From the Tribune:

Carpentersville leader hires private eye in bid to oust trustee
Village President Bill Sarto also loses 3rd bid to force out Trustee Paul Humpfer
By Ray Quintanilla and Carolyn Starks | Tribune reporters
11:13 PM CDT, April 23, 2008
The bizarre politics of Carpentersville, roiled by everything from the debate over illegal Immigration to domestic violence and allegations of illicit sex and racist comments, took another turn this week with the village president's confession that he shelled out $750 to have a political adversary followed by a private detective.
While the turmoil dates back more than a year, most of the contention has boiled down to a feud between Village President Bill Sarto and Trustee Paul Humpfer. In recent months Sarto has attempted repeatedly to have Humpfer removed from the board, including at a special meeting Tuesday night called to discuss development plans.
The effort failed, with Humpfer ally Trustee Judy Sigwalt admonishing Sarto that "You don't have the votes to do that."
Sarto's efforts to oust Humpfer began after the trustee's conviction on domestic battery charges. Accused of hitting his wife with a baseball bat, Humpfer admitted he got angry after he was tipped by a fellow trustee that her 30-year-old son had had a sexual encounter with Humpfer's wife.
Sarto told the Tribune his most recent target is Humpfer's residency. The private detective Sarto hired learned that Humpfer, 44, lives in Hammond, Ind., which Sarto believes should be sufficient grounds to have his nemesis bounced from the board, though he did not raise the issue at Tuesday's meeting.
Humpfer acknowledges living with his parents in Hammond. He says an order of protection, sought by his former wife in summer 2007, prohibits him from returning to his former Carpentersville residence. He has called his current living arrangements "temporary" and has vowed not to resign.
"I know my pushing on this issue hasn't made me a lot of friends," Sarto said before Tuesday's board meeting, where he made his third failed attempt in just more than a month to have Humpfer removed. "The craziness in this town has got to stop."
The controversy has spread beyond Humpfer and Sarto.
Earlier this month, Sarto's most vocal supporter, Trustee Linda Ramirez Sliwinski, made news that sent ripples through the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.
Ramirez Sliwinski, an Obama delegate, came under fire after she acknowledged calling two African-American children "monkeys" for climbing in a tree next door to her home.
It's small wonder that tempers often have flared at trustee meetings in this northwest suburban community of 37,000 residents, which last year made news over a controversial proposal to restrict undocumented immigrants.
Sigwalt said that despite the board's differences, village business is getting done.
Still, Carpentersville residents are increasingly voicing their frustrations as Sarto and board members continue to bicker.
"I think it's all about the power trip for these people. For those little part-time jobs, they think they're president," said Alex Hart, 49, a longtime resident.
The fiery discussion over restricting illegal immigrants long dominated the community's political discussions, but in recent weeks, other issues have triggered debate—and hard feelings.
Keith Hinz, who has served on the Village Board for a year, said the public disputes, which have often pitted Sarto against five of the village's six trustees, "are hurting the village's reputation immensely."
He called on the two factions to set aside their differences and "deal with the issues, like infrastructure improvements, vacant homes and foreclosures."
Hinz also chided Sarto, calling his decision to hire a private investigator "taking matters to an extreme."
Sarto has consistently supported Ramirez Sliwinski, one of his most outspoken backers during the debate over undocumented immigrants.
Ramirez Sliwinski, who is Hispanic, was issued a $75 citation alleging that she violated a local ordinance prohibiting disorderly conduct. The ordinance bars conduct that disturbs or alarms people; one of the boys allegedly told authorities the trustee's comment frightened him, Carpentersville police said. Ramirez Sliwinski has vowed to fight the citation.
The increasingly wide chasm between Sarto and his critics first opened last year during the Immigration debate that drew busloads of demonstrators to Village Hall and put Carpentersville at the center of the thorny national debate. Trustees considered a measure offered by Sigwalt and supported by Humpfer to penalize businesses that hire illegal immigrants and fine landlords who rent to them. The measure has been tabled.
Sarto often said the debate—which some have said took on a racially charged tone—did little more than drive residents out of town.
As owner of a downtown business for 14 years, Bob Sluyter worries that board's infighting is distracting from more important issues.
"I work on Main Street so I hear people gripe all the time. You don't hear many people thanking the politicians," said Sluyter, owner of Shooting Stars Records. "I don't think there's enough therapy in the world to get it straightened out."
Michael Grebenick, 26, said he thinks most people outside of town think well of Carpentersville, despite the village's highly publicized problems.
He wants the board to pass ordinances that affect his life, but instead they are worrying about trivial things that slow government down, he said.
"It's like running a business," he said. "If you focus only on theft, you lose sight of your sales."
Freelance reporter George Houde contributed to this report.