A special meeting of the La Grange Village Board has been set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2 at Seventh Avenue School, 701 S. Seventh Ave., to discuss safety concerns along a busy stretch of 47th Street where a 30-year-old Countryside mother of two lost her life May 19.
Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn has already made it clear the village not only wants the state to reduce the speed limit to 30 from 35 mph on 47th between Willow Springs Road and East/Eberly Avenue -- the fatality occurred in the eastbound curb lane at Eighth Avenue in broad daylight -- but wants the roadway turned over to village jurisdiction so it can be converted into a softer, 3-lane roadway with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
However, residents in the neighborhoods on both sides of 47th, including a group who held an impromptu memorial for the woman last week, have been urging the village to give them an opportunity to speak on that and related safety issues.
So, instead of holding such a forum during a regular Monday night board meeting where general village business is discussed and voted upon, it was decided to hold a special, non-voting neighborhood workshop meeting just to share and receive input on the topic.
State lawmakers, who are in the position of convincing the Illinois Department of Transportation to act on the matters at hand, have been invited to the meeting.
No tickets or charges were ever issued in the accident, which remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Cook County State's Attorneys Office.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
DOWNTOWN STREETS TO BE REDONE
Central business district streets will soon be resurfaced, so a meeting has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 27 in the Village Hall auditorium, 53 S. La Grange Road.
The summer resurfacing project will include Burlington Avenue from Kensington Avenue to La Grange Road, Calendar Avenue from Ashland Avenue to La Grange Road, Harris Avenue from Ashland Avenue to La Grange Road to Sixth Avenue and Ashland Avenue from Burlington Avenue to Harris Avenue, according to Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham.
The Village is in the process of developing the plans and specifications for the project and will be explaining the details of the work at the meeting. Public input from the business and shopping/dining community also will be encouraged.
All residents, business and property owners living on or adjacent to the streets included in the project area are urged to attend.
Village staff and the engineering consultant will be there to discuss details pertaining to the work scope, project schedule and answer questions.
The project mainly consists of resurfacing the existing roadway surface by grinding off a layer of asphalt and replacing it with a new surface.
Intermittent improvements to some drainage structures, sidewalks and other infrastructure components also will be made.
The project is scheduled to begin in mid-July and be completed by the end of August.
At certain points in the construction process, parking will be limited, and the village will work with the contractor as much as possible to minimize any inconveniences.
Further information is available by calling Gillingham or Assistant Director Mike Bojovic at (708) 579-2328.
The summer resurfacing project will include Burlington Avenue from Kensington Avenue to La Grange Road, Calendar Avenue from Ashland Avenue to La Grange Road, Harris Avenue from Ashland Avenue to La Grange Road to Sixth Avenue and Ashland Avenue from Burlington Avenue to Harris Avenue, according to Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham.
The Village is in the process of developing the plans and specifications for the project and will be explaining the details of the work at the meeting. Public input from the business and shopping/dining community also will be encouraged.
All residents, business and property owners living on or adjacent to the streets included in the project area are urged to attend.
Village staff and the engineering consultant will be there to discuss details pertaining to the work scope, project schedule and answer questions.
The project mainly consists of resurfacing the existing roadway surface by grinding off a layer of asphalt and replacing it with a new surface.
Intermittent improvements to some drainage structures, sidewalks and other infrastructure components also will be made.
The project is scheduled to begin in mid-July and be completed by the end of August.
At certain points in the construction process, parking will be limited, and the village will work with the contractor as much as possible to minimize any inconveniences.
Further information is available by calling Gillingham or Assistant Director Mike Bojovic at (708) 579-2328.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
HOT OFF THE PRESS: SENIOR CENTER CHANGES IDENTITY
Some things may change, but they often stay the same.
Directors of the former Southwest Suburban Center (The Senior Center) in La Grange broke bread with friends and supporters yesterday (Monday. May 11) to unveil the 28-year-old organization's new moniker: Aging Care Connections.
So don't jump to using the acronym like they did before (SWSCA). Cause it sounds like it reads: ACC.
Because of the duplication of offerings and the goal to attain cost-effective operation, it was decided Aging Care Connections should focus on delivering services and programs related to its particular strengths.
According to Chibucos, those strengths include: the respect and credibility of its professional staff; its core competencies in information and referral, assessments and case management; its strong understanding of services to the elderly and the network providers; and its reputation, history and location in the center of the communities it serves.
With the assistance of a Taproot Foundation service grant to develop key messages and branding strategy, the process leading to the selection of an appropriate name began.
They stated after lengthy interviews with the community, constituents, staff, board members and funders, the outcome of the grant was the identification of the organization’s key branding attribute as the expert information and community resource on aging.
The organization’s expert, professional staff enables Aging Care Connections to offer clients the promise to connect them to comprehensive and expert information, resources and program options to enhance their well-being and independence.
A directional tag line, “Leaders in Information. Your Connection to Care.” was developed.
A second Taproot Foundation service grant focused on naming and visual identity was awarded and the process to select a name began.
The goal, they said, was to create a simple, memorable name reflecting the key messages and branding developed in the earlier grant.
Aging Care Connections emerged as the most appropriate name to convey the resource and direct service components in the comprehensive range of benefits offered by the organization.
A logo was designed along with the tag line “Your source for senior care.”
Aging Care Connections’ inaugural annual report for the 2007-2008 year was also debuted on May 11.
A third Taproot Foundation service grant produced the report -- which highlights the organization’s commitment to serving older adults through social services and programs ensuring their independence and safety in the community.
Aging Care Connections is a non-profit organization connection to expert information, programs and services enabling older adults to remain independent and their families to make the best, most informed decisions regarding needed care in their lives.
Serving Lyons, Riverside and south Proviso townships, Aging Care Connections’ programs and services are made possible by community support and donations, and, in part, by the Illinois Department on Aging, AgeOptions, Community Memorial Foundation and local United Ways.
The organization investigates elder abuse in 10 other communities in Leyden and Norwood Park townships.
For further information, call (708) 354-1323 or visit http://www.agingcareconnections.org/.
Directors of the former Southwest Suburban Center (The Senior Center) in La Grange broke bread with friends and supporters yesterday (Monday. May 11) to unveil the 28-year-old organization's new moniker: Aging Care Connections.
So don't jump to using the acronym like they did before (SWSCA). Cause it sounds like it reads: ACC.
Many people still remember when the Summit-based Desplaines Valley Community Center changed its name to the current, well-known Pillars -- a habit the newly named agency hopes will also catch on quickly, like wildfire.
Aging Care Conections still remains at its convenient and somewhat accessible location at 111 W. Harris Ave. in downtown La Grange.
Aging Care Conections still remains at its convenient and somewhat accessible location at 111 W. Harris Ave. in downtown La Grange.
In the last couple of years, the Senior Center leaders had quietly contemplated relocating inside a yet-to-be-buuilt Township of Lyons senior citizen affordable housing apartment building next to Town Hall on Joliet Road, but that never came to pass.
The name, said Development & Community Relations Director Niki Chibucos, "more closely aligns with its mission to enrich the quality of life of older adults and their families through a range of programs and services that enhance their well-being and independence."
The name, said Development & Community Relations Director Niki Chibucos, "more closely aligns with its mission to enrich the quality of life of older adults and their families through a range of programs and services that enhance their well-being and independence."
The need for a new name emerged after a strategic plan completed in 2005 called for the transitioning of programs related to recreation to other sites in Aging Care Connections' 22- community service area.
Because of the duplication of offerings and the goal to attain cost-effective operation, it was decided Aging Care Connections should focus on delivering services and programs related to its particular strengths.
According to Chibucos, those strengths include: the respect and credibility of its professional staff; its core competencies in information and referral, assessments and case management; its strong understanding of services to the elderly and the network providers; and its reputation, history and location in the center of the communities it serves.
