This will be the last post on this forum.
I’ve created a new website that offers an opportunity to deliver news, perspective and information for the Alsip community at-large.
For anyone still visiting this forum – I plan on disabling the content within the next month.
Take care,
Jay
Alsip is now known for something other than the Flea Market and Water Towers along the tollway. We can now lay claim to having the most notorious case of grave robbers since Dr. Frankenstein began his collection of human parts.
How nice. Here are some observations I’ve put together over the past couple of days. Feel free to add your perspective or comments.
You have to feel for anyone having family or friends buried at Burr Oak. Our thoughts and prayers are with at this time.
It doesn’t look like this mess will be resolved anytime soon - with a much larger question looming for the Village of Alsip. Vicitms of the crime will undoubedly see actions for years to come unfold through the criminal charges and civil suits that will result from this travesty. Some time down the road – much of this will just be a bad memory – but what’s in store for the people of Alsip?
What becomes of Burr Oak Cemetery? Will we see it as a locked and abandoned eyesore right at the gateway to our town?
Our Mayor and Trustees need to get out in front of this somehow – and take steps to see that the future of this cemetery is addressed to the satisfaction of the residents living in Alsip.
Take care,
Jay
Notes from the Village of Alsip Committee Meeting of April 13, 2009
Mayor’s Report
Pat Kitching read from a newspaper article regarding the potential for Recovery Act funding of local road improvement projects – including Pulaski Road in Alsip. The mayor also reported that a new contract for the Finance Director (Greg Palumbo) was in the works.
Fire Fighter Contract
Trustee Kevin Michaels reported that a new contract for Alsip Fire Fighters would be submitted for approval at the upcoming board meeting – pending ratification by the union members in a vote to be taken April 14.
O’Malley’s Incident
Acting Police Chief Chief Chris Radz reported that the State’s Attorney’s Office was reviewing the circumstances of the stabbing death of William Muir on April 9th outside of O’Malley’s on Pulaski. Radz stated that the incident was related to a domestic dispute between a friend of the victim and another man. Muir was stabbed during the ensuing altercation in which Muir came to assist his friend. Based on Acting Chief Radz’s comments, it appears as though the State’s Attorney will not move forward and file charges in the case – determining it to be a case of self defense.
Heritage Updates
The window replacement program at Heritage I was completed on April 7th. Fox Lumber donated a gazebo for the Heritage I complex – it will replace the existing unit which has experienced considerable deterioration of late.
Hotel Room Tax Rate
Trustee Dan Godfrey reported that the village will be increasing the local tax rate on hotel rooms to bring Alsip into alignment with other communities in the area. The new rate was not provided.
According to the Southtown Star, William Muir of Alsip, was stabbed outside of O’Malley’s on Pulaski last night about 8:30 PM. He was pronounced dead later at Christ Medical Center. No information about any suspect was reported in the article.
Edit update: 4/11/2009, 7:15 AM
The Southtown Star is now reporting that the Alsip Police Department is interviewing a person of interest in the stabbing death of William Muir, an unemployed painter from Alsip.
Here are some other results from Tuesday’s election from the Alsip-related elections. Congratulations to all the winning candidates.
