Group announces effort to seek Silver Lake dissolution referendum

Organizers of a group looking to place a referendum question about un-incorporating the village of Silver Lake government have gone public with their effort.

A press release distributed by former village President Jeff Albrecht via email on Monday announced the group’s intentions and said informational flyers on the effort were distributed before Monday’s Memorial Day parade in Silver Lake.

Bruce Nopenz is serving as the chairman of the group, the statement said.

Here is the full text of the media release:

A group of Silver Lake residents have teamed up to support the dissolution of the village government. Calling their effort Moving Silver Lake Forward, the association began to dispense information and seek supporters. A petition to get the question on the November 4 ballot will be circulated by volunteers throughout the month of June. Association Chairman, Bruce Nopenz said ‘as we seek signatures we’ll gage community support.’ A flyer handed out before the Memorial Day parade points out the advantages of rejoining Salem Township. Nopenz stated ‘we’re a community of neighborhoods on one and a half square miles trying to support all the services of a city. We just can’t afford it any longer. This change would result in lower local property taxes, improved emergency services, a more robust business climate, managed government and, hopefully, an end to the bickering that has permeated the community over the past couple years.’ The group swelled up in part over the lack of adequate funding for the volunteer fire department whose trucks are currently out of service due to safety issues. ‘There is a lot of dis-information out there regarding what would happen if the village dissolves, we’ll be out spreading the truth’ said Nopenz. The petition needs the signatures of 15% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, and, when certified by the village clerk will appear on the November election ballot. For more information Silver Lake citizens are urged to visit Moving Silver Lake Forward on Facebook or to go to movingsilverlakeforward.com.

If an effort to unincorporated Silver Lake were successful, the area now encompassing the village would revert to being part of the town of Salem, like it was before the village was incorporated in 1926.

 

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29 Comments

  1. questioning says:

    The only mis-information is the information FORMER president Albrecht is handing out. Also west of the I the trucks only saftlety issues are the fact the tires are 16 years old. Ask Miles trucking. You know if the right people in that village stood up and spoke their peace these issues wouldn’t be issues. Also the fire issue was all started by Mr. Albrechts personal agenda.

  2. Hallelujah! says:

    This would be the best thing for Silver Lake as a village. I’m afraid the way we are going now that we will be bankrupt very soon, high property taxes to cover what needs to be fixed, higher house insurance because we don’t have a viable fire department, and higher sewer bills cause ours is a mess. We wouldn’t lose anything but the bickering between residents, sometimes neighbors and have everything to gain. We would still be called Silver Lake, but we’d have lower taxes, emergency coverage…and I’m sure that Salem would incorporate our firemen and rescue personnel into their services, as long as they are qualified…a more efficient maintenance crew, and proper government not wars which is what our board meetings have become. In essence, a good decision. Please, residents…if you have questions talk to the people for Moving Silver Lake forward…you need to know the facts, sure, this is not easy, but as a resident of 20 years…we either move forward or we go bankrupt.

  3. Cindy Tanski says:

    FYI….. The fire dept is trying to scare people of Silver Lake. There was NO reason to take the trucks out of service. They were inspected this morning and they are good to roll. I also put this on the SAVE US SILVER LAKE PAGE they took it off and BLOCKED me…

  4. BRANDEN SELLERS says:

    I must say..when I see a person behind a keyboard and monitor….. standing up and ranting his/her opinion…without being truly honest..by not putting a name with the post… to me and many, shows true COWARDICE and CONTEMPT..

  5. Dear Questioning says:

    Unfortunately it’s that type of attitude …blaming one person for the problems in the village. This is not just about fire trucks. Our village is in trouble. Why is there a problem with wanting to fix it and go about it the right way. Shouldn’t make any difference who is involved….something needs to be done and residents need to know what is available. I hope that you have peace where you live…it’s wrong information going out from all kinds of sources that has divided so many people.

