 20 years ago !
I have many times looked up stories when he did a little more “reporting” than he does now. Many stories he did on Salem during Linda Valentines days as Town Chairman. Dennis Faber was on the board then too. Lots of times Westofthei reported on controversial issues and allowed comments just like here.
Darren and his Westofthei have evolved over time but he’s still an important part of this community and has his place and niche.
So don’t fault him for not following all this drama here in Salem and other local boards.
That’s why Kevin Mathewson and KCE is so popular and important. Because Kevin tells us what he finds out and then allows us to hash it all out and virtually run someone out of town with our free speech !!
Darren is “good people”. He has a donation button too. Go on over there and show your support for his website. Throw him a few bucks each year. Help him to continue to keep us aware of all the other things we shouldn’t have to worry about
Agree Darren is good people and provides a different service. Both are important to our community.
KCE is willing to put information out there you should be aware of, that makes someone not necessarily happy.
I agree they both are a critical asset to our community and should be supported.
Without KCE government wouldn’t change for the better. Keep up the good KCE.
West of the I scared to put real news out! They live in a perfect world where these things don’t happen!!
Look what happens when a village obtains a DEI hire. We all warned Rita yet we got chastised instead of heard.
So now Rita’s credibility is on the line too.
Is it really a “large lake” like the article states or is it a pond? Does it matter if it’s man made or a natural pond? Does the DNR have control over man made retention ponds, if this is one? Does anyone know? Just curious because almost all new subdivisions and industrial parks have retention ponds, does the DNR handle the treatment and care of all of those?
Only woke need to MAKE a path instead of walking on whatever is there naturally.
The woke seem to need sterile environs to be in nature. Heaven forbid having to step up or down or to watch for a branch or root in the way.
I’m sure wildlife is glad they cut all their trees down and made a highway through their habitat. But hey, it’s a road for humans, no problem.
Look at the steps the power company takes to work in a wetland, it’s crazy involved with wood mats, can’t be cheap. DNR is always friendlier to the government than Private citizens or corporations. Probably a small fine and repair damage and it will all be good.
The damage will be done but our trust in Cassandra won’t be.
*Damage will be easy to repair
WHY do we continually hire or have people run for Village offices that do NOT reside in Wisconsin???? If they want to work for the Village, they should have 1 year to MOVE HERE and become a resident. If they don’t, they’re gone.
All of the other 4 finalists lived in WI. Why pick the only IL person? Bc she’s a woman and seemed nice? wtf
Wish someone from the DNR would look into the MBT carved into Petrified Springs Park, esp the area just north of Hwy A. That is all wetland & those trails have torn up the whole area. Just look at the DNR map. Pristine trails gone. No place to hike walk and good trees cut down. Dangerous jumps too.
Doesn’t the Director and his Asst. Of Public works have to answer to this? If they are educated as they should be, they shoul know the laws and have not gone along with her direction. Should have questioned her orders. Should check into their background and where they came from and the problems that were there.
This is the same administrator who stripped a disabled firefighter who was injured while making a rescue of a fire victim of her insurance benefits even after saying the village completely owed it to her based on their contract. She is a complete 2 face and I can’t wait to see her in front of a judge!!!!
For the village board there are a lot of questions to be answered but maybe this one tops the list: Were these actions of a corrupt administrator out to use her office for her personal gain (or that of someone else) or were they a misguided lapse in knowledge and/or judgment? In other words, corrupt or screwup?
The answer to THAT question may well decide where the board goes next with this. If the actions were corrupt. no question she should be canned. If not, the village has to weigh this vs. the good she’s done, the potential she has and the cost of switching gears and hiring a new administrator.
Even if they were just a lapse in judgment, I don’t want that lapse in charge of anything else to do with taxpayer money. (Cassandra nor Rita).
The real question is who knew? Did board members green light this path? If so, the public must know who knew, the old board got caught doing this stupid stuff. The board speaks in one voice not in behind the scenes closed door deals the rest of the board is unaware of. The administrator is responsible, but if she got permission from board members, they must also answer to the public.
I don’t believe the administrator is corrupt, there is no evidence of that. It’s easy to caught in the moment but she and all involved deserve due process. The amount of money this Village spends on Attorneys is not sustainable. This stupid nonsense must stop.
Why do you need a bike/walking path behind the village hall in the first place? Is it for the employees? The village has plenty of land to walk on already. I don’t know a single Salem Lakes resident that said “you know what would be really nice…a walking or biking path behind the village hall.”
For a village supposedly concerned about the budget, it seems rather odd to use village labor/resources to cut a walking path that wasn’t needed in the first place. It seems like the plague of wasteful spending from Illinois has spread to Salem Lakes. If the DNR ends up cracking down on Salem it’s going to be one of the most expensive walking paths in the state of Wisconsin
It’s for her own use, to train for her bicycle races.
