New Crystal Lake park board majority votes to end DEI amid boos from packed crowd

Chants of “boo” and “shame” broke out at a standing-room-only Crystal Lake Park District board meeting after commissioners voted to remove the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion policy from the books.

A sharply divided board voted 4-3 Thursday to remove the policy, in front of a large crowd that appeared generally supportive of DEI. Several members of the public spoke in favor of the policy.

The vote to pull the DEI statement – which took place in a room where a DEI plaque hung on the wall – was part of a series of swift changes that the board has made, mostly by 4-3 votes, since a new majority was elected this spring.

On Thursday, that also included a move to replace the park district’s Lake Ecology Committee with members of the Shoreline Property Owners Association, a homeowners association of people who live along the lake.

That decision also prompted criticism from the board minority and audience members. But it was the DEI change that prompted the most response.

Crystal Lake resident Kim Hankins said she hoped the board wouldn’t make any changes to the policy, receiving audience applause.

But another member of the public, Ted Shew, spoke against DEI, calling it “an ideology [that] is not about equality.” Shew said DEI puts everyone in groups and pits them against each other.

After several members of the public spoke for a total of almost 30 minutes, newly elected board President Frederick Tiesenga opted to move on from public comment, prompting pushback from the audience and Commissioner Cathy Cagle, who said the board in the past always allowed everyone a chance to speak.

The park board meeting agenda indicates that public comments are limited to three minutes per person and 30 minutes total, unless the president opts to waive that.

When it came time for the DEI discussion, Tiesenga said that having the DEI policy on the books could prevent the district from getting grant money – a comment that prompted groans from some audience members.

Cagle said not having the policy would be “horrible” and akin to “saying the park district doesn’t value people.” Cagle’s comments got applause from the crowd.

Another of the newly elected board members, Keith Nisenson, who voted to end DEI, said “nothing changes” with the move, since the park district is required by law to serve everyone.

That prompted some pushback from the audience. But Nisenson added that the DEI policy was a throwback to a previous administration, presumably referring to the White House. President Donald Trump has made several moves to end DEI in the federal government and had attempted to withhold funding for schools that maintain DEI policies, although he has faced court challenges.

“Why was it OK to follow the guidance of one administration and now it’s not OK to follow the guidance of another administration?” Nisenson said.

But Commissioner Michael Jacobson said getting rid of the policy would “give Crystal Lake a black eye,” which prompted many in the audience to vocalize support.

Tiesenga, Nisenson and another newly elected board member, Richard Hickey, joined Commissioner Jason Heisler in voting against the DEI policy. Cagle, Jacobson and Commissioner Karen Johnson voted to keep the policy.

The Democratic Party of McHenry County had encouraged people to show up to the meeting in support of DEI, and the party posted its opposition to the vote after the meeting.

Party Chair Ruth Scifo said in part in a statement: “The MAGA commissioners dissolved a citizen-led ecology committee and replaced it with the private homeowners association , made it harder for commissioners to add items to the agenda. ... We’re putting these park district commissioners on notice that elections have consequences, and your community is watching.”

During the April 1 elections, the Democratic Party recommended voting for Tiesenga, but against Johnson, Nisenson and Hickey, according to its recommendation list. The race was uncontested, with a number of incumbents choosing not to run again.

The park district has its mission and value statement on display in the boardroom, with a plaque reading: “Diversity, equity and inclusion: We strive to be an ally to all the communities we serve.”

By the end of the meeting, however, someone had written “RIP DEI, 6-5-25″ on a piece of paper and placed it on the plaque.

The new board has voted to make several other changes, some more procedural in nature, such as shifting the meeting schedule. Of one of the changes, Cagle said it “reeks of a power grab.”

Regarding the decision to replace the Lake Ecology Committee with the homeowners association, Tiesenga said the main people doing the work on the committee are already association members, and they are the ones with “intel” on the lake.

Cagle took issue with it, saying “the lake belongs to all of the residents,” not merely those who live on the lake, and should be representative of all residents in the park district. The district includes Crystal Lake, Lakewood, parts of Lake in the Hills and some unincorporated area.

Other changes involving the body of water that the board took up Thursday included putting out feelers for another vendor to help manage the lake. Some board members took issue with some of the fees of the current vendor, Hey and Associates. Tiesenga said the firm charged the park district $14,500 for the recent “state of the lake” report and presentation.