Winfield faces more challenges today than ever before. And yet at the very moment when we most need our elected officials to step up, they instead have become closed off, disengaged and nothing is getting done. Why? Because far too many of our Winfield board members today serve special interests and personal ambition, rather than the people they are suppose to represent.
The consequences have been devastating. In the last two years we’ve witnessed a village government completely out of touch. Every year we struggle to find adequate funding for road repairs, police protection, everyday services and even Good Old Days as personal egos and special interest purity take center stage. We need to be investing in our future an economic priority and we need to make Winfield more attractive for businesses. But we’ll never make any progress on these or other priorities without decisive change at two levels: eliminating special interest and the individuals we elect.
Over the last six years it has become crystal clear we need to control or at least expose the flow of money in Winfield politics if we’re going to have a village board accountable to the people. Rewarding the political action committee Winfield United for spending freely on elections is a step in the wrong direction.
The Winfield elections of the last four years have been a charade: meant to give the appearance of equal representation while concentrating power in the hands of Winfield United. 
Because there are no limits and seldom are the contributions to individuals published prior to the elections, the special interest group Winfield United gains a major upper hand. This money often translates into unlimited spending to favor or defeat a candidate. If the candidate wins, the message is clear: a debt is owed. First and foremost Winfield’s elections need to be conducted in the light of day.
But let me be clear: these failures do not excuse Winfield’s gridlock. At the end of the day every elected official has a choice to serve the common good and the people they represent, or to serve the special interests and themselves. Money corrupts when politicians choose to let it determine who has their ear.
Returning to a politics that puts the residents first will require compromise. Finding workable solutions by talking with the other side doesn’t make for comfortable meetings. And the more partisan Winfield United political donors may not reward such an approach. Compromise forces elected officials to confront difficult decisions. The votes the village board cast affect the lives of the residents. Hopes and dreams are at stake. When Winfield grinds to a stop or a politician votes with special interest instead of listening to the people the entire community suffers.
Winfield United politics has to go. Now is the time for a new generation of leadership. It’s what our village needs and our community deserves.
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