We have seen that Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer appear to have no problem using their office to do and use things — like Village property — to which they are not entitled.
So, it is probably no great surprise that those who are part of their group — Ed Ritter, Kay Teeter, Pat Schultz and Brad McFeggan — decided to “borrow” a Village-sanctioned service mark to use as the label for their own political purposes.
The “Carpentersville Cares” slogan became a service mark of the Village of Carpentersville when it was made a brand associated with the Carpentersville Improvement Committee. This is something that Chairperson Pat Schultz — now running for Trustee — should have known and not allowed to be used as a campaign slogan because of the appearance of conflict of interest that it creates.
However, Patricia “Pat” Schultz has allowed other things that she should have known about and not have allowed — including violating Village zoning ordinances and Illinois state statues, when she and other volunteers did unsanctioned work on several properties in the Village while acting in the capacity of the Improvement Committee.
The team of Ritter, Teeter, Schultz and McFeggan seem to be not only foolhardy, but their lack of necessary knowledge and reckless behavior could prove to be downright dangerous for the Village of Carpentersville.
[Read Part 2: Taxpayers paying for Ritter team campaign? for even more information about how this Committee is engaged in campaign activity]
Carpentersville Action Network 
18 comments
Mar 24, 2009 at 10:12 am
Dennis Carr
“The “Carpentersville Cares” slogan became a service mark of the Village of Carpentersville when it was made a brand associated with the Carpentersville Improvement Committee.”
Did they apply for trademark protection, or are you just blowing more smoke?
Mar 24, 2009 at 10:39 am
At a Glance
I’d say, it’s at least plagiarism of sorts since the slogan was obviously already in use within the very Village in which they are trying to use it. Looks like they want to try to take credit for a program that was started by the Village…that’s just dishonest, if not illegal.
I guess it should come as no surprise though from these guys…..
Mar 24, 2009 at 10:40 am
Chrysippus
A service mark is not the same as a trademark. Also it does not require registration.
It became a mark of service for the Village of Carpentersville when it was established at the October 10, 2008 meeting as identification and association with the Improvement Committee.
Mar 24, 2009 at 10:45 am
Chrysippus
It’s probably worth noting too that there statutes and ordinances that specifically forbid doing campaign work in association with Village-sanctioned duties.
Mar 24, 2009 at 11:08 am
At a Glance
So, in other words, they are doing “volunteer” work for political gain??? Kind of slimey if you ask me. Are they really just doing this to get elected to a paid Trustee position???
Mar 25, 2009 at 11:58 am
Jason
I read your site weekly and I am sick of these people. Every time I turn around they are doing something wrong. They talk about law and then break them theirself. They are not for the people. Maybe if we can get rid of Ritter and Teeter we can get some better control over these people.
Mar 25, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Dennis Carr
Jason, you are right, I also read this trash weakly! Perhaps if you had never started you could go on with your life and not have a tear stained bib!
They always talk about the money that “the other side” is spending and yet are very comfortable with having Sarto spend whatever it takes for his witch hunt. Instead of letting the courts deal with the laws of the State and the County, he feels so sort of oblagation to interfer with the courts. How much money has he wasted of the tax payers money? Phone calls on the clock to the States Attorney for help in running his own office? How much time that should have been spent on Village Business was wasted?
What did his missing court cost the taxpayers?
Why won’t he talk about the attorney’s fees he incurred when he refused to appear for a subpoena? Remember, each time he asks a question of the Village Attorney, the coin purse has to open! Or is that something else we aren’t supposed to know?
How much did it cost for Sarto and Sliwinski to go to the meetings in Chicago with the La Raza group? 100, 200, 300, bucks hundred per?
Seriously, was it required Village Business to go to “down there” and get more Hispanic advice?
Is that why the Village placed a 2 cent tax on the gasoline that I don’t buy, I never use the C’Ville stations!
More later, you can be sure…….
Mar 25, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Chrysippus
Well hello again, Dennis.
Witch Hunt, huh? Is that what it’s called when someone is found breaking the law? I guess that’s what happened to Blago too. Oh wait, Blago just talked about possibly doing something wrong. The folks you’re defending actually did break the law.
