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The Best Predictor of Future Success

IS PAST ACHIEVEMENT!

(To put it another way...)

Talk is Cheap... 

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RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!

If you've already read my "Why" page,  then you know that as a former Mayor, and a former City Councilman,- as well as a long-standing "Government Watchdog" and founder & co-founder of a number of Citizen Action and Government Watchdog Groups, including; Voters In Action , the Lakewood Tax Fighter & Better Government Project and most recently, Decatur Watchdogs - Citizens For a Better Decaturhave spent the better part of the last decade exposing bad government, spearheading "better government" initiatives; and holding local, county, and state governments accountable - and, with a great degree of success!

The entire reason for my government activism, and inevitably running for office, and being elected City Councilman and then Mayor of Lakewood, was out of frustration with our Mayor and City Council, and the realization that there was a very real need for a bold & principled leader to step-up and exclaim: "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" "Somebody" needed to step-up and put an end to the reckless & wasteful spending, the underhanded practices, the patronage, the cronyism, the catering to "special interests," and of course, the "cloak of secrecy" that surrounded it all.

Finally, after several years of waiting for "somebody" to step-up and do something - it occurred to me that:

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I WAS SOMEBODY!

As one past resident, a wonderful lady named Mary Alger, later wrote of me: “Paul Serwatka has been at the forefront of fighting for honest & limited government and against corruption no matter where it is found. He insists that his neighborhood, city, county, state and country be represented by people of integrity.  If he cannot find that candidate, he becomes that candidate."

With this said, below, I've included some brief, but quite pertinent, background of my efforts as a former Mayor and Councilman. More importantly, I have cataloged a compilation of overviews on a number of my more notable, and unprecedented, accomplishments as a former Mayor - some of which were initiatives that originally began as a "Government Watchdog", inspiring my running to become a city councilman, and then Mayor, in order to see them successfully to fruition.

I have also gathered up more than 20 local, statewide, and even a national news article, covering a number of my initiatives, my fulfilled promises and accomplishments as a former Mayor - as well as some of my more notable, pioneered reforms as a former Mayor.  

Please Understand...

I am confident that once you take the time to read a bit of my background, below, and look through each of the brief overviews of my more notable accomplishments, as well as the 20+ news articles I've included (even just the highlights) you will understand that I was not then, nor will I ever be, your "typical" Mayor. 

And, while some may feel that the information I provide here is too lengthy, and some may feel that I am being a bit "braggadocio" or self-absorbed. I assure you that is NOT the case. 

My intention is by no means to brag, nor is it to try to impress you - but, rather, to IMPRESS UPON YOU, that I am in no way just another "typical politician" looking to "be somebody" and "smile for the camera"  while "going with the flow," conducting "business as usual," and delivering "more of the same."  I am here for one reason only – to effect honest and accountable government for Decatur families! To give residents eyes, ears, and a REAL voice in our city government! To set an example of what our Mayor and City Council was once intended to be!

I really believe if you'll take the time to learn more and become an INFORMED VOTER, you will see a tremendous difference between myself and our current Mayor, and you will join me, to begin the process of creating "A Better Decatur" for all of us!

An Important Side Note...

While my family being relatively new to Decatur may be cause for some to question my ability to be a good and effective Mayor for Decatur; I think this is an honest and worthwhile question that begs the following 2 questions be addressed:

1. Our current Mayor, Tab Bowling, boasts of having lived in Decatur for more than 50 years. 

Do you believe that has made him a good Mayor? Did Mayor Bowling's long-standing residency influence him to listen to residents? To be forthright with residents? To truly advocate for residents and put our best interests first?

2.  Given my extensive, Tested & Proven track record as a Mayor and Councilman who - as you are about to see - truly put residents first, who brought REAL Truth, Transparency, and Accountability to my City Council, and completely transformed my city government - Do you believe Decatur is in a position, today, to benefit from my experience? From my track record of achievements? And, from what I would like to do for Decatur residents, first and foremost? 

Do You Believe the Best Predictor of Decatur's Future Success

is PAST ACHIEVEMENT?

Or length of residency? 

I sincerely hope you will take the time to learn more about me, as well as my experiences and accomplishments, as a "Government Watchdog," City Councilman, and former Mayor - and I encourage you to SHARE this information with your Decatur friends and neighbors.

