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Proviso Probe

Thursday, March 01, 2007

GOV, Broadview zoning board of appeals and planning commission consider strip bar [BV, W]


Over 130 people formed an overflow crowd at the Broadview village meeting room.


This is Joe Inovskis talking to David Pollard of the Pioneer Press.

I've been to some heated local government meetings, including Oak Park's testimony over whether to have a domestic partnership registry. The level of emotion at last night's meeting in Broadview exceeded anything I'd witnessed. People were angry in the way they get when they are serious about. It wasn't the posturing for effect; these people were deeply opposed to Joe Inovskis' proposed strip bar.

Some people raised the issue of morality, but some the residents opposing the strip bar included nurse who worked through school as a dancer, a strip club patron, a guy who grew-up near strip clubs in Melrose Park and Stone Park and a guy who used to work security in a strip club. The Westchester residents were convinced the strip bar would reduce property values. A Westchester man who worked in the mortgage industry said his lenders do not write mortgages on properties too close to strip clubs.

James J. Roche & Associates did not serve as Inovskis' lawyer.

I was also impressed with how vague Inovskis' plan was. The formal request was basically a blank check for a 24/7 17,000+ square foot club with no restrictions.

In his supplemental testimony he tried to portray it as Gibson's Steakhouse with tits.

Inovskis brought an engineer and his head of security, Kenny Tsai. Tsai was cocky and probably hurt his "bosses" case. When asked about his credentials to do security work he started talking about his father being a grandmaster in China--I suspect he meant Taiwan--and his father serving in the Chinese military.

[UPDATE: Chicago Tribune (Matt Baron) covers the story.
Other than Inovskis and his consultants, nobody voiced support for the plan. In an interview during a break, Inovskis acknowledged that he expected opposition. But he expressed surprise at its ferocity.

[Baron quotes Brian Cross, but missed Cross' strongest words, "You want to ruin my dream [of owning a home]." Cross was one of the many who seemed genuinely pissed, like he was taking the proposal personally.]

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posted by Carl Nyberg at 11:07 AM

9 Comments:

  • Proviso Insider wrote about the meeting and included crowing about Proviso Insider breaking a vague version of the story on December 18, 2006.

    If one assumes Proviso Insider is either Chris Welch or someone carrying water for Welch, it's not a great accomplishment to break a story when your law firm is representing the strip club owner.

    Note how Proviso Insider tried to drag Henderson Yarbrough into the story by suggesting the strip club might be in Maywood.

    By Blogger Carl Nyberg, at 11:47 AM, March 01, 2007  

  • Chicago Tribune has been doing much better at covering the West Burbs lately.

    By Blogger Carl Nyberg, at 3:40 PM, March 01, 2007  

  • Did'nt Joe Inovskis and his associates(Bruno,Serpico and others) give camapign contributions to Chris Welch,Don Sloan,Eugene Moore,Angelo Luciano and Paul Gattuso???
    How quickly did they forget.I wonder if they will return the money or will they will take care of him after the elections?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:38 AM, March 03, 2007  

  • j.a. I checked the state and federal databases of campaign contributions--which can be imperfect for a variety of reasons--and found only one contribution by Joe Inovskis.

    By Blogger Carl Nyberg, at 9:57 AM, March 03, 2007  

  • Did you get the name of the attorney who was at the hearing?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:19 AM, March 04, 2007  

  • Should'nt Brian Cross ask his buddy and close friend Chris Welch why would he try to put a strip joint across the street from his house?Should'nt Brian Cross be outraged at Eugene Moore,Chris Welch,Don Sloan and Ron Serpico, who he publically supported and endorsed and worked for???
    Where is Brian Cross's outrage at all the new adult bookstores and strip joints in Melrose Park???Where is Brian Cross's outrage with what has happened to our school districts,88,89 and especially 209???Why does Brian Cross act so outraged about strip clubs across from his house, but yet has been going to the Strip Clubs in Stone Park and Melrose Park for years,and when he goes he always goes with Welch and Sloan????Brian Cross is a hypocrite, and also shows his true colors and why he supports Eugene Moore and Chris Welch and Don Sloan and Angelo Luciano because he only thinks about his best interest,which is his pocket book,the strip joint would bring down his property value, so it would be better off somewhere else,just not near his home!Brian Cross, who are you crappin?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:28 AM, March 04, 2007  