With the assistance of a Taproot Foundation service grant to develop key messages and branding strategy, the process leading to the selection of an appropriate name began.
They stated after lengthy interviews with the community, constituents, staff, board members and funders, the outcome of the grant was the identification of the organization’s key branding attribute as the expert information and community resource on aging.
The organization’s expert, professional staff enables Aging Care Connections to offer clients the promise to connect them to comprehensive and expert information, resources and program options to enhance their well-being and independence.
A directional tag line, “Leaders in Information. Your Connection to Care.” was developed.
A second Taproot Foundation service grant focused on naming and visual identity was awarded and the process to select a name began.
The goal, they said, was to create a simple, memorable name reflecting the key messages and branding developed in the earlier grant.
Aging Care Connections emerged as the most appropriate name to convey the resource and direct service components in the comprehensive range of benefits offered by the organization.
A logo was designed along with the tag line “Your source for senior care.”
Aging Care Connections’ inaugural annual report for the 2007-2008 year was also debuted on May 11.
A third Taproot Foundation service grant produced the report -- which highlights the organization’s commitment to serving older adults through social services and programs ensuring their independence and safety in the community.
Aging Care Connections is a non-profit organization connection to expert information, programs and services enabling older adults to remain independent and their families to make the best, most informed decisions regarding needed care in their lives.
Serving Lyons, Riverside and south Proviso townships, Aging Care Connections’ programs and services are made possible by community support and donations, and, in part, by the Illinois Department on Aging, AgeOptions, Community Memorial Foundation and local United Ways.
The organization investigates elder abuse in 10 other communities in Leyden and Norwood Park townships.
For further information, call (708) 354-1323 or visit http://www.agingcareconnections.org/.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
LTHS CANDIDATES FACE OFF AT FORUM
Five of seven candidates for four 4-year seats on the Lyons Township District 204 High School Board provided about 60 voters assembled in the newly redesigned South campus performing arts center by the La Grange Area League of Women Voters March 30 the chance to hear what they are all about.
Those running for reelection include incumbent School Board President Mark Pera, Vice President James Kohlstedt and members Allen Polich and William Purcell, former board member Todd Shapiro and newcomers George Dougherty and Raju Patel.
(At the conclusion of this story, we present some basic information about candidates running for the District 102 School Board and names of candidates seeking office in Districts 105 and 107. RESULTS of all local municipal, school and Park District races will appear Tuesday night)
Intriguing new ideas were raised during the 90-minute forum by newcomers Patel and Dougherty. But the incumbents touted their ability to build new facilities while keeping finances in check during tough economic times and working closely with feeder districts.
The latter theme, however, became a sticking point between Dougherty -- who criticized the 10-year span of time it took for the feeder districts to form a much-needed data sharing consortium with LT just now starting up -- and Kohlstedt vociferously defending the program's long, thought-out creation.
Dougherty, an attorney and 10-year La Grange resident, while praising incumbents for the district's "good financial condition," said if wasn't for the support of board members Heather Alderman and Purcell -- whom he has endorsed -- the consortium may still be in the making.
"We lost a generation of students if we waited 10 years (to form the consortium)," he said. "That should have been a no-brainer for everybody ... this is one (conceptual discussion) that should have went faster."
But in response -- oddly enough, when both were asked about later start times -- Kohlstedt said it took time for LT to convince six separate but associated ever-changing elementary district boards and administrations to attain unified agreement.
"It is not possible in two years or four years," he said of the idea Pera said was first proposed a decade ago. "If this data consortium is the start of a partnership, it was brought about as a partnership. If it's going to now form, it's going to form now as a partnership."
Pera later said the consortium took 10 years of "hard work and cooperation" to get moving, yet will help raise student performance in the long run.
He also said there was a fundamental misunderstanding about the consortium, in that it was not created to share test scores but to focus on every elementary teacher and classroom to determine "what is wrong and what isn't" in hopes of fixing it.
On the subject of students starting school at a later time, Dougherty said he would "listen to input" on the idea, but Kohlstedt said while he does not believe "in reinventing the wheel," it would have to first be addressed with teacher and staff labor unions.
Pera added that doing so could affect athletic practice and event start times and may only spur the negative effect of allowing students to stay up and sleep later.
Patel, who sits on the board of an inner-city parochial school in Chicago that serves a largely low-income, African-American community, said he would focus on improving test scores and the work of under-performing students.
Dougherty, who advocated making LT "a more student-centered institution," stressed "not enough time or attention" is focused on the "middle" group of students who can fall more quickly and easily and whose low test scores can "bring down the whole class."
Patel suggested the district "needs to do a better job" with children from one-parent households and minority and immigrant students whom in the past 10 years have more than doubled to 10 percent of the student body.
"We are not addressing changes in our student body mix," he said, adding he would also like to improve graduation rates. "We need to reach out to (those populations) differently."
Kohlstedt, admitting LT faces some critical cultural issues, praised the current board for establishing an alternative school option for troubled students and appointing liaisons with both the African-American and Hispanic communities.
"I do not believe we are in a tense (or unsafe) environment" and what is most important is connecting with students and their families, he said, adding it is customary for some Hispanic boys to quit school and go to work at 16. "This board is working very hard to work closer with our minorities and their needs."
Dougherty later agreed that while such liaison relationships are vital, they should be handled by a much larger group of advisors, not just one liaison.
Shapiro, who served the board until 2007, said the more LT encourages all children to get involved in extra-curricular clubs and sports, the more they will feel connected.
When asked what qualities they believed LT graduates should leave with, Patel said a good set of character morals, educational skills to seek gainful employment and/or exceed college entrance requirements and basic financial skills such as budgeting and saving.
Dougherty added critical thinking to the mix, suggesting too much focus may be placed on achieving great test scores.
Many of the candidates agreed with the use of class rankings and the intrinsic value of homework.
Kohlstedt said it teaches "discipline for life" and Shapiro responded "absolutely, but within reason."
Pera said "something is lost" when meetings are taped or aired live on cable television and agreed with Kohlstedt people "play" to cameras -- but communication has improved with better and more frequent website updates and features.
"LT has done a lot to make information available to the community, Kolstedt said.
Shapiro said website data is now so accurate, parents know their child's grades before they do.
Patel, who favors airing meetings on cable, said he'd like to improve relations even more with feeder districts, in part by assigning board members to be liaisons to each district and using technology to seek a broader input perhaps through website surveys.
Dougherty also embraced Pera's ideas for more town meetings, but said the board needs to a better job of "reaching out" to all of the communities it serves
In the area of finances, Kohlstedt stressed proposed tax increment financing districts in the district's nine communities can be flexible and said school boards should be proactive in negotiating better agreements -- by example LT's recent ability to lobby for "a much shorter period" for what could have been a typical 23-year TIF district in McCook.
Pera said the board has always been able to protect the district in such talks and noted some of the districts will soon expire and produce additional new tax revenue to 204.
Patel agreed the district's projected $800,000 deficit could be erased in this year's budget through new TIF revenues and federal per-student aid, but said he was "concerned" with bonds coming due in two years and the need to refinance and seek better interest rates.
Patel, who has spent 23 years in banking, said District 204 needs a balanced board representing various backgrounds and feels he can bring a fresh perspective.
One example he cited is his desire to be creative by checking out the favored tax benefits of considering the use of solar power to generate energy in the schools.
Shapiro, a chief financial officer for the Illinois CPA Society who said he served on the board in the late 1990s when times were also tough financially, said he has helped do curriculum reviews, add a pool, fieldhouse and an improved theatre but wants to help the board face a new crossroads as it faces a minor deficit and takes on a new superintendent this summer for the first time in 17 years.
Polich had a representative read his opening statement at the forum, although Purcell, who is also on the ballot but was absent, did not.
An 8-year board veteran and a 4-year member of the LT Community Council, the spokesman said his focus is to "take LT to a higher level of excellence."
