One of the reasons for this abnormality is that foreclosures and short sales are not included by law by assessors in a region’s allocation of the local tax burden. This is obviously an inaccurate reflection of property value, especially in the most devastated areas.

I sponsored SB3334, which passed the Senate and House without a single “No” vote against it, and the governor signed it into law. This law requires local assessors to include short sales and foreclosures in their comparables to come to a more fair, complete, and lower property valuation.

I appreciate the Illinois Realtor Association’s legislative help in getting this correction made.

Before we go out to celebrate, we should keep in mind that it is the spending levy issued by local taxing agencies that, in total, determine the amount of our property tax bills. Until state, federal and local governments spend less, we the taxpayers will pay more.

Senator Chris Lauzen
IL—25, Aurora

We will be forever grateful to those who planned and organized the benefit, those who donated items for the raffles and auctions, and to all that worked the benefit.

Thanks to all who came out to the benefit; we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. As hard as we tried to get around and talk to everyone, we missed some of you and apologize for that.

To those who missed the benefit but have sent us cards with your thoughts, prayers and/or donations, we thank you. Everyone’s thoughtfulness means more to us than you will ever know.

We are so very fortunate to have the support of such wonderful family and friends.

Carol’s transplant process should begin within the next two to three weeks. Thank you all who have made this difficult time manageable.

Steve, Carol, Jordan,
Megan and Shannon Herra
Elburn

As a successful small businessman, Bill has real-world experience creating jobs and balancing a budget. He knows what it takes to grow a small business and can draw on this background to help create jobs here in the 14th District. His background and dedication to service prove his commitment to this district and the people he represents.

He is working hard to find real solutions and refuses to play the usual political games of false promises and constant pandering.

During his short time in office, Bill has already demonstrated his commitment to job creation through his efforts to protect Fermilab and develop a new health information tech center at NIU. He is creating jobs right here in the district and standing up for the jobs already here.

When someone new to politics shows that kind of passion and success, he gets my attention and has earned my vote. This is a great country, and we need leaders who are dedicated to the people they serve, not entrenched political interests. Bill Foster isn’t interested in the same old political games, just the plain old idea of working hard to represent his constituents.

We need to support Bill Foster and his continued efforts to create good jobs right here in the 14th District and keep America moving forward down the path of economic recovery.

Ronald L. Bedard
Aurora

As I am sure you are aware, it has been raining (downpouring at times) this evening. My family and I continually monitored the weather.

Around 8 p.m., after checking the website for information and discussing with neighbors the likelihood of the fireworks happening, we decided that they would not happen. We sent our children to bed at 8:30 and 9 p.m.

A few minutes after 9 p.m., we hear the booms. I look out the window to discover that in fact, the fireworks display was on. I was furious. We never would have thought that after hours of rain and lightning in the sky, the fireworks display would go on. Not only was I upset that the fireworks were on, but they were a half hour earlier than stated.

Would it really have been that big of a deal to postpone them for a day? I think people would have appreciated a drier, more enjoyable night. The decision to have the fireworks tonight was very disappointing and extremely aggravating. I certainly hope that more people step forward to voice their opinion on the very poor decision that was made tonight.

Cheryl Wykle
Elburn

We had a 2-week-old baby join us, an 80-year-old lady with a red floppy hat, a woman in a wheelchair, and a parrot on the shoulder of a rider, along with lots of bikes, skateboards, scooters and wagons. What a parade this year.

Also, I would like to thank Matt McCannon, Bob Beetham and Dave Smith from the American Legion for being our color guard. What an awesome job these three guys did. It was so great to see spectators stand and put their hand over their heart to respect our flag and our nation.

The Sugar Grove Police Department and Sugar Grove Fire Department always add to the parade. They make our small-town parade seem much bigger and a lot more important. The Fire Department provides some noise and lights to add to the excitement. Of course, the Police Department ensures our safety along our route. Every year, they have generously given their time and equipment to join the parade on this holiday. Special thanks go to Wayne Parson of the Fire Department and Brad Sauer of the Police Department.

We all can’t forget to thank the Sugar Grove Park District for providing freeze pops after the parade. The weather was hot, but the freeze pops were so cool. Thanks to Barb Larson and Brian of the Park District.

Now I want to extend a special thanks to my clown friends, Mr. Mumbles, Tiny T and Calico Rose, for the fun way they add to each and every day. Last year in July, I was in the hospital and then spent an extended time in rehab. But my clown friends made sure that Sugar Grove had a bike parade. This year, I was back on my “clown Victoria” golf cart and enjoyed every minute of the parade along with my friends.

Hope to see you all on Sunday at the Sugar Grove Corn Boil on July 25.

JoJo the Clown
Karen McCannon
Sugar Grove

First, despite requests from the public to delay their controversial actions for further community input and an analysis of the less draconian options that were presented, the board went forward with budget action that is both incorrect and unconscionable. The board took these actions on a questionable, irregular meeting day at an irregular time inconvenient for the public to comment and observe.

The strength of any library is its staff and services. However, the board chose to cut both pay and hours of its professional employees in exchange for more items on the shelves. A request was made to put this choice before the library patrons, to ascertain if the users—the taxpayers—preferred a few more materials to the outstanding services currently provided. A request was made to try to find a middle ground. The board ignored the options and took financial action against its employees.

Second, the board actions amount to punishing the staff for the board’s own decision. The board determined to build the new library without having a parallel referendum passed by the community to increase the funding to operate it. Continued referendums have also failed.

It is the board’s responsibility to determine why the public will not vote the funds and to present future election day requests in a manner that will be accepted. Making the library less useful and more stressed is certainly counterproductive to gaining community support. The board has demonstrated an inability to listen to the community it was elected to serve—both long term regarding funding referendums and short term regarding how it operates.

Third, the board continues to talk of a financial crisis, yet just decided to increase materials purchased by 330 percent. This action—the reason for cutting staff pay—is certainly excessive. Recently, the library received a donation to the identified primary target group, children, of 800 books. Interlibrary loan accommodates, within a few days, patron requests for materials Sugar Grove does not have. Several bequeaths are directed at material purchases.

The board action to drastically further increase material at the expense of the staff is unjustified. Once again, this board has interjected itself improperly into operations. Board members are not professional librarians, yet they continue to micromanage and over-ride the experience, knowledge and recommendations of the staff.

Fourth, the board has failed to properly manage the library funds. A Special Reserve Fund (SRF) is maintained for capital expenses and cannot be used for operating expenses or the purchase of books. Coupled with the proceeds of the sale of the old building, the reserve funds are more than sufficient for a brand new building containing new equipment. There is no immediate financial crisis, certainly nothing pending that justifies sacrificing community services and staff. Unnecessary hoarding of money while the library deteriorates from within is a certain means to bring on future crisis.

Fifth, the board has voted an incorrect transfer of funds. The library incurred unforeseen additional costs in implementing the new building. These were one-time expenses. For example, two buildings briefly had to be maintained and additional hardware was needed. These expenses were properly the responsibility of either the SRF or the proceeds from the sale of the old building and should have been taken or reimbursed from them. Instead, the board chose to use operating funds (library materials, utilities, payroll). They then sought fiscal year solvency through reimbursement of these capital expenses from another fund (the Rich Fund) that allows material purchases. It is ironic that the board stated they wanted an increase in materials and yet robbed a fund created for that purpose.

Sixth, there is a troubling perception that some board members do not seem to separate their personal feelings from their elected responsibilities. Something seems to be influencing an attitude of retribution. Cuts in staff pay and hours was the “nuclear option” among several reasonable, less drastic choices. If board members cannot elevate above personal distractions, they should reflect on the justification of their continued service.

The next board meeting is Thursday, July 8, at 7 p.m. The meetings begin with a public comment session. Although this board does not seem inclined to listen to the public, I encourage all residents to attend and participate. The community should take an interest in what has been done to its library and where those actions may likely lead.

Douglas Hartman,
Past President
Sugar Grove Public Library
Board of Trustees

In the event of threatening weather, the most important thing to do is seek shelter immediately and to stay informed. When there is a storm watch or warning issued, listen to the radio, TV or a weather alert radio. If you haven’t yet done so, you are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED®, Kane County’s emergency alert system. For more information on how to sign up for CodeRED®, please visit www.kcoem.org/CodeRED/CodeRED.htm.

Luckily, Sugar Grove was not hit hard by the recent storms; however, there was some damage that occurred. Whenever a storm causes damage, the Public Works crews will clear streets of debris. After the passing of the storm, the Public Works crews will then return to remove storm damage debris. Due to a decrease in staffing levels, the cleanup process could take several days and will be performed during regular working hours, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Public Works crews cannot come on private property to retrieve or remove any debris, and debris from private property will not be picked up by the village. Private property debris will be picked up by Waste Management as part of the regular refuse/landscape waste pickup.

When cleaning up storm damage, please follow the guidelines for yard waste pickup. The guidelines are: all limbs must be bundled in lengths of no more than four feet long and weigh no more than 50 pounds and be tied with biodegradable string or twine. Smaller landscape debris should be placed in a yard waste bag. If an entire tree has been uprooted or branches are damaged but still attached, a professional tree service will need to be contacted for disposal.
For additional information, call the Sugar Grove Public Works Department at (630) 466-7508 or email publicworks@sugargrove.il.us.

Cynthia L. Galbreath
Village Clerk/Administrative Assistant
Village of Sugar Grove

With the approval of our state legislature, they and the governor were not thinking of the well-being of citizens of Illinois, only the easiest way out for themselves. Paying a toll/tax is the least efficient way to pay for roads, and by passing the operating responsibility on to a private profit-making company it is not good government and is inexcusable.

With a profit-making company, it will be easier to hide the corruption that they will be sure to have, corruption similar to what we have been seeing for almost 60 years. Even if there were to be no corruption, the toll/tax for Illinois citizens to use this new highway will have to be double or even higher than what we are paying now for the existing tollway roads. After all, we are talking about a profit-first organization, an organization not caring about Illinois citizens—just how much money they can make.

We need to tell our legislators to rescind the bill that gave Gov. Quinn the go-ahead to team up with Indiana and pay for this new highway by increasing the fuel tax by a few cents at the fuel pump. While we are at it, let’s increase the fuel tax right now and make our existing tollway roads freeways as promised by their legislative colleagues during the 1950s.

Close down the Downers Grove toll authority headquarters, saving millions of dollars, and pass on the road management to I-DOT; they can do a much better job at a much lower cost for Illinois citizens.

Russell Johnson
Sugar Grove

While he takes weekly lessons with her, she also offers weekend workshops, summer classes, and themed sessions for both children and adults.

Feel free to contact her at (630) 365-2247 to talk to her about her summer workshops, get some artistic inspiration and ask to see her first-place painting! Jeannette is the winner of this year’s Kaneland Fine Arts Festival Juried Art Show! Supporting local artists while exploring creativity is a great thing. The classes our son takes from Jeannette does this, and we are very appreciative of all that she does! Thank you Miss Jeannette!

Mark and Jenny Wold
Elburn

We especially want to thank Rob and Myra Ottoson, Nick Turk, Nick Garifalis, Keith and Cindy Koester, Dawn Schleifer, Mary Scholl, Kristin Davidson, Angie Bateman, Nancy Steers and Steve Bill. We also want to thank Ream’s Elburn Market for loaning us their grill.

We had a great response from our team players and the community. We all do this for our kids and the future of Kaneville Baseball/Softball.

Dick and Annette Theobald
Elburn

To solve this problem, the library is planning to install a series of at least 18 bookcase lights around the building, and is seeking community support for the project. A sponsor can help by buying a light for a tax deductible donation of $15. So far, eight have been pledged, so the project is well under way.

For more information or to make a donation in support of this project, contact Ray Christiansen at the library or telephone (630) 557-2441.

Ray Christiansen,
Library director, Kaneville Public Library

Before leaving for Florida each year, we always turn off the water supply to our Sugar Grove residence at the valve located just ahead of the village’s water meter. This is just for safety in case a water leak should ever occur while we are away. With the water supply turned off, we have always understood the village’s need to continue billing us for its water, sewer line maintenance and garbage collection services, the basic minimum charges of which amounted to nearly $35 each month for us this past winter.

When we returned home from Florida on April 22, we turned our water supply back on, and the following day we discovered the water meter was leaking. The leaking water meter was replaced by the village on April 28, 2010.

Early in May, we received a month utility bill for $127.92 from the village, indicating we had used 17,000 gallons of water for the period from March 17, 2010, to April 15, 2010. That period of time was before we got back home and while our water supply was turned off. In fact, no one was even at our Sugar Grove residence. We reluctantly paid that bill but we did protest about $94 of the bill, because of it being associated with a strangely false (and impossible) 17,000 gallons of water usage.

The old water meter was subsequently tested by the village and found to be inoperative. I was finally advised that the meter would not register any water volume passing through it.

Discussions with village utility billing personnel and the finance director, as well as a detailed letter to the village administrator and finance director, have been of no avail in terms of getting any billing adjustment for our account.

These are the “professional” answers I got from Sugar Grove, despite the village’s records showing zero or minimal water usage for our account this past winter before the metering problem happened. The village’s finance director believes we used the 17,000 gallons of water because it was registered by the meter, and despite the meter having been subsequently removed, tested and found to be inoperative. In talking with Fox Metro Water Reclamation District, which had billed us for sewage treatment based on the same 17,000 gallons of water usage, they immediately offered to reduce their charges to be more in line with our historical water account history.

I know that no water would ever pass through the village’s water meter while we had the water supply shut off, a fact which Sugar Grove’s finance director just does not want to believe. It is a sad state of affairs when a local governmental official will believe a broken water meter before even trying to believe a human being. Only two retired people reside at our Sugar Grove residence, and even if we had been home, we would never be able to use nearly 570 gallons per day or 17,000 gallons of water in a month. After a nearly 35-year work career with a local regulated public utility, I know that meters can be faulty and over register, for reasons that often cannot be explained. In those cases, some ordinary common sense should be used when billing a customer.

Finally, I am even more disgusted about this matter now that I have also learned a nearby neighbor experienced the same excessive water meter registration problem with a Sugar Grove water meter. In that case, credit adjustments were allowed because a village employee witnessed continuous registration by the meter, even while the water supply valve ahead of the meter was shut off.

Maybe Sugar Grove just needs an extra $94 and took it from us.

Lyle V. Johnson
Sugar Grove

This graciousness was exemplified by the community on Saturday, May 15, at the 5th Annual Bridge Walk. Under a clear and crisp blue sky, 129 teams registered for the event—1,500 walkers in total—raising over $240,000 in support of LivingWell: the largest total raised to date.

In order to provide the highest caliber of programming, it takes an army of volunteers and a lot of fundraising. LivingWell would like to thank everyone who participated in and supported the 5th Annual Bridge Walk, including the over 30 corporate sponsors and 100-plus volunteers.