I am confident that in doing so, you will know that I am NOT just "another politician seeking elected office", but rather, I am a concerned resident seeking nothing more than to take a stand, and truly do the right thing, and be a REAL voice, for Decatur families

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Paul Serwatka

"Putting Residents FIRST"

For a Better Decatur, 

Paul D. Serwatka

A Little History...

Before my family and I left Illinois, choosing Decatur to be our home, I quite literally, spent the better part of the last decade exposing and fighting bad government and corruption, as well as helping to effect better government throughout my city, county and state 

My efforts eventually led to my being elected to my City Council (Board of Trustees) where I served two years as a City Councilman (Village Trustee) before being elected as Mayor/Village President, serving another year and a half before leaving Illinois, seeking a better quality of life for my family, choosing Decatur to be our home. 

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Some Pertinent Background

The city we lived in, Lakewood, IL, faced a number of very concerning issues, not the least of which, was a decades long reputation of questionable city council dealings, and an administration that did NOT have the best interests of it's residents at heart. Lakewood homes were also among the highest assessed property taxes in the nation, (property taxes on our home were nearly $16,000 per year!) which was, quite literally, crushing many families (I could tell you several heartbreaking stories) and greatly depressing the value of homes.

Needless to say, Lakewood residents were rife with animosity, as well as a disconcerting level of cynicism, toward our Mayor and City Council. 

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I vowed to do something about this!

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By 2014, I came to be known as sort of the local "Government Watchdog" after starting a local email-newsletter informing residents of the actions and policies of our City Council and other local governments. This effort caused our City Council to become even more secretive, "closed-door" & non-transparent - and we soon realized that to effect any real change, we would need someone to be on "the other side" of those "closed-doors"... We needed someone to be a part of the City Council/Village Board of Trustees... And, of course, all eyes pointed at me!

So, we launched a campaign to elect "yours truly" to the Lakewood Village City Council (Board of Trustees).

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My Campaign to Stop Secretive Government & Decades-Long Tax Hikes 

My election to the City Council/Board of Trustees set a historic record in Lakewood, as I earned more votes than any other elected official in the village's history. And though I was but one member on a council of 7 - and almost always the sole voice of opposition toward many continued bad policies and reckless spending - as an elected member of the City Council, I was able to gain much deeper insight, and expose so much more, to the residents of Lakewood

Most importantly, as an elected member of our city council, I always remained mindful of why I ran for office to begin with. To represent, and to be the "eyes, ears, and voice, of the residents! 

Even as the sole voice of opposition, by staying in communication with residents, and with their help, we were able to achieve some successes - most notably was our successful, historic Property Tax Protection Referendum,  which was achieved, even with the opposition of our Mayor, and entire city council.  This provided a layer of protection to our residents who were among the highest taxed homeowners in the nation!

    

After watching Lakewood achieve this groundbreaking taxpayer protective measure, other municipalities, along with our County Commission Chairman and even one State Legislator, attempted to follow our lead, but were largely unsuccessful in doing so. 

Stepping Up to the Challenge

After two years as a city council member, having gained much insight and even more trust and traction with residents, it was quite clear that the only real way of effecting the necessary change in our village was as Mayor/Village President.

Knowing my family and I planned to leave Illinois in the next few years, I looked past myself and began to seek out residents whom I believed were up to the task of being Mayor. I sought out residents whom I believed were capable of standing strong and doing what is right rather than what is easy or expected... I sought residents whom I believed to be capable of saying NO to "special interests", and  capable of pioneering the reforms that were so desperately needed in our village. None were interested in stepping up to the challenge. Instead, they implored that I step up and run, even if it meant not serving a full term. So, I, somewhat reluctantly, accepted and stepped up to the challenge. 

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Stepping-Up Our Effort

The Campaign For Mayor Begins 

Residents finally had someone they trusted to do what needed to be done, and once again, my election as Mayor set another historic record, as I, again, went on to earn more votes than had ever been achieved by an elected official in our village's history. 

"Breaking The Mold" & Earning Statewide Recognition

BE BOLD!

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Once elected Mayor, I got right to work - wasting no time!

Over the next 15 months, our City Council and administration underwent a quite literal transformation - making some groundbreaking reforms and "breaking the mold" (as one statewide news outlet put it) of what I called the "municipal mindset."  We re-wrote much of the Municipal Code, changed several key ordinances, adopted a new organizational chart restructuring our village administration and Police Dept., and we revamped our Planning and Zoning Dept. and more.  