  6. @Branden Sellers says:

    Oh and you are so honest Branden. I see that you are the one that registered the movesalemforward.com website. Not to mention, how low can the fire department personnel go by handing out flyers during the Memorial Day Parade. That day should be reserved for honoring our VETERANS that gave their lives so that you could publish the tripe you are pedaling.

    So once again, the people trying to scare and destroy the fire department have failed with the Tire-Gate scam. First it was SCBA-GATE, stating all the SCBA needed to be replaced at the tune of 100+ thousand, only to find out it was the bottles for a tenth of the cost. Next it will be all the hose is bad and will have to replaced…. The inspector should have checked the hose out as well to prevent certain people from saying that was bad and stopping HOSE-GATE before it begins.

    You want to dissolve, that’s fine, go out and get signatures, but to use the fire department to scare the people of the village is despicable. I see that former Village President Jeff Albrecht is leading the charge to get rid of the village, hmmmm all this turmoil started under his kingdom, perhaps that was his hidden agenda all the time – Do whatever was possible to make the fire department fail in order to bring Salem in and take over. What he didn’t bargain on was that people support both the fire department and the rescue squad.

    First they tried to get rid of rescue, even tried bringing in another private squad from Antioch that had an 80 count lawsuit against them (out of business now – wow maybe that was the plan all along). When that failed, more back door deals with Salem, once again, the people spoke up and stopped the nonsense with a legislative petition and voting out all 3 of Jeff’s cronies on the board. So when that didn’t work, now let’s destroy the fire department and blame the current board that has only been in office for 2 months.

    Once again, I have faith in the people of Silver Lake, they are not as stupid as the former village president believes them to be.

    November elections can’t come soon enough!

  7. Bernard Punsley says:

    Well folks….my mantra will continue to be “RESOLVE TO DISSOLVE”! Our village board president doesn’t like “social media”….and does not use it. OK> she says to come to a village board meeting to speak voice your concerns. And get BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER by the bully tactics that prevail? Sorry…I’ll continue to use “West of the I” to voice my concerns.

  8. Silver Lake is loaded with disrespect..Grow up says:

    questioning,@Branden Sellers. Do you really have to resort to name calling. Grow up already. If you can’t be civil, don’t share your thoughts.

  9. LOL…who scared WHO????? the whole premise of Save Silver Lake Rescue… was brought up as a complete scare Silver Lake residents into believing that if we lose SLRS the whole town will crumble … It was one….. i repeat ONE contract!!! you put the fear of GOD into the Village’s towns people.. Trustee’s ran on the platform to “Save SLRS”….so.. troll somewhere else… mr/mrs i don’t have the courage to place my name on a post… DAMN RIGHT I’M PROUD TO PUT MY NAME ON Moving Silver Lake Forward!!! more backbone than all who detest our cause!!! the whole lot of you!!!

  10. Please tell me says:

    Ms Tanski: I find it interesting that you reported that the fire trucks were inspected and ready to roll. Are you an inspector…are you on the Fire Department, are you on the board. Why is it that you are aware of an inspection and it’s results. I listen to certified members of a FD…we had 2 fire chiefs who stated that our trucks are not safe. I think I would tend to believe them rather than you. This is no insult against you, but unless you are qualified as both a firefighter and a certified technician, I don’t think I would trust your statement that everything is good.

  11. REALITY CHECK says:

    To the sudden influx of folks questioning the”misinformation” alledgely being bantied about by former village president Albrecht(“Bernie”?)…….none of you cite the current “library fiasco”(well, the DA is currently investigating the purchase of the building)….you just keep focusing fire and rescue. The problems with our Emergency Services were recognized by Mr. Albrecht several years ago. His attempts to address them cost him the election. The problems have only gotten WORSE…….yet folks continue to maintain there are no problems providing timely fire and rescue services to our citizens….did we or did we not spend $250,000 to purchase a library building? That needs to be reconfigured into a libary. That we were counting on surrounding communities to help fund the purchase? We dont’want to touch anything Salem has to offer us with a 10 foot pole, but we’ll take $50K from them for our library? SLFD is only the tip of the iceberg. Our ship continues to sink. THAT is a REALITY. DISSOLVE NOW!