Not sure what you’re talking with the courts… You mean Trustee Humpfer’s conviction for hitting his wife with a baseball bat? As I recall his attorney tried to get Humpfer off by saying that Sarto knew the judge because they both attended the same high school over 40 years ago, not even in the same class. The Court didn’t buy it and based on the testimony that Sarto provided (which is difficult to give if one refuses to testify), the Court never even raised a question that Sarto did anything wrong.
What’s that you’re saying about the “coin purse”? Like when Sigwalt and Humpfer spent over $15,000 of taxpayer money just on attorney’s fees on the immigration ordinance, trying to change the law to remove powers given to the Village President by the State of Illinois, and other various issues?
How about the taxpayer dollars that Sigwalt, Humpfer, Ritter, Teeter and Schultz used for campaign activities, and their campaigning while doing work on behalf of the Village of Carpentersville?
Ah, but Dennis, those aren’t much of your tax dollars since you won’t do business in the Village … you go outside the Village because you don’t want to contribute $0.02 per gallon to your Village?! You obviously don’t care much about your community, instead you just want to tear it down … just like those you support.
Why don’t you go spend more time creating those pretty pictures and let the grown-ups deal with the real issues in this town…
Mar 26, 2009 at 9:42 am
Jason
Dennis your comment looks like damage control.
Mar 26, 2009 at 10:02 am
At a Glance
Seems like Dennis Carr is trying to deflect the heat from his buddies that abuse the Village and contnue to demonstrate unethical behavior. Dennis, are you ignoring the abuse that Ed Ritter and his group are doing to our community?
Seems like the typical response – or lack of response, we get from these guys…No comments from those that are actually involved – No apology for the abusive and unethical behavior. Why? My guess is that they, like you Dennis, don’t even understand ethics or proper conduct so they, as you seem to do, accept bad behavior as normal.
Mar 26, 2009 at 10:21 am
Dennis Carr
Dear “At A Glance”
Can’t respond if I don’t have a name!
Stay hidden, cowards do that!
Mar 26, 2009 at 10:31 am
Chrysippus
Yes, Jason and At a Glance. This is typical, as I can tell you are aware.
Whenever their buddies in Village government are caught in something illegal and/or unethical, they spring into action to make excuses and cover for it.
Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer, along with (then) Audit & Finance Commission members Pat Schultz and Virginia Gregg, were caught in a violation of the Open Meetings Act. They tried to cover their violations by making wild accusations against Bill Sarto.
Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer were caught using Village conference rooms in violation of rules governing their use. They tried to blame it on the Village Manager and then moved their meetings to a private residence.
Trustee Humpfer was charged with the crime of domestic battery when he hit is wife with a baseball bat. They said he would not be convicted.
Trustee Humpfer was convicted of four counts of domestic battery against his wife. They tried to say that it was because of a corrupt judge and that he’d get a new trial.
Trustees Sigwalt, Ritter, Teeter and Hinz said that breaking the law was ok; that a domestic battery conviction was no big deal.
Now, we find out that Trustees Ritter, Teeter, Sigwalt and Humpfer, as well as Pat Schultz have been using the Carpentersville Improvement Committee for campaigning, and they try to say that Bill Sarto might have done something wrong once upon a time.
The defense by these people is defense of criminals and the corrupt! Then they try to blame and accuse everyone else of wrongdoing.
Humpfer was CONVICTED, and they tried to say Bill Sarto was wrong for checking with the State’s Attorney and Village Attorney about State law regarding an elected official convicted of a serious crime.
That is what this entire last four years has been filled with, folks! Criminal and unethical behavior perpetrated by one group; who then try to cover it by making wild, unsubstantiated accusations against those who attempt to see the laws upheld and protect the rights of the people.
For the last few years, we have heard that Bill Sarto has done this or that wrong … but the reality is the Ritter, Teeter, Sigwalt, Humpfer, Schultz and some others have been involved in some of the worst transgressions of law and ethics that this Village or any other has ever seen.
And these people want to be re-elected?! Seriously?!
Are people in this community really that stupid? It seems obvious that Ritter, Teeter, Sigwalt, Humpfer and Schultz think you are.
