Scott McAdams showed us who he is three years ago

Truly, a thousand words here. If Scott McAdams’ recent behavior shocks you, it might be you’re unaware of the extent of a run-in the alderman had with a towing company three years ago that resulted in a police investigation into possible official misconduct. Here’s the setup: DeKalb Police (DPD) receive a courtesy call from the…

A fine example of “something to run on” in the 5th Ward aldermanic race

Daily Chronicle is reporting that a petition for an order of protection (OP) against 5th Ward alderman Scott McAdams has been dismissed. A DeKalb woman who last month requested an order of protection against 5th Ward Alderman Scott McAdams, alleging verbal and emotional abuse, told a DeKalb County judge Friday that she no longer wishes…

Evidence contradicts Scott McAdams’ testimony in ballot petition challenge

Fifth Ward alderman Scott McAdams is running for reelection in City of DeKalb’s Consolidated Election in the spring, and he’s faced challenges to his ballot nominating petitions. The city’s electoral board threw out the challenges in a 2-1 vote yesterday and, unless the challengers prevail in court, McAdams will remain on the ballot for the…

Ward meeting discovery: Alderman McAdams is having trouble keeping up

Fifth Ward alderman Scott McAdams held a ward meeting last week. I’ve listened to a recording of it that’s making the rounds. One item of note from the meeting is the alderman’s admission that he’s not read the draft update of DeKalb’s comprehensive plan even though the city is collecting public input. I’ve transcribed his…

DeKalb playing favorites with the bandit in the castle

Cohen Barnes owns a building in downtown DeKalb under the name “The Bandit’s Castle, LLC.” So he’s a bandit who bought a castle. Is this like the tv shows where the psychos leave little clues of their crimes? The imagination runs wild. The thing with bandits is that, by definition, they belong to gangs. This…

South 4th Water Main Project Got Weird before It Died

This is an item from the May 27 council meeting agenda that I’ve been meaning to address. It’s about a water main project on South 4th Street. This project would have abandoned a 6” water main on the west side of Route 23 (South Fourth Street) from Lacas Street south to approximately 110 feet south…

Ellwood Historic Neighborhood Meetings

The following is a summary of documents obtained from the City of DeKalb involving a group from the 5th Ward, the City of DeKalb, and the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) at NIU. The 5th Ward group was first called a “task force” although it has never been an official city committee. Now, the informal…

Comments on Wednesday’s Aldermanic Forum

Fifth Ward Alderman Ron Naylor seems very proud that the FY2011 budget is down $700,000 from FY2007. I went through those budgets and counted more than 40 positions eliminated since FY2008 — but, assuming a little hiring has been done this past fiscal year, let’s say we’re down about three dozen. There’s been virtually nothing…