  12. Cameron Loth says:

    All the people of Silver Lake need is the facts. Who doesn’t want to save money? We obviously cannot afford to keep our town up to spec and we all know is not because of our low taxes.
    We will not lose our identity by dissolving, it still remains Silver Lake post office, fire department, library, police . . .ect
    Please give me a few good reasons why we shouldn’t dissolve.
    Wouldn’t it be nice to see a business succeed in Silver Lake again? (A buisness not funded by our board) I sure the hell would.

  13. Area Firefighter/ EMT says:

    I’m not pro SLFD or SLRS, but all I gota say is that if your not going to get out of your warm bed at 3AM for a structure fire or a kid that’s in cardiac arrest shut your mouth! If your not getting up and jumping on the truck or squad, you better not be bashing any dept! Bottom line is if the tires on the rigs are 16, 18, or 100 years old THERE NOT SAFE! It’s not save for the firefighters or the public! You people forget, there’s over 1,000 gal of water on them. That’s a lot of weight for 18 year old ties to stop. Silver Lake Fire did the right thing by not running there trucks and walking! They showed true courage and dedication that no matter who says what they are here for you! You all should have stood up and clapped for these brave men and women! To the members of Silver Lake Fire, after the parade I think you know that we support you and have your back! You know who is writing this, and you know if needed were here for you! It’s a brotherhood we stick together!

  14. I got a bridge says:

    This is classic… Anyone who believes you will get better services and/or more services at a lower cost I got a bridge to sell you! Are you kidding me people when is the last time a better product was cheaper and I’m not just talking the fire dept services! When the next blizzard rolls thru let me know what time Salem gets to silver lake to plow you out! This kind of false sense of entitlement is the demise of more that just silver lake these days. You want a staffed fire house but where will that money come from? Does Salem have a money tree I’m unaware of? Enjoy your tax dollars going toward fixing pot holes in camp lake! I believe I read Salem would like to become a village… So exactly how is going from a village to unincorporated moving forward? Sounds like the group that disrespected a day and parade to honor our vets by handing out there political propaganda should be called moving silver lake backwards!

  15. C says:

    Our village board needs to figure out how to fix the mess we’re in. Who put us in that mess? Jeff Albrecht and his puppets. He’s still pulling strings from outside.

    Anyone who wants to be part of Salem should just move there and leave us be.

  16. RESOLVE TO DISSOLVE says:

    A simple look at the tax savings projected by our village dissolving , along with the improvement in our services does it for me. Don’t know what “misinformation” the nonbelievers are citing. If you don’t believe the fliers, do your own checking out of the facts and figures. I believe them to be accurate..so does my accountant.

  17. This is a good thing says:

    If we dissolve, I don’t any negative. We’d have emergency services, all together and “qualified” SLRS and SLFD would have the option to apply for jobs that would keep them here in the village. Our village property taxes would go DOWN by 30%, no change to schools, PO, parks, we be governed by a body that now governs Camp Lake, Wilmot, and Trevor, and I only see good going on there. We would retain the name of Silver Lake, there wouldn’t be name calling, bickering, illegal purchases of buildings, illegal budget cuts, and we’d be moving into the future. Right now we are stagnant. We can’t grow, we can’t support businesses cause we are too small, we can’t maintain our village because we don’t have revenue. We need to do something positive and this is it! There are people that say don’t dissolve….why? Can anybody give me a good reason?