The former 13-year educator, administrator and coach stated he has "no hidden agenda" and was proud to be with a board that made significant improvements without new taxes.
Dougherty said his negotiating skills would be an asset to next year's teacher contract talks and vows to not only provide new focus, leadership and perspectives but spend money wisely.
An advocate of better communication with staff, parents and the community, he is supported by incumbent Village Board trustees Michael Horvath and James Palermo.
Pera, a 27-year Western Springs resident and Cook County prosecutor who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the 5th district congressional seat last year, called himself a proven consensus builder.
Kohlstedt, a lawyer and father of four LT graduates, said he's glad to have been part of such a successful district.
"You as a community have every right to be proud of this high school," he said in closing. "This board is a consensus-based board, not a politically divided board."
SCHOOL DISTRICT 102: 4 FOR 3 SEATSSchool District 102, which serves students in parts of La Grange and La Grange Park, has four candidates seeking election to three 4-year seats.
They include Delegate Assembly endorsed incumbents Jennifer Comparoni and Michael Guagenti and newcomer Mark Stenner, as well as non-endorsed independent Peter Daniels.
Although we did not individually interview each one, and nor did we attend the same public forum that night due to a conflicting schedule, we did manage to collect some of the candidates' campaign materials being distributed to the community.
Comparoni, a first-term member and 10-year La Grange resident, wants to provide the best education possible, ensure sound fiscal management to protect taxpayers' investment and increase the district's accountability to the communities it serves.
She says the current board has initiated an ambitious agenda to evaluate and strengthen its education program, operated within fiscal means and carefully managed its resources, taken its role as resident representatives seriously, with accountability and believes the next four years will be critical.
Many of the board's initiatives are in early stages and require further development, she stated, and it must continue to seek creative solutions to get more utilization from existing space, be poised for the transition of a new superintendent and administrative team and provide financial stewardship through the economic downturn without going to referendum,
She holds an masters of business administration from the Harvard Business School and has a background in management consulting.
Guagenti, co-founder of a boutique investment banking firm, has stated his goals include providing direction to the district while optimizing resources to stretch academic and social capabilities of every child.
Also a 10-year La Grange resident, he is in his frist term as well and currently serves as the
board's vice president.
Stenner, a 14-year La Grange Park resident and a liability insurance manager, believes a high-quality curriculum is paramount to a successful district and wants to pursue continuous involvement in a financially prudent manner and championing clear communications with all constituent groups.
Daniels, an attorney and a member of the district's Finance Advisory Council, believes the district financial status to be "precarious" and says if spending continues to increase, revenue cannot remain static or decrease -- and suggests the board be conservative and focus on basics.
He also believes the board needs to do a comprehensive review of all its general, supplemental and special education programs, of which he has experience in and would bring a unique perspective to the board to deal with.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS 105, 107
Elementary School District 105, which serves students in La Grange, will see a contest between five candidates for four, 4-year seats including Mark Smith, Kristine Lonsway, Michael Warkentien, Eileen Tucker and David Herndon.
The School Board in Pleasant Dale District 107 has four 4-year seats on the ballot being sought by seven candidates. They include Mark Mirabile, Leandra Sedlack, Patti Essig, Gina Scaletta-Nelson, Karen O'Halloran, Michael Rak and Lauri Valentin.
Those running for reelection include incumbent School Board President Mark Pera, Vice President James Kohlstedt and members Allen Polich and William Purcell, former board member Todd Shapiro and newcomers George Dougherty and Raju Patel.
(At the conclusion of this story, we present some basic information about candidates running for the District 102 School Board and names of candidates seeking office in Districts 105 and 107. RESULTS of all local municipal, school and Park District races will appear Tuesday night)
Intriguing new ideas were raised during the 90-minute forum by newcomers Patel and Dougherty. But the incumbents touted their ability to build new facilities while keeping finances in check during tough economic times and working closely with feeder districts.
The latter theme, however, became a sticking point between Dougherty -- who criticized the 10-year span of time it took for the feeder districts to form a much-needed data sharing consortium with LT just now starting up -- and Kohlstedt vociferously defending the program's long, thought-out creation.
Dougherty, an attorney and 10-year La Grange resident, while praising incumbents for the district's "good financial condition," said if wasn't for the support of board members Heather Alderman and Purcell -- whom he has endorsed -- the consortium may still be in the making.
"We lost a generation of students if we waited 10 years (to form the consortium)," he said. "That should have been a no-brainer for everybody ... this is one (conceptual discussion) that should have went faster."
But in response -- oddly enough, when both were asked about later start times -- Kohlstedt said it took time for LT to convince six separate but associated ever-changing elementary district boards and administrations to attain unified agreement.
"It is not possible in two years or four years," he said of the idea Pera said was first proposed a decade ago. "If this data consortium is the start of a partnership, it was brought about as a partnership. If it's going to now form, it's going to form now as a partnership."
Pera later said the consortium took 10 years of "hard work and cooperation" to get moving, yet will help raise student performance in the long run.
He also said there was a fundamental misunderstanding about the consortium, in that it was not created to share test scores but to focus on every elementary teacher and classroom to determine "what is wrong and what isn't" in hopes of fixing it.
On the subject of students starting school at a later time, Dougherty said he would "listen to input" on the idea, but Kohlstedt said while he does not believe "in reinventing the wheel," it would have to first be addressed with teacher and staff labor unions.
Pera added that doing so could affect athletic practice and event start times and may only spur the negative effect of allowing students to stay up and sleep later.
Patel, who sits on the board of an inner-city parochial school in Chicago that serves a largely low-income, African-American community, said he would focus on improving test scores and the work of under-performing students.
Dougherty, who advocated making LT "a more student-centered institution," stressed "not enough time or attention" is focused on the "middle" group of students who can fall more quickly and easily and whose low test scores can "bring down the whole class."
Patel suggested the district "needs to do a better job" with children from one-parent households and minority and immigrant students whom in the past 10 years have more than doubled to 10 percent of the student body.
"We are not addressing changes in our student body mix," he said, adding he would also like to improve graduation rates. "We need to reach out to (those populations) differently."
Kohlstedt, admitting LT faces some critical cultural issues, praised the current board for establishing an alternative school option for troubled students and appointing liaisons with both the African-American and Hispanic communities.
"I do not believe we are in a tense (or unsafe) environment" and what is most important is connecting with students and their families, he said, adding it is customary for some Hispanic boys to quit school and go to work at 16. "This board is working very hard to work closer with our minorities and their needs."
Dougherty later agreed that while such liaison relationships are vital, they should be handled by a much larger group of advisors, not just one liaison.
Shapiro, who served the board until 2007, said the more LT encourages all children to get involved in extra-curricular clubs and sports, the more they will feel connected.
When asked what qualities they believed LT graduates should leave with, Patel said a good set of character morals, educational skills to seek gainful employment and/or exceed college entrance requirements and basic financial skills such as budgeting and saving.
Dougherty added critical thinking to the mix, suggesting too much focus may be placed on achieving great test scores.
Many of the candidates agreed with the use of class rankings and the intrinsic value of homework.
Kohlstedt said it teaches "discipline for life" and Shapiro responded "absolutely, but within reason."
Pera said "something is lost" when meetings are taped or aired live on cable television and agreed with Kohlstedt people "play" to cameras -- but communication has improved with better and more frequent website updates and features.
"LT has done a lot to make information available to the community, Kolstedt said.
Shapiro said website data is now so accurate, parents know their child's grades before they do.
Patel, who favors airing meetings on cable, said he'd like to improve relations even more with feeder districts, in part by assigning board members to be liaisons to each district and using technology to seek a broader input perhaps through website surveys.