The morning included a special rendition of “We are the Champions” by singer Leslie Hunt to commemorate the 10-Step Celebration Walk. We broke so many records this year, including dollars raised and number of teams formed. “Kathy’s Circle,” headed by Glenn Harks, raised over $16,000; and “Linda’s Lions,” led by Carianne Paustian, was the largest team with 80 walkers. Additionally, nine local schools participated, with the top school fundraiser being St. Charles East High School, raising $11,010, and Wasco Elementary school’s “Wasco Wolves,” raising $5,206.

LivingWell would like to thank the following corporate sponsors for their generous support:
Aldi, Inc; Batavia Rotary Club; Cancer Care & Hematology Specialists; Cocoon; Colonial Ice Cream, Inc.; Delnor Cancer Care Center; Dickens, Mason, & Kissell D.D.S.; Dr. Brian Vence; EFS Foundation; First Choice Bank; Francissen Landscape Group, Inc.; Gerald Nissan Subaru of North Aurora; Gordon Flesch Company; Hansen-Furnas Foundation, Inc.; Kane County Farm Bureau; Kluth Family Foundation/CouponCabin; Lean Advantage; Montgomery Brothers; Mothers Club of Geneva; Niche Restaurant; Prose Orthodontics; Provena Mercy Medical Center; Rush-Copley Medical Center; Shodeen Family Foundation; Starbucks; Todd S. Hewell, III, M.D.; and Tradewinds Heating & Air Conditioning.

The staff and board members of LivingWell are tremendously grateful for all of the support shown by our community. The Bridge Walk day is a personal tribute to all who are battling a cancer diagnosis. Additionally, it creates awareness of the disease and raises funds to support the extensive array of programming and services at LivingWell. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the day such a success.

Nancy Vance
Executive Director
LivingWell Cancer Resource Center

As of July 20, 2010, we are without a president, vice president, field maintenance coordinator, concessions coordinator, registrar, arbiter (reschedules rainouts), to name just a few.

This year, we had 34 teams, approximately 400 boys and girls, and a skeleton crew of about 10 or so of the same people running our program. These few people consistently execute their appointed duties (plus take on numerous others due to lack of involvement) to give our community’s kids a great league to play in year after year.

Since these people have kids aging out of our program, they will not be returning to help us out for next year. We have continually asked for help through e-mails and at our meetings this past year-and-a-half, but to no avail. It is up to the people in this community who still have kids in the program to step up and help us continue and improve upon the foundation left to us by these and past individuals.

Elburn Baseball and Softball has enough means, equipment, coaches and fields to have another successful season next year, but without any behind-the-scenes people, there will not be any baseball and softball in Elburn for 2011.

The few of us that are left have already made the decision to fold the league entirely for 2011 if we cannot get enough involvement by the community soon. We typically start organizing for the next season in August/September.

If there are not people to do this, next season will not happen. This will be a big let down for all of our kids in Elburn and other neighboring towns who look at us as the example.

We will be holding our next league meeting on Thursday, July 1, at 7 p.m. at the Town and Country Public Library in Elburn. Please make the effort for our kids now so they can play ball later. If you would like to help in any way, please contact the league or contact any of the remaining board members on our website, www.elburn.com/baseball.

Thank you to everyone who has put time in this and past years to make our program what it is today. We can only hope that the community responds and is willing to help us support what you have done and let it continue for another season.

Pete LaSalle
Elburn Baseball & Softball board
www.elburn.com/baseball
elburnbaseball@yahoo.com

On May 6, Den Leader Tracy Leach, Assistant Den Leader Brian Blad, and a number of parents led Wolf Den 11 in filling the potters at the business fronts of downtown Elburn. This pack includes David Bradbury, Parker LaSalle, Zachary Beatty, Evan Blad, Hans Griesinger, and Michael Hardy.

These potters are now filled with a variety of flowers and greenery which were made available to us through a generous discount from our friends at Wasco Nursery. We also received a much appreciated supply of soil and mulch from Kane County Landscape Material & Supply. These two businesses were very helpful and patient with us as we ran to them in our last-minute hour of need.

Big Thanks to Elburn Hill Church, who generously donated several perennials. Also, a huge thank you to Kristen Damolaris of American Bank and Trust and Stacy Ashton of A Salon for planting around the flagpole at North and First streets.

Potters are still available for adoption. Please contact Tracy Leach with Produce This! at (630) 913-3229 for more information regarding Adopt-A-Pot volunteering. Tracy will be heading up the Community Outreach Committee.

Again, thanks to the members and parents of Wolf Den 11, Elburn Hill Church, Wasco Nursery, and Kane Country Landscape for all of their donated time, hard work, and generosity.

Jessica Impson
Administrator
Elburn Chamber of Commerce

Well, I have another prediction. We will get a lot of finger pointing and the taxpayers will pay, not only environmentally but at the pump. Our government will reassure us that this will never happen again, but again off shore drilling will continue. Once again, they will sell out to the oil industry for 30 pieces of silver.

This is what I would like to see: BP pays for all of the destruction to our environment and livelihoods. Secondly, BP, Trans Ocean, and Haliburton should be required by law to purchase and install a solar panel on every roof in this country.

I would also like to make one more pitch for conservation. If we wait for the government, it isn’t going to happen. We must make it happen.

Earl Montgomery
Sugar Grove

A donation has been collected by the leads group and then matched by the Elburn Chamber. This year, a total of $1,370 was donated, which is the most that the chamber has ever contributed.

The leads group is just one of a number of benefits of chamber membership. Membership in the leads group is open to anyone who is a member in good standing of the Elburn Chamber of Commerce. The group is business category exclusive. New members are always welcome. For more information about the chamber and its leads group, contact the chamber office at (630) 365-2295.

To learn more about food distribution hours and how to donate to the Elburn and Countryside Food Pantry, call (630) 365-6655.

Jim Shalek
Elburn Chamber Leads Group

However there is still a little way to go. A second pork chop dinner is planned for Wednesday, June 23. As the hot days start to roll in, this will give you at least one night to have a great barbeque with all the trimmings without even having to start up the grill, and for hardly more money than buying the groceries yourself.

You will not only be supporting the fireworks, however. The Lion’s Club benefits as well. Their work with the blind is well known. Taking the money you would normally spend anyway for dinner and buying a pork chop dinner ticket will not only support a great fireworks Day in the Park on Sunday, July 11, but at the same time provide funds that go to helping a portion of our community that we as individuals could normally do very little about. How’s that for multi-tasking?

Tickets are $12 apiece and can be purchased from any chamber member or by calling the chamber itself at (630) 365-2293. Buy a couple for your family and maybe one for the food pantry if you really like multi-tasking.

Gary Augustine
Elburn Chamber of Commerce

Both the Farley house and the Benton house will be open to tour. This year, the historical society is featuring the Miner family and the Benton family.

Gilbert and Jemima (Seavey) Benton settled in Kaneville in 1843. Through the long covered wagon ride from New York, Jemima sat upon her rocking chair. They established a homestead south of Kaneville and began farming.

Gilbert died in 1860, so Jemima, with the help of her son Simeon and two youngest sons, continued to farm the land. Jemima lived to be almost 99 years old.

While the Benton name is no longer a common one in this area, there are still many Benton family members around. So far, the genealogy search for descendants of Gilbert and Jemima (Seavey) Benton has located over 600 descendants. You might be a Benton if your ancestor’s names are: Bastian, McNair, Reynolds, Bloss, Meredith, Sheldon, Davis, Myers, Smith, Edwards, Needham, Snow, Gregory, Nichols, Underwood, Keieleber, Nickels, Wilson, Lakin, Raymond and Warne.

There are many more family names, so if you don’t see an ancestor’s name that looks familiar, you still might be a cousin. If you are not sure if you are related, we will have a searchable database to see if we can link you to the family.

We would like to have a Benton family gathering to meet and greet as many cousins as we can. We also need to update the family tree. The last extensive updating was done about 30 years ago.

If you have any Benton memorabilia, data or pictures to share, we would love to have you bring them along. This would be a great time to tour Gilbert and Jemima’s house and see some of the family items. We will be taking a family picture at the Benton house in Kaneville at noon.

We hope to get as many family members together as possible, so we hope to see you there.

Martha Baldridge
Kaneville Historical Society

Each year we try to increase the varieties of perennials, and we have appreciated your input. To those patrons who have become regulars, we particularly thank you for continuing to make this event possible and successful. To those of you who were first-time guests, we will be back again next year on Mother’s Day Weekend.

Gary Augustine
Pastor
Elburn Hill Church

These included possible efforts to change the bylaws without appropriate feedback and community involvement, and the board’s reported micro-management of day-to-day library operations.

A number of attendees expressed their opinions and concerns, making a concerted effort to deal with this situation in a supportive and constructive way.

That being said, I would like to make some additional comments about the actions and demeanor of the board.

At times it was difficult and unpleasant to see how this board meeting was being conducted. I saw an enormous difference between the way Library Director Beverly Holmes Hughes treated the board and the way she was treated in return.

Beverly’s communications were professional, polite, well organized, cooperative, transparent and helpful. Her recommendations and responses to questions showed extensive professional knowledge and a very detailed understanding of library operations and expenditures.

In contrast, the board’s communications toward Beverly were generally bullying, blaming, nit-picking and demanding.

Micro-management is probably too polite a term for the types of directives and questioning demonstrated by the board.

Why is the board subjecting the library director to extensive questioning about minor library expenditures? Janitorial supplies, embroidered shirts (worn by the board at the library dedication), a pizza dinner for staffers who worked until midnight assisting with the library relocation, a Walmart purchase for Christmas tree lights. And, having received satisfactory answers, now demanding a detailed accounting of petty cash? Are they implying mismanagement, or is this the role that they see for themselves?

When the director suggests a summer replacement for an employee who will be out on maternity leave and states that this person has extensive volunteer experience and is currently pursuing a teaching degree, why is the board president questioning Beverly’s judgement? What additional library experience does he expect for a position that is temporary and pays something in the neighborhood of minimum wage?

At two separate times I saw Beverly provide good, positive information to the board and saw the negative, blaming responses she received in return.

When she informed the board that she had identified several library expenses that could legitimately be reclassified and should be paid out of the building reserve fund, she was scolded by the board president for not informing him of this sooner (referring to a conversation that he recalled but Beverly did not).

Improvements to the library website (intended to fulfill board objectives and completed free of charge) drew a negative remark from the board vice president that she “had never seen this before” Beverly’s presentation to the board. To Beverly’s credit, she responded in a helpful and constructive way, offering to facilitate additional development and future communication directly between the board and her website development volunteer.

The Library Board has enormous challenges and responsibilities, and I do not envy their job in the least. But I think they are failing to provide the vision, direction and support that the community has every right to expect from them. It is certainly possible that the cause is a lack of knowledge and experience. And if so, I would hope that the board would receive and accept appropriate mentoring from community leaders.

I hope that at the very least the board takes a hard look at its focus and that it attempts to improve communications toward and treatment of a library director who is well-liked and highly regarded by the community.

Catherine J. Rady
Sugar Grove Resident

This was the old version of the British Empire’s declaration, “Victory or Death.” The modern Illinois version of this refrain is contained in hundreds of recent e-mails, letters and calls to my office from recently concerned Illinois constituents. Citizens and editorial boards warned, “Don’t leave Springfield until you produce a responsible balanced budget.”

So, what did the ruling majority do? In the Senate, the same folks who have brought us this chaos and misery over the past eight years passed the Adjournment Resolution at 6:44 p.m. on May 7, 2010—and headed home with 24 days of work left before the rules change, giving more power to the minority.

Knowing my 250,000 constituents’ sentiment, I publicly requested an on-the-record rollcall of those who agreed that we should adjourn. I voted “Heck No.”

Here is where we stand: On May 6, 2010, at 8 p.m., the Ruling Majority presented its FY 6-30-2011 2,300-page budget; just one hour later, at 9 p.m., they convened the Senate Appropriations Committee to answer questions and hear concerns.

I asked the sponsor of the budget, whom I like and respect as a person, “Senator, have you read this budget?” No. When I asked members of the Ruling Majority sitting across from me, “Have you read this 2,300-page budget?” Again, no. “Has anyone on this committee—or in this room—read this budget?” The answer was, “No.”

On the brink of bankruptcy, another contortion of fiscal irresponsibility.

During the senate floor debate that raged with unusual rancor until 1:15 a.m. the next morning, as gently and politely as possible, I reminded my fellow legislators, “We each swear an oath to uphold the Illinois Constitution. That Constitution contains a provision that requires us to adopt an annual balanced budget. This budget is not anywhere close to balanced, i.e. the expenditures are not less than or equal to the projected revenues.”

While people back home desperately struggle with their finances, putting terrible strains on their families, while 225,000 more Illinois jobs have been lost in only the past year, while public policies produce 12.4 percent unemployment in our state, the governor and ruling majorities propose that the state government spending upon itself will increase next year by $1.8 billion. According to the budget sponsor’s testimony in committee and on the Senate floor, total spending will increase from $32.1 billion in 2010 to $33.9 billion in 2011.

One of my colleagues mumbled under his breath, “This all stinks.”

Although I staunchly disagree with their conclusion to ultimately raise income taxes by 67 percent and to raise sales taxes by billions by applying sales tax to many services for the first time in state history, I respect that senate Democrats at least took action during this General Assembly consistent with their philosophy. Despite the chants of 15,000 protesting public employees earlier this year, “Raise my taxes. Raise my taxes,” the consistent feedback from the majority of my constituents is, “Live within your means without a tax increase—just like I have to do.”

So, you would think that the proposed budget would contain substantial spending cuts, as Governor Quinn has claimed. However, again according to the senate budget sponsor, there are only $356.7 million in reductions on total spending of $33.9 billion—only 1.05 percent. Said another way, they think they’re running state government almost 99 percent efficiently. Come on.

The next and different governor, if the majority of our neighbors and friends will wake up to what’s being done to us, will need to rein in the explosion under Blagojevich/Quinn of Medicaid eligibility (Illinois spends $1,700 million ($1.7 billion) more than the national average); apply to current employees the common sense public employee pension reforms already passed for new hires of raising the age for collecting benefits from 55 to 62 years old and capping benefits at a whopping $106,000 (saving tens of billions over the next 30 years and restoring solvency to the system); and, taking a careful scalpel to every line in the budget, every program, every bureaucracy to prune fiscal abuses like cars for legislative leaders, grants for legislator’s sister for “inspirational” skits, hip-hop exercise classes, and a thousand other examples of waste and fraud.

We must begin by paying our darn bills on time to schools and social service agencies. I am ready to work all day, every day until we put together a self-disciplined solution to our state’s financial problems. To do anything else just sounds Greek to me.

