McHenry County Blog

Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley has apparently made known his political support of holding the Gay Games in Crystal Lake. He is quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying,

"I don't think you can hardly say the vote of two Park District commissioners is sufficient to bring a blight on the community."

Now, on the face of it, that sounds ambiguous. He could either be referring to the Gay Games coming to Crystal Lake as being a “blight” on the community or the unfavorable publicity from the park board’s rejection of the regatta as a “blight.”

Coverage in the Northwest Herald, however, confirms Shepley’s support of the Gay Games in Crystal Lake:

“I am certainly surprised," Shepley said. "The one thing I've always believed is that when we make decisions, we make them on the merits of the proposal, not personal preference or anything else.
Shepley said he hoped that the vote would not tarnish the reputation of the city or its residents, whom he defended.

"It's not the controversy we want that puts Crystal Lake on the map," he said.

"Crystal Lake is not a community that discriminates. We're not a community of people that are closed-minded."

McHenry County Blog seems to be the only source that has reported that the park district’s risk management agency has apparently refused to defend the board’s decision. That decision seems to have been made without time for even reviewing a tape of the meeting.

Last fall continuing into February, Shepley has promoted a pool, presumably to be built and operated by the park district. Shepley and the city council have no legal authority over the Crystal Lake Park Board.

Other stories on the Gay Games controversy appear in the Daily Herald and on the CBS web site.

Labels: Aaron Shepley, Gay Games