Pioneering our many reforms led to Lakewood earning statewide recognition on several occasions, as: "a step in the right direction for Illinois" , touting our unprecedented reforms: "Lakewood's Serwatka Shows What Reform Oriented Leadership Could Do For Illinois" and again: "Village Of Lakewood is Making Encouraging Reforms and recognizing our unprecedented tax cut: "Illinois' Lakewood Village Breaks Mold, Lowers Property Taxes"

Farewell, Lakewood - Hello, Decatur!

Having fulfilled every one of my promises, as Mayor, including the dissolution of a $66 Million Dollar TIF Developer Subsidy (taxpayer nightmare), cutting our punishing property tax levy (among the highest property taxes in the nation) and having completely transformed our Village Administration, Police Dept and Planning & Zoning Dept., my wife, Robin, our four children, and I, made our second trip to explore Alabama - and fell in love! 

We purchased our new home in southwest Decatur, in April of 2018, sold our home in Illinois, celebrated the end of our $16,000 annual property tax bill, and never looked back! (See "Get to know Paul Serwatka" page to learn more")

My stepping down as Mayor, and our joining the mass-exodus from Illinois, in pursuit of a better quality of life and less punishing taxes, made local, statewide, and even one national headline, with some very gracious, very flattering articles about my efforts and accomplishments as Mayor, and our choosing Decatur, AL to be our new home.  (See Below)

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(Click Headline to Read Full News Article)

"If there was one guy you’d think wouldn’t succumb to the pressures of living in Illinois, it’s Lakewood Mayor Paul Serwatka. "He’s a reformer and a fighter. In the past year he’s succeeded where most politicians refuse to go."

 "-- He was showing Illinoisans what reform-oriented leadership could look like. But every family that’s chosen to flee Illinois in recent years hit a breaking point and Serwatka finally hit his. " 

- ZERO HEDGE NEWS

"Serwatka’s flight from Illinois is all the more interesting because he did what few other local politicians in Illinois could manage: He passed major fiscal reforms in his community."

But his successes as mayor were overrun by the failures coming from state politicians. Higher property taxes and income tax hikes were their only answers to the pension mess. And top-down controls were creating more economic havoc for small cities."

"Serwatka worried about his young family and their future. So he did what so many families have done in the last two decades. They did the math and decided to flee."

- Illinois Wirepoints 

"-- then it was moving trucks in front of Lakewood Village President Paul Serwatka's house and an announcement that he plans to resign and move to Alabama."
 
"-- Jenner, Serwatka and Cunningham all share one thing in common: They are hard-leaning, tax-fighting conservatives."

- Northwest Herald

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Below are links to some of my more notable accomplishments 

as a Mayor and City Councilman 

Followed by more than 20 News articles verifying each of the groundbreaking,

pioneered reforms that were successfully accomplished, and more!  

(Click Any Line Item Below To Read More)

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Read For Yourself What Local, Statewide, and Even National News Outlets

Have to Say About Paul Serwatka, Citizen Activist,

Councilman, and Mayor

Zero Hedge – 08/01/18 - (National News)

Leaving Illinois:  How Simple Math Chased Away

A Mayor & His Family:

LAKEWOOD – If there was one guy you’d think wouldn’t succumb to the pressures of living in Illinois, it’s Lakewood Mayor Paul Serwatka.

He’s a reformer and a fighter. In the past year he’s succeeded where most politicians refuse to go.  He lowered the Village of Lakewood’s property taxes by 10 percent and eliminated a TIF district, going against the trend of higher spending and bigger tax bills in communities across the state. And he did all that without cutting services.

He was showing Illinoisans what reform-oriented leadership could look like.     READ FULL ARTICLE 

Illinois Wirepoints – 01/10/2018 -

Lakewood's Serwatka Shows What Reform-Oriented Leadership Could Do for Illinois:

LAKEWOOD – To see what a reform-oriented Illinois might look like under different state leadership, just look at what’s happened the last few months in the small village of Lakewood, Illinois. -

You probably won’t hear a similar story anywhere throughout the state. - - 

It goes to show you what can happen when leaders actually make their budgets work through reforms.

The Village of Lakewood might be just one small village in Illinois. But it’s showing the rest of the state what sensible reform can look like in Illinois.    READ FULL ARTICLE 

Illinois Policy – 01/15/2018 -

It Can Be Done: Northern Illinois Village Cuts Property Taxes 10 Percent:

Village Of Lakewood is Making Encouraging Reforms in a County Where Residents Pay Some of The Highest Property Taxes in the Nation. 