Dougherty also embraced Pera's ideas for more town meetings, but said the board needs to a better job of "reaching out" to all of the communities it serves
In the area of finances, Kohlstedt stressed proposed tax increment financing districts in the district's nine communities can be flexible and said school boards should be proactive in negotiating better agreements -- by example LT's recent ability to lobby for "a much shorter period" for what could have been a typical 23-year TIF district in McCook.
Pera said the board has always been able to protect the district in such talks and noted some of the districts will soon expire and produce additional new tax revenue to 204.
Patel agreed the district's projected $800,000 deficit could be erased in this year's budget through new TIF revenues and federal per-student aid, but said he was "concerned" with bonds coming due in two years and the need to refinance and seek better interest rates.
Patel, who has spent 23 years in banking, said District 204 needs a balanced board representing various backgrounds and feels he can bring a fresh perspective.
One example he cited is his desire to be creative by checking out the favored tax benefits of considering the use of solar power to generate energy in the schools.
Shapiro, a chief financial officer for the Illinois CPA Society who said he served on the board in the late 1990s when times were also tough financially, said he has helped do curriculum reviews, add a pool, fieldhouse and an improved theatre but wants to help the board face a new crossroads as it faces a minor deficit and takes on a new superintendent this summer for the first time in 17 years.
Polich had a representative read his opening statement at the forum, although Purcell, who is also on the ballot but was absent, did not.
An 8-year board veteran and a 4-year member of the LT Community Council, the spokesman said his focus is to "take LT to a higher level of excellence."
The former 13-year educator, administrator and coach stated he has "no hidden agenda" and was proud to be with a board that made significant improvements without new taxes.
Dougherty said his negotiating skills would be an asset to next year's teacher contract talks and vows to not only provide new focus, leadership and perspectives but spend money wisely.
An advocate of better communication with staff, parents and the community, he is supported by incumbent Village Board trustees Michael Horvath and James Palermo.
Pera, a 27-year Western Springs resident and Cook County prosecutor who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the 5th district congressional seat last year, called himself a proven consensus builder.
Kohlstedt, a lawyer and father of four LT graduates, said he's glad to have been part of such a successful district.
"You as a community have every right to be proud of this high school," he said in closing. "This board is a consensus-based board, not a politically divided board."
SCHOOL DISTRICT 102: 4 FOR 3 SEATSSchool District 102, which serves students in parts of La Grange and La Grange Park, has four candidates seeking election to three 4-year seats.
They include Delegate Assembly endorsed incumbents Jennifer Comparoni and Michael Guagenti and newcomer Mark Stenner, as well as non-endorsed independent Peter Daniels.
Although we did not individually interview each one, and nor did we attend the same public forum that night due to a conflicting schedule, we did manage to collect some of the candidates' campaign materials being distributed to the community.
Comparoni, a first-term member and 10-year La Grange resident, wants to provide the best education possible, ensure sound fiscal management to protect taxpayers' investment and increase the district's accountability to the communities it serves.
She says the current board has initiated an ambitious agenda to evaluate and strengthen its education program, operated within fiscal means and carefully managed its resources, taken its role as resident representatives seriously, with accountability and believes the next four years will be critical.
Many of the board's initiatives are in early stages and require further development, she stated, and it must continue to seek creative solutions to get more utilization from existing space, be poised for the transition of a new superintendent and administrative team and provide financial stewardship through the economic downturn without going to referendum,
She holds an masters of business administration from the Harvard Business School and has a background in management consulting.
Guagenti, co-founder of a boutique investment banking firm, has stated his goals include providing direction to the district while optimizing resources to stretch academic and social capabilities of every child.
Also a 10-year La Grange resident, he is in his frist term as well and currently serves as the
board's vice president.
Stenner, a 14-year La Grange Park resident and a liability insurance manager, believes a high-quality curriculum is paramount to a successful district and wants to pursue continuous involvement in a financially prudent manner and championing clear communications with all constituent groups.
Daniels, an attorney and a member of the district's Finance Advisory Council, believes the district financial status to be "precarious" and says if spending continues to increase, revenue cannot remain static or decrease -- and suggests the board be conservative and focus on basics.
He also believes the board needs to do a comprehensive review of all its general, supplemental and special education programs, of which he has experience in and would bring a unique perspective to the board to deal with.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS 105, 107
Elementary School District 105, which serves students in La Grange, will see a contest between five candidates for four, 4-year seats including Mark Smith, Kristine Lonsway, Michael Warkentien, Eileen Tucker and David Herndon.
The School Board in Pleasant Dale District 107 has four 4-year seats on the ballot being sought by seven candidates. They include Mark Mirabile, Leandra Sedlack, Patti Essig, Gina Scaletta-Nelson, Karen O'Halloran, Michael Rak and Lauri Valentin.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
LG WOMAN BECOMES GOPs 2009 LINCOLN 'FELLOW'
Katie Justak of La Grange grew up in politics, learning at a young age the importance of party loyalty.
That's one reason why she was selected as one of only 10 Republican women to participate in the 2009 Illinois Lincoln Excellence in Public Service Series -- a monthly fellowship meeting in several cities across the state and in Washington, D.C., designed to teach everything there is to know about GOP political campaigns.
"I think this fellowship is a rare opportunity to get more exposure to the different tiers of government and the different aspects of public service ... and I'm looking forward to what's ahead," said the 33-year-old Justak in a recent interview. "It's a great opportunity to network and meet people from all facets of politics."
The series of workshops began in January in Chicago, where they learned the "nuts and bolts" of the program and met people of varied political experience who have graduated from the series, from former Gov. George Ryan's leiutenant governor, Corinne Wood to Village Trustee Pam Fenner in the far western suburb of Carol Stream.
Each month features keyote speakers and written couse work and in January the guest was Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinbois Republican Party.
The next meeting was a two-day stint focusing on public speaking at the end of February.
This month, the group travels to Springfield.
The nearly 2-year village resident and wife of Mel Justak, a wills and estates attorney, was the qualifications co-chairman of this election season's nonpartisan Citizens' Council of La Grange.
She was introduced to politics at a young age by her father, Ray Narbone, who for years was active in the Republican Party of far south suburban New Lenox, where she grew up.
A longtime party chairman, her Dad was a tax collector in the early 1980s and got her involved in various political campaigns before his retirement from politics nearly 20 years ago.
"I then remained active in campaigns through high school and college," she said, adding she was a big fan of former president Ronald Reagan. "I've always been interested in politics and I have always followed it."
She said when she looks back on when she devloped an interest in politics, it was in the Reagan years.
After college, she worked public relations jobs -- starting off in consumer marketing and later switching to healthcare, with a couple of well-known PR fims in Chicago, before accepting a position with the American Academy of Periodontology, as a liaison between the academy, dental students and educators.
"It was a unique opportunity and I enjoyed being in that role," she recalled, noting that in the ensuing years she began to raise a family and moved from the city to La Grange.
Justak said she applied for entry into the series in October after finding out about it from fellow New Lenox native, State Rep. Renee Kosel, R-81st District, whose campaigns she has worked on in the past and who served as her participating sponsor.
She said despite all of the hype over Democrat President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress, "now is a good time to be a Republican and to be involved ... no matter what your political affiliation."
She said she believes there is "a lot of talent" in the GOP in the way of future party leaders and that this past election started a new momentum among the party loyal, especially with the election of Michael Steele as the new embattled chairman of the Republican National Committee.
"The party," she said, "is looking for some new direction."
Justak says she has gotten to know people from both parties and has focused most on communications.
"What it comes down to is just wanting to participate in the community in a different way," she said. "My interest comes down to wanting to make a positive difference at the local level, which (in La Grange municipal contests) is nonpartisan."
She said the Citizens' Cuncil is just one way to get involved and a real opportunity at that.
"Were all concerned citizens looking out for the greater interests of the community," she said, adding she "probably will be involved" in the pre-election distribution of voter brochures touting the mostly uncontested campaigns of Council-recommended candidates running in village, park district and library races on Tuesday, April 7.