Chris Lauzen
State Senator (R-25)

It was a huge task to move everything out of the room and then put it back in place. I could not have done it without help. It looks wonderful.

Thank you Kyle Anderson, Deb Armstrong, Richard Boulay, Myrna Cebulski, Deborah Helfers, Jacob Helfers, Afet Ismaili, Micah Johnson, Joe Lavendar, Allen McPhee, Kaylee McPhee, Laura McPhee, Chuck Miller, Charlie Owens, Chris Rasmussen, Kent Signorella, Jessica Stott and James Thorne.

Kimberly Martin
Library Director
Maple Park Public Library District

Farmers are a vanishing breed. When you make a conscious decision to support your local farmers market or local farm stand, you help insure that future generations will have access to the nourishing and abundant crops which our Illinois farmers work so hard to bring to our communities.

Veggies, fruits and eggs harvested within a day or two of a farmers market are fresh, crisp and loaded with flavor and nutrients. Today more than ever, it is so important to understand where and how your produce, eggs and meat have been grown.

Fruits and vegetables shipped to us from other states, and today mostly from other countries, must have tough skins that survive packing and shipping and also require the ability to have a reasonable shelf life. Only a handful of hybrid plant varieties have these characteristics, so there is little genetic diversity in commercially grown plants compared to the large number of varieties our local farms still grow so as to provide us all with an array of great tasting crops all season long.

Heirloom plants used by our farmers may even someday provide the genes needed to create crops which will thrive in changing climates. Locally grown food preserves genetic diversity, and if you are opposed to eating genetically modified fruits and veggies, you can rest assured that our farm produce was bred the old fashioned way, as nature intended—GMO-free.

Buying from our local farmers preserves our open space, keeps our taxes in check and community farms support a clean environment, which benefits not only us but all area wildlife. As you build a relationship with the farmers you deal with at the market, you establish friendships based on understanding and trust.

Mari Johnson, Don and Terry Meisinger,
Tina and Andy Cella, Karen Cinto,
Sheri Baum, Beverly Holmes Hughes,
Pat and Dan Graceffa
Sugar Grove Farmers Market volunteers

Your show of support for this important program is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank the many Legion and Auxiliary volunteers that put in hours on the streets: legionnaires, Commander Wiley Overley, Al Anderson, Jerry Lonigro, George Morris, and Lloyd and Marie DaMask; auxiliary members, Key Swift, Janet Herra, Kathy Jackson, Robin Harley, Marleah Anderson, Cheryl Krauspe and Carrie Petrie; and junior auxiliary member, Abby Bartel.

Many thanks go out to the area businesses that allowed us to be inside or outside of their buildings, Jewel/Osco, Mobil Gas, Elburn Kountry Kettle, Papa G’s, Ream’s Meat Market, Elburn Post Office, Walgreens, Blackberry Inn, and Metra. Thank you for all courtesies extended to our volunteers.

All the proceeds of Poppy Days go toward veterans and their families. Elburn Auxiliary donated more than $2,000 to veterans programs this past year. The Elburn unit hopes to continue to help with the needs of our veterans who have and are currently giving so much for our country. I hope everyone will enjoy their Memorial Day and took some time to reflect on the reason for the holiday—remembering our veterans.

Cara Bartel
Poppy Chairman
Daniel Simpson Unit No. 630
Elburn

Assistant Superintendent of Business Julie-Ann Fuchs presented the summer project schedule, and also announced that there will be about $1,047,934 remaining in the District’s capital projects fund after all projects are completed.

All summer projects are expected to be finished sometime in August with the exception of the storage facility, which is expected to be completed in January 2011.

We had over 100 dozen locally grown geraniums, gerbera daisies, tuberous begonias, ivy and coleus.

The proceeds from this sale benefit the library’s summer reading program for adults and children, as well as new materials. Over 1,300 people participated in the 2009 summer reading program. Our library continues to be a great place for everyone to expand their knowledge with a variety of media.

The Friends are a 501 (c) 3 volunteer organization created to support our library’s programs and services. Come check us out and be a “Friend.”

Joan Hansen
Executive Vice-President
Friends of the Town & Country Public Library

The general attitude in the 10 townships of western Kane County opposes video gambling, but we are represented by only two members of the board. The other 24 board members represent the six Kane townships located along the Fox River. During the meeting, Elburn resident Jim MacRunnels noted that three of those river town board members have received campaign contributions from the pro-gambling interests, and he asked them to recuse themselves from voting.

I won’t take the space here to list how all board members voted. However, I will note the votes of three:

Bob Kudlicki of Hampshire, one half of our two-member representation on the board, voted for video gambling in November, and again on May 11.

Drew Frasz, the other half of the western Kane townships’ two-member representation on the County Board, stood up against immense pressure put upon him to vote no on placing video gambling machines in our neighborhoods.

Mike Kenyon, board member who is also chairman of the Kane County Republican Party, voted for video gambling on May 11. This is the same Mike Kenyon, who, in 2008, was a member of the Illinois GOP Platform Committee that opposed any expansion of gambling in this state.

Thank you, Drew Frasz, for voicing our concerns and defending your friends and neighbors against the pressures of the County Board and other outside interests.

Dennis C. Ryan
Elburn

I have heard for years that the drainage problem will be fixed, but we still have standing water in the Post Office parking lot. I am elderly and on medication for infections, and do not need to get West Nile Virus.

If the pond is not fixed, will you, the village or the post office, be responsible for mosquito spraying?

Karen McCannon, Sugar Grove

At this point the chamber has reached their half-way point of the $10,000 goal. So it will take a joint effort of the community and the businesses to keep Day in the Park alive. We only have two months left, and could really use your help.

The next Pork Chop Dinner will be on Wednesday, June 23, with pick-up from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Elburn Lions Park, 500 Filmore St., Elburn. Tickets are available now at the chamber and select Elburn businesses for $12 each. Our goal for this dinner is 800 tickets, and I think with your help, we can easily reach that goal.

All profits go towards the fireworks. If you are unable to purchase Pork Chop Dinner tickets, but would like to donate money, please call the Chamber office.

Every little bit helps.

We are also looking for volunteers to join the Day in the Park committee as well. It is a great way to share ideas for fundraising ideas, or volunteer your time. The next Day in the Park meeting, will be at noon on Monday, June 7, at American Bank and Trust in downtown Elburn. Anyone interested in joining should e-mail me at ads@elburnherald.com or call (630) 365-6446.

The Elburn Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer-driven organization committed to serving local businesses and helping to foster a spirit of community in the Elburn area.

For more information on the Pork Chop Dinner or the Elburn Chamber of Commerce, feel free to call the Chamber office at (630) 365-2295 or e-mail us at info@elburn.com.

Leslie Flint
Day in the Park Committee Chairman
Elburn

The past two months have had a lot of mixed emotions for us. But the support and heartfelt words we have received from all of our customers made us realize even more, how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful community.

Our local economy is important in making our community special. If it was not for our local merchants, all of our local charities and schools would suffer greatly without their donations and support.

As we go into our final weeks of our store closing sale, please stop in and say hello, and remember to support your other fellow local merchants to keep our community strong.

Weldon Johnson
Anne Shaw and the
staff of Viking Office Supply

They ran a 24-team round-robin softball tournament Sunday, April 25. Despite less than perfect weather conditions, it went well, and a good time was had by all.

It is wonderful to see all of our parks and school properties being used in such a productive, and enjoyable manner.

Bill McGinnis
Elburn

Despite the weather, we had a good turn out and we couldn’t have done it without all of you.

A special thank you goes out to Timber Creek Inn & Suites who sponsored the event. Please visit their website at www.timbercreekinnandsuites.com to virtually tour their facility.

She was beautiful music to our ears … Autumn Selover, Harpist. Thank you for sharing your amazing talent.

Thanks to Joliet Tent for keeping us dry and to Uncle Bub’s for the mouth watering barbecue.

Our appreciation to Lights of Learning for donating the Earth Day raffle basket valued at $150.

Countless thank you’s to the volunteers here at Ellis, you should be proud knowing we would not exist without your generosity of time and talent.

Kendall County Board, Forest Preserve Staff and Voters for the vision of “Conservation through Recreation”.

Finally, to all the folks who braved the weather and came out to participate and celebrate Earth Day with us.

Tina Villarreal
Event Coordinator
Ellis House and Equestrian Center
Kendall County Forest Preserve

We also thank everyone who has thought of the library with their generous used book donations since our new library opened eight months ago. A special thank you to the Sugar Grove Fire Protection District, especially Lt. Brendan Moran, for hosting several used book drives.

Thank you to our hard working Sugar Grove Library Director Beverly Holmes Hughes and her incredible staff for assisting us with the preparations needed for the sale throughout the several weeks of preparation. Waubonsee softball coach Perry Clark, village trustee Mari Johnson and the Sugar Grove Park District are so appreciated for helping the Library Friends with transportation, securing tables and volunteers and so much more.

Without the strength of the Women’s Waubonsee softball team and Kaneland High School Knights wrestler’s coach Jeremy Kenny, Zack Ganz (junior) and David Barnhart (freshman) and David’s mom Suzanne Barnhart, we could never have moved so many of the heavy boxes of books from our storage unit and on to the sales tables.

Local businesses like Heartland Commercial Properties LLC, American Heartland Bank-Trust, Nick Bumba, Nick’s Custom Furniture, The Book Nook Cafe, and Pepsi were all responsible in different ways for helping with the book sale, and we hope residents remember to support these local community members.

Support from the Library Friends of the Batavia Library and the Elburn Town and Country Library Friends is also appreciated.

This newspaper allows us always to get the word out in the press releases they published on the sale.

I would like, last but not least, to thank the Library Friends, the amazing volunteers who help us with every used book sale, all of our events and in our used book store.

All donated items are sorted and go to our library first to be put on a library shelf or to replace a book which may be worn that is currently on the shelf. Books not used are turned over to the library volunteers to be sold in the used book store or at a book sale, and the proceeds are returned to the library for reading materials and programs.

Remember to help your community library and also help the earth by donating your current reading materials. Current books, CDs and DVDs are a simple way for taxpayers to help the library curb its costs, resulting in a huge savings for our communities.

Pat Graceffa
Library Friends President
Sugar Grove

This year, the success of the dinner and auction allowed the committee to award two $1,000 scholarships to KHS seniors Natalie Swieca and Kevin Szatkowski.

Natalie will be attending Aurora University in the fall, while Kevin will be heading to the University of Iowa. Congratulations and best of luck to these two college-bound KHS graduates.

Niko’s Lodge in Wasco did a great job in hosting these events this year on Feb. 20. All items that were in the silent auction were generously donated by our Chamber members. Without them, this could not have been possible.

The Elburn Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer driven organization committed to serving local businesses and helping to foster a spirit of community in the Elburn area.

For more information on the Elburn Chamber of Commerce, feel free to call the Chamber office at (630) 365-2295 or e-mail us at info@elburn.com.

Jessica Impson
Administrator
Elburn Chamber of Commerce

The $100 winners are Steven Itman of Maple Park, Mike Swederski of Elburn, Terry Lamb of Elburn, Milt Johnson of Elburn, Ann Lambert of Lily Lake, Penny Griesman of Batavia, Dennis Moutray of Maple Park, J&R Herra of Elburn. The $2,500 winner was Froehlich Lupee of Elburn.

We hope to have your support again next year.

Dennis Richmond
Raffle Chairman
Elburn

Your Elburn firefighters, paramedics and EMTs will be taking donations at the corner of Route 38 and Route 47 on May 7 from 3 to 7 p.m.

Please stop and help us support this very important camp for the children that have experienced injuries from burns.

Matt Hanson
Elburn Fire Department

We appreciate the community that came out to support our fundraiser. Many thanks go out to the members who worked and/or donated desserts.

We also thank the Elburn American Legion members that helped us, as well. We appreciate the community and our loyal members for their participation in our moneymaking events. Without your help, we could not make our donations to the important programs that help so many.

We hope to see everyone again in the fall.

Cara Bartel, Treasurer
Elburn American Legion
Auxiliary No. 630

Emergency medical providers in the Elburn Herald area answer to an entity concerning medical care issues. That entity is called Southern Fox Valley Emergency Medical System based out of Delnor Hospital.

Wayne has been an integral part of that system for years. I cannot remember him holding an official leadership position with the system; he might at some point have. But Wayne has provided significant informal leadership and influences over the system and their policies for years. In lots of organizations, there are those people that just make the organization work, and that was Wayne. For years, he was instrumental in making Southern Fox an effective system. He has been a big part in keeping the system current and progressive. I share this information for a reason.

While it is true that the people served by the Elburn Fire Protection District should be very thankful for his service, so should others. Because of Wayne’s involvement in the system, and his constant desire to improve emergency medical care by all providers in the Southern Fox System, other people in our area, served by other agencies have received the benefits of his efforts. Wayne probably does not realize himself the impact that he has had on providers throughout the area.

Congratulations on your retirement, old friend. A good job, well done.

William T. King, Jr.
Sugar Grove

It was so good to see our family and friends. We appreciated all the cards and phone calls, including those from some that couldn’t attend. It was a memorable day.

Francis and Norma Farley
Aurora

In 1993, Dave started planting flowering crab trees along the road to enhance the beauty of one of the last gravel roads in Kane County.
Over the years, he planted by hand almost 100 trees. Please take time out of your busy schedule and slowly drive down the road to admire God’s beauty … the trees are in full bloom and gorgeous. Enjoy.

Sally Compton
Kit Compton
Robin Urich
Elburn

Here is how it works: A door-to-door salesman offers to do repair work for much less than the market price. He demands a large down payment and full payment before the work is completed. When asked, he cannot provide references except that he has done other work in the neighborhood. If the work is done at all, it is usually done poorly.

Here is what to do: Do not even open your door to contractors or salesmen unless you know them or have asked them to stop by. Never agree to have repair work done until you have checked a contractor’s background and references. Never sign anything unless you have read and fully understand what it is. If you notice anyone going door to door in your neighborhood who appears suspicious, call the police.

To report an actual scam, contact the Office of the Attorney General and/or call the Senior Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-5377.

Helen J. Baker
Member
Elder Abuse Committee
of the 16th Judicial Circuit
Family Violence Coordinating Council

Formerly, there was little or no activity on Main Street (Route 47), with few pedestrians visible on these quiet village streets. We have had several occasions to visit and eat at Schmidt’s during the winter and spring months, all with the same result.

Formerly empty parking spots along the street are now full. People who seemingly know each other congregate outside the restaurant and visit. The restaurant itself is very appealing with a lodge-like motif staged in highest quality construction.