  18. Embarrassed SL resident says:

    I’ve heard factual information for reasons to dissolve. So anyone that is against dissolving please give out factual reasons not to dissolve so someone can make an educated decision to support or not support dissolving

  19. Allie Draeger says:

    I would like to know who on the fire department you say handed out fliers at the Memorial Day Parade? Oh, wait, NOT ONE of us because we were walking as firefighters IN the parade & didn’t hand out anything…get your facts straight or reserve your comments…

  20. I got a bridge 2 says:

    I got a bridge@ You for one are not very realistic. Who cares what time they come to plow as long as it gets done. You really think they wouldn’t come here right away? We as a community of 2600 people can move bridges. And that’s a fact. Take this seriously. No wonder our village is in trouble…

  21. Salem Sitizen says:

    As a citizen of Salem, I am somewhat intrigued by the possibility of Silver Lake joining our township. I think it is a “win-win” for everyone,and I have faith that the figures our town administrator cited are very accurate. I am a little bit concerned that the Silver Lake village board, especially their president, seems to resent our township and our town board. The lack of shown to our town board and fire and rescue department, as well as the rest of our employees is disappointing and certainly not in the best spirit of government cooperation. Funny, they want NOTHING to do with our fine fire and rescue department, yet have NO PROBLEM asking (begging?)us for $50,000 to help fund a library in Silver Lake. I think the citizens of Silver Lake should take a long look at the FACTS and FIGURES, and reject the hysteria the “Save Our Rescue Squad” folks have been spewing forth. Just my 2 cents worth.

  22. Salem Sitizen says:

    One more comment, I attended the Silver Lake parade……I commend the Silver Lake firefighters for banding together and marching in the parade, while their comrades from surrounding departments got to drive their fire trucks. I received a flier from several folks walking the parade route…I never saw one Silver Lake firefighter passing out the pamphlets, as some folks have claimed. Just an observation

  23. Censorship? says:

    Why is it Bernard and others can call names and spout whatever nonsense they chose, but others are censored, or post are never seen on line?

  24. Bernard Punsley says:

    @Censorship? “Others are censored, or post(sic)are never seen on line”?
    Really? You are certainly entitled to your warped opinion that I “spout nonsense”…….but apparently, you and your ilk keep on READING IT!! To your own CHAGRIN!!! Here’s a REALITY CHECK for you….I CONTINUE to be voice of reason and moderation on what is happening here in our village. I daily monitor the pulse of Silver Lake, and report my findings as I see them. And if I offend folks like you, well, that’s just an added side benefit. If you want to see some highly unprofessional name calling, cat calling, spouting and spewing of nonsense, try attending a village board meeting sometime. Better wear your “thick skin” outfit when you show up. Better hurry up though, once we dissolve, I”m pretty sure the Salem Town Board won’t allow such behavior in the public meetings.

  25. The Levee is Rising! says:

    Remember the old Led Zeppelin tune…”If it keeps on raining, the levee’s gonna break”…………..well folks….it’s POURING in Silver Lake, and our “dam of resistance” by our village board to any progressive change is leaking like a sieve! The fire/tire fiasco was just the tip of the iceberg, the library legalities brought our financial plight out into the open….we are a village FLOUNDERING, and our protective levee just keeps springing leaks faster than the board can plug them, if they even attempt to. The “rising waters” of the Moving Silver Lake Forward effort will soon overwhelm the resistance movement. DISSOLVE NOW!

  26. to Bernard says:

    it’s funny, for someone who was thrown out of office as easily as you were, you truly believe you matter in this Village. It is a nice touch to put someone else’s name as the chairman of your little group. Is that because you and your pal GG have zero credibility left here?

  27. Questions says:

    What happens to the Silver Lake PD if we become part of Salem? Will Salem take us even though it will cost their taxpayers a lot of money to fix our outdated sewer problem?

  28. Bernard Punsley says:

    @to Bernard: I DO matter, and that OBVIOUSLY BOTHERS you! I have NOT abandoned my constituents, I continue to advocate for their betterment. As more and more folks continue to daily witness the futility of our current board under my “replacement”, I think my credibility and my “pal GG” continues to flourish. My “little group” has a VISION for the FUTURE of our village. The Save Our Rescue Squad whiners have visions of sugar plums floating around in their heads. RESOLVE TO DISSOLVE!

  29. Alex de Tocqueville says:

    People get the government they deserve and therefore, it is the duty of the people, especially in a democracy, to elect right type of people to administer their country and if they elect casually, they shall not get right people.

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