She said as a result of her participation in the Lincoln Series, she will be looking to get more involved and really determine where exactly she would like to focus her efforts in the future.
Ironically, Justak found herself immersed what in recent weeks has become a spirited political dispute involving opposing factions of the Republican Organization of Lyons Township (ROLT).
A registered Republican who just moved here 20 months ago, she was part of a handful of party members who were barred from voting for a slate of candidates at a party caucus meeting held earlier this month at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange.
She, as well as others, were prohibited because they hadn't been current on party dues.
At the head of the line was La Grange businessman Michael LaPidus and his friend, fellow downtown businessman Steve Palmer, along with former State Rep. Eileen Lyons and others.
LaPidus, who unsuccessfully ran for township GOP committeeman against Cook County
Commissioner Tony Peraica in 2004 and who plans to run for the seat against Peraica again in 2010, turned his dispute into a legal challenge and won.
He not only has filed complaints with the Cook County States Attorney's Office, the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois State Board of Elections accusing the Peraica-led party of "pay to play" politics, but led a petition objection that caused the GOP to replace its slate slate of township candidates -- despite the fact a coalition ticket was in the works between the Republicans and Democrats for weeks.
Justak said she supported LaPidus in his crusade to get the caucus vote declared illegal.
"I tried (to get in to vote) when I got there, but I was unable to join because I didn't pay dues, that's what I understand," she said, contending she and others should have been allowed to vote. "All Republicans should have had the ability to vote or been (admitted) as part of the caucus."
Opponents of Laidus called the challenge an exercise in futility that only resulted in a huge waste of money -- but LaPidus and his supporters it revealed the kind of exclusionary tactiocs Peraica uses to carry out his job.
That's one reason why she was selected as one of only 10 Republican women to participate in the 2009 Illinois Lincoln Excellence in Public Service Series -- a monthly fellowship meeting in several cities across the state and in Washington, D.C., designed to teach everything there is to know about GOP political campaigns.
"I think this fellowship is a rare opportunity to get more exposure to the different tiers of government and the different aspects of public service ... and I'm looking forward to what's ahead," said the 33-year-old Justak in a recent interview. "It's a great opportunity to network and meet people from all facets of politics."
The series of workshops began in January in Chicago, where they learned the "nuts and bolts" of the program and met people of varied political experience who have graduated from the series, from former Gov. George Ryan's leiutenant governor, Corinne Wood to Village Trustee Pam Fenner in the far western suburb of Carol Stream.
Each month features keyote speakers and written couse work and in January the guest was Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinbois Republican Party.
The next meeting was a two-day stint focusing on public speaking at the end of February.
This month, the group travels to Springfield.
The nearly 2-year village resident and wife of Mel Justak, a wills and estates attorney, was the qualifications co-chairman of this election season's nonpartisan Citizens' Council of La Grange.
She was introduced to politics at a young age by her father, Ray Narbone, who for years was active in the Republican Party of far south suburban New Lenox, where she grew up.
A longtime party chairman, her Dad was a tax collector in the early 1980s and got her involved in various political campaigns before his retirement from politics nearly 20 years ago.
"I then remained active in campaigns through high school and college," she said, adding she was a big fan of former president Ronald Reagan. "I've always been interested in politics and I have always followed it."
She said when she looks back on when she devloped an interest in politics, it was in the Reagan years.
After college, she worked public relations jobs -- starting off in consumer marketing and later switching to healthcare, with a couple of well-known PR fims in Chicago, before accepting a position with the American Academy of Periodontology, as a liaison between the academy, dental students and educators.
"It was a unique opportunity and I enjoyed being in that role," she recalled, noting that in the ensuing years she began to raise a family and moved from the city to La Grange.
Justak said she applied for entry into the series in October after finding out about it from fellow New Lenox native, State Rep. Renee Kosel, R-81st District, whose campaigns she has worked on in the past and who served as her participating sponsor.
She said despite all of the hype over Democrat President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress, "now is a good time to be a Republican and to be involved ... no matter what your political affiliation."
She said she believes there is "a lot of talent" in the GOP in the way of future party leaders and that this past election started a new momentum among the party loyal, especially with the election of Michael Steele as the new embattled chairman of the Republican National Committee.
"The party," she said, "is looking for some new direction."
Justak says she has gotten to know people from both parties and has focused most on communications.
"What it comes down to is just wanting to participate in the community in a different way," she said. "My interest comes down to wanting to make a positive difference at the local level, which (in La Grange municipal contests) is nonpartisan."
She said the Citizens' Cuncil is just one way to get involved and a real opportunity at that.
"Were all concerned citizens looking out for the greater interests of the community," she said, adding she "probably will be involved" in the pre-election distribution of voter brochures touting the mostly uncontested campaigns of Council-recommended candidates running in village, park district and library races on Tuesday, April 7.
She said as a result of her participation in the Lincoln Series, she will be looking to get more involved and really determine where exactly she would like to focus her efforts in the future.
Ironically, Justak found herself immersed what in recent weeks has become a spirited political dispute involving opposing factions of the Republican Organization of Lyons Township (ROLT).
A registered Republican who just moved here 20 months ago, she was part of a handful of party members who were barred from voting for a slate of candidates at a party caucus meeting held earlier this month at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange.
She, as well as others, were prohibited because they hadn't been current on party dues.
At the head of the line was La Grange businessman Michael LaPidus and his friend, fellow downtown businessman Steve Palmer, along with former State Rep. Eileen Lyons and others.
LaPidus, who unsuccessfully ran for township GOP committeeman against Cook County
Commissioner Tony Peraica in 2004 and who plans to run for the seat against Peraica again in 2010, turned his dispute into a legal challenge and won.
He not only has filed complaints with the Cook County States Attorney's Office, the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois State Board of Elections accusing the Peraica-led party of "pay to play" politics, but led a petition objection that caused the GOP to replace its slate slate of township candidates -- despite the fact a coalition ticket was in the works between the Republicans and Democrats for weeks.
Justak said she supported LaPidus in his crusade to get the caucus vote declared illegal.
"I tried (to get in to vote) when I got there, but I was unable to join because I didn't pay dues, that's what I understand," she said, contending she and others should have been allowed to vote. "All Republicans should have had the ability to vote or been (admitted) as part of the caucus."
Opponents of Laidus called the challenge an exercise in futility that only resulted in a huge waste of money -- but LaPidus and his supporters it revealed the kind of exclusionary tactiocs Peraica uses to carry out his job.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
BREAKING STORY: 'PAY-TO-PLAY' IN LG?
A downtown La Grange business owner and unsuccessful candidate for Lyons Township Republican committeeman in 2006 is accusing his onetime opponent, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica of Riverside, of the same brand of illegal "pay-to-play" politics allegedly practiced by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
But in this case, says Roly Poly Sandwiches owner Michael LaPidus, -- an outspoken political activist and downtown business leader -- the Repulican Party of which he is a part is acting as though it is above the law, by illegally requiring that the party loyal pony up annual membership fees before they are allowed to cast their votes at party meetings.
LaPidus, who plans on seeking the GOP committeemanship again next winter, presumably against Peraica, has been busy trying to recruit his own candidates to run for open township seats instead of letting Peraica co-opt with Democratic Township Committeeman Steven Landek of Bridgeview by forcing upon the party a move to form a so-called "unity ticket" in which members of both parties will avoid an April contest by hooking up on the same uncontested slate.
Hours after the governor gaveled in the "new" state Senate in Springfield and ushered in newly elected president John Cullerton of Chicago and minority leader -- former La Grange trustee Christine Radogno -- the reform-minded Peraica was at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange chairing a quadrennial party caucus, which LaPidus said was a sham and should be negated by state law enforcement or election authorities.