This is no surprise as the owner is Kevin Schmidt, lifelong Elburn resident and custom home builder. The menu, food, spirits and service are top notch and affordable.

But perhaps the most distinctive feature is that patrons seem to know many of the people there. It has become a central gathering place for families and customers of all ages for all types of occasions.

Once again, downtown Elburn has the vitality and appeal we associate with small-town America. Schmidt’s is the new place “where everybody knows your name.” Bravo to the village of Elburn for this wonderful small business revitalization. We will be coming back again and again.

Janet and Paul Lueck
Elgin

One thing never mentioned in these letters is that he never comes out of his office to explain what a great health plan he has supported. While all the letters say he listens to his constituents, he did not hear the multitude who opposed this expensive program; or that he will never present his support for the health bill to a group face to face.

Many of the details in this health bill are being exposed, brought to light for the public, and the public sees that these details are not good.
I have attended meetings in front of Rep. Foster’s office, and he never comes out to explain this so-called wonderful bill, nor does one of his staff come out to us to explain things, much less how we will pay for all of it.

Rep. Foster, if you plan on getting re-elected, you better start facing us and telling us why your health plan should have our support. While some update of our current health care needs some tweaking, this bill of the Democrats has nothing to do with improvement.

Mr. Foster, you had better do a clearer explanation of this bill or you will not be re-elected.

Richard H. Sharp
Geneva

Our political leaders still clamor for votes at the expense of our environment. Decisions are dictated by the economy. If the economy is good, they get the votes; and that’s it.

Now, our president is promoting off-shore drilling. How disappointing. This is definitely not the answer. More use of fossil fuels will only exacerbate our global warming dilemma.

I always tried to teach a very important value. Sometimes we don’t want to do something, but it is the right thing to do. It is definitely time for all Americans to do the right thing and possibly change many of our ways for the sake of a better world for future generations.

Let’s begin with conservation. If we eliminate 50 percent of the things we don’t need, we wouldn’t miss them. For the most part, it is our wants and not our needs that do most of the harm to our environment.

What if everyone drove the speed limit? We would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels considerably and at the same time reduce carbon emissions.

Instead of more and more fossil fuels, let’s turn to the sun for our energy. If we do, it will shine down upon all of us and generations to come.

It is time to stop the fossil fuel industry from dictating our future, which could very well be catastrophic. Just think what we could do with all the money that will be spent on retrieving oil from below the Gulf and instead use it to develop solar and other alternative sources of energy.

Finally, let’s do the right thing, even though it may cause us some discomfort.

Earl Montgomery
Sugar Grove

Do you want to live in a state where:
• 70,000 people, including 4,200 children, are at risk of losing needed mental health services?
• 4,000 persons with mental illness will be displaced from residential settings and transferred back into nursing homes?
• School districts are laying off thousands of teachers and staff?
• 19,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities sit on a waiting list?
• 30,000 individuals with disabilities will lose direct services?
• Our community-based mental health and developmental disability systems are ranked last in the nation?
• Thousands of Illinois jobs in education and human services will be sacrificed in the name of cutting out non-existent “fat”?

All of the above are potential or current consequences of a historically underfunded state education and human services system. No one likes paying taxes, but no one wants to live in the worst state in the nation either. If we don’t pay for these services at the state level, we will pay for it locally through higher real estate taxes, overflowing jails and crowded emergency rooms.

It is time for our state legislators to get to work, stop running for re-election and to devise a means of adequately funding education as well as services for our most vulnerable neighbors with disabilities. It is time for them to go back to Springfield and make Illinois a state we can all be proud of.

Jerry J. Murphy,
Sugar Grove

On top of this important, private decision, she now has to listen to harassment and insults by religious fanatics as she enters the clinic.

I believe in the right to protest as long as it does not interfere with the woman’s right to choose and the right to privacy.

Do you think that the protesters’ God would approve of such behavior? I think not!

Russell Johnson
Sugar Grove

Our Constitution and American way of life mandate that any individual charged with a crime, no matter how unpopular, is entitled to a legal defense by a licensed attorney. That right attaches not only to people who can afford an attorney but also to those who can’t. Lawyers in private practice usually can choose their clients. Sometimes the court will appoint a lawyer to a case. Appointed lawyers do not have the luxury of choosing their clients. Public defenders never have that luxury.

I have been a criminal defense lawyer for 40 years. I have gotten along well with 99.99 percent of my clients. Occasionally, a lawyer gets a client who, no matter what you do, it is either not good enough or the wrong thing. The lawyer who has been hired has the option of firing the client. The appointed lawyer must make do with what he is given.

The job is difficult enough in that sometimes it seems the general public doesn’t realize that no matter whom the individual or what the alleged crime, the representation by a criminal defense lawyer is not only necessary but mandated by our laws, courts and Constitution. Ron Dolak and all appointed lawyers, particularly public defenders, are to be complimented on their patience and perseverance. Without their willingness to work with unpopular clients charged with unpopular offenses, the criminal justice system would break down. Without their willingness to work with sometimes difficult individuals, the criminal justice system would grind to a halt.

Lawyers practicing in the criminal justice field often deal not only with sometimes hostile clients looking for someone to blame other than themselves, but also with a public which sometimes does not seem to understand that when the criminal defense lawyer fights for the constitutional rights of his or her clients, that criminal defense lawyer is guarding the Constitution for all of us. That holds true for any lawyer who takes on any unpopular cause.

My compliments are extended to Ron Dolak, the public defenders, and all criminal defense lawyers who accept appointments.

Fred M. Morelli, Jr.
Aurora

One year ago, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Since January, it seems I’ve spent more time in Loyola Hospital than at home.

The most wonderful thing is at no time have I ever had to worry about the well-being of my children. The community once again has stepped up to help a family in need. Someone is always there to make sure my girls have a ride to or from practice. Some donated their time to ride with Megan so she got enough hours to get her license—congrats Megan.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at John Stewart Elementary for providing meals for the last two months. Thank you to Elburn Express Baseball/Softball for all the ways in which you have supported us. And thank you to all the families too countless to mention, whether you sent cards of well wishes, made donations, dropped off a meal, took care of my children, stopped by to visit, or remembered us in your prayers.

We thank you for your kindness, and it means more to us than you will ever know.

Carol A. Herra
Elburn

I am deeply disappointed with his “yes” vote for “Obamacare.”

Congressman Foster has fallen lock step with the Obama cry for socializing the United States of America. Democrats will not be happy until all of us are totally beholding to the great givers in Washington. This bill will cause a tremendous burden on our children and grandchildren, as they will be the ones who will bear the burden of paying for this socialistic takeover of our nation’s health care.

And I believe that we will suffer with the quality and availability of our care. It appears to me that Bill Foster does not represent the hard-working people of his district when he makes such a wrongheaded decision. He merely follows his masters in the House of Representatives and the White House; or is he just one more of the liberal left who knows exactly what the masses need?

Remember, Bill Foster is of the same party that has given us Chicago-style politics in this state and the nation. Chicago is running in the red, and we all know what is happening in Springfield—more debt than we can cope with. Now he is helping to drive our once-great nation into the ground.

I would like to encourage all the people to call Rep. Foster and let him know that he is to represent us, not his party mantra. Citizens of this district need to vote Foster out of office and replace him with someone who does not take marching orders from the Democrats in Chicago, Springfield or Washington, D.C.

Bob Strzepek
Maple Park

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Paws All Day In Elburn will be a day-long celebration of dogs and cats, their owners and their abilities, and lots of family fun.

Although this event is new to Elburn, the response has been huge, and we are looking forward to a rewarding, educational, fun and event-filled day.

Vendors will be attending with apparel for pets and their people, all kinds of supplies, healthy pet food, crafts and decor.

There will be shelter and rescue groups on the premises, showcasing animals looking for “forever“ homes, with various live demonstrations throughout the day.

In addition to shopping for your furry family member, local pet-related businesses will be on hand. Find a groomer, pet-sitter, trainer or boarding facility near you.

At this event, you can find out how to get involved with service, therapy and reader dog organizations. Does your dog have what it takes to be a therapy dog?

Admission and parking for this event are free. Contests, raffles, events and displays will be ongoing. Lunch will be available, provided by the Elburn Lions Club.

We still have room for more vendors. If you have a pet-related business, service or product and would like to join us for this event, please visit www.PawsAllDayInElburn.com for full details, or call (630) 885-2732. There is an early bird discount for vendors if your application is received by Monday, April 12.

You may also sponsor our event. Sponsors donating $50 will have their business name printed on our banner; $75 donations include publication of your business name, phone number, website and/or other information in our brochures; and a $125 sponsorship will include both the banner and the brochure. All sponsorships will be listed on our website. Sponsorship will help with the cost of the event, and a portion of all proceeds from the day will go to Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet foundation.

Dr. Jane’s foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, establishment, maintenance and management of animal rescue groups committed to rescuing homeless animals all over America.

Because of the high number of animals expected to participate in this event, for liability reasons, and for the safety of all, the public is asked to leave their pets at home.

Lori Thuestad
PetTender, Elburn

Our blood drive was a huge success, due in part to the Sugar Grove Firefighters Auxiliary, the Sugar Grove Fire Department, the Heartland Blood Center staff, and all of our extra helpers.

We send a special thank you to our donors for sharing the gift of life: Carolyn Abruzzo, Jeff Babich, Shawn Beyer, Kate Boehmer, Steve Boehmer, James Budzyn, Jennifer Calabrese, Perry Clark, Clara Cooper, Pat Davis, Lee Drendel, Jick Eckert, Tara Evers, Steve Good, Denise Goress, Mark Goress, George Hannemann, Susan Hayden, Jack Holleran, Mike Janco, John Jandovitz, Jane Johnson, Laura Keske, Ted Koch, Kim Kriceri, Sally McClellan, Suzanne McCracken, Sean Michels, Brandon J. Mires, Lisa Molitor, Russell Molitor, Jennifer Mourousias, Clarance Nolan, Crystal Quiroga, Jan Ray, Andrew Reynolds, Judy Rios, Brian Schiber, Erin Schiber, Damon Schultz, Christy Seawall, Don Sommerville, Christine Steenwyk, Jeff Steenwyk, Andrea Strobert, Marisa Tenorio, Renee Tonioni, Rachel Warren, Dana Weber, Molly Wolf, Annettee Wood, Dan Wurtz, James Zablocki, Scott Zaeske, Steve Zick.

We also deeply appreciate those who attempted but were unable to donate blood. The next Sugar Grove blood drive is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 13.

Joy Rubo
Blood Drive coordinator
Sugar Grove

These include 24 in their first year, 37 in their second, 33 in their third, and nine of the 42 Kaneland teachers and professionals in their fourth year. In addition, 15 part-time teachers also received their dismissals.

For many of these educators and professionals, approximately 60 to 70 of them, the silver lining is that they will still have a job at Kaneland in the fall. However, they will not know if they are part of the “many” who could return to Kaneland until later in the year.

The reason the district authorized the dismissal of more staff than they will ultimately need is due to contractual obligations and the need for district flexibility. The district must notify certified staff at least 45 days prior to the end of the school year that their contracts will not be renewed the following year. While Kaneland finalizes its cuts and drills down to what specific positions should be re-filled, the district has the flexibility to select from the group.

The difficulty of this type of scenario is that those who are dismissed now will not know if they have a job to come back to, and there is little they can do until they find out.

The additional difficulty is that to remain in their career field, they would be entering a job market that is seeing similar staff reductions throughout the region and the state.

In many ways, this is no different than someone losing their job in the private sector. With unemployment rates so high, there are simply too many qualified applicants for too few available positions.

This is the unfortunate reality of today’s economy and the result of government budgets that were not sustainable even when the economy was surging.

It is easy to look at all of these numbers and—whether it is unemployment numbers or school budget numbers—and forget that those numbers represent real people.

That changes when the dismissal letters are actually sent, and one begins to consider the impact that letter has on the teachers, their families and their students.

“They (teachers and other professionals) went into the profession because they were passionate about students, and we will lose that. That’s the tragedy,” Kaneland School Board member Cheryl Krauspe said during Monday’s meeting.

This is the third event I have been able to attend with Congressman Foster since he has been in office. Although the time with him is limited, I greatly appreciate the fact that he even shows up to do these events. Personally, I like the private one-on-one session. Not all people are comfortable speaking publicly in town hall meeting formats.

Beginning around 2002 through the end of his term, I began calling then-Congressman Hastert’s office to find out about town hall meetings or any event I might attend to speak to him about my concerns.

I was repeatedly told “he has nothing scheduled.” At the same time, I would read about the local fundraisers he was having. Although Mr. McCubbin is unhappy about Foster’s chosen format, Foster’s availability has been far greater to his constituents than his predecessor, and we didn’t have to attend a fundraiser to see him.

Carol Green
Elburn

I don’t get to the meetings out of fear I am not educated enough—because there are always two sides—and for anyone that knows me, knows I am not afraid to speak passionately about things I believe in. That being said, I will just write about what I do know. It is not about taxes, budgets or teachers’ salaries, but community.

On the Friday night while sitting at the final Regional Basketball game at KHS, you could not only see a sense of community, but you could hear it. As the final buzzer rang in my ears, I sensed sadness; not because our team played a good game and came up short, not because the seniors just finished another chapter in their lives, but a sense of loss in the community.

Taking away sports (or any extra-curricular) at the lower levels (seventh through 10th) no doubt will weaken our athletic programs over the next few years. In general, will KHS see a final “regional” game in a few years? If not, where will we—the community—go for a night out?

We come out not only to cheer on our team, but to socialize with our community. The very young to the senior citizens gather in one place and root for one team. This is true of musicals and games. It is an inexpensive “night out” for families like mine that don’t have kids in high school yet.

It is a place where we can practice some basic manners that seem to escape our younger generation: Don’t be rude, be aware of those around you, include everyone, respect your elders, and even help a mom who has a toddler that just lost something under the bleachers. It is a place for the kids at all the elementary schools to get a glimpse of each other and make some new friends. The game/performance is a place where the team parents sit together and maybe even make life-long friendships. It is a place where a retired school-bus driver or teacher can come back and be sure to see a familiar face.

This is a place to let my 13-year-old spread her wings with her friends on the other side of the gym, but under the watchful eye of me and some of my community. It is a place where I can sometimes visit with the man that taught me the love of the game at a summer camp.

Sports (and all extra-curriculars) allow the students a different type of learning that cannot be taught out of a book. Working together as a team teaches us life lessons. These lessons carry as far, or possibly further, in life than a+b=c.

There are many great teachers in my past, and I can even remember some of the names, but I can remember all of my coaches’ names (good or bad). Thinking of this reminds me of my freshman year at college where I was to play basketball, but had to make a painful decision to quit and work for financial reasons. I am best friends with my mom, but the night my roommate suited up for the first game, I walked to the end of the hall with a hand full of quarters and called my high school basketball coach and cried. I have called that coach many times over the years.