LAKEWOOD – Property tax bills are squeezing the budgets of Illinois families across the state. But one village in northern Illinois aims to play a part in easing that burden.

The proposal was put forth by Village President Paul Serwatka, who took office in May 2017 - - 

Illinoisans can only hope Lakewood’s efforts spread across the state, encouraging other local governments to not just freeze tax levies at their current unaffordable levels, but to reduce families’ property tax burdens.  

READ FULL ARTICLE 

Illinois Wirepoints – 12/21/2017 -

Illinois' Lakewood Village Breaks Mold, Lowers Property Taxes:

MCHENRY COUNTY – "There are a few governments willing to go in the opposite direction and actually find ways to make things more affordable for their residents. Lakewood Village in McHenry County, led by Mayor Paul Serwatka, is one of them."

"Lakewood is giving its residents a break from some of the state’s, and the nation’s, highest property taxes." 

"Importantly, Lakewood didn’t just lower its property taxes. The village enacted cost saving reforms, including restructuring the city’s administration, to ensure no services get cut."

"If Illinois municipalities want to stop the chronic loss of residents from their communities, they should follow Lakewood’s lead."      READ FULL ARTICLE 

McHenry Times – 01/09/2018 -

Lakewood Tax Levy Cut is Message to All of Illinois, Village President Says:

MCHENRY COUNTY – The Lakewood Village Board's recent vote to approve a cut in the village's property tax levy for 2018 sent a message beyond that action, Lakewood Village President Paul Serwatka said in a press release.

Serwatka and his staff proposed the tax cut as "a clean, straight forward, legitimate 10 percent cut/reduction in the amount of property taxes to be levied by our village and paid by Lakewood residents."

Under the proposal, the reduction would be achieved by restructuring village administration, eliminating redundancies and creating efficiencies. The efforts would include consolidating the positions of village manager and finance director into one position and elimination of the position of deputy manager, according to the proposal.  No services will be cut or reduced, according to the proposal.

  READ FULL ARTICLE 

Illinois Policy – 06/14/2017 -

Lakewood IL Votes To Eliminate TIF District:

The Lakewood Village Board’s Decision to End a 2015 TIF TIF District is a Win For Local Taxpayers.

LAKEWOOD – The $66 million TIF in Lakewood was created in 2015 but has yet to invest in any development project. Newly elected Village President Paul Serwatka pushed to dissolve the TIF. 

The Lakewood Village Board was right to dissolve the TIF.

Serwatka argued that different projections of the TIF had not shown tangible benefits to Lakewood residents. And if the TIF had failed, the risk would have fallen on the backs of taxpayers.

The village’s decision to end the Lakewood TIF is a step in the right direction for Illinois.     

READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 08/28/2017 -

Cost-Cutting & Efficiency at Center of Lakewood's Restructured Administration Plan:

LAKEWOOD – The village of Lakewood combined three key administrative positions into one new role in an effort to save money and better serve the village’s 4,000 residents.

"In the past, I've always heard, ‘That’s not how governments do things,’ ” Village President Paul Serwatka said - - "but I wanted to get away from the typical municipal government mindset.”

“I want to be at the forefront, where everyone starts looking and saying, ‘Look what Lakewood did,’ ” Serwatka said.  

READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 07/17/2017 -

Lakewood Terminates Deputy Village Manager, To Eliminate Administrative Positions:


LAKEWOOD – Village President Paul Serwatka announced Thursday night in a news release that the village will eliminate the positions of Village Manager and Deputy Village Manager as part of ongoing discussions about reorganizing the administrative structure of the village.

“We’ve been talking about this continued transformation of the village, and this is just one more step in that transformation and  the reorganization of this administration.”

Serwatka said the changes were made in an effort to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency within the village.            READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 06/29/2017 -

Lakewood Approves New Police Chief, Revise Village Authority Over Position:

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood trustees voted Tuesday night to appoint Sgt. Michael Roth as the next chief of police, but not before amending the municipal code to revise the village’s process of appointing and supervising the police chief.

Serwatka said the amendment "returns a tremendous level of power back to the residents" because it leaves decisions on the position of police chief up to board members, who are "elected officials."       READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 06/14/2017 -

Lakewood Votes To Abolish TIF District Under Newly Elected Board:

LAKEWOOD – At a packed Village Board meeting Tuesday night, Lakewood trustees voted to abolish the village’s tax increment financing district at Routes 47 and 176.  

