Friday 12/21/07 - I'm moving my blogging over to here, at Wordpress  This google website has going well over a year now, but I think until google upgrades, in Downers Grove will be most up to date, and sortable by topic.  This will still be up so people can read the background research. 

The most info on this site was about Village actions over the last nine months regarding the Environmental Protection Act, and the fight to keep our state given protection from being taken away by the Village for no good reason.  It was touch and go for several months, but in the end residents came away with most of the state protections intact.  I don't like using the word fight, but that's pretty much what it was. 

Enough people thanked me for "doing my homework", speaking up and speaking out in this issue, and providing information about this issue, that I feel pretty positive saying people can be heard as long as they're willing to speak up.  I was called a lot of names over the course of it, but it's no problem; most of the name-callers have come around to realize the village collectively took (mostly) the right path.

After the last nine months our senior citizens at Cameo, the folks at Morton, our business community, as well as our local government, all know that I tried to kept my word to be a positive voice for residents and business alike.

Here's some goals from early 2007:

• Fix our streets and our flooding.  That's a top priority finally.  Work should begin in earnest in 2008.
• Common sense development reform.  The first set of ordinance improvements passed last year, but we still need more, and now when we have the time to dial it in for our benefit, and for the future of the village.
• Preserve our diversity, in housing and in age groups.  The ad hoc Housing Committee meets through January and will give the council it's findings.
• A plain English budget we can all understand.  At first blush the 2008 budget is just as dense as ever, but the meetings start 10/20 at 8:30am.
• A complete ethics ordinance.  Everyone hammered on this, and Sandack kept his promise (as did Durkin, Beckman, and Neustadt), got this off to a fast start, and got the first half pretty much dead bang right.
• Help our schools when we can.  Off the radar as an issue.  58 has come under scrutiny for not knowing their own financial picture.  99 says it's all good (except for the 100 year War With Woodridge).  Apparantly, no one cares that the Village siphons half or all of the 'increment' tax dollars away from our schools via our TIF Districts.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007                     Damage Control...The right thing happens.

Spread the word to all your friends: it was continued resolve to attend meetings and speak for yourselves that won the day.  It took too long, but council came to the right vote.  I thanked every council member and the mayor doing the right thing, and a huge thank you to all of you, who won the day for us all with your continued effort.  Residents win, existing business wins, nature wins, council wins (twice because they win as residents too).

Next up, proper definitions.

• Tuesday, September 25th: Impact...
• Will our own local government wake up, grab the wheel, and swerve to avoid running us all down?  Collision Course. 
• More misnaming, more twists, more turns.  An Open letter to the Environmental Concerns Commission. 
• Recycling . . .  The Story So Far brings you up to date and gets started Moving Towards Solutions.
• Middle income housing moves to the front burner, in Our House.
• It's a tragedy more than a half year in the making, and The Village and The Environmental Protection Act is still unfolding. 

Just so there's no confusion here: I am opposed to a construction & demolition debris facility ANYWHERE in Downers Grove that does not conform to the requirements in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. 

5/9/07 Inauguration and reception at Village Hall for new council...

It was a very pleasant evening.  Tully did a great job lightening the mood for the first half.  BK and Stan were very gracious.  Lot’s of enthusiastic applause all around, including a standing ovation for Mayor Krajewski for his 8 years at the helm.

Geoff Neustadt’s welcoming remarks received a hearty round of applause from the audience.  Beckman said he hadn’t prepared anything, and was his usual gracious self.  My personal shout out and thanks go to Sean Durkin, for acknowledging the rest of us who ran, but more importantly for capturing the essence of, the heart of, the wonderful spouse who lets you run for office.  It was just a few words, but it said a lot.  Sandack’s welcoming remarks included the themes of his campaign, and he also received a standing ovation.

Waldack finally got his volunteers put on the commissions they offered their services for long ago (documented by WW on Elaine Johnson's  DG Report blog).  Mayor Sandack hit on the immediate need to strip himself of the power to dismiss volunteers.  You have to admit, that is a change, an elected official insisting on less authority where it might be abused, so it would not happen again.  I for one like it.

Most of the residents who got up, spoke about which side of Florence the proposed sidewalk should go on, east or west.   Go figure; the majority of residents on each side want it on the other side.  A good baptism for the new council.  Man, that was a short honeymoon!

I don’t know if BK hung around after the handoff.  Stan Urban did.  He seemed in good spirits at the reception, and he is a wickedly funny guy away from the dais.  I know I was in good spirits.   

I feel very positive about the current council.  Our Village has a great opportunity to move on our most pressing needs, and that’s a very good thing.