So thank you to those coaches who have taught us to compete together as a unit, to win or lose with grace, for teaching us to perform as one voice in competition or entertainment.

As I write this letter it is 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, we are on the way to a volleyball tournament. The sun is rising as we pass the Harter Middle School and I wonder will Kaneland’s next great musician or athlete be walking in those halls come Monday morning? Will we ever know? Will a Bonnie Bray or Rick Schairer be able to mold them into today’s Dudzinski?

I smile and think back to last night at a pizza place in Batavia, where Dave and Robbie Dudzinski must have been having a brother’s night out. There was a father of a young boy that said, “Look son, there is Dave Dudzinski!” The boy smiled at his father, and they walked up and said “Hi” to Dave. I think the dad was as awestruck as the son.

Extra-curriculars are expensive, what they teach and the community they build is priceless.

Laurie Hannula
Kaneville

Their ideas, combined with your suggestions submitted through www.reinventillinois.com, have identified hundreds of key proposals that could help restore fiscal responsibility to our state.

I’d like to share one of my pieces of legislation that I believe will change the financial face of our state.

Each year, the Illinois Comptroller is mandated to provide a report to the General Assembly and the people of Illinois on expenditures made by each state agency. This Comprehensive Annual Financial Report covers July 1 to June 30, and is printed and filed once all department reports are received and audited by the auditor general.

The report that covers July 2008 to June, 2009 has not yet been filed. That’s right—funds spent 20 months ago are still not publically accounted for. Why? Because all departments do not provide their information in a timely manner for audit. Could you balance your checkbook not knowing what you had spent for nearly two years? My bill will change that.

This week, House Bill No. 6267 received unanimous approval from the House of Representatives. It creates specific deadlines; all reports must be received for review by the auditor general by Oct. 31, and the Comptroller must provide an official report by Dec. 31. To encourage a timely response, state agency directors’ salaries may be withheld until they submit the required information. Government must be accountable to the people.

The budget deficit in Illinois is not simply a result of the national economy. We must work in a bi-partisan manner and find common sense solutions to get our state back on the right track. That means reforming government and retooling how this state does business. It means creating a budget that is both responsible and treats our residents with dignity; not an easy task.

It is an honor to serve as your State Representative. I welcome and encourage additional suggestions at info@kayhatcher.us.

State Rep. Kay Hatcher
50th District
Yorkville

The lies and scare tactics have been intense. Vast amounts of money have and will be spent to discredit the very people who have bravely worked to fix a system that thrives by restricting or denying health care rather than providing it.

Please take a good look at what the new rules really do and do not do. Small businesses get tax credits to provide coverage for their employees. That should help them keep employees in these tough economic times. Children with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied insurance, and there won’t be lifetime limits to their coverage. A little girl’s illness won’t bring her whole family financial ruin.

There are plenty of reasons not to improve the current health-care system. Unfortunately, they have little to do with health care. The reforms Congressman Bill Foster endorsed will provide us all a healthier future.

Frank Imhoff
Chairman
Elgin Township Democrats
Elgin

She proceeded to explain the rapid assessment that was made upon her arrival, the medication adjustments and careful monitoring she received there. I also witnessed first-hand the care my daughter was given a year ago when she suddenly fell ill at home and was taken by ambulance to the Delnor emergency room. She spent three days in intensive care and two more days in a regular room. The thorough assessment she received by the doctors and the wonderful care she received from the nursing staff was remarkable and laid the groundwork for a complete recovery.

As a member of the Patient Partnership Council at Delnor, I have learned a lot the last few years about Delnor and their continuous efforts to provide excellent patient-centered care. The Patient Partnership Council is a group composed of staff members and prior hospital inpatients and outpatients, as well as family members of patients. The purpose of the council is to serve as a formal mechanism for involving patients and families in policy and program decision making at Delnor Hospital.

At each monthly meeting, we have learned about an aspect of hospital operations. While we have learned about Delnor, the hospital staff (members) have learned about us and are now inviting former patients to participate in hospital committees or task forces to share our view of the subject being discussed from the patient perspective. The transparency this requires is rarely seen in large institutions, and I believe is attributed to Delnor’s leadership, especially Tom Wright, President and CEO of the Delnor Health System.

Delnor Hospital was recently awarded the prestigious Planetree Designation. It is the only hospital in Illinois with this credential and is one of nine in the United States. Planetree is devoted to promoting a better patient experience, empowering patients and families through information and education, and encouraging healing partnerships with patients and caregivers. Planetree promotes the core values of service, respect, integrity and compassion.

I am proud to volunteer on this council and felt the community should be made aware of Delnor’s continuous efforts to provide excellent health care to our community.

Ginny Temple
St. Charles

To avoid wearing out my welcome by replaying budget and job-creation solutions that I have repeatedly proposed here and in Springfield, I will devote this article to “Lauzen’s Top 10” legislative initiatives that I am proposing this Spring on your behalf:
1. What’s good for the goose: 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.”
According to Article V of the U.S. Constitution, the People, through at least two-thirds of their state legislators, can call for a convention strictly limited to enact this provision. (SJR111)
2. Eliminate pensions for members of the Illinois General Assembly: If you really want to affect term limits, remove platinum-plated benefits. Citizen legislators should not be incentivized like professional politicians or state workers in the permanent bureaucracy. (SB2920)
3. Stop gerrymandering legislative districts: Support the League of Women Voters “FairMap” referendum to end the practice of legislative leaders protecting the status quo by selecting their constituents, rather than constituents fairly electing their representatives.
4. Cut unfunded mandates to schools and local governments: Especially during a time when those running state government are behaving like deadbeats, immediately reduce all the unnecessary regulation that pumps up bureaucracy and waste. If you’re not going to send the money, hold back all that advice. (SB3000)
5. Saved you $10M of wasteful spending: Senator Dale Righter and I killed legislation in Senate floor debate on March 10 that would have given a $10 million payback of your tax dollars to four casinos (not Aurora or Elgin) between 2006 and 2009.
6. Ban political robocalls: Eliminate the exception for politicians to the “Do Not Call” list procedures. (SB3135)
7. Fair assessments for property taxes: County assessors must include foreclosures, short sales and other distressed situations in determining the true value of real estate. (SB3334)
8. Eliminate redundant elementary-school districts within a single high-school district: By referendum, residents would choose a single high school district that their elementary school district children would go to. This consolidation would not close schools, it would combine redundant administration—improving curriculum coordination and saving an estimated quarter of a billion dollars statewide per year. (SB2281)
9. Term limits for legislators: Republican Governor Nominee Senator Bill Brady and I would prohibit representatives from serving more than five consecutive terms and senators from more than three terms. (SJRCA 77)
10. Reform public-employee pensions: Eliminate double-dipping into multiple public-pension systems; raise age for collecting public pensions to 62 years old from 50 and 55; cap benefits at six-figure annual income of $100,000; reduce annual cost-of-living increases; calculate benefits based on average of highest eight of last 10 years (rather than in many cases, last day of service); and, fully-fund what is promised. These provisions will save you tens of billions of dollars over the next 20 to 30 years. (SB2825, SFA 1)

The next step on each of these proposals is to get the maximum number of senate co-sponsors to increase support for passage. Call me at (630) 264-2334, if you would like to help.
Senator Chris Lauzen
25th District
Aurora

The event theme was “Spring Break” this year, offering a beach and party atmosphere for the 177 individuals who attended.

The ballroom at the Eaglebrook Country Club in Geneva was transformed into a sunny beach shore for the evening, where attendees enjoyed extensive silent and live auctions, a split-the-pot raffle, live D.J. spinning tunes by request, and a “Toss for the Cause” bean bag game.

The event netted just over $41,000, which is under the $50,000 the agency was hoping to raise.

Our supporters are really increasing their direct donations to TriCity Family Services and cutting back on attending and spending money at fundraising events. We still have lots of fun, raise some good money, and gain new friends and supporters from these events, but they are not the big revenue generators that they used to be.

The loyal cadre of supporters who attended the Spring Break Benefit, along with some new friends of the agency, brought great energy to the room and made generous contributions and purchases to ensure that the four-decade-old agency continues to serve the mental health needs of the community.

The need for TriCity Family Services counseling services on a sliding-fee scale are in great demand at this difficult economic time. The agency remains committed to making their programs and services affordable to area residents in need, particularly those uninsured or underinsured individuals and families for whom outpatient mental health services in the private practice sector are out of reach financially.

Nearly 90 percent of all counseling program fees at TriCity Family Services are based on the sliding scale, and more than half of all clients receiving counseling services pay less than $40 per session. TriCity Family Services continues to ensure that no one is ever denied services on a basis of ability to pay.

The agency would like to thank Presenting Sponsors of the event: Harris Bank, Exelon Nuclear, and Nicor.

Miranda Barfuss
Director of Development
TriCity Family Services

Blazing Prairie Stars is a provider of horse-assisted therapy and other programs in the natural environment for children who have disabilities. Volunteers are needed for one- to two-hour shifts on Monday and Wednesday mornings to serve as horse leaders and side walkers during the therapy sessions. Volunteers can also help with grooming, tacking, and other barn chores.

Please call Carrie Capes at Blazing Prairie Stars (630) 365-5550 to learn more about this exciting volunteer opportunity. Join our inspiring team of volunteers, therapists, and horse professionals.

Carrie Capes
Maple Park

The Elburn Chamber-sponsored Day in the Park has been one such great day. Not just fireworks but volleyball, basketball, bags tournaments, bands, a health fair, food vendors, family picnicking and socializing with friends add to the fun.

This great day has in the past been almost entirely funded by local businesses, but budget cuts have decreased these contributions a bit, and the balance needs to be made up from other sources. Last year, the Elburn Chamber found that the funding just wasn’t there for the day and had to cancel it. We are determined to bring it back this year, but we need your help.

Tickets for a pork chop dinner are being sold at local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce for Wednesday, March 31. A portion of each ticket sold goes directly to the fireworks. For the cost of going out for a night, you can have a great dinner at home prepared by the Elburn Lion’s Club and know that you helped in paying for the fireworks.

But there’s something else you can do. The food pantry has had a greater than usual demand for their services. You can also help them by purchasing extra tickets and donating them to the food pantry. These tickets will be given out as part of the food packages and it would be a great blessing to a struggling family.

Help us plan for a great Day in the Park. Go to a local business with an Elburn Chamber sticker or call Jessica at the Elburn Chamber at (630) 365-2295 and buy tickets for a pork chop dinner for your family, and while you’re at it, buy an extra ticket or two for the food pantry.

Then on Wednesday, March 31, drive to Lions Park between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. and an assistant will bring your dinners out to your car. Tickets must be preordered and purchased by Friday, March 19, to be ready for March 31, so don’t wait. Call today and rediscover that many of the best things in life are in our own backyard.

Bill Brauer
Elburn Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors

It was extremely professional and delightful to hear. Their program had a wide range of selections: Charles DeBussy’s “Claire de Lune,” Chopin’s “Fantastic Impromtu” and “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney, to name a few.

Kristen Paxinos and Ben Westfall have exciting biographical sketches, and they demonstrated their talents with the concert.

Talking with a concert attendee who has played guitar professionally for over 40 years, he stated that he recently began taking lessons from Ben because he still had a lot to learn. He stated that Ben is not only a professional player but also a fantastic teacher. His lesson approach was the best he had ever had, because he made it so simple to understand. That bodes well for the young as well as older students.

Thank you, Kristen and Ben. We hope everyone in our community will support these musicians and performing arts in Elburn. Be sure to look for the next opportunity to enjoy a performance of Kristen and Ben. Elburn citizens have a wonderful opportunity to enjoy these venues but also to enroll in the classes offered. The fees are reasonable and well within the reach of most people and parents.

Jack Hansen
Elburn

First of all, all medical procedures require parental consent. I don’t see why abortion should be any different. Parents should have the right to know what’s going on with their children. They are minors, and their parents should be able to know about their children’s decisions. Although I don’t support abortions, even people over the age of 18 years old should let their parents know about their abortion.

Not only would a person be killing the parents’ grandchild, but they would also be killing a human being. If people are allowed to get abortions, then I strongly believe that the parents should at least have a say about it. Parents also need to know if their children are having an abortion because there are some major side effects that could put them in danger. Diarrhea, vomiting, spotting or bleeding are just some of the many health risks that are taken. More serious possible side effects include infections, damage to organs, being paralyzed or even death. The guilt and other psychological side effects could also harm someone greatly.

Parents can help protect their children with this new law in place. It provides an option for parents to say no to abortion and to say no to their own children or grandchildren getting hurt.

Emily Carr
Student
Kaneland High School

What happens to a state like Illinois when it doesn’t pay its bills for over six months to school districts and social service agencies?

Answer: We the People fire the decision-makers.

The state budget was in emergency condition four years ago. It was in crisis three years ago. Chaos two years ago. Now, it’s beyond meltdown—it’s fiscal anarchy.

Anarchy is “the state of lawlessness or political disorder—the denial of any authority, rule of law, and absence of established order.”

The legislature passes appropriations laws to authorize the governor’s spending. He agrees by signing the appropriations plan into law. Millions of people trust and depend upon his proper execution of that spending plan. Yet, in Illinois today, the bills don’t get paid.

In May 2009, I speculated in writing that the governor was holding social service agencies hostage by cutting their appropriations in half to put pressure on the legislature to pass his income tax increase. Now, he seems to be doubling-down on that strategy by refusing to do what’s necessary to now pay school districts and universities, too.

When practical legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, recognize the further financial strain that a major tax increase on work and savings will have on already-struggling Illinois families and vote “No,” the governor refuses to significantly cut spending in a bloated government. When the deficit climbs to 24 percent of general revenue, a 1 percent year-over-year spending cut doesn’t count for enough.

Besides getting Illinois back to work, my highest priority this spring will be to propose solutions to the governor and the ruling majority of Chicago Democrats who have had total control of Illinois state government for eight years that will allow us to live within our means without a tax increase. We have billions of your dollars that need to be prioritized so that we don’t bail out government at taxpayers’ expense, especially during this serious economic downturn.

