Citybarbs is fixing to say goodbye to the Wogen Watch blog and wouldn’t you know it, here’s another to take its place on the blogroll. Check out the Boone County Watchdog run by Bill Pysson, who also has an interesting story to tell as a former District 100 School Board candidate. Pysson is prolific, mixing…
Transparency Checklist
It is hardly a piece of cake to be a member of the Sunlight Foundation‘s organization for state and local bloggers known as the Citizens for Open Government (COG) group. I kid you not. The number of e-mail messages can get crazy some days. Most of the group are “transparency professionals,” such as newspaper reporters…
FOIA Victory in DeKalb
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) ruled yesterday that the City of DeKalb must release the names of the persons who applied for appointment to finish out the term of its Third Ward alderman, who resigned last December. DeKalb’s attorney had argued a privacy exemption under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Under…
Two Mayors in the Paper Today
The mayors of DeKalb and Cortland each stood his ground on matters of conscience today in the Northern Star. –In a letter to the editor, Mayor Povlsen defends his decision to keep applicants to the 3rd and 7th ward alderman positions secret, equating and applying a “code of ethics” he followed as a counselor at…
A Second Reason to Leave the $45 Million Bond Issue to the Voters
When the airline fuel “order acceptance centers” settled in Sycamore (about 2004 give or take) it effectively doubled the County’s sales tax revenues to $4 million. Now the county will have money coming in from the County Home TIF that the City of DeKalb recently discontinued, and I was just reading in the Chicago Trib…
“Rubes:” Wind turbines generate animosity, health concerns among some in DeKalb County – chicagotribune.com
Wind turbines generate animosity, health concerns among some in DeKalb County – chicagotribune.com Posted using ShareThis I stumbled upon an article in the “Chicago Tribune” about the wind farms in DeKalb County. I made the mistake of reading their comments. I already knew the “Trib” allows nastier comments than the “Daily Chronicle.” Anyway, a lot…
DeKalb Resident on Lt. Governor List
Our own Kay Shelton’s been added to the list of persons under consideration for the Democratic Lieutenant Governor nomination. Go Kay!
Another Wave of Foreclosures Coming
Here’s the thing about waves. If the first wave brings you to your knees, the second one doesn’t have to be a tsunami to finish you off. My friends in real estate — not just in DeKalb, btw — have been working exclusively on short sales for at least a year with no end in…
Polling Legend Scott Rasmussen
I went to school with Scott Rasmussen. He will not remember me but everyone remembers him. He was already a legend. Stories about him on DePauw’s campus in the 1980s were unbelievable. He has a new book out: In Search of Self-Governance. His upcoming book sounds like it is way more fun: Mad As Hell:…
Future Local Golden Fleece Winner
We need a local Golden Fleece award, to recognize the ultimate in wasteful spending. My vote will be for the Roundabout, after the County Board approves the thing on Annie Glidden and Rich Road. We could have a regular four-way stop, well marked, with solar-powered flashers for under $13K. But, nooooo, the County Board wants…