Last night the city invited residents to keep an eye on foreclosed properties and REPORT PROBLEMS TO THE CITY.
What problems?
~Weeds, long grass
~Graffiti
~Squatters (gangs or the homeless)
~Suspicious activity
Here's the number at city hall:
847-931-5920
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A new Pharaoh in Elgin
We officially have a new city council and already staff is feeling the difference.
Council members were making comments to staff, suggesting improvements and ideas to be researched, explored, and included in the business of the city. And there was no resistance from the old guard to do so.
In fact, the mayor himself suggested that when a foreclosed home is purchased the city ought to inspect the place for safety violations, remove any overcrowded living arrangements created by the former owners, and educate the new owners about city codes and rental requirements.
That is an awesome idea. The city fathers know that many Elgin homes were purchased by multiple buyers who resided in those homes in violation of occupancy standards. Many of those homes ended up in foreclosure.
Rather than allow the home to be sold under the same circumstances, the city now has an opportunity to make an impact on the problem.
The trigger would be the transfer stamp. Funding would most likely come from a fee at closing.
No one likes the city poking around when you are trying to buy your dream home, but until we get to the root of the problem we need to do something. Besides, such an act just might prevent someone from buying a money pit.
There was an interesting moment last night when staff tried to push through a commercial project where the use had changed. As it turned out they wanted to put in a paint shop. Rich Dunne (who knows fire safety and knew this project specifically) asked some rather pointed questions about the change.
Although Dunne’s concerns did not carry the day, staff will surely have their ducks in a row next time.
(It should be noted that Bob Gilliam mentioned Dunne’s concerns about some older buildings in town that were not up to code, and asked for a staff report on those buildings.)
To be sure, there were some missteps last night. Two new council members had been out to inspect a new project and entered into negotiations with the parties involved. Maybe it’s just me, but the council ought to leave the negotiations up to staff. It’s great that they inspect the things they will be voting on; not so great if a couple of them start talking for the entire council. But they are learning.
There was no real harm done. Certain adjustments need to be researched and added to the proposal before a vote can be taken, but such reviews and changes should be handled by staff.
More dangerous are the negotiations we don't know about, where a more experienced politician does the work of staff and the whole thing is pass on to the council for a vote as if it had an unbiased review. We welcome the fresh eyes of Dunne, Prigge and Warren in reading before they sign on the dotted line.
All in all, I think the city is better off having this change of leadership. Time will tell. But discussion is good. So is giving direction to staff.
Council members were making comments to staff, suggesting improvements and ideas to be researched, explored, and included in the business of the city. And there was no resistance from the old guard to do so.
In fact, the mayor himself suggested that when a foreclosed home is purchased the city ought to inspect the place for safety violations, remove any overcrowded living arrangements created by the former owners, and educate the new owners about city codes and rental requirements.
That is an awesome idea. The city fathers know that many Elgin homes were purchased by multiple buyers who resided in those homes in violation of occupancy standards. Many of those homes ended up in foreclosure.
Rather than allow the home to be sold under the same circumstances, the city now has an opportunity to make an impact on the problem.
The trigger would be the transfer stamp. Funding would most likely come from a fee at closing.
No one likes the city poking around when you are trying to buy your dream home, but until we get to the root of the problem we need to do something. Besides, such an act just might prevent someone from buying a money pit.
There was an interesting moment last night when staff tried to push through a commercial project where the use had changed. As it turned out they wanted to put in a paint shop. Rich Dunne (who knows fire safety and knew this project specifically) asked some rather pointed questions about the change.
Although Dunne’s concerns did not carry the day, staff will surely have their ducks in a row next time.
(It should be noted that Bob Gilliam mentioned Dunne’s concerns about some older buildings in town that were not up to code, and asked for a staff report on those buildings.)
To be sure, there were some missteps last night. Two new council members had been out to inspect a new project and entered into negotiations with the parties involved. Maybe it’s just me, but the council ought to leave the negotiations up to staff. It’s great that they inspect the things they will be voting on; not so great if a couple of them start talking for the entire council. But they are learning.
There was no real harm done. Certain adjustments need to be researched and added to the proposal before a vote can be taken, but such reviews and changes should be handled by staff.