Shortly after arriving at the Jan. 13 meeting with Palmer Place co-owner Steve Palmer and another man, GOP caucus spokesman and Town Board incumbent attorney Tom Garrette
said LaPidus was denied entry into the voting portion of the meeting by a judge at the door because his "credentials didn't check out," as his party dues were delinquent and he was "not a member in good standing" at the time.
Peraica was unavailable for comment the day after, but his aides referred calls to Garrette.
LaPidus, whom Garrette said had been calling party members of late to run against the township slate or slates as the case may be, appeared to show up just to "raise a stink" about the slating and push his second committeeman candidacy in the February 2010 party primary.
"They were just there to make trouble," said Garrette, an attorney from Justice who formerly worked for Peraica and who serves as a monthly administrative adjudication hearing officer in Justice.
But LaPidus, admitting he was not current on the $25 membership fee considered one criteria for being in good standing with the party, said he lawfully called police when he and his colleagues were "locked out" of the meeting -- which prompted him to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office and the state Board of Elections.
"That's a poll tax and (is) a criteria you have to meet before you're allowed to vote," he said after the meeting that ended with a unanimous slating of an April 2009 general election ticket headed by businessman Bill Baker of Hinsdale. "We were supposed to be in that room ... That's pay-to-play, and with everything going on right now with Blagojevich, it's unbelievable he did this. He has a total disregard for any rules or democracy."
LaPidus, who said he filed the complaints along with his chronology of events and the police report from that night, is seeking a reversal of the slating vote to "expose" Peraica's alleged unethical behavior.
Regardless of the legal opinion for which he still has received no reply, he said Jan. 15 he also intends on pursuing legal action -- not just to prove his point but on behalf of party members being "illegally" cheated out of participating in party matters because they don't pay up.
Furthermore, he said he was "amazed" that he watched La Grange attorney Tim Sprague, who sits on the Town Board and was endorsed for re-election with Garrette that night along with a host of other political newcomers, allegedly lock the doors in front of him.
"How dare them taint the Republican party," LaPidus said.
Sprague and Garrette are the only two Republicans on the incumbent Town Board led by supervisor Pat Rogers until he was elected judge last fall and were part of a similar unity ticket in 2005 which now-Supervisor Russell Hartigan said he would like to see Peraica and Landek create again.
Landek also has not returned calls to his offices since a day after his caucus slating, not just because the unity ticket is not together yet -- presumably -- but because he rarely returns media telephone calls.
Over at the Democratic caucus at Toyota Park in Bridgeview -- where Landek is mayor -- the caucus doors were never locked and party members did not have to prove they paid up, but just that they were registered voters who voted in the last primary -- even though Landek has instituted a nominal membership fee since he first won the position a decade ago.
Garrette defended Peraica's directive for members to lock the post doors and contended that's how the GOP caucuses are always held.
It was a move, said an admittedly tardy Justice village president Kris Wasowicz, that also left Willow Springs Mayor Alan Nowaczyk and former State Rep. Eileen Lyons of Western Springs in the cold for being late.
(Wasowicz didn't complain, even though his village contracts with Garrette for the handling of certain ordinance violation tickets, but if he had voted he would have been forced to support the candidacy of highway commissioner hopeful John Small of Justice, chairman of the village party the mayor ran on two years ago whose faction he is now running against.)
Garrette said Lyons claimed she came to the post hall prior to the 6:15 p.m. published caucus start time, and maintained "nobody was locked out" who was prompt.
And while both parties have until Monday, Jan. 26 to create a unity ticket -- a goal clearly not known or embraced by all rank-and-file party members -- they still unanimously voted in full slates this week. To form such a ticket, party loyalists will have to accept the replacement of some slated candidates for more qualified and/or compromise candidates.
Others put on the Republican ticket, besides Baker, Garrette and Sprague included Dawn Arayjo of Summit for clerk, Roy Hodson of Justice for assessor and Steve Krueger of Willow Springs for collector, as well as Jean Stack of the La Grange Highlands and Shirley Polaski of Countryside for trustee.
Hartigan, of Western Springs, was chosen by fellow Democrats to run with incumbent Clerk Maryjo Noonan of Western Springs, Assessor Barbara Weyrick of Indian Head Park, Highway Commissioner Landek and Collector Edward King of La Grange, along with trustee hopefuls William Mundy of Summit, Mark Anderson of Lyons, Jerry Strazzante of Willow Springs and incumbent Mary Van Allen of Justice.
Garrette said it is most likely trustee candidates will be traded between parties if a unity ticket is formed, which both he and Hartigan said was in the hands of the committeemen. But it could not be confirmed which are the so-called "swing" candidates.
The first day of the weeklong filing deadline period is Tuesday, Jan. 20 -- which affects races in all Illinois townships, cities and villages, school, park, library, fire and special township police protection, mosquito abatement, sanitary and other special taxing districts.
La Grange will not likely see contests in any of its three governing bodies, except perhaps the Park District, while neighboring Brookfield will see a two-faction race.
But in this case, says Roly Poly Sandwiches owner Michael LaPidus, -- an outspoken political activist and downtown business leader -- the Repulican Party of which he is a part is acting as though it is above the law, by illegally requiring that the party loyal pony up annual membership fees before they are allowed to cast their votes at party meetings.
LaPidus, who plans on seeking the GOP committeemanship again next winter, presumably against Peraica, has been busy trying to recruit his own candidates to run for open township seats instead of letting Peraica co-opt with Democratic Township Committeeman Steven Landek of Bridgeview by forcing upon the party a move to form a so-called "unity ticket" in which members of both parties will avoid an April contest by hooking up on the same uncontested slate.
Hours after the governor gaveled in the "new" state Senate in Springfield and ushered in newly elected president John Cullerton of Chicago and minority leader -- former La Grange trustee Christine Radogno -- the reform-minded Peraica was at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange chairing a quadrennial party caucus, which LaPidus said was a sham and should be negated by state law enforcement or election authorities.
Shortly after arriving at the Jan. 13 meeting with Palmer Place co-owner Steve Palmer and another man, GOP caucus spokesman and Town Board incumbent attorney Tom Garrette
said LaPidus was denied entry into the voting portion of the meeting by a judge at the door because his "credentials didn't check out," as his party dues were delinquent and he was "not a member in good standing" at the time.
Peraica was unavailable for comment the day after, but his aides referred calls to Garrette.
LaPidus, whom Garrette said had been calling party members of late to run against the township slate or slates as the case may be, appeared to show up just to "raise a stink" about the slating and push his second committeeman candidacy in the February 2010 party primary.
"They were just there to make trouble," said Garrette, an attorney from Justice who formerly worked for Peraica and who serves as a monthly administrative adjudication hearing officer in Justice.
But LaPidus, admitting he was not current on the $25 membership fee considered one criteria for being in good standing with the party, said he lawfully called police when he and his colleagues were "locked out" of the meeting -- which prompted him to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office and the state Board of Elections.
"That's a poll tax and (is) a criteria you have to meet before you're allowed to vote," he said after the meeting that ended with a unanimous slating of an April 2009 general election ticket headed by businessman Bill Baker of Hinsdale. "We were supposed to be in that room ... That's pay-to-play, and with everything going on right now with Blagojevich, it's unbelievable he did this. He has a total disregard for any rules or democracy."
LaPidus, who said he filed the complaints along with his chronology of events and the police report from that night, is seeking a reversal of the slating vote to "expose" Peraica's alleged unethical behavior.
Regardless of the legal opinion for which he still has received no reply, he said Jan. 15 he also intends on pursuing legal action -- not just to prove his point but on behalf of party members being "illegally" cheated out of participating in party matters because they don't pay up.
Furthermore, he said he was "amazed" that he watched La Grange attorney Tim Sprague, who sits on the Town Board and was endorsed for re-election with Garrette that night along with a host of other political newcomers, allegedly lock the doors in front of him.