Massive billion-dollar savings to restore balance will result if we:
• Rein in Medicaid eligibility: the deliveries of one out of every two babies born in Illinois are now paid by taxpayers, and we still have no citizenship requirement for routine healthcare for illegal immigrants, often provided in the most expensive emergency rooms.
• Implement cost-saving “managed-care” to improve quality and reduce cost of Medicaid.
• Obtain spending flexibility for the huge $9.4 billion of federal so-called stimulus funding coming to Illinois from Washington over the 20 months starting February of 2009, rather than its current requirement of freezing status quo structural overspending, which they refer to as “maintenance of effort.”
• Reform the bankrupt state pension systems to protect taxpayers and rank-and-file beneficiaries by declaring the actuarial emergency that currently exists, cap outrageous high-compensation benefits at even 400 percent current maximum social security levels, reconstruct the pension architecture for future participants to be a hybrid of Social Security defined benefit and defined contribution 401(k) saving structures, and eliminate pensions for members of the General Assembly who should serve out of sense of duty rather than lucrative career politics. Huge actuarial savings will be achieved if we merely require that even existing levels of pension benefits cannot be collected until the public employee reaches 62, like the rest of us under “early-retirement” Social Security, instead of the current shockingly young age of 50 or 55 years old.

I am simply amazed by the atmosphere in Springfield in recent weeks. Smart people, who should know better, are walking around like things are normal, while schools and social service agencies back home are having panic spread because payrolls won’t be met.

In a future article, I will list my other legislative initiatives on your behalf, including term limits, stopping political robocalls, and a new Constitutional requirement that laws passed by politicians must apply to them, too.

Chris Lauzen
State Senator, 25th District
Aurora

I have a few questions to present to the School District.

First of all, if you are considering first-, second- and third-year and part-time teachers, didn’t we all know three years ago that things were getting very tight? If I knew this why didn’t the School District know this?

Second of all, are you considering handing out “pink slips” to the administration at the same percentage that you are considering “pink slipping” teachers?

Third of all, why are you not starting at the top and leaving the front line teachers to be the last to be considered for “pink slips”? After all, the school’s main purpose is to teach children, and that is what teachers do, not administrators.

In these rough days, we all have to tighten our belts and cut back on spending, but we all have to prioritize the cut backs and leave the most essentials to be the last to be cut. My message to the Kaneland School District is to cut the waste and frills and cut the non-essentials and leave the essentials alone. I would be interested in reading in the Elburn Herald, from the School District, what exactly their intentions are.

Kids have always been important to me. They are our future, and if we don’t educate them to the very best of our ability, then our future will be lost.

Karen McCannon
aka JoJo the Clown
Sugar Grove

When I entered the building I was informed that only a limited number of people would be able to ask questions in a private room away from the public. Only 45 numbered slips of paper were given out, with each person rationed to a few minutes.

What I found interesting is that while Foster was taking numbers and seeing people in seclusion, Geneva’s Mayor Kevin Burns was holding an open forum, right outside of Foster’s private meeting room. Mayor Burns didn’t hide. He took tough questions about recently installed red light cameras and a possible water rate increase. Mayor Burns did not ask us to take a number or shuffle citizens to a side room. He took the heat.

After I waited for over three hours for Foster, he finally came out of the City Hall building. As he came down the steps, I wanted just a couple of minutes to ask about the impending health care bill and his voting record. He answered a question from an individual who adorned support for him; however, after being introduced as the Chairman of the Kane County Young Republicans, I was brushed aside and told, “Sorry, there isn’t enough time.”

Maybe by waiting in line, taking a number and rationing the amount of time each person had with Foster was a foreshadowing of what’s to come. As we move closer to socialized medicine, maybe Rep. Foster was giving us some lessons. Healthcare will be politicized. Everyone will take a number and wait in line. And if you wait long enough, eventually your time will run out.

Cody McCubbin
Chairman
Kane County Young Republicans
Geneva

Now, let’s take a look at how Michigan has been doing since Jennifer Granholm became the governor. For the last 46 months, Michigan has led the country in unemployment. She has increased business taxes that affected over 60 percent of the companies in her state, a majority of them small businesses. She increased income tax by 17 percent without cutting a budget that continues to grow. The Michigan governor spent billions of stimulus dollars in infrastructure that she predicted would create tens of thousands of jobs that didn’t materialize. She also mandated renewable power standards that were backed by government subsidies, adding even more to the woes of the state.

We can now look at the most inexperienced president to ever sit in the Oval Office and worry about the direction of the nation. Our unemployment rate is at its highest in decades, growing at a substantial rate even after he stated we needed to pass the “stimulus” bill to stay under 8 percent unemployment or face Armageddon. What actually happened with the “stimulus” bill was that we borrowed an incredible amount from China to pay for a myriad of pork barrel legislation that did absolutely nothing to save or create a single job.

Next, he is proposing to increase taxes on all the businesses in this country. What, you haven’t seen any legislation for that? You did, but it was in the Bush era and the tax cuts that he got passed are set to expire next year. But you did hear about the “penalties” that Obama wants imposed on the evil, big banks. Those are the same banks that the liberals have been railing against because they aren’t lending to small business. And, these are the same banks that have paid back the TARP funds, with interest, after several of them were forced to take the money.

So, all of the people experienced in business in the president’s cabinet and inner circle suggest—wait, there aren’t any people that have been out in the business world where you have to worry about meeting a budget and can’t print money. So, with the growing deficit that he is creating, we are certainly going to have to increase taxes to pay for his policies at some point or face the devaluation of the dollar, spiraling interest rates, and hyperinflation.

This is just one year into his presidency, long enough for his plans and ideas for America to take effect—and oh what an effect. We all have an example of the direction our country will continue to go if we continue down the path the president is taking us, just by looking at Michigan. I for one don’t want to travel down that path with the president.

What we need is some solid governance with the understanding that the government is not there to create one single job but to create an environment in which the people of America can work, create businesses, find the next technology that is needed without government direction, and continue to be the most incredibly free country that God ever graced the Earth with.

David Selenis
Maple Park

The people I serve just want honest competence from their government. I have learned that constituents will forgive me for making mistakes, as long as I learn from them, and if they can trust that I won’t lie to them and won’t steal from them.

Voters reject “profiteering by politicians” and dishonest incompetence. The clear message, at least in our Republican Primary, was:
• Tell people the truth.
• Serve constituents, not the powerful political potentates.
• Shrink government and restore our pride in traditional American values—enough with the apologies and bowing to foreign dignitaries.
• Bring our jobs back—we must get back to work.
• Do our work, as government leaders, out in the open through persuasion; stop the behind-the-scenes manipulation and coercion.

I call for an upheaval and reformation of the Republican Party based upon the clear message from our voters. Actions that can be taken immediately include:
1) Return the power of directly voting for party leadership to “the People.”
2) Anyone, at any level of government, who is found enriching himself, his family or friends beyond his statutory pay should immediately be fired and prosecuted. Zero-tolerance for self-serving corruption is our standard.
3) As soon as the winner of the Republican governor nomination is identified, Pat Brady, the Illinois Republican Chairman, should resign for interfering and taking sides in this Republican Primary and for doing nothing to effectively stop his predecessor from spending $5 million to attack his opponents (after having promised to monitor and enforce clean campaigning standards).
4) The Kane County Republican Chairman should resign so that we can credibly begin the work of reconstructing a reformed Republican-led coalition of Republicans, independents, and disillusioned Reagan Democrats. “Less government, more individual freedom” will be our objective and slogan.
5) The current Aurora Republican Chairman is already stepping down. The new elected chairman should work hard to rally the Reform Coalition around recruiting and supporting candidates who will practice honest competence.
6) Denny Hastert should return to the U.S. Treasury the $500,000 per year that he is receiving, as former Speaker of the House, to employ three staff members whom he pays over $100,000 per year each and $6,300 per month rent, and a taxpayer-paid SUV for his use … all while he lobbies for foreign governments and private interests. If we, the people, don’t voice our criticism, these wasteful abuses of power will continue.

Republican voters have spoken. We need to conduct a thorough scrubbing of our Republican Party procedures and behavior in order to maximize our appeal to all voters in the November General Election … and to fulfill our campaign commitments in actual public service.

Senator Chris Lauzen
25th Legislative District

I’ve read other letters on this very topic in the Elburn Herald. I understand where this student is coming from. I went through it myself as a child, and my youngest son went through it in high school. In both cases, it was stopped decisively and quickly.

However, the rules of engagement have changed. We are now told to walk away. To me, that is running away in slow motion. This also gives the bully the edge. You, being a good student, do not want to cause trouble and get sent to the office. The bully doesn’t care, because he’s looking for attention anyway. You will find that the bullies are in the minority, even though they appear to have people in their grasp.

I have gotten permission from the Elburn Lions Club to use our club house as a safe meeting place to talk. Nobody should have to be afraid to go to school. At our club house, you can meet and talk about your situation. This is open to any student from Kaneland.

I am a Kaneland graduate myself.

Here is my name and telephone number. Please give me a call if you would like to sit down and talk in a safe environment: Chris Halsey, (630) 466-0341.

Chris Halsey
Sugar Grove

What are they thinking?

Legislators should not be debating privatization, but be more troubled that their constituency should have to pay a toll/tax at all to use Illinois highways. Over the last 60 years, the media have had story after story about the corruption coming out of the toll authority headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., and we have read of our state legislators lining their pockets for support of a tollway system.

What many Illinois citizens don’t understand is that everyone is paying for the tollway system regardless if they use these roads or not. Every time you see a truck on a tollway road hauling goods to the automobile dealer, to the clothing store, to the ice cream store or to the gas station, or seeing a limousine on their way to the airport, the higher toll/tax that those drivers must pay to use these roads is passed on to you, the consumer. Money also comes from our real estate taxes when school buses use these roads. Even life and death ambulances on their way to an accident or to the hospital pay a toll/tax.

With privatization, can you imagine what we would pay for an I-PASS once a private company starts factoring in their profit? We’ve seen what happened in Chicago with their parking meters, and we’ve seen that we can’t count on our legislators to have oversight; they can’t even fix today’s problems in Springfield.

By adding just a few cents at the fuel pump, we would not have to think about privatization, corruption in the Downers Grove office, putting cash in legislator’s pockets, keeping a balance in an I-PASS account or unjust fines.

We need to tell our legislators that we don’t need or want a tollway system in Illinois and that the one and a half million daily users have paid for these roads many times over during the last 60 years. You need to also remind them that elections are coming up in November.

Russell Johnson
Sugar Grove

The Sugar Grove Firefighters Auxiliary, along with the Sugar Grove Fire Department, will hold their blood drive at the Sugar Grove Fire Department, located at 25 Municipal Drive. Donation times are from 3 to 7:30 p.m.

Appointments are encourages, but walk-ins are welcome. Please call Joy at (630) 466-7190 or Kathy at (630) 466-4634 to make your appointment for for information.

We deeply appreciate and thank you for sharing the gift of life.

Joy Rubo
Blood drive coordinator

I also want to thank the voters who voted for me and all of the voters who went to the polls. It is an honor and a privilege to be on the ballot and to ask for your consideration. This is what makes America great.

I am proud of the issue-oriented campaign that I ran and, despite the loss, I can hold my head up high in the knowledge that I stepped up to the plate and voiced issues that needed to be raised. I look forward to continuing to serve as Village President of Sugar Grove and working with the great people that I have met through this process.

Thank you again.

Sean Michels
25th Senate Candidate
Sugar Grove Village President

At the time, it hadn’t yet been announced which sports or clubs were on the chopping block. I thought that if cheerleading was cut, my life would be over, the one thing that I loved would be done, and my mind was a blur with all the different scenes being played in my head. But as I walked out of my classroom, I realized how incredibly selfish I was being.

As I walked down the overcrowded hall, I realized that I was not the only one who would be affected by the extreme budget cuts proposed. I started thinking about the teachers, who will lose their income and not be able to support themselves or their families. Losing a job has always been an unfortunate thing, but in this economy, unfortunate is a huge understatement.

First, I was mad at myself for being so selfish and only thinking about myself. But then I realized that I was probably not alone. There were probably plenty of other students in the hall who would have reacted the same exact way, which is why it needs to stop.

Please don’t get me wrong. I would be devastated if any of my clubs or sports got cut, but people losing their jobs is much more of a hardship. Nobody is happy about cuts, but we are going to have to deal with them. More than a million dollars isn’t going to just magically appear, so until we can solve our financial crisis, we need to all start thinking more about others and less about ourselves.

Bailey Burns
Freshman at KHS

Bullying is a very serious problem at school, and it is often overlooked, or it has become somewhat accepted. Children pushing one another, or punching or hitting one another, can be seen throughout all grade levels in school, and we’ve accepted that kind of behavior as “just the way kids act.”

Teachers are letting more and more slip by as the years go on. Just the other day, I was walking down the hall to my locker, and as I looked up, a student threw another student into a locker, laughing the whole time, as a teacher stood by and watched.

I understand that this is not a very big sign of bullying to most people, because the two students may have been friends, but if a teacher doesn’t step in when they are “friends,” will they step in when the students aren’t? This isn’t the classic “give me your lunch money” bullying, but it is still bullying and it is still wrong.

I’m not saying teachers should suspend a kid for just horsing around—but they should confront them, let them know it is wrong, and tell them not to do it again.

As time goes on, we will end up accepting more and more of this behavior. Before you know it, full-out fights will be going on as teachers walk by, saying, “oh, kids will be kids,” and shrugging their shoulders.

School isn’t professional hockey where fights are allowed. But kids are also at fault here. Kids stand by and watch it happen, without stepping in or speaking up. Kids don’t think it’s cool to stand up for themselves or each other, because of the way they’ll be looked at, but what’s not cool is standing by and letting it happen.

Many participate in these behaviors, pushing their limits to see just how much they can get away with. They need to know it’s wrong. Teachers need to step in, and kids need to step up.

This problem won’t stop itself. Don’t just be a witness. Intervene and let your peers know that what they’re doing is wrong. Make a change.

Blake Sowell
Freshman at KHS

All non-perishable foods are gratefully accepted by the facility, but some items seem to be most popular: spaghetti sauce, pastas, pancake mix and syrup, box dinner mixes, canned fruits and vegetables, juices, breakfast cereals, baby food, sugar and flour, soups and stew.

There is always a special need for personal care and household items that food stamps cannot be used for, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, cleaners, baggies, garbage bags, diapers (infant and adult), shampoo, conditioner, soap, other toiletries, tissues, toilet paper, and feminine products.

Donated food, household products and pet food items can be dropped off at the conveniently placed drop-off boxes in the following locations during business hours: the Sugar Grove Animal Hospital, GreenAcre Cleaners, Sugar Grove Village Hall, Sugar Grove United Methodist Church, Sugar Grove Library, Castle Bank, Old Second Bank, Sugar Grove Re/Max All Pro Realty, McDole Elementary School and the Aurora Candlewood Suites.

As a member of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, the food pantry can purchase needed food items at greatly reduced rates. For example, $2 at the food bank buys eight boxes of name brand cereal.

If you would like to help the food pantry with a monetary donation, it can be made out to Between Friends Food Pantry and mailed to P.O. Box 509, Sugar Grove, IL 60554.