More dangerous are the negotiations we don't know about, where a more experienced politician does the work of staff and the whole thing is pass on to the council for a vote as if it had an unbiased review. We welcome the fresh eyes of Dunne, Prigge and Warren in reading before they sign on the dotted line.
All in all, I think the city is better off having this change of leadership. Time will tell. But discussion is good. So is giving direction to staff.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Call Durbin
The Senate Judiciary Committee will be meeting tomorrow (Thursday, April 30) at 2:00 pm to discuss amnesty for illegal aliens.
They will be hearing from some interesting folks, most of them ready to speak in favor of legalization and higher immigration levels.
It is hard to believe some of them even have the nerve to show their faces in public.
Here's a partial list of speakers:
Doris Meissner (Bill Clinton's Immigration Chief)
Alan Greenspan (tinkerer with the economy)
Eliseo Medina (from the SEIU)
Call Durbin and tell him what you think about amnesty. Tell him about unemployment in Elgin.
Durbin's office is 202-224-2152 (NOT a free call, but Americans pay their own way!)
This is how it starts. After hearing their pals tell them amnesty is a good thing, they will then go to their fellow senators and tell them America supports it. We need to tell them how we feel about it.
The only reasonable voice at the hearing with be Kris Kobach and he could use some help with that bunch.
They will be hearing from some interesting folks, most of them ready to speak in favor of legalization and higher immigration levels.
It is hard to believe some of them even have the nerve to show their faces in public.
Here's a partial list of speakers:
Doris Meissner (Bill Clinton's Immigration Chief)
Alan Greenspan (tinkerer with the economy)
Eliseo Medina (from the SEIU)
Call Durbin and tell him what you think about amnesty. Tell him about unemployment in Elgin.
Durbin's office is 202-224-2152 (NOT a free call, but Americans pay their own way!)
This is how it starts. After hearing their pals tell them amnesty is a good thing, they will then go to their fellow senators and tell them America supports it. We need to tell them how we feel about it.
The only reasonable voice at the hearing with be Kris Kobach and he could use some help with that bunch.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Banned in Boston
Perhaps you’ve read all the ado about Bill Ayers being invited to speak at the noon Kiwanis club in Elgin.
It reminded me of MY experience before the Elgin Kiwanis. I received a call from Ken Miles (RIP) a couple of years ago asking me to speak to the group. I didn’t know Ken prior to the call but learned he was a local attorney in Elgin for decades.
Ken said he had read about me in the newspaper and thought I’d be an interesting presenter. I agreed to speak on August 22, 2006 and arranged time off from work.
On August 16th I got a call from Ken. He told me that my presentation was CANCELLED. As it happened Ken announced to the group that Doug Heaton was going to speak the following week and a member by the name of Jeanette insisted that I NOT SPEAK. She cajoled the president and he told Ken to cancel me.
Ken told me that in 39 years of arranging the programs he had NEVER been told to cancel a guest speaker. The reason? Jeanette didn’t want to have me speak because she didn’t want the group to be labeled the “white racists club.”
Ken went on to tell me about some of the other people who had addressed the Elgin Noon Kiwanis.
~Atheist Rob Sherman.
~A practicing Hare Krishna.
~A member of the Arab League.
~A sex therapist for pets.
~A man from the sanitary district who explain how they treat excrement.
So, I was the first (and as far as I know, ONLY) person ever banned from speaking at the Elgin Noon Kiwanis Club.
As it turned out, they installed a new president in October of 2006 and Ken finally did get me there to speak. It was election day, November 7, 2006.
The walls held firm, there were no lightning bolts, and I gave my presentation. One woman (I learned later, the famous Jeanette) asked me a leading question about my affiliation with the Minutemen, but that was it.
So I find it particularly interesting to see the controversy over Bill Ayers. I’d call Ken Miles about it but I understand he passed away last fall.
It reminded me of MY experience before the Elgin Kiwanis. I received a call from Ken Miles (RIP) a couple of years ago asking me to speak to the group. I didn’t know Ken prior to the call but learned he was a local attorney in Elgin for decades.
Ken said he had read about me in the newspaper and thought I’d be an interesting presenter. I agreed to speak on August 22, 2006 and arranged time off from work.
