Drive a Hard Bargain

The queue observed last week at the Secretary of State facility in Libertyville were not people in line get their driver's license photo. They were queued to use the bathroom. At the adjacent diner.

To quote the philosophers, shit happens -- so when the plumbing went kapoot at the Peterson Rd Driver's License Office the landlord was notified. A landlord, in these situations, typically sends over an in-law to assess and hopefully attenuate the problem. However the building is owned by the family of a high-profile Lake County politico, who used the opportunity to demand some unpaid back rent in advance of the repair. In other words: you'll flush your latrine when we are flush with the green.

By the time the issue percolated up to the Daily Herald, what had been a rumpus between two private parties was now privy to the public at large:

Libertyville driver's license facility may be evicted

Your LakeCountyEye has learned that in the interim cooler heads prevailed and ledgers on both sides have been happily squared away. But not before the State of Illinois had to bring in an outside plumbing contractor. On the taxpayer's dime. At union scale.

Whether a tempest in a teapot or a commotion in a commode, your LakeCountyEye doubts the facility will lose its lease. If you click the satellite photo, the Secretary of State office is easy to find. Look for the lot that's jam-packed with the cars. It goes without saying those cars aren't there to visit the nextdoor Heritage Press.

Bird's Eye View of Peterson Rd, Libertyville

Click Image to Enlarge

Secretary of State Facility

Click Image to Enlarge

This particular Driver's License Office draws a sizable amount of business traffic to its stretch of Peterson. These are consumers who are likely to patronize the surrounding businesses, the nearby Libertyville Saddle Shop, for instance. It's not hard to imagine what the satellite photo would look like if the State of Illinois decided to move their facility. Your LakeCountyEye has heard that the Secretary of State is looking for more convenient & centrally located space to situate a facility.

Just supposing one suddenly has 10,000 square feet of office space to fill, what sort of anchor-business might one reasonably expect to attract? Your LakeCountyEye recently drove that part of Peterson Rd. And remembers noticing a few tattoo parlors. And liquor stores. And payday-loan/pawn shops. Not to mention quite a few For Rent signs.

Just sayin'!