"How dare them taint the Republican party," LaPidus said.
Sprague and Garrette are the only two Republicans on the incumbent Town Board led by supervisor Pat Rogers until he was elected judge last fall and were part of a similar unity ticket in 2005 which now-Supervisor Russell Hartigan said he would like to see Peraica and Landek create again.
Landek also has not returned calls to his offices since a day after his caucus slating, not just because the unity ticket is not together yet -- presumably -- but because he rarely returns media telephone calls.
Over at the Democratic caucus at Toyota Park in Bridgeview -- where Landek is mayor -- the caucus doors were never locked and party members did not have to prove they paid up, but just that they were registered voters who voted in the last primary -- even though Landek has instituted a nominal membership fee since he first won the position a decade ago.
Garrette defended Peraica's directive for members to lock the post doors and contended that's how the GOP caucuses are always held.
It was a move, said an admittedly tardy Justice village president Kris Wasowicz, that also left Willow Springs Mayor Alan Nowaczyk and former State Rep. Eileen Lyons of Western Springs in the cold for being late.
(Wasowicz didn't complain, even though his village contracts with Garrette for the handling of certain ordinance violation tickets, but if he had voted he would have been forced to support the candidacy of highway commissioner hopeful John Small of Justice, chairman of the village party the mayor ran on two years ago whose faction he is now running against.)
Garrette said Lyons claimed she came to the post hall prior to the 6:15 p.m. published caucus start time, and maintained "nobody was locked out" who was prompt.
And while both parties have until Monday, Jan. 26 to create a unity ticket -- a goal clearly not known or embraced by all rank-and-file party members -- they still unanimously voted in full slates this week. To form such a ticket, party loyalists will have to accept the replacement of some slated candidates for more qualified and/or compromise candidates.
Others put on the Republican ticket, besides Baker, Garrette and Sprague included Dawn Arayjo of Summit for clerk, Roy Hodson of Justice for assessor and Steve Krueger of Willow Springs for collector, as well as Jean Stack of the La Grange Highlands and Shirley Polaski of Countryside for trustee.
Hartigan, of Western Springs, was chosen by fellow Democrats to run with incumbent Clerk Maryjo Noonan of Western Springs, Assessor Barbara Weyrick of Indian Head Park, Highway Commissioner Landek and Collector Edward King of La Grange, along with trustee hopefuls William Mundy of Summit, Mark Anderson of Lyons, Jerry Strazzante of Willow Springs and incumbent Mary Van Allen of Justice.
Garrette said it is most likely trustee candidates will be traded between parties if a unity ticket is formed, which both he and Hartigan said was in the hands of the committeemen. But it could not be confirmed which are the so-called "swing" candidates.
The first day of the weeklong filing deadline period is Tuesday, Jan. 20 -- which affects races in all Illinois townships, cities and villages, school, park, library, fire and special township police protection, mosquito abatement, sanitary and other special taxing districts.
La Grange will not likely see contests in any of its three governing bodies, except perhaps the Park District, while neighboring Brookfield will see a two-faction race.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
POLICEMAN OFF TO AFGHANISTAN
Come January, Maggie Reif's eyes and ears will be glued to the television, radio and Internet reports, hoping for news -- hopefully, nothing but good news -- concerning the American military presence in war-torn Afghanistan for 12 consecutive months.
So, too, will the attention of her son and the five children of her police officer husband, Steve, for their father -- and 9-year-old Andrew's step dad -- may frequently be in harm's way, serving as a sergeant with the Illinois Army Air Guard as one of three door gunners on a CH-47 double-rotor Chinook helicopter in the skies over Afghanistan.
"I always just wanted to serve my country," said Kneifel, 39, in a recent interview, just before leaving Nov. 12 as part of an 80-member Peoria-based 238th General Support Aviation battalion and undergoing two months of intensive combat training in Fort Sill, Okla., before deploying for a year in the Middle East.
"I've got a little fear, a little bit of anxiety," he said, revealing he will be home for Christmas before deploying overseas. "I also know there's nothing I can do about it. This is the real thing. I'm going overseas for 12 months whether I like it or not."
Other than serving as air support for the 101st Airborne Division, he admits he doesn't really know where he will be geographically and can only guess.
Beyond that, it's probably best he doesn't know -- or say, for his own safety and security.
"I have an idea about some of our missions; we'll be doing a lot of troop transports and flying seven hours a day ... but that's about it," he revealed, surmising they might often find themselves near the country's eastern border with Pakistan -- where much fighting is taking place. "I'm going to be right in the middle of it."
Since, 2001, the 15-year municipal patrolman -- 12-plus with the La Grange Police Department -- has been in the reserves. And he has been in and out of the service since his teens.
He was recognized at an Oct. 27 Town Meeting by Village President Liz Asperger, three days before colleagues threw a farewell party for him and members of the American Legion Coulter Post 1941 presented him with a blue star flag and four days before family and friends joined him in a goodbye party thrown by the owners of La Perla & Thipi Thai.
He was recently feted by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan for his efforts in helping prevent crimes to seniors and was cited in July of 2005 for dedication and exemplary service for helping out in a multijurisdictional drug investigation that led to many arrests.
In 1990, he served in the first round of fighting with Iraq on active duty during Operation Desert Storm -- where he was a mechanic fixing jet engines on the RC-135 refueler in Saudi Arabia.
More than a decade later, for six months in 2001, he trained in biological and chemical
warfare to prepare for deployment in Operation Desert Shield.
But, he recalled, he was never called up.
Then came the call to action -- just a few months back.
"I was told (in September) and I had a feeling it was going to happen," he said, shortly before taking a leave of absence from the force. "I figure it's better Afghanistan than Iraq. I think we're done in Iraq, but there's still work to be done where I'm going."
Kneifel, a squad leader hired by La Grange in January of 1997 and appointed elderly service officer in February of 2007 -- serving as point man for senior outreach through a grant-funded initiative called Aging Well -- has been in the military for 13 years.
He entered on a delayed enlistment in 1986, a year before he graduating from Evanston High School.
"After high school, I began training," he said, noting he attended basic and technical training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
In the beginning of 1992, he went on active Army duty after going through basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. His first tour of duty was in Fort Campbell, Ky., where he served for two years before a long break in service.
He re-enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 2000 and has been in the reserves one weekend a month ever since.
His first assignment was with the Illinois Air National Guard Reserves, where he actively served for one weekend a month and three weeks in the summer for five years stationed right outside O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Kneifel got married to his first wife in 1990 and had five children together.
While still married in early 1994, he started his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in Bowling Green, Ky., after getting out of the service the first time around.
His inspiration for joining the military was, in part, due to his stepfather's own background. A fellow officer -- Miles Odom -- was also deployed to Iraq a few years ago.
"My step dad was in the service and he talked about it a lot," he said, noting his stepfather was an Army and Reserves officer who served during Vietnam.
He realizes the Afghanistan and Iraq conflict is a different war than his stepfather fought. Still, he feels safer than one might imagine, given the constant news of American and allied attacks and casualties abroad.
"I've trained on helicopters and it's not too often that one goes down," he said, "but when it does, it really does (hit) home. It's tough to see my (military) brothers go down like that."
"But ..." added Kneifel, ever the polite person one can only imagine he has taught his children to be: "things can happen."
After all. he said, even the streets of La Grange can be dangerous -- referring to a shootout outside of Harris Bank south of 47th Street a few years ago in which an armed robber led police on a multijurisdictional chase and killed himself after breaking into a home and killing a family dog during an all-night standoff six towns away in Villa Park.
His said his children are old enough to understand potential consequences of his departure, his wife was a bit upset upon hearing the news and his stepson was confused.
"It was a little hard for him to understand and it's going to be a little tough when I'm away ... but hopefully, it's going to go quick," he said. "What will help this time is I'll have my cell phone and laptop, so we'll be emailing a lot, and I'll have my camera taking pictures and sending them over and using my webcam and voice over the Internet."
