Heaven protect us from irresponsible Town Council candidates who shoot first and ask questions later.

There’s Mr. Skillicorn, who established vociferous hostile credentials in the Illinois legislature before resigning after a reelection defeat. He left in a huff to bring his right-wing vitriol here.

Mr. Biermann is another newcomer whose letter to the editor two weeks ago attacked the mayor and an unspecified “Council majority” for its stance on current issues including the planned and budgeted Sunridge Park, despite there being no recorded votes attesting to the positions of any Council member on the matter.

Most recently we find Ms. Kalivianakis railing in a letter to the editor against the proposed park while claiming to have done her own survey, saying “clearly the residents do not want this park, period. Why doesn’t the mayor and Town Council listen to the people they were elected to serve.” Well, apparently she missed asking Wendy Dachel (whose letter appeared last week), I and others who actually live there and think it a good idea. She is apparently also unwilling to await the results of a survey sent to all homeowners in the HOA.

Meanwhile, complaints made by those mentioned in her letter who spoke in Call to the Public during a Council meeting cannot legally elicit discussion from Council members, which Ms. Kalivianakis should know as an avowed candidate. She and the others foment hostility, histrionics and hysteria with their politically motivated, pot-stirring attacks on our mayor and unnamed members of the Council.

We don’t need new Council members who rely on trite, politicized sound bites. We need civic-minded people who will actually do the work and take the time needed for thorough research and thoughtful, collaborative effort.