On August 16th I got a call from Ken. He told me that my presentation was CANCELLED. As it happened Ken announced to the group that Doug Heaton was going to speak the following week and a member by the name of Jeanette insisted that I NOT SPEAK. She cajoled the president and he told Ken to cancel me.
Ken told me that in 39 years of arranging the programs he had NEVER been told to cancel a guest speaker. The reason? Jeanette didn’t want to have me speak because she didn’t want the group to be labeled the “white racists club.”
Ken went on to tell me about some of the other people who had addressed the Elgin Noon Kiwanis.
~Atheist Rob Sherman.
~A practicing Hare Krishna.
~A member of the Arab League.
~A sex therapist for pets.
~A man from the sanitary district who explain how they treat excrement.
So, I was the first (and as far as I know, ONLY) person ever banned from speaking at the Elgin Noon Kiwanis Club.
As it turned out, they installed a new president in October of 2006 and Ken finally did get me there to speak. It was election day, November 7, 2006.
The walls held firm, there were no lightning bolts, and I gave my presentation. One woman (I learned later, the famous Jeanette) asked me a leading question about my affiliation with the Minutemen, but that was it.
So I find it particularly interesting to see the controversy over Bill Ayers. I’d call Ken Miles about it but I understand he passed away last fall.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Bill Foster - Take 2
Gee, it was last July when I first sat down with Bill Foster to talk about immigration. I went to visit him again today.
First, the official explanation. You know that Homeland Security warning sent out to police departments to keep an eye on rightwing extremists? They call out people with strong views on abortion, gun owner rights and immigration.
Well, according to Foster that report was ordered by George Bush and it was just being released upon completion.
I'll take him at his word, but it doesn't say much for the way the executive branch handles things. Then again, it was Bush ICE agents who raided a factory in Washington state and Secretary Napolitano released the 27 banditos and gave them work permits. I guess they pick and choose the laws in DC.
I asked Foster about worksite raids and he didn't answer me. He refered me to his website. He's moderate on the issue but not willing to be vocal about it. (Unlike Gutierrez, Bill Foster isn't going around the country holding pep rallies with illegal aliens.)
Here's Foster's official view, pasted from his website.
Immigration
The United States is a nation of laws with a proud tradition of extending citizenship to legal immigrants in our country. I believe that we must secure our nation’s borders and act to improve workplace enforcement while addressing the underlying causes of illegal immigration. As Congress begins to work to alleviate the growing issues surrounding immigration, I will continue to support reasonable, comprehensive reforms to our immigration system that do not reward those who break the law.
Rather than dealing with one aspect of our immigration crisis, it will be best to consider such measures as part of broader immigration reform that deals simultaneously with all aspects of this problem: secure borders, rapid and reliable workplace enforcement, background checks, and realistic and humane quotas that meet the needs of our businesses and communities.
Concerning border security, we need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to secure the border. We must greatly increase the number of agents at the border, and also provide these agents with the tools, including roads and physical barriers, that they need to perform their duties fully and efficiently. The relationship that Border Patrol Agents have with the Mexican government needs to be improved so that we can more easily identify who can and cannot legally enter the U.S., and also expedite the deportation process.
While border enforcement must remain a priority, immigration reform must include workplace enforcement as a key element, like a strengthened and more reliable form of the e-verify program. Employers need to have a fast and reliable way to check if potential employees are legally able to work in the United States so that they can be held responsible for legal hiring practices.
I would like to see an accurate national database of American citizens, so that border patrol and employers can both quickly determine a person's citizenship status.
http://foster.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=4338
First, the official explanation. You know that Homeland Security warning sent out to police departments to keep an eye on rightwing extremists? They call out people with strong views on abortion, gun owner rights and immigration.
Well, according to Foster that report was ordered by George Bush and it was just being released upon completion.
I'll take him at his word, but it doesn't say much for the way the executive branch handles things. Then again, it was Bush ICE agents who raided a factory in Washington state and Secretary Napolitano released the 27 banditos and gave them work permits. I guess they pick and choose the laws in DC.
I asked Foster about worksite raids and he didn't answer me. He refered me to his website. He's moderate on the issue but not willing to be vocal about it. (Unlike Gutierrez, Bill Foster isn't going around the country holding pep rallies with illegal aliens.)
Here's Foster's official view