In a June 2 letter to village manager Drew Irvin, the Uihleins wrote: «Given the size of our 22-acre Lake Bluff property, we would like to request a similar two-year waiver.»
They added that battery-powered blowers «just can’t do the job as well and are basically as noisy as gasoline-powered ones.»
Village President Regis Charlot referred the Uihleins’ request to the village’s Community Improvement and Sustainability Committee, which discussed the issue but denied the request, Irvin told POLITICO’s Illinois Playbook.
The village trustees unanimously rejected the Uihleins’ request at their June 27 board meeting. according to Pioneer Presswho first wrote on the subject.
“There are tools that can be used,” said trustee Marietta Hance at Pioneer Press. “This is a private family asking the community to give them an exemption. It does not fit with what we have decided.”
The Uihleins, who did not respond to requests for comment, are among the country’s largest Republican donors. They have come under fire for squandering millions of dollars on unlikely failed candidates, including several in 2022 such as Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and Arkansas Senate hopeful Jake Bequette.
The couple’s combined political donations to federal candidates and causes over the past decade exceed $230 million, according to campaign finance records.
This report first appeared in the July 13 issue of the Illinois Playbook. Sign up for the newsletter here.