Sometimes it helps perspective to check out what other communities are doing. DeKalb’s not the only municipality with code enforcement that sometimes looks inconsistent or arbitrary. I’ve been following such a story in Elmhurst for more than a year. A documentary about the Elmhurst controversy is titled “Hooplah” and residents have adopted the same name…
Author: Lynn Fazekas
Prevailing wage verification is up to us
Perhaps you’ve seen the big inflatable rat downtown, or read the article published by the Daily Chronicle that explained the current union protest of John Pappas’ hiring of nonunion painters to finish the Cornerstone development project. The reporter didn’t say whether he confirmed nonunion hires, though the union seems sure. Legally there’s nothing wrong with…
Will DeKalb learn from the departure of Tinez Tacos?
Last weekend I found out that the owners of the Tinez Tacos food truck have worked out a parking spot in Malta, and will serve from 11am to 7pm weekdays this summer at Hickey’s Corner Store. If comments at the City Barbs Facebook group are any indication, residents of DeKalb wish them well in their…
Mayor Smith’s first year
Daily Chronicle offered a recap today of DeKalb Mayor Jerry Smith’s first year as mayor. It’s refreshing to find myself in agreement with much of the assessment of the current situation, though I still have serious concerns. “I think most citizens are pretty much aligned with what we as a council are trying to do…
Sycamore food trucks are lucky trucks
City of DeKalb and the Daily Chronicle are still batting around the food truck issue, which is about whether DeKalb’s regulations and fees are reasonable. Well, you tell me. Sycamore charges a fee to cover the cost of the initial background check plus $50 per year for the license. DeKalb requires a background check fee,…
Food Truck Roundup
Not everybody treats food trucks the way DeKalb treats food trucks. Some communities embrace them. Here’s what I found in 10 minutes for 2018. May 5: Food truck rally in Yorkville. May 6: Food truck festival in Aurora. May 19: Food truck rally in Streator. May 29: Food truck rally in Urbana. June 9: Food…
Story of Dixon sparks ideas for preventing fraud and building trust in city government
Last night I went to the Egyptian Theatre to watch “All the Queen’s Horses,” the documentary of Rita Crundwell’s embezzlement of more than $53 million from City of Dixon when she was treasurer-comptroller there. I won’t spoil the film, because even a person who followed Crundwell’s arrest and the aftermath quite closely is bound to…
Lord Stanley’s, FOIA requests, and questions of consistency
It’s a story that won’t die. That’s because DeKalb handled condemnations of Lord Stanley’s and Stanley’s Annex poorly, but officials still won’t admit to errors except to say they should have treated the residents of the upstairs apartments better (i.e., the city should not have threatened them with imminent eviction). This week the Daily Chronicle…
DeKalb’s housing rehab program is seriously underperforming
Last night, City of DeKalb held a public hearing and approved an annual budget for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). CDBD is a federal program administered by HUD that helps ensure viable communities, particularly in the area of decent and affordable housing for low- to moderate-income residents. The general public did not participate in…
City emails reveal tactics in the condemnation of Lord Stanley’s
Emails obtained by a member of the City Barbs Facebook Group indicate City of DeKalb worked the Lord Stanley’s and Stanley’s Annex condemnations of April 6 in a decidedly business-unfriendly manner, and then blamed social media for frightening residential tenants with impending forcible eviction. As indicated in last weekend’s post, the city failed to follow…