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Candidate describes lengthy mediation over Giants Ridge payments, urges care in drafting agreements
Summary
Jeff recounted a multi-year dispute between a city and White Township over payments related to the Giants Ridge area that led to repeated mediations and eventual settlement; he said the episode taught him to draft tighter, forward-looking agreements to avoid perpetual liabilities.
Jeff, a candidate for Cook County administrator, told commissioners about a prolonged dispute he encountered involving the annexation and payment formula tied to the Giants Ridge area.
He said an agreement tied to the Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Area created perpetual payment obligations that grew over time and produced several years of court cases with White Township. “It was literally court a court case over infinite money,” he said, adding that the formula produced payments that were difficult to quantify because they were perpetual.
Jeff said the matter was ultimately resolved through mediation with representatives from White Township; that session started in the morning and concluded in the early hours of the next day. “That mediation was one of several I had over the years. That one started at 8AM, and we left that building ... at about 03:30AM,” he said, describing the long negotiation.
He said the mediation forced both sides to analyze long-term financial effects and reach a settlement instead of continuing indefinite litigation. He also recounted that Giants Ridge operations are owned by the state (through Iron Range Resources) and operated under contract, noting the dispute’s complexity.
Jeff said the experience taught him to include protective clauses in contracts and to anticipate turnover of personnel: even when negotiating partners are highly trusted, agreements should anticipate future unknowns so the county is not left exposed.
No formal action was taken; the board used the question to assess the candidate’s experience with intergovernmental disputes and contract drafting.
