It has come to my attention that folks are asking whether former alderman Victor Wogen, as himself or as Masonry Works, LLC, landed city projects beyond the six post-demolition masonry repair projects of 2008. The answer is yes. In the fall of 2008, the 2009 “streetscape” project was approved, with Elliott & Wood as the…
Category: City Watch
AG to Investigate Allegations of Open Meetings Act Violations
Northern Star Fighting for 3rd Ward Names
The Northern Star has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the names of the persons considered by the mayor for the vacated Third Ward alderman spot. With the questionable past of the 3rd Ward, it is interesting to see that the city has decided to withhold this information from the public,…
Word of the Day: Patronage
patronage [pey-truh-nij] —noun 3. the control of or power to make appointments to government jobs or the power to grant other political favors. 4. Offices, jobs, or other favors so controlled. 5. the distribution of jobs and favors on a political basis, as to those who have supported one’s party or political campaign: DeKalb became…
Park District & TIF
Here are facts obtained recently from the DeKalb Park District about its agreements with the City of DeKalb: Once upon a time, the Park District would submit requests to the City for reimbursements of Tax Increment Financing (TIF)-eligible expenses incurred on a project-by-project basis. The projects had to occur within TIF districts and there was…
Davos, Switzerland: Awesome Pavement
I regularly work three jobs so once in a while, I can make it to professional conferences on my own money. I just returned from my second trip to Davos, Switzerland, home of the World Economic Forum. The conference I attended this year did not fall back-to-back with the WEF, but the one in 2008…
One Hundred Fifty-Four
DeKalb City Council members will soon be looking at city-owned real estate, 154 parcels in all, possibly with an eye to selling off some of these assets. But you, Dear CB Reader, do not have to wait for city staff’s compilation to get a sneak peek at the totality. After the jump, I have listed…
Park District Finances & Financing
Meeting minutes for the September 10, 2009 Park Board “study session” included a presentation of the Independent Auditor’s Report of the FY 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). [Brian LeFevre of Sikich, LLP] reported that both the District’s Golf Course and Hopkins enterprise funds were in a negative working capital position requiring them to borrow…
Guest Post in Sunlight Foundation Blog
Transparency Growing Pains in DeKalb, Illinois More about the Sunlight Foundation, which CB has linked to for a couple years under the “Good Government” blogroll heading.
Awesome Street Signs in Indiana
I could not get this site to upload images but I posted them elsewhere and I will provide links. ********** I have relatives in Indiana, and I noticed street signs that have the high school colors and mascots. I took a couple of pictures. The first one is from Brownsburg, Indiana. The school color is…