Mar 26, 2009 at 10:56 am
At a Glance
Thanks for the information, Chrysippus. I read this and other sources regularly and know that you provide documentation and common sense to your posts. I’m often amazed at the abuses that are to be accepted by people of the Village and the level of stupidity they must think we have as they continue to throw this garbage at us.
As for Humpfer’s conviction, if Sarto hadn’t gone to the State’s Attorney, the Village Attorney and the Attorney General, I would have had no respect for him, either. Sarto at least shows he has a strong ethical and moral apprach to administering the Village business. And, again, I have amazment for the lack of these same standards of conduct displayed by the majority of the Board. If Sarto is not re-elected it will do more harm to the Village than most people will even understand until they are hit with higher taxes and less services.
Mar 26, 2009 at 11:05 am
At a Glance
And, Dennis, it seems that you can respond without regard for my name. You just choose not to do so. Your lack of response is to the issues, not to me. This topic is about the improper use of official Village Committees for campaign purposes. I think that is what the accusations against Blagojevich were about.
I believe I’ve read from time to time that you didn’t like Blagojevich so how do you condone the behavior of local Village Trustees and candidates doing the same type of things? Seems like the question that is open for discussion here….but, I bet you would rather attack Sarto since you cannot in good conscience excuse the unethical behavior of those that you want to support – Ritter, et al….
Mar 27, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Dave Reece
The so called ” improvement committee” has not made any improvements to the community, if anything they have made things worse. I don’t understand the use of ” Carpentersville cares” when all that they have shown is that they only care about Banks and sub-prime Mortgage providers.
They are typical Republicans, all slogans and sound bites with no substance or vision. I have yet to hear a idea or plan from these people that will improve the Village. The audacity of these people using the word Carpentersville as if they have ownership of the word and “cares” after all that they have done “to” the Village.
Mar 27, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Chrysippus
Dave, you make an excellent point. What is their plan?
They say they will be “cooperative” and “courteous” … but then what?! Look at Ritter’s website … he says N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
Seems to me that Village Board meetings will be quiet and short simply because they have offered no plans to work on anything.
Someone sent me an email that said the CIC meeting earlier this week lasted about 15 minutes.
15 minutes?!
Sounds like they have nothing to work on or talk about now that the election season is coming to a close and they have no more use for the CIC.
There won’t be need for Village Board meetings either, if they get in, except maybe to cut all the services and let things like the streets and sidewalks go back to the crumbling messes they once were.
Mar 27, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Chrysippus
At a Glance, you’re right. These people haven’t shown any respect or ethics during the last 4 years (and others longer than that). Why should we believe they will suddenly show some if re-elected?
Oh, but they have shown they will be cooperative, now haven’t they? Too bad all their “cooperation” is hidden out of the public view…
Mar 30, 2009 at 10:02 am
Dave Reece
The Chairman for the Improvement committee, Pat Schultz, simply lacks the leadership skills and the knowledge of codes and ordinances to be effective. To be quite frank, the Director of Community Development, Cindy McCamick, also lacks the leadership skills needed to straighten out Community Development, which has become well known for its patronage and political hacks who target people for political reasons. Craig Martin, who lives in East Dundee and is a member of the Planning and Zoning committee in E.Dundee, is one of the Political hacks that is a employee in Community Development in Carpentersville. That is a conflict of interest that he obviously picked up from his buddy, the poster child of “conflict of interest” and the top “political hack” of the area Frank Scarpelli the well known slum lord of Carpentersville. Scarpelli thinks local codes are for everyone else but him.
Why is it that large property owners like Scarpelli, Jim Kiss, Tom Roeser and Larry Braasch, feel they are exempt from the so called “crime free housing” ordinance? Since most crime comes from Apartment complexes like Meadowdale Apartments and Foxview, why aren’t they being charged the “outrageous” fee of $500 for every unit that they rent out? And why aren’t they paying for all the single family homes they rent out? The Political hacks in Community Development are not consistently enforcing this ordinance, until they prove to me that there is consistent enforcement, I will not pay the fee. I want concrete proof, I will not simply except the word of a bunch of liars and cheats.