  • Attention Westchester residents and all good willed people of Westchester, it appears that Angelo Luciano and Brian Sloan(Don Sloan's nephew) have reverted and copied Melrose Park and are trying to convert our local election into a melrose park style thuggery!
    Our Great ex Mayor John Sinde warned us all in Westchester about Melrose Park trying to influence our local town,he warned us to be careful with those individuals who praised and wanted to bring melrose Park influence into our great,proud and honest village!Now since Angelo"Melrose Park's guy in Westchester" Luciano and Don"Melrose Park's guy in Westchester" Sloan have been able to gain undue influence in our village since he has been giving tutelage to our new mayor,they have been systematically harrassing and threatening those who oppose them and who they feel are a threat to them! From crank phone calls,rumor mongering to physically intimidating opposition canididates and their families,Mr. Luciano and Mr. Sloan have decided that there best and only way to win is by threats and intimidation!I believe the physical threats and harrassment and other vile acts being performed by allies of Angelo Luciano and Don Sloan have no bussiness in Westchester.Our Village was never like this and past elections have always been clean elections with open oppostion and debate and respect for others,but the actions of Angelo Luciano's and Don Sloan's friends have crossed the line!!!The most recent act of "political terrorism" was conducted on the filthy,vile blog Proviso Insider which is run by 209 board President Chris Welch,Brian Cross and Don Sloan.On there blog they discussed Don Sloan's nephew Brian Sloan and his run for trustee.Comments made by Luciano and Sloan supporters ridiculed the oppsition and one of his political thugs,Mike Vitek from Westchester even went on to issue a threat towards the opposition ticket!
    These are comment written by them,

    "Rick Fox IS the village idiot. A court jester without the hat, a clown without the red nose"
    "I bet the "lack of Progress" Party
    is upset that Sloan is running...maybe the Divine Infant area will have a Divine Intervention and will vote RICK FOX OUT. "
    "Is it true that Rick Fox is trying to open a gay strip club in Westchester, since his bid with Broadview was turned down?
    "Dont vote for Rick Fox, he may have MAD COW
    "Also, my name is Mike Vitek, and if you have anything to say about me, put it on another blog or come find me on election day (Im sure we can find some way of working your problem out) "

    Now this behavior should not be tolerated!Mr. Fox and the Progress party members should demand from the State Attorney an investigation into these threats and should demand,and we all,Westchester residents should expect and demand that our mayor publically reprimand these individuals for the cowardly behavior and vile acts of political terror!Angelo Luciano as a trustee should also publically condem these acts, and Don Sloan who is an elected township trustee should also publically condem these acts, which are being performed by his and Brian Sloan and Angelo's campaign staff!!
    This behavior should be condoned and show us how desperate Mr. Angelo Luciano's and Brian Sloan's campaign has become.Mr. Don Sloan who happens to be a village employee should be repriminanded and suspended for 14 days and a letter from the village should be placed in his personal file!Luciano and Sloan have let loose there army of paid thugs,Vitek,Robbins,Donny Luciano, Klasinsky and Matezzi and a host of Melrose Park and Maywood thugs to intimidate voters and there oppostion.I understand that Mr. Angelo Luciano and Don Sloan have a lot to lose if they lose the election(real estate deals on Wolf Rd. prarie site,real estate deal at the St. Joseph site,adult bookstores,overtime pay,no accountability at the water commission, and missing money at the commission will never get audited,Don Sloan being promoted to supervisor at the commission with a salary of $110,000,electrical contracts for the luciano's,village jobs for vitek,robbins,klasinsky and matezzi,etc.) but this behavior has no place in Westchester! Angelo Luciano and Brian Sloan should be ashamed!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:49 PM, March 05, 2007  

  • I think it is truely amazing that Manzo, Fox, Klutzinski would stoop so low as to post their own negative press on other sites just to blame great people like Gattuso, Luciano and Sloan.

    This is an atrocity and I call upon the good and intelligent prople of Westchester to see through this ugliness and remember these guys will stop at nothing!

    Manzo, Fox, Klutzinski and who ever else may be doing this APRIL IS ON THE WAY... THE VOTERS WILL SEE THROUGH YOUR LIES AND DECEITFUL TACTICS!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:28 AM, March 06, 2007  

  • There's a new entry covering the village board voting down the strip club.

    By Blogger Carl Nyberg, at 9:37 AM, March 06, 2007  

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