| Alsip Park Dist Commissioner | ||
| Perretta (E) | 2,023 | |
| Garetto (E) | 1,898 | |
| Alsip-Merrionette Park Library Trustee |
||
| Schneider (E) | 2,022 | |
| McKendree (E) | 1,969 | |
| Sch. Dist. 125 Bd. Of Education (2 yr.) |
||
| Paul (E) | 686 | |
| Sch. Dist. 125 Bd. Of Education (4 yr.) |
||
| Everett (E) | 594 | |
| Yanke (E) | 579 | |
| Lantz (E) | 570 | |
| Frech (E) | 548 | |
| Sch. Dist. 126 Bd. Of Education (4 yr.) |
||
| Sullivan (E) | 1,888 | |
| Pierce (E) | 1,512 | |
| Cagney (E) | 1,484 | |
| Mulvihill (E) | 1,389 | |
| Martinez | 1,198 | |
| Tischer | 1,135 | |
| Sch. Dist. 130 Bd. Of Education (4 yr.) |
||
| Contreras (E) | 2,432 | |
| Arendziak (E) | 2,302 | |
| Cheversia (E) | 2,231 | |
| Horton (E) | 2,209 | |
| Rapp | 2,016 | |
(E) – Elected
With all 20 precincts reporting … here are the results from yesterday’s election:
| Mayor | |
| Kitching (E) | 1,007 |
| Collins | 793 |
| Dalzell | 693 |
| McGreal | 212 |
| Clerk | |
| Venhuizen (E) | 1,003 |
| Perretta | 867 |
| Coyle | 780 |
| Trustee | |
| Daddona (E) | 1,006 |
| Quinn (E) | 1,001 |
| Shapiro (E) | 955 |
| Graczyk | 906 |
| Murphy | 823 |
| Brochu | 742 |
| Ryan | 741 |
| Henry | 722 |
| Horstmann | 600 |
(E) – Elected
I’d like to offer my congratulations to the winners of the various races. Alsip faces many challenges now and into the future; we need to work together to help the Village of Alsip prosper. Differences of opinion should be regarded in the spirit delivered. We should all agree that it’s OK to disagree.
Special recognition goes to Jim Quinn – who will be reprising his role as a Trustee after a 2-year hiatus. Congratulations Jim!
A couple of facts worth noting …
It would be fair to say I’m disappointed – obviously we believed that our platform and vision for Alsip was better than our opponents. Personally, I don’t like to lose – ask anyone that knows me well.
We ran a campaign that we wanted to run – and personally delivered our message throughout the village. Over the course of the campaign, our message was well received by the residents of Alsip. In some shape or form, our message and advocacy for the Village of Alsip will continue on into the future.
I plan on continuing this blog. Posts will probably be less frequent, but with the general lack of media coverage for news and events in Alsip – my goal is to try and fill that void.
A heart-felt thank you goes to everyone that supported the Alsip Coalition for Excellence, our family, friends, volunteers, businesses and residents of Alsip.
Take care, Jay
Edit update: 4/8/2009, 7:35 PM – revised vote totals to reflect 100% of precincts reporting.
OK – time to get out and vote … it’s been a very slow first hour at the polls.
Take care, Jay
Good morning!
Remember to vote today. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit – I’ll try and keep up with developments throughout the day – as much as possible.
Take care, Jay
I’d like to thank the Alsip Coalition for Excellence candidates – whom I’m proud to call my friends – for writing excellent posts over the past several days. I think it’s safe to speak for everyone of our candidates and thank the visitors to this space for taking the time to follow our campaign as it moves through the final days.
We’ve had another busy weekend – moving throughout the town and distributing our last flyer to every home we could reach. Once again, it afforded our candidates and volunteers the opportunity to interact with residents … something that every elected official and candidate for office needs to do more. In many ways – the real voice of any election belongs to the residents of Alsip.
It’s a crucial time for the Village of Alsip, along with the residents and businesses that call it home, as we face many challenges. Each person and party running for office has gotten their respective message out this past weekend. If you haven’t done so already, take a few minutes to go through it all – and decide which party and candidate’s message has resonated with your point of view. Alsip deserves no less – it’s our home.
Tomorrow, April 7th, is election day. Please take the time out of your busy day to support your candidates of choice by voting. While I hope the Alsip Coalition for Excellence candidates have earned your vote – the most important thing is to get your voice heard by having your vote count.
Take care, Jay
Post from Colleen Coyle, Candidate for Clerk
“What did I get myself into?” I said that several times when this journey began. I think my “a ha” moment came one afternoon while walking the streets of our community meeting residents and sharing our vision for the future of Alsip and a woman asked me, “what are you going to promise us?”
