As expressed by many in attendance at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center for the DeKalb County Candidate Debate night, there is interest in re-forming a local League of Women Voters locally. For those who are not already members, please join through: http://www.lwvil.org/ and clicking the Join Us button. There will be a state-wide issues briefing…
Bank Troubles 2010
The Washington Post reports that 2010 brought the largest number of bank failures since 1992. The total comes to 157 this year, the most since the savings & loan crisis. The Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) lists 16 Illinois banks with 2010 closure dates. The list of failed institutions at the FDIC is filled with…
Open Meetings Act Complaint in Oak Park
http://triblocal.com/oak-park-river-forest/2010/12/28/attorney-general-investigating-oak-park-open-meeting-complaint/
Non-profits Turn Foreclosures Back Into Homes
This is in the news now: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40822152/ns/business-real_estate Some folks were ahead of the curve decades ago, the Historic Savannah Foundation, which started out with a similar concept in restoring historic (instead of foreclosures) homes, back in 1959. I wrote about this program before, but it is worth mentioning again: http://www.myhsf.org/ That program is awesome, including…
Survey for DeKalb Residents
Have fun with this . . . http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/kayshelton_survey
‘Open and transparent’ town locks up public records as bars buy village president’s insurance – chicagotribune.com
‘Open and transparent’ town locks up public records as bars buy village president’s insurance – chicagotribune.com.
2010 City of DeKalb Website Transparency Scores
The first task was to select a grading system. The Sunshine Review Transparency Checklist seemed like a good place to start, but its City Websites wiki page lists criteria that are different from the checklist used for rankings and awards. It was confusing, and left the impression that check registers and ethics were casualties of…
Alderman Gallagher’s Resolution
The Fourth Ward alderman has shared a New Year’s Resolution with us. Are you tired of the same old Tea Party members in town who if you give them 60 minutes of your valuable time will try and explain every conspiracy to you? The same super knowledgeable people who show up for every City Council…
Park District Issues Bonds Every Year
A few weeks ago, DeKalb Park District Director Cindy Capek was quoted in the paper as saying DPD issues bonds every year. I mentally filed this because it was news to me. (Also, I’ve been meaning to keep a closer eye on any local public body whose board thinks it’s OK to have an admitted…
First 5 Things the Housing Task Force Should Do
1. Ask the City to find a little space on the front page of its website to advertise upcoming meetings. 2. Review the codes. 3. Request the City conduct public hearings to start a comprehensive evaluation of the fairness and effectiveness of code enforcement activities. 4. Direct the crafting of an electronic survey to incorporate…