The vote was met with applause from the audience.   

Serwatka has called the TIF a bad deal for Lakewood taxpayers, who already have spent more than $200,000 on it, and called TIFs in general nothing more than taxpayer subsidy of developers and government picking winners and losers.     READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 04/05/2017 -

Lakewood Tax-Fighter Party Member Paul Serwatka Wins Village President Race:

LAKEWOOD – Paul Serwatka, a member of the Lakewood Tax-Fighter Party, will take the helm as village president.

Paul Serwatka received about 70 percent of the votes, according to unofficial results Tuesday night. Trustee Kenneth Santowski received about 29 percent of votes.  

Serwatka ran the Lakewood Tax-Fighter Party, a slate with three trustee candidates in an effort to gain a majority on the Village Board to lower the village’s property tax levy. Serwatka has not taken a village paid salary since he was elected.  READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 08/12/2016 -  
Our View: Tax Vote Will Send Another Message:

LAKEWOOD – Voters in the village of Lakewood will have another opportunity in November to let elected officials know how they feel about their ever-increasing property taxes.

Lakewood Village Trustee Paul Serwatka and a group of volunteers last week submitted 510 signatures for an advisory referendum asking whether taxing bodies with any boundaries in the village should be required to seek voter approval by referendum if they want to increase their levy.  

READ FULL ARTICLE  

Northwest Herald – 09/13/2016 -

Lakewood Trustee to Contribute Salary to New Anti-Tax Effort:

LAKEWOOD – Trustee Paul Serwatka will now accept his salary as an elected official – to kick into a new political fund to fight for tax relief.

Resurrecting a promise he made earlier this year when he ran for the Illinois House, Serwatka announced that he will contribute his trustee salary to the newly formed Lakewood Tax Fighter and Better Government Project.  

READ FULL ARTICLE 

McHenry County Blog – 09/09/2017 -

Serwatka Says "NO" to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

LAKEWOOD – Today, I was asked by Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, via his representative from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, to consider adopting a resolution in the Village of Lakewood calling on our Governor and the State of Illinois to establish a “Bill of Rights” for undocumented (illegal) individuals covered by the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival” (DACA). 

READ FULL ARTICLE 

Northwest Herald - 08/09/2016 -
Lakewood Residents Getting Advisory Tax Question on Nov. 8 Ballot:

LAKEWOOD – Village voters will have an opportunity on the Nov. 8 ballot to give their local governments a piece of their mind about property tax increases

Village Trustee Paul Serwatka and a group of volunteers submitted petitions for an advisory referendum asking whether taxing bodies with any boundaries in the village should be required to seek voter approval by referendum if they want to increase their levy.    READ FULL ARTICLE 

McHenry Times - 03/31/2017 -
Serwatka Scores High-Level Endorsements for Lakewood Leadership:

LAKEWOOD – When the McHenry County state’s attorney and sheriff recently endorsed Paul Serwatka in his bid for the presidency of the Village of Lakewood, the candidate expressed pride and gratitude.

States Attorney, Patrick Kenneally, praised the candidate’s “tireless activism toward good government” and complimented his candor.  "it’s easy to see he is passionate about his efforts in bettering local government" Kenneally stated. 

McHenry County Sheriff, Bill Prim, said of Serwatka ""Paul has been very instrumental in bringing about better, more honest government throughout McHenry County.  he has proven to be a true champion for bringing about real transparency and accountability in Lakewood.”

READ FULL ARTICLE 

Northwest Herald – 11/21/2016 -

Lakewood Trustee Running a Reform Slate, Forming New Party:

LAKEWOOD – A local good-government group founded by a trustee and funded in part through his government salary is looking to run a slate of fiscally conservative and reform-minded candidates in the April 4 election.

The "Lakewood Tax-Fighter and Better Government Project", emboldened by an advisory anti-tax referendum that more than 90 percent of village voters approved Nov. 8, announced Tuesday that it would run candidates for the four open seats on the April ballot.

Trustee Paul Serwatka, who founded the group, plans to run for village president. --- If elected to a majority, the group said it will lower the village property tax levy, improve transparency and end what it calls unnecessary spending and projects. 

“We have a chance here to elect a slate to completely transform our village,” Serwatka said.    