Oh no, the dreaded question, the one that I had feared from the beginning since I was so new to politics. I decided to answer like I have done since this process started. I was honest and spoke to her from the heart explaining that I had two young daughters myself and we loved where we lived but didn’t love the deterioration in our community over the last few years. In addition to that, I wanted a better future for Alsip, for my family and all the others that called it home. I told her that we, unfortunately, could not promise her anything since we had no idea what we were walking into as a new administration and didn’t and wouldn’t make promises that couldn’t be kept — that had been done too many times to the residents of Alsip. We would have to first get in there, see what position our Village was in (since it’s difficult to obtain that information at the 10 minute board meetings) and put all of our time, effort and energy into making an honest difference in our community.
I told her that I could personally promise her that I would do everything in my power to make our community live up to the potential that we all know that it has. We, the Alsip Coalition for Excellence, would start with short term solutions to issues that could be solved easily and draft longer term solutions towards revitalization and redevelopment that would benefit our community and truly make it a better place for us and for our children. I explained that our different personalities and qualities, combined in a joint effort, could only produce an outcome ensuring a strong governing body ready to commit the time and energy it will take to help our community grow into the future. I want to be proud to say, “I live in Alsip” and not “we live next to Oak Lawn.” This is a long term commitment and Richard Dalzell, John Ryan, Jay Henry, James Quinn and I, Colleen Coyle, have a vision and a plan for the future of our community.
She said, “you’re the first person that came to the door and was honest with me, you have my vote.” I knew at that moment that what we were doing was important for my family and my community and that combined we had the will, knowledge and heart to commit ourselves to help Alsip become a strong and vibrant community. I can only hope that you agree with our vision and support us on April 7th because together we can make a difference.
Post from Jay Henry, Candidate for Trustee
Throughout the campaign season one recurring theme crystallized in my conversations with the residents of Alsip: the need for our Village Trustees to serve as advocates.
No matter what the hot buttons were – many residents felt that they had no one to represent them in getting their questions answered or problems addressed. In these discussions, without fail – I’ve invited them to knock on my door if they had a question they needed help in getting answered.
As trustee, I’d commit myself to creating an open-access environment where residents could bring forth their questions and concerns by:
Advocacy is not a panacea for solving any and all problems. Many problems may not be solvable through village government. As an advocate – I’ll be up front and honest in my dealings … even if it means giving bad news. When and where the village cannot help in solving a problem – we should offer guidance and assistance to the greatest extent possible in directing residents to the appropriate place, agency or person.
If all else fails – knock on my door. I’ll do my best in helping or finding an answer. After all, I’d be working for you.
Remember to Vote Tuesday, April 7 … and support the Alsip Coalition for Excellence candidates.
Thanks & take care, Jay
Post from John Ryan, Candidate for Trustee
Almost everyone enjoys Monday Night Football, there’s plenty of action, some new faces, and at halftime Chris Berman gives us his fastest 3 minutes (his summary of the week’s statistics, and noteworthy comments). Like most, I enjoy seeing or hearing about who stood-out, who helped-out, and who might have dropped the ball. Not only entertaining – it’s a presentation of fact, and regardless of whom the players are, they deal with the results and try to do better next time.
The Alsip Village Board meetings on Monday night are not even close to being an informative 10 minutes. I have attended most meetings recently, and understand not every meeting will have good reports from each of the designated trustees. But at least twice a month I’d appreciate hearing about who stood-out, who helped-out, and who might have dropped the ball. These are facts regardless of who the people are.
The current trustees don’t partake in what most of us consider as substance; we don’t need to have each and every thank you letter to the fire dept read aloud to us. Letters telling us about someone who fell on the ice; and about how the AFD did a good job getting the person to the hospital to have a dozen screws installed into their leg so they can run marathons again. This type of report is nothing more than filler to cover-up the absence of what people really want to hear, and see.