Diana Baker
Pantry Volunteer
Sugar Grove

As our population grows, it is especially inspiring to witness old and new neighbors coming together to help one another in a small-town way. Due to current economic conditions, the number of families who request assistance continues to increase each year. And yet, thanks to your generosity, we were able to help all who needed support: 63 Kaneland families including 132 children.

Holiday Spirit provided each family with gifts for every child and a gas gift card. It would be impossible to share with you the many additional ways our families were blessed by the outpouring of love from strangers.

For the hat and mitten trees that collected warmth for little hands and faces, and the Thanksgiving basketball camp that raised money for Holiday Spirit, we are incredibly grateful. For the civic groups, churches and classrooms who helped meet the wishes on a child’s Christmas list; we are humbled by your thoughtfulness. For the families that bought presents for a needy family instead of each other, we are inspired by your selflessness. To the groups that sponsored toy drives, stuffed stockings and looked for deals all year long, we thank you.

It is truly amazing to step back and count all the blessings we have in our community. Together, we made a real difference in the lives of hurting area families. Thank you!

Carol Alfrey
Nicole Pryor
Chairpersons
The Holiday Spirit Committee
Conley Outreach Community Services
Elburn

Representing the 50th District means balancing the needs of over 100,000 residents at a pivotal time in Illinois history. It’s never been harder, and there’s never been more opportunity to make our state better. Thank you for your trust.

It all starts with those who participate in the election process. Every vote is important, whether given to me or another. It’s the first step toward making our state one we can be proud of again.

The primary is complete, and I think everyone won. Good ideas were fleshed out by thoughtful candidates. Every election success truly belongs to the many friends and volunteers who gave their time, talents and trust to every campaign. The patient family that continues to stick by a candidate is important. Mine is priceless.

During my first year, the state’s books were opened for public review. We cleaned up campaign loopholes and helped a lot of people live better lives. Local residents saw their ideas become legislation.

The state is turning around. It’s because so many of you took the time to participate. Keep doing it. Call our office with your ideas, (630) 553-3223, or go online to ReinventIllinois.com. Thanks again for the opportunity to serve.

Kay Hatcher
Yorkville
State Representative

First, I’d like to thank the thousands of primary voters that have put their faith in me to represent them in the general election in November. I will not let you down.

I am not a professional politician with a half dozen campaigns under my belt, like my worthy opponent; so many aspects of the recent judicial primary came as a surprise to me. When I agreed to run for judge, I had no idea how difficult running for office could be.

I had no idea how many people would become involved, as committee members (about 50), endorsers (over 50), donors (especially given my pledge to refuse all campaign donations from lawyers), and volunteers of all types.

I did not know how humbling it would be to see so many people working so hard on my behalf, working countless hours, often in the cold, to do all the many things a successful campaign requires. It was an embarrassment of riches. My cup runneth over. I can never thank you enough.

For the next nine months I will work hard to communicate to the voters of Kane County about my qualifications and my vision of the role of a judge.

I believe the role of a judge is to be nonpartisan, to follow the law, to listen to both sides, keep an open mind until all the evidence is in, and to treat every single person that comes before you fairly, with dignity and respect.

I believe in diversity, transparency, precedent, tradition and the possibility of grace and redemption. And if I am fortunate enough to win the support of the majority of Kane County voters this fall, that’s the kind of judge I will be.

John G. Dalton
Elgin

I am proud of the campaign that we ran.

I also want to assure everyone that I have a crew out picking up signs. I am told that the ground may be frozen and it may be difficult to get the signs out. The sign pick-up will be a continuing effort, and we will get them out as soon as we are able.

Fred M. Morelli, Jr.
Aurora

It was a great privilege to have my name placed on the ballot, but it was far more rewarding to meet so many great people and families—the hearts of our communities—along the campaign trail. The outpouring of support from so many different corners of the district was especially humbling. I am grateful for so many of you who took the time to listen to the purpose of the Wheeler campaign, and it was particularly beneficial to me that you shared so many personal stories and ideas to improve state government in Illinois.

Finally, to those of you who offered and gave of your time, talent, and treasure to support the Wheeler campaign for State Representative for the 50th District, I want to publicly thank you for building a truly effective grassroots campaign which actually received the most votes in both Kendall and LaSalle counties. You are my heroes, and I continue to be inspired by your passion and commitment to better government through conservative principles.

Thank you again.

Keith R. Wheeler
Oswego

After the primary elections, it will be time to address, in collaboration with all your peers of both parties, our current economic crisis in the state, as a whole, and specifically in state-funded human services. It is absolutely critical that politics be set aside in favor of resolving the state’s budget problems as soon as possible. If something isn’t done soon, the problem will only become worse.

As I expressed to several of you at a recent NMAI meeting, you may not have been around long enough to be completely responsible for the current fiscal problems, but is is your job to resolve it. I ask you to personally urge your leadership to work across party lines to come to a resolution to the fiscal crisis. Do whatever you need to do, because everyone, not just the legislative leaders, will be held responsible when services can no longer be delivered.

It is patently unfair, unjust, and just bad business for providers of state-funded services to have to wait anywhere from 30 to 120 days or more for payment from the state for no other reason than the checkbook is empty. These agencies are having to borrow funds (with interest fees that will never be reimbursed) in order to meet payroll. The agencies that have contracted with you, in good faith, are floating the state’s checkbook. This is an embarrassment. Providers need to be paid on time. Period. End of story.

Finally, your constituents whose family members receive state-funded services deserve to know if these services will continue or not. The current budget does not begin to address the 16,000 Illinois residents who are on the waiting list for developmental disability services. Or the needs of the parents of an adult child with a mental health crisis who has to be treated in a hospital ER for 24 hours because Illinois and DMH decided that they could no longer fund the CHIPS program to stabilize mentally fragile citizens.

The fact of the matter is Illinois ranks last (or near last) in state-funded community-based services for those Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities or mental illness. We, as a state, and you, as leaders of this state, should find this embarrassing. I personally know residents who have moved their children out of state to get adequate services for their kids. This should not be necessary.

Other than relocating to another state, the individual resident has no way to solve these problems. You and your leaders are the only ones who can. We are all counting on you to get the job done so that people are served and providers are paid. I’m looking forward hopefully to a productive legislative session this spring. I would be really proud if our local legislators would take the lead with concrete proposals to resolve the crisis.

Again, thank you for your service. Yours is not an easy job, but I don’t expect you thought it would be when you were elected. But it’s time to get it done.

Jerry J. Murphy
Executive Director
Mental Health & Mental
Retardation Services, Inc.

There will be a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Elburn American Legion. You do not need to be a member to attend, just a veteran, and we will help answer those questions. We will have three people available to give you answers.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at 112 N. Main St., Elburn, park in the rear.

Norbert Lund
Sycamore

It was very well organized. The spaces for the exhibitors were clearly marked in the gym, and there was plenty of staff around.

Several students helped me set up my equipment and helped me bring it back to my car. They were pleasant and eager; even though it was a very windy and cold day. I conducted spinal screenings to detect scoliosis for the students. They were all polite and interested. I was able to answer their questions about the spine and the nervous system. There were sandwiches, coffee and soft drinks available for the vendors.

I would like to thank Brian Willis and the staff there for inviting me. I think they did a great job. I was able to meet some of the other vendors who are also interested in drugless, whole health. Overall, it was a great experience and I was able to get back to my office to treat patients later in the day. We have some wonderful youth and teachers here.

I hope that the school will do this again in the future.

Kenneth E. Baumruck, D.C.
Elburn Chiropractic & Acupuncture

He should research his points thoroughly before he puts things in writing. I am sure people read his letter and took his misinformation as fact.

Unfortunately, Mr. Ryan has not taken the time to research his points and blames Sugar Grove or myself for many of the issues that we have no control over.

The Mallard Point issue is preying on the misfortune of the homeowners, which should never happen. Sugar Grove, the Rob Roy Drainage District and Kane County are working to develop a long-term solution to a sump pump problem that, for the past 15 years, had not been an issue. This problem started when the area experienced heavy rains in the fall of 2008. Until then, the subdivision was not experiencing storm water issues.

Look at the history of the Big Rock boundary dispute. Sugar Grove has been in Big Rock Township for over 20 years with various businesses that the village supplies water to. Certain people in Big Rock feel that Sugar Grove should de-annex this property and move out of Big Rock Township, which would be a disservice to the existing businesses that rely on village services. These same people wanted to annex over 7,000 acres to prevent Sugar Grove from annexing further into Big Rock.

Do you realize the tax dollars that would have been lost for the School District, Fire District and so forth if this would have occurred? Sugar Grove would much rather have entered into a boundary agreement like it has with all its neighbors to the east.

Unfortunately, you need two sides to talk, and Big Rock did not want to talk. Due to Sugar Grove’s efforts, much of the property has not been annexed so that annexation agreements can still be negotiated.

Look at Sugar Grove’s planning map, and you will see that Sugar Grove does not show any plans for development into Kaneville Township. The update to Sugar Grove’s Land Use Plan was done prior to the incorporation of Kaneville. Sugar Grove met with Kaneville Township officials to preserve an area for the village of Kaneville. It was with the help of Sugar Grove that Kaneville incorporated a smaller area so they could focus on their immediate needs.

To those living in the areas between Interstate 88 and Main Street, don’t listen to Mr. Ryan, he only wants to instill fear in you. The village has no interest in annexing any property in this area unless asked to do so by a developer. Only then would the village annex the property if it benefits the area. One such plan is to improve the interchange at Interstate 88 and Route 47 and to provide commercial development to diversify our tax base. Having a complete interchange would not only benefit Sugar Grove, but the entire region.

Please explain to the two children that almost lost their lives in a horrible traffic accident on Route 56 why our police should not ticket motorists speeding through the village. Nearly 90 percent of the tickets issued in Sugar Grove are to people speeding 15 mph or more over the posted speed limit.

Sugar Grove does not have sole control over the housing market. The Kaneland School Board made a decision to construct a new middle school based on the number of developments that were planned throughout the entire School District, not just the developments in Sugar Grove. It is comical to me that last March, Sugar Grove was faulted for not growing fast enough. Nevertheless, Sugar Grove worked with the School District and the other communities to implement higher fees on new homes to avoid referendums to pay for new schools due to growth.

Builders and Realtors fought these fees, but it was known that taxpayers would not support another referendum to pay for growth.

You cannot have it both ways Mr. Ryan. In the last paragraph you blame Sugar Grove for its failed developments and now you say we are too extravagant. Which is it? Sugar Grove’s business parks are 90 percent built out. The village recently extended roads and infrastructure to attract additional retail and commercial businesses. A new commercial building is under construction, and plans are being reviewed by the village for a new retail center. Sugar Grove has a mixture of housing, from starter homes to high value homes. This mix of commercial, retail, housing and open space make Sugar Grove one of the premier communities in northern Illinois.

Win or lose on Tuesday, I am very proud of the campaign that I have run and very proud of Sugar Grove. I have stuck to the facts and not trashed anyone’s family or made false statements. If my opponent, or his sympathizers, would have shown what projects he was personally involved in or what significant legislation he was able to pass, I would not have run. Since he could not, I only felt it was my patriotic duty to bring his record to the attention of the public, and run a race based on fact, not personal attacks.

Sean Michels
Sugar Grove
Village President
25th Legislative District Candidate

Many of these wonderful books were given to the children of our adult learners as holiday gifts. Others will be used to help adults read and speak English more effectively during 2010. We are also “spreading the wealth” by sharing your book donations with other non-profit organizations who serve children.

Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley provides free, one-to-one literacy tutoring to adults in St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Elburn, Campton Township, LaFox, Lily Lake, Wasco and Wayne. Lessons help people learn to read, write, understand and speak English better.

On average, our adult learners read at a third grade level. Many are parents who want to help their children succeed in school. Your generosity will help our volunteer tutors unlock the wisdom and enjoyment that these books contain for our adult learners and their families.

For more information about Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley and the work we do, visit www.lvfv.org.

Peg Coker
Executive Director
Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley

I ask each Republican voter in this election, a few questions:

To you in Mallard Point with wet feet: Will you vote for Sean Michels?

To you in Big Rock who had to fight a boundary dispute with Sugar Grove: Will you vote for Sean?

To Kaneville residents who had to incorporate your village to avoid being overrun by Sugar Grove development: Will you vote for Sean?

To you living in the areas between Interstate 88 and Main Street Road, which Sugar Grove has expressed a desire to annex: Will you vote for Sean?

To area motorists ticketed by Sugar Grove’s predatory police on routes 30 and 47: Will you vote for Sean?

To Virgil and Maple Park parents whose middle school kids must now be bussed to Harter Road and Route 47 because Sugar Grove’s development dream failed: Will you vote for Sean?

To all property owners in Kaneland School District whose taxes have risen due to Sugar Grove’s extravagant, tax-increasing residential development policies: Will you vote for Sean?

That’s my question to each Republican voter in this election.

Election day results will record your answer.

Dennis C. Ryan
Elburn

And just so you know, I remember FDR very well.

We are losing our American freedoms piece by piece, and we are responsible for this because we have not paid close enough attention to those governing us.

A word, now, to those who do not vote in primaries. You are a big part of where we find ourselves. We have many really capable, creditable and skilled conservative candidates from which to choose to lead us.

My advice, start researching these candidates on the Internet. Find out what they have done in politics, how they have voted. Discover their business practices and how that might affect your vote.

I’m tired of hearing “I don’t like to declare my party.” Are you ashamed to declare? If you don’t declare in primaries, you get other people’s choices.

This election allows you the chance to take back your American freedoms. I have attended some very good political forums and have met some very accomplished candidates face to face. From there, you get a fresh picture of them instead of the sound bites found on their brochures. Take advantage of these free opportunities.

Do your homework, study the issues and vote on Feb. 2. We need to rebuild our democracy.

Richard H. Sharp
Geneva

We are volunteers at and very active users of the Sugar Grove Library, and have been dismayed at the repeated failures of referendums to increase the funding of its operations.

We now have a magnificent new facility in operation. The staff cannot be surpassed in their devotion or skills in helping patrons.
The programs being offered are very valuable. Jan and I attended the Super Couponing session recently, and have already saved many dollars from what was learned there. We are registered to attend the CUB session regarding our phone bills/usage, and expect to save money from that session. Where else can you get such knowledge at the sticker price of zero?

We are urging a “yes” vote on the referendum to increase the funding for operating the library on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The savings we will experience from the two sessions at the library will more than pay for the increase in our taxes.

Notice the number of cars at the library on any day. Many more than at the old location. We have heard that since opening, the library has gained many members. This is great, and if we all support the referendum, the library will greatly expand its services, benefiting the entire community.

Vote “yes” on Tuesday, Feb. 2, for the benefit of yourselves, your children and your grandchildren.