She probably just overdosed on her SSRI medication.
I gather she rides a bicycle.
Could ride it to and from home.
Could ride it along any Salem Lakes road into any of the many village parks and the county parks.
Could ride it to inspect any if the work by village workers or homeowners.
But needs a small, short path around a pond?
Has she read the 2035 plan? What’s the plan for that area? Was a path of any kind mentioned?
Cassandra? You are dead meat; walking dead meat.
Start saving your money girl.
If the board hasn’t done anything yet, I doubt they will. A slap in the wrist and a public lashing of comments to bring her down a peg and make Rita look like she cares. Poor Village, we’re screwed for at least two more years.
Sooo many questions need to be asked and answered long before the wetland issue. I see a few of the board members on social media showing their bias. Very disturbing, they probably knew this nonsense was going on. Many layers to this story beyond the wetlands. Those picture on West Jacobs FB page are extremely upsetting. No logic in this action.
There’s Board members posting about it? Ugh, how about they sort out their role in this before taking sides. Shit rolls up hill and they are at the top.
Aren’t they supposed to be biased on behalf of taxpayers- not the Admin?
Citizens complaint form:
https://voslwi.gov/?SEC=728D896D-7054-44BE-95F6-C3B850F3BF91
Sounds like the new village president isn’t that much better than the old one at knowing what is going on.
Here’s a question, how many board members approved of this action. If nothing becomes of this then nothing has changed, back to do as I say, not as I do. If a private citizen did this, the fines, court hearings, and legal would be astronomical. Then the restoration. The board has to act otherwise every resident get one major pass or several small ones. It’s only fair
It’s been a week. Nothing has happened. Cassandra’s still bouncing around Village Hall like nothing ever happened. This article did exactly what the board wanted it to. It allowed KCE to pat Rita on the back by stating she called a special meeting to handle it and it gave Cassandra a slap on the wrist in the form of a public lashing of comments. Zero will be done with her. Apparently, all VOSL residents get a pass on their next projects, right Board Members because you lead by example, right?
How about the other fact: that she is trying to give 100ft of lake frontage(again environmental, C2) that belongs to the public in a land swap??? The public has not been notified and the village meeting that she introduced this in was a” closed session”. The wealthy resident tried to used Round Up on the lakefront land that he did not own, and now she wants to give him that land in a land swap in exchange for his unbuildable land. Who does this administrator thinks she is acting against public trust???? Why are the village trustees not acting in the interest of community?
What lake is this? Can this be legal with out public input?? Why give wetlands to citizens?
Lake WTF.
The legal expenses this Administrator has caused should be on her. She has an attorney involved in anything happening in the Village. Wetland destruction, Now, the EMS deal is dead. Fair ground Nightmare—what’s next? Salem is going for broke with Attorneys charging the Village to death and ruining the Village. Bring back Schutzy and Murdock, enough.
DNR will not spank another Government Agency, only the poor Citizens.
It appear they hired the wrong Administrator, but they rather sink the ship before they admit it. Only people prospering is the Attorneys.
Why not start with the citizens of Salem Lakes who don’t go to the board meetings to take an interest on what is going on in their Village. You vote them in and then sit back and let them do whatever they want. Then this happens and you wonder how it gets approved. SHOW UP TO THE BOARD MEETINGS and become involved in your Village. Your as much to blame as they are. Sad.
I walked the road path this morning, OMG. If the Village doesn’t get huge fines, I would think the fix is in. Looks like a tornado bull dozer went through. I can’t believe we have to pay for this screw up. Whoever authorized this should pay to restore, end of story. Maybe the board should chip in, hard to believe they didn’t know.
It’s been a week. Nothing has happened. Cassandra’s still bouncing around Village Hall like nothing ever happened. This article did exactly what the board wanted it to. It allowed KCE to pat Rita on the back by stating she called a special meeting to handle it and it gave Cassandra a slap on the wrist in the form of a public lashing of comments. Zero will be done with her. Apparently, all VOSL residents get a pass on their next projects, right Board Members because you lead by example, right?
Kevin, is there an update on this? I’d like to see her gone.
You cheese heads have sh#t for brains. Your Scott Walker blew a billion dollars on FOX CON and you Republicans wanted him back. An Illinois teen invades Kenosha with an illegal rifle kills and the Kenosha judge, police cheer him on like a dam hero. 300 Kenosha police stood around with their thumbs up their ass while their city was burning letting the teen take life. To bad you didn’t have the Washington Capital Police in Kenosha they would have protected the city. That’s the Republicans for you.