Politics & Government
Round 2: Downtown Property Owner Ticketed Again Over Fence
Dan Nicholson, of Nicholson Logging & Lumber, disputed some of Mayor Gary Golinski's public statements in the on-going property maintenance dispute.
Downtown business owner Dan Nicholson was back at the meeting Tuesday after receiving another citation for an alleged dilapidated fence at 206 Heustis St.
Nicholson, of , disputed some of the comments Golinski made to local media after during a meeting’s public comment session. Nicholson was fined $950 for the dilapidated fence and given until Monday to fix it.
City staff went to his business Tuesday, noted the fence had not been repaired and issued another ticket, said Krysti Barksdale-Noble, Yorvkille’s community development director. He was assigned a Dec. 14 adjudication hearing date, but city inspectors will visit the property before then to provide details about any progress at the hearing, she said.
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Nicholson has suggested that the ordinance violation ticket is connected with his refusal to sell his property to one of Golinski’s friends and his work on former Mayor Valerie Burd’s campaign. (Golinski beat her by in the April election.)
“You had made it quite known that you would be coming after me after the election to any number of people,” Nicholson said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
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Golinski has denied the ticket and related fine has political undertones or is related to a potential property sale.
Nicholson took exception to Golinski’s claims that Golinski had offered to help him “clean up” the property and that Golinski didn’t remember Nicholson asking to meet privately to discuss the property. But Nicholson offered an invitation for Golinski to meet him at the property at 5 p.m. Friday so they could clean it up together.
“In conclusion, Mr. Golinski, I believe you to be a liar,” Nicholson said at the City Council meeting. “But I’m willing to make a good-faith effort to attempt to make an honest man out of you. Be in front of my business at 5 p.m. this Friday and be ready to get to work cleaning up.”
Golinski did not respond to him during the City Council meeting. But during a break in the meeting, when asked by local reporters, Golinski said he wasn’t available Friday. He is going camping with Boy Scouts at Starved Rock State Park.