Bob Carroll
Sugar Grove

I want to make it clear that Sean was not asked by anyone to run. It was always an aspiration of his, and anyone who knows Sean well, knows that about him. Sean knew full and well that his being village president, and his dad’s firm being the village engineer, would come up. Did you think he wouldn’t?

The truth of the matter is, Engineering Enterprises Inc. (EEI) was the engineer of the town before Sean came into office. In no way did he steer or vote his board into keeping EEI as village engineers. He would not have been able to run for village president if the lawyers hadn’t done their job and saw that it was not a conflict of interest. Nor would he have been re-elected three times if the voters thought it was an issue.

On the Mallard Point issue, that subdivision was built before Sean became village president.

My husband is a good and honest man who has the people’s best interest at heart. He does his very best every day to make the people around him happy. That is why he works well with his constituents. He is the kind of man who says “hi” to everyone, asks how they are, and congratulates his kids’ classmates for a job well done at their sporting events; and he truly means it. Sean shares on similar issues with his opponent, but the difference is he works well with others.

As you can see in the papers, the only thing his opponent can find to make you question Sean’s integrity has no standing. It is not even an issue. If it was, he would have brought it up years ago. He knows Sean and his family and knows they are good people. Why else would he have taken campaign money from my father-in-law four years ago and send us an invitation to his Porky Pig fundraiser in August?

Would you vote for a man who uses intimidation to get votes? I won’t.

After 17 years in office, it is time for a new voice.

Every word I just wrote here is the truth; if it wasn’t, I would not be able to sleep at night.

Valerie Michels
Sugar Grove

A true conservative, Sen. Lauzen has consistently and honorably represented the hardworking families of his district. He pushes for what is socially and fiscally conservative, even when it means his fellow Republicans become unhappy with him. He is in no one’s pocket, except the taxpaying citizens who want the greedy corruption and “good ol’ boy” games in Illinois politics to end.

The records show that Lauzen has remained true to the people, and his many years of experience combined with his common sense values make him the best candidate to achieve an honest, financially successful state in the future.

I implore the voters of Illinois to make a serious effort to determine the facts for themselves, then to get out to the polls and do the right thing: keep Chris.

Donna Richardson
Big Rock

I experienced a phone call at work that no parent ever wants to get. It went something like this: “This is the ER. Your daughter was in a car accident and we need you to come.”

Several years ago, Sen. Chris Lauzen was instrumental in securing the state approval and funding for the traffic light at Route 38 and County Line Road in Maple Park. Prior to installation of the traffic light, it was a two-way stop where drivers had to cross or turn onto Route 38, where the speed limit is 55 mph. This was an extremely dangerous intersection, especially as children traveled to and from the Kaneland schools campus.

Within the past year, Sen. Lauzen again helped with the safety of the community with the four-way flashing stop sign at the corner of Route 38 and Meredith Road. Unfortunately, fatal accidents had occurred at this corner. Because of Senator Lauzen’s persistence, the intersection is safer for all drivers, especially the teenage drivers and school buses traveling to and from the Kaneland schools located on Meredith Road.

Improved safety on roadways is merely one example of how Sen. Chris Lauzen has continued to earn my vote.

Mary Gorecki
Maple Park

Sean has been an effective leader of this community and moved Sugar Grove forward. Sean is willing to invest the time that is necessary to get the job done.

There have been times when we have not seen eye-to-eye on an issue, but Sean is always willing to listen and work with others to get the job done. Sean values teamwork and consensus building. The ability to work with others to accomplish the goals of this district is key to bringing the necessary tax dollars back to our communities.

Mr. Lauzen likes to stress that he is a principled man and not willing to compromise. He has alienated many in his own party. By doing so, our district has suffered.

I say that to be an effective legislator for this district, it may be necessary to compromise one’s own personal principles to do what is best for the district as a whole.

Sean also knows that to move Illinois forward, we must cut spending and focus on making Illinois a more business-friendly state, thus increasing jobs and lowering unemployment. Please cast your vote for Sean Michels.

Mari Johnson
Sugar Grove

Simply Honest is trying to uncover the entire sequence of actions, to find out if the builder and/or the village did not control this building correctly. The group has already gathered a file drawer full of factual evidence, and is organizing it.

Simply Honest in Sugar Grove, or SHISG, is a local government watchdog group. Its only tool is freedom of speech, an essential mechanism of democracy, and the best means to hold officials accountable to the people.

SHISG believes that the truth must prevail always against those that would suppress it by design, inadvertence or the use of deceptive strategies. It is not the purpose of SHISG to assassinate anyone’s character or defame them. My father, a man of considerable honesty, integrity and character, told me never to try to destroy the reputation of others; they were perfectly capable of doing that themselves.

Four founding members of SHISG gave the village of Sugar Grove a Freedom of Information Act request on Dec. 4, 2009. The village compliance officer responded by giving SHISG a PDF file named paymentsEEI010197-thru113009.pdf that showed that $8,703,665.37 was paid to Engineering Enterprises, Inc., a corporate entity whose agent’s and president’s name is James K. Michels, and whose secretary’s name is Carole Michels.

Apparently, James and Carole are the father and mother of our Village President, P. Sean Michels. SHISG has issued a second FOIA, will soon be issuing more facts as they are uncovered and organized.

Recently in Massachusetts, furious voters chose to upend the un-American and unethical relationships between special interests and those who represent them.

The remarkable hypocrisy and shamelessness of these close and obviously unethical relationships are why American voters are in revolt: The society of friends is undermining our democracy. We serve and protect whom? The voices and needs of citizens have been drowned out on every level, local, county, state and federal, by the bigger voices and the insular thinking of politicians influenced by lobbyists, banks, real estate moguls, industrialists and big business. They and other voters all across this great nation are simply not going to take it any more. Neither are we.

Voters are tired of having to leave the room to say the Pledge of Allegiance, tired of being told not to say “Merry Christmas” at work, tired of taking our shoes off at the airport while kindly 85-year-old grandmas are roughhoused, and tired of being told that the people who run our governments are experts whose judgment cannot be questioned. We are especially tired of the shameless and unethical connections of our elected officials to the companies and industries they support with public purchases or govern with governmental laws.

In the process, SHISG members have been told to mind our own business, asked who we are voting for, if we are acting as proxies for State Sen. Chris Lauzen in the upcoming primary, and so on.

Simply and honestly the answer is no. Mallard Point is not the only neighborhood in Sugar Grove with issues with the village. In my neighborhood, many of us received liens against our properties, and a few of us lost their homes, and a few others awoke to find that our homes were being auctioned off at the Kane County Courthouse the next day.

Is it perfectly acceptable, meaning legally, morally and ethically, for our Village President, P. Sean Michels, to preside while the money of Sugar Grove residents is being spent on engineering fees to Engineering Enterprises, Inc., if that cash ends up indirectly in the coffers of his family? To answer this question, I pose the hypothetical: If I were to give my father’s business $8.7 million of taxpayer money, and my father were to die, who would benefit? If he were to live, would I not benefit by sitting at his sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner? Would that be a prima facie case of lack of ethics? Could I sleep at night knowing that I have shown questionable ethics to the people who elected me?

P. Sean Michels is the chief officer of our village, and the village has paid his father’s corporation $8.7 million dollars of our tax money.

We in Sugar Grove and other communities in Kane County pay some of the highest property taxes on the planet. Are we getting all that we should, including the complete, honest, above-board ethical conduct of our village president, P. Sean Michels, or not? Has the Republican Party properly vetted P. Sean Michels, or has it once again stomped all over us by selecting one of the “society of friends? You decide.

JR Mooney
Sugar Grove

I have known Sean since we were children. I have also had the pleasure of serving with him on the Sugar Grove Village Board for four years and know he also possesses a strong moral compass and a passion for serving the people to the best of his ability.

What makes the difference is Sean understands the importance of consensus building and compromise in bringing things forward. These are essential components to get the job done. Chris Lauzen, on the other hand, has earned the reputation as being inflexible.

It’s time for a change. Sean has been endorsed by The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times and has the support of seven local mayors and several County Board members. He’ll also get my vote Feb. 2 for 25th District Senate.

Mary Herra Heineman
Sugar Grove

Considering we’re the state responsible for Carol Mosley Braun, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama going to D.C., I’d say we have some significant penance to pay to the country.

We have a chance during primary season to take the first step toward fixing that problem by voting a real conservative as our Republican nominee. This is a contest between squishy political opportunist Mark Kirk and some lesser-known candidates, such as conservative businessman Patrick Hughes.

The political establishment will tell you the safe thing to do is pick Mark Kirk as the Republican nominee, because he has “the best chance to win.” We’ve been fed this line for years; vote for the moderate, as long as he has an “R” next to his name, because they have a better chance to win.

That’s what they said about presidential nominee John McCain. A year and a half later, we’ve lost millions of jobs and our national debt is piling up faster than a caviar bill at a Democrat fundraising party, because we have a radical president who is taking the country in a direction that anyone who understands it is completely against.

Why? Because we sacrificed convictions for political expediency and chose McCain as our nominee, as he had “the best chance to win.” I voted for someone else in the primary, in fact, but Illinois did overwhelmingly vote for McCain. Obviously, he lost handily to the Obama Machine.

Mark Kirk is no conservative and should be ashamed to claim that title; he does not deserve our vote. Let me give you a few examples of Kirk’s travesties as a representative in Congress.

Kirk’s pro-life credentials are non-existent. He has a lifetime rating of 100 percent from NARAL, a radical pro-abortion organization. Kirk shares this rating with other prime examples of liberal politicians, including Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and, yes, Barack Obama. To give you some comparison, liberal Harry Reid, the Democrat Senate majority leader, is more pro-life than Mark Kirk. Kirk has twice voted “no” on making it a crime to harm an unborn child during another crime and voted no on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions.

When it comes to the economy, Kirk is similarly wrong with his votes. He voted to give more money to Obama’s useless stimulus package and the equally ineffective Cash for Clunkers program. He also was one of just eight Republicans to vote for the economy—destroying Cap and Trade bill, which will levy unprecedented taxes on businesses and massacre jobs, especially in manufacturing and agricultural industries that are the lifeblood of our state.

Kirk is also radically anti-second Amendment, proving repeatedly that he does not have any respect for gun owners or their rights. Kirk wants trigger locks and to enforce the restrictive Brady Bill, and the National Rifle Association gives him a lifetime rating of D, indicating a very anti-gun voting record. With gun control likely on the horizon for the Democrats in Washington (please Google “new gun bill” and read about H.R. 45), we need a conservative who will stand up for our rights.

On social issues, Kirk once again sides with Democrats. He voted with Democrats to override President Bush’s vetoes of the SCHIP program and an expansion to Medicare (both expansions of government control of healthcare and severely fiscally irresponsible bills). He also is a member of the global warming alarmist community and has voted repeatedly against bills that would improve our energy independence, including the Bush/Cheney energy policies and voting against drilling in ANWR. He also has stated his belief in supporting the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (which is complicated but suffice it to say, the UN is running it so it’s very bad for the USA).

Kirk is out of touch with Illinois and out of touch with Republicans. He does not understand who we are or what we need. His representation of the wishes of the 10th Congressional District has been bad enough; let’s not make the mistake of giving him a chance to represent the whole state.

We need to stop listening to the pundits who tell us certain races aren’t winnable. Patrick Hughes can absolutely beat whatever Democrat nominee is put forward. As I write this, the Democrats are still reeling from the defeat they suffered in the Massachusetts special election for Teddy Kennedy’s old seat, which was won in a stunning upset by Republican Scott Brown last week. If Massachusetts, the bluest of the blue states, can elect a conservative Republican, so can we.

When you vote for a Representative or a Senator, you expect them to carry out your wishes. Nothing is worse than watching someone you voted for doing the exact opposite of what you want to see them do.

That’s the problem with Kirk. He’ll take your vote, sure, but he’s not listening to you. He’s going to do whatever is politically expedient, because he’ll know he doesn’t have to answer for anything for six years.

We need principled leadership in Washington, leadership that will stand up to the Democrats’ radical agenda and not be another pawn in Harry Reid’s army. I want a Senator I can count on.

I cannot count on Mark Kirk, and neither should you. Please vote Patrick Hughes on Feb. 2. Show America Illinois still has some dignity; if Massachusetts can do it, we can do it.

Ian Essling
Elburn

My family and I moved to Maple Park seven years ago. I remember when the intersection on Route 38 and County Line Road was a two-way stop. At times I had hard times navigating that intersection. It’s a wonder there weren’t more tragic accidents with school buses, young and older drivers.

Chris Lauzen made it possible for our community to obtain that stop light. Chris Lauzen was also instrumental in getting a four-way stop at another dangerous intersection in our community, Route 38 and Meredith Road.

Over the years, there have been countless roadside memorials set up to honor people who have perished at that intersection. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a new roadside cross at Route 38 and Meredith.

My wife and I have children of driving age, and we feel our children are much safer with these improvement. I want to say “Thank You” to Chris Lauzen for doing so much to improve the safety of our small community.

Peter Filipos
Maple Park

Next Tuesday, Feb. 2, voters in Kane County will be making important decisions. Do not be fooled by the rhetoric of candidates. You must research their political, business and personal records to make sure that they have the required credibility and integrity to represent you and your family in Geneva, Springfield and Washington DC.

With that in mind, the Kane County Conservative Coalition endorses Adam Andrzejewski for Illinois Governor, Jim Dodge for Illinois Comptroller, Patrick Hughes for U.S. Senate, Randy Hultgren for Congress 14th District, David Akemann for Kane Resident Judge, David J. Rickert, CPA for Kane County Treasurer, Chris Lauzen for State Senate District 25, Keith Wheeler for State Representative District 50, Melisa Taylor for Kane County Board District 5, T.R. Smith for Kane County Board District 25.

Jon A. Zahm
Kane County Conservative Coalition
Maple Park

The current 50th District State Representative hasn’t offered any bill, solution or idea to address the loss of 475,000 Illinois jobs since she announced her candidacy in July of 2007.

Back in November, I offered a specific plan to create jobs in Illinois which has been well-received by business leaders. I’m the only candidate in this race to put forth a real plan to address what is hurting Illinois families.

I am confident that you’ll want to send someone to Springfield to represent you who isn’t beholden to party leadership, special interests or the lure of a lucrative state pension. Instead, you can send a proven leader who has a track record of delivering positive results in business and in the community.

We are all aware that state government in Springfield isn’t working. When your state is unable pay its bills, is best known for pay-to-play corruption, and is consistently near the bottom of most important economic rankings, we need to take a different course today.

My name is Keith Wheeler, and I will earn your trust to be your Republican candidate for the 50th State Representative District of Illinois.

I look forward to serving you.

Keith R. Wheeler
Republican Candidate
State Representative
50th District