Still, he says he looks forward to serving his country and coming home -- quickly.
"I just want to get it going," he said. "I'll be working a lot of hours so the time (will go) by quick. It's going to be hard but we'll all get through it."
Senior citizens at the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging on Harris Avenue in downtown La Grange will undoubtedly miss his daily presence and frequent friendly visits, as will those in churches and civic organizations and even private residences around town.
For nearly two years, "Officer Steve" has been fulfilling a goal he said he realized was an unmet need on the department before he became an ESO and one that was only being addressed on a part-time basis before him by his close colleague, Detective Dave Rohlicek, who has since trained Kneifel.
Every day, he helps out seniors with any issue they face, whether it be handicapped access or Medicare dilemmas, educating them about protection from home repair scam artists or identity thieves, or something as simple as conducting well-being checks or helping them figure something out.
"I go to a lot of senior meetings," said Kneifel, who earned his ESO certification through the Illinois Attorney General's Office in Springfield. "I really enjoy helping the seniors out. It's just a great feeling."
He said Police Chief Michael Holub -- also a U.S. Army veteran who served as an overnight guard during the Vietnam era in Washington, D.C. -- has been most accommodating about his partial pay with benefits leave. And, most seniors he's told about his deployment have been "pretty supportive," he said, adding, "They're going to pray for me."
However, he said he will not only miss not his wife and children and senior pals but the whole town.
"It's been going great and I love it here; I really do," he said. "It's such a close-knit community and I'm so glad that while we're growing we're still able to keep control of the crime rate."
So, too, will the attention of her son and the five children of her police officer husband, Steve, for their father -- and 9-year-old Andrew's step dad -- may frequently be in harm's way, serving as a sergeant with the Illinois Army Air Guard as one of three door gunners on a CH-47 double-rotor Chinook helicopter in the skies over Afghanistan.
"I always just wanted to serve my country," said Kneifel, 39, in a recent interview, just before leaving Nov. 12 as part of an 80-member Peoria-based 238th General Support Aviation battalion and undergoing two months of intensive combat training in Fort Sill, Okla., before deploying for a year in the Middle East.
"I've got a little fear, a little bit of anxiety," he said, revealing he will be home for Christmas before deploying overseas. "I also know there's nothing I can do about it. This is the real thing. I'm going overseas for 12 months whether I like it or not."
Other than serving as air support for the 101st Airborne Division, he admits he doesn't really know where he will be geographically and can only guess.
Beyond that, it's probably best he doesn't know -- or say, for his own safety and security.
"I have an idea about some of our missions; we'll be doing a lot of troop transports and flying seven hours a day ... but that's about it," he revealed, surmising they might often find themselves near the country's eastern border with Pakistan -- where much fighting is taking place. "I'm going to be right in the middle of it."
Since, 2001, the 15-year municipal patrolman -- 12-plus with the La Grange Police Department -- has been in the reserves. And he has been in and out of the service since his teens.
He was recognized at an Oct. 27 Town Meeting by Village President Liz Asperger, three days before colleagues threw a farewell party for him and members of the American Legion Coulter Post 1941 presented him with a blue star flag and four days before family and friends joined him in a goodbye party thrown by the owners of La Perla & Thipi Thai.
He was recently feted by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan for his efforts in helping prevent crimes to seniors and was cited in July of 2005 for dedication and exemplary service for helping out in a multijurisdictional drug investigation that led to many arrests.
In 1990, he served in the first round of fighting with Iraq on active duty during Operation Desert Storm -- where he was a mechanic fixing jet engines on the RC-135 refueler in Saudi Arabia.
More than a decade later, for six months in 2001, he trained in biological and chemical
warfare to prepare for deployment in Operation Desert Shield.
But, he recalled, he was never called up.
Then came the call to action -- just a few months back.
"I was told (in September) and I had a feeling it was going to happen," he said, shortly before taking a leave of absence from the force. "I figure it's better Afghanistan than Iraq. I think we're done in Iraq, but there's still work to be done where I'm going."
Kneifel, a squad leader hired by La Grange in January of 1997 and appointed elderly service officer in February of 2007 -- serving as point man for senior outreach through a grant-funded initiative called Aging Well -- has been in the military for 13 years.
He entered on a delayed enlistment in 1986, a year before he graduating from Evanston High School.
"After high school, I began training," he said, noting he attended basic and technical training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
In the beginning of 1992, he went on active Army duty after going through basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. His first tour of duty was in Fort Campbell, Ky., where he served for two years before a long break in service.
He re-enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 2000 and has been in the reserves one weekend a month ever since.
His first assignment was with the Illinois Air National Guard Reserves, where he actively served for one weekend a month and three weeks in the summer for five years stationed right outside O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Kneifel got married to his first wife in 1990 and had five children together.
While still married in early 1994, he started his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in Bowling Green, Ky., after getting out of the service the first time around.
His inspiration for joining the military was, in part, due to his stepfather's own background. A fellow officer -- Miles Odom -- was also deployed to Iraq a few years ago.
"My step dad was in the service and he talked about it a lot," he said, noting his stepfather was an Army and Reserves officer who served during Vietnam.
He realizes the Afghanistan and Iraq conflict is a different war than his stepfather fought. Still, he feels safer than one might imagine, given the constant news of American and allied attacks and casualties abroad.
"I've trained on helicopters and it's not too often that one goes down," he said, "but when it does, it really does (hit) home. It's tough to see my (military) brothers go down like that."
"But ..." added Kneifel, ever the polite person one can only imagine he has taught his children to be: "things can happen."
After all. he said, even the streets of La Grange can be dangerous -- referring to a shootout outside of Harris Bank south of 47th Street a few years ago in which an armed robber led police on a multijurisdictional chase and killed himself after breaking into a home and killing a family dog during an all-night standoff six towns away in Villa Park.
His said his children are old enough to understand potential consequences of his departure, his wife was a bit upset upon hearing the news and his stepson was confused.
"It was a little hard for him to understand and it's going to be a little tough when I'm away ... but hopefully, it's going to go quick," he said. "What will help this time is I'll have my cell phone and laptop, so we'll be emailing a lot, and I'll have my camera taking pictures and sending them over and using my webcam and voice over the Internet."
Still, he says he looks forward to serving his country and coming home -- quickly.
"I just want to get it going," he said. "I'll be working a lot of hours so the time (will go) by quick. It's going to be hard but we'll all get through it."
Senior citizens at the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging on Harris Avenue in downtown La Grange will undoubtedly miss his daily presence and frequent friendly visits, as will those in churches and civic organizations and even private residences around town.
For nearly two years, "Officer Steve" has been fulfilling a goal he said he realized was an unmet need on the department before he became an ESO and one that was only being addressed on a part-time basis before him by his close colleague, Detective Dave Rohlicek, who has since trained Kneifel.
Every day, he helps out seniors with any issue they face, whether it be handicapped access or Medicare dilemmas, educating them about protection from home repair scam artists or identity thieves, or something as simple as conducting well-being checks or helping them figure something out.
"I go to a lot of senior meetings," said Kneifel, who earned his ESO certification through the Illinois Attorney General's Office in Springfield. "I really enjoy helping the seniors out. It's just a great feeling."
He said Police Chief Michael Holub -- also a U.S. Army veteran who served as an overnight guard during the Vietnam era in Washington, D.C. -- has been most accommodating about his partial pay with benefits leave. And, most seniors he's told about his deployment have been "pretty supportive," he said, adding, "They're going to pray for me."
However, he said he will not only miss not his wife and children and senior pals but the whole town.
"It's been going great and I love it here; I really do," he said. "It's such a close-knit community and I'm so glad that while we're growing we're still able to keep control of the crime rate."
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