ALL of the village’s rank and file does a very good job, because they’re supposed to – just as we are expected to do a great job at our respective positions, because we get paid to do so. We want to hear statistics and REAL information from the board, any chance we can:
Thank you letters are always appreciated, but we want more substance when recognizing the efforts of the village – and factual meeting minutes we all can refer to. Better reporting benefits everyone in the public eye, and these are simple reminders of how tax dollars are spent. We need information that recognizes more of our village’s hard work, and not just that of the fire dept from thank you notes – which are nothing more than filler to substitute for what a real report is.
Someone needs to pick-up the ball and run with it. VOTE FOR THE ALSIP COALITION FOR EXCELLENCE
Post from James Quinn, Candidate for Trustee
For the last 18 months, I sat through Village board meetings as a resident. The plus side: the typical meeting lasted about 10 minutes, so I had more time with my family. The negative side: it was frustrating to watch our board go through the motions of running a “so called public meeting” where there was basically no discussion and little information given in public.
A responsible representative must ask questions and have discussion about items placed before the board in order to make an informed decision.
When the incumbent mayor was working to finalize the Home Depot development (started before he took office), he and the new trustees at the time were offended that I asked questions about the agreement between the village and developer. Having board experience, I know how vital development is for Alsip, but a rush to vote can lead to mistakes or missing out on the best outcome for all of us.
They also insinuated that I was against the development because I spoke out against the way they bullied the Alsip Park District into giving park land for the developer, who offered a donation that was a fraction of the land’s value. For an administration that now touts itself as “Green”, they weren’t even willing to try and find similar green space to replace the loss.
Our Alsip village board needs checks and balances provided by elected officials willing to ask questions, discuss options and respect all interested parties wanting to have a say.
We have 8 elected officials who are responsible for the welfare of our fine community. This Tuesday, April 7, we have an opportunity to elect a Mayor, Clerk and 3 Trustees. It is time to elect a fresh slate (ACE) who will bring experience, a vision with a plan for moving Alsip forward and a sense of responsibility to all its residents.
Thanks, Jim Quinn
Post from Richard Dalzell, Candidate for Mayor
During an election it is often difficult to hear the truth from or recognize sincerity in a candidate for any office. It is hard to know if a candidate truly believes in his or her cause or is just interested in attaining a position.
As Village President, I will offer a return to a different kind of leadership, unifying our community and bridging gaps that have developed in recent years. I know the importance of hearing diverse opinions and will treat residents, board and commission members and my Village Board colleagues with respect. At the same time, I will help us return to efficient, fact-based, transparent decision-making. The kind of decision-making that residents and business owners alike tell me that they want to see. And I will help us as a Board return our focus to policy leadership and avoid political gamesmanship.
We need elected officials who act in the long-term best interests of the whole community.
We are the members of the Alsip Coalition for Excellence, Richard Dalzell; Colleen Coyle; James Quinn; Jay Henry and John Ryan. We sincerely look forward to serving the entire Village of Alsip, through thoughtful leadership and inspired service. Keeping the interests of all the residents, business and industrial community of our Village as the paramount focus, to enhance its value for future generations.
Please remember that Election Day is Tuesday April 7, 2009 and that all change starts by electing people to implement change.
Many of you may already be aware – so this is for those that might have otherwise missed it … I call your attention to the return address on the Action Party “Collins-smear” mailings hitting mail boxes throughout Alsip.
Just another example of the Action Party’s attention to detail … I’d have trouble making up stuff better than this.
While the Alsip Coalition for Excellence (ACE) shares a common purpose among its slate of candidates – each one of us has our own voice – and we bring to the table our own qualifications and experience.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time providing insight into our platform as well as giving my perspective on campaign issues over the past couple of months here … now it’s time to change things up a little.
Over the next few days the other candidates from our party will be featured “guests” in this space. Each of their posts will be identified by name. The lineup change affords a timely opportunity to hear from the other ACE candidates as this election campaign draws to a close.
Take care, Jay
