PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WINFIELD, . September 11, 2020 For more information contact Erik Spande, Winfield Village President (630) 933-7150

Winfield Village President Erik Spande Vetoes the $70 million Downtown Redevelopment Deal with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage

Winfield Village President Erik Spande will veto the $70 million downtown development contract between the Village and Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital at the upcoming September 17, 2020 board meeting. The reason for the veto is that last minute unilateral changes demanded by Northwestern Medicine that changed the development benefits from mutual to wholly favoring Northwestern Medicine, and that these changes are not in the best interests of residents and taxpayers of the Village of Winfield.

Spande said, “It is so disappointing that after two years of negotiation that in the final hour Northwestern Medicine would act like a big, arrogant corporation instead of as a partner.”

Spande continued, “Northwestern Medicine has bought and bulldozed businesses and homes over much of our downtown, turning the core of Winfield into parking lots and gravel fields. Like all Winfield residents I want our downtown to be a welcoming destination where we can take friends and family to dinner, recreation or some shopping. I have worked long and hard for a fair development contract with Northwestern Medicine. But I cannot support the new agreement forced upon us by the hospital since it completely shifts the balance of this agreement and puts Winfield at a disadvantage.”

At the meeting of the Winfield Village Board on September 3, 2020, an agreement for redevelopment of Winfield’s downtown by the hospital was irregularly presented for a final vote. This development agreement was approved on a 4 to 1 vote, with Spande voting against.

Spande said, “It is even more disappointing the majority of the Winfield board has gone along with power grabs by Northwestern Medicine at every turn. Big corporations should be held to account by public officials, and a strangely submissive stance by Winfield’s board majority only encourages multi-billion dollar, high-profit corporations to demand more – as Northwestern Medicine did in the final hour.”

The new contract to be vetoed by Spande gives Northwestern Medicine everything they want with preliminary and final approval of their enormous 850-space parking deck that will be located on a long- since bulldozed grocery store. As for the Village, Winfield will have to ‘trust’ that Northwestern Medicine will act in good faith since the Village will be forced to sign the contact before agreement is reached on what the downtown redevelopment will look like. The concern is that under the new contract that the village government gives up all leverage and that Northwestern Medicine will be able to change the warm and welcoming downtown concept promised in 2018 into the generic glass-and-steel corporate office park look that was presented to the Village in July 2020.

Spande said, “Two of my colleagues, Trustees Phillip Mustes and Jim McCurdy, were so outraged by these offensive changes demanded by Northwestern Medicine that they resigned on the spot in protest. I completely understand my valued colleagues’ decision. They have served with distinction for two terms, and I wish them both only the best.”

In their departing statements, Trustees McCurdy and Mustes also stated their objection to back room deals and unauthorized discussions between current Winfield trustees and Northwestern Medicine leadership. In 2013 Winfield updated its code of ethics with strict rules on interactions between public officials and developers to avoid secret negotiations and to promote open and transparent government (Village code, 1- 9-8). Trustees Mustes and McCurdy knew that in 2014 a former Winfield trustee and Central DuPage Hospital were caught negotiating a secret development deal, following which Central DuPage Hospital abandoned a mutually beneficial $100 million redevelopment concept in Winfield’s downtown. In 2019 two current Winfield trustees were challenged with evidence they were engaging in conduct that violated Winfield’s strict code of ethics on interaction with developers, but since they control the board majority they prevented public discussion.

Spande said, “In many cases the cover up is worse than the crime. It is instructive that trustees that voted for Northwestern Medicine’s unilateral changes blocked a public discussion of the violation of Winfield’s code of ethics for public officials. There is a transcript of the December 5, 2019 closed meeting that details the inappropriate discussions between those very trustees and Northwestern Medicine. But the board majority has so far refused to allow this issue to be discussed. I am very disappointed.”

Village President Spande will state in his veto message that that in the best interests of the Village of Winfield and in accord with Village of Winfield ordinances and Illinois State Law (65 ILCS 5/3.1-40-45) that he will veto these actions:  Resolution approving development agreement between the Village of Winfield and Central DuPage Hospital Association (Town Center Planned Unit Development);  Ordinance approving Phase 1A1-1 Parking Lot License Agreement between Central DuPage Hospital Association and the Village of Winfield;  Ordinance rezoning certain territory from TC-Town Center District to B-2A Health Services District; and  Ordinance for a Special Use Permit for a planned development and preliminary plat/plan approval for Phase 1A and Phase 1A.1 and preliminary plan approval for Phase 1B and Phase 1C (CDH- Winfield Town Center PUD)

Spande said, “I urge my colleagues on the board to reconsider their actions and restore the development contract with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital to reflect the fair terms that were negotiated over the last two years.”

The village board could vote on overriding the mayor’s veto at the October 1, 2020 board meeting. “My veto of the development agreement also buys the village time before final action is taken. Northwestern Medicine has committed to revising their generic corporate architecture by September 30th, so the board and our community will now have the opportunity to see if glass-and-steel monolith from July 2020 has been transformed into the warm and welcoming architecture we were promised in 2018. If they have then I will consider supporting the redevelopment agreement.”

“I hope the board majority show that their loyalties are to the people of Winfield instead of toward one of the most profitable not-for-profit in Illinois,” Spande said wistfully.

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