READ FULL ARTICLE  

McHenry County Blog – 11/22/2016 -

Lakewood's Serwatka Targets $15,000 Unnecessary Pace Subsidy

LAKEWOOD – On the agenda, was a motion to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement to, once again, participate in the “MC Ride” Program. As many know, I tried, unsuccessfully in 2015, to convince the board NOT to approve this program. But, this program was “Recommended for Approval” by our Village Manager, and all other trustees followed this recommendation. 

Now, this year, after paying more than $15,000 in tax-dollars over the last two-years to implement this program in Lakewood, it has now been proven that this was a 100% complete waste of tax-payer dollars – and the board has finally voted unanimously NOT to approve this program for 2016-2017.                 READ FULL POST 

Northwest Herald – 10/08/2016 -

Lakewood Good-Government Group Launches Website, Prepares for Elections:

LAKEWOOD – A fledgling anti-tax group determined to reduce residents’ tax bills has started up a website with April elections around the corner.

The website of the Lakewood Tax-Fighter and Better Government Project went live earlier this month at www.lakewoodtaxfighter.com, to educate residents about its initiatives, founder and village Trustee Paul Serwatka said.                           READ FULL ARTICLE 

McHenry County Blog - 05/25/2016 -

Lakewood to Keep 24-Hour Police Coverage: 

LAKEWOOD – "I have to say upfront that I truly believe this was a perfect demonstration of residents staying informed, engaged and making a difference."  Serwatka said.

Scores of residents replied to the email that I distributed, some replied after seeing it posted on McHenry County Blog and others took the initiative to read the agenda online, as it is now posted on the village website.   

READ FULL POST 

McHenry County Blog – 03/18/2018 -

Serwatka Critical of Metropolitan Mayors Caucus:

MCHENRY COUNTY – Lakewood President Paul Serwatka sent the following letter to Dave Bennett, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus after receiving an email with the subject “Gun Dealer Licensing Legislation.”

The following local government leaders were also sent a copy: It is printed here with Paul's permission. 

READ FULL ARTICLE 

Northwest Herald – 07/18/2015 -

Lakewood Takes First Formal Step To Create New SSA Despite "Filibuster":

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood's newest Village Board member turned a vote on whether to replace the Turnberry Lakes' expiring Special Service Area into "somewhat of a filibuster."  

The sole no vote, Trustee Paul Serwatka, said he hadn't planned on turning his comments into a filibuster, but that he was "just astonished that the trustees didn’t see the problem."

Serwatka stated "Some Residents didn't realize it was a property tax, they didn't realize the tax would be based on their assessed values, going up as their home values went up."

READ FULL ARTICLE

McHenry County Blog - 05/24/2016 -

Serwatka Warns of Consideration of Trading Lakewood Police Protection for New Village Hall:

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood Trustee Paul Serwatka suggests residents might be interested in knowing of a proposal to have Crystal Lake Police answer calls from 2 to 6 AM with money saved to be used to plan a new village hall.  

"While, the public safety concerns of having no police patrol in the middle of the night are obvious. This proposal opens the door to many other discussions as well." Serwatka said.  

"When it comes to Public Safety, particularly Emergency Medical, Police and Fire Service, I believe fiscal issues must take a back seat to legitimate safety concerns."   

READ FULL POST  

Northwest Herald - 01/29/2016 -
Lakewood Eliminates Vehicle Stickers:

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood residents will no longer have to buy vehicle stickers. The Lakewood Village Board voted unanimously to kill the program.  

"The conversation should be about cutting expenses, not finding new revenues," Trustee Paul Serwatka said.  

READ FULL ARTICLE 

ARE THESE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

OF A TYPICAL MAYOR ?

If you took the time to read and learn of my above listed accomplishments - and if you browsed through, even just the highlights, of the news articles above, I think you'll agree that these are not the accomplishments of your typical Mayor. Nor are these the typical news stories written of the typical Mayor. 

Paul Serwatka is a taxpayer / resident advocate - first and foremost - who understands that the only way to truly have truth, transparency, and accountability in government is to get involved and sometimes even become a part of it!

If you're still not convinced, be sure to see what past residents and other key officials have to say about former Mayor, Paul Serwatka. You'll quickly see there is nothing typical in what they have to say, as well!

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We Need YOUR Help To Make This Work! 

Click Above To Learn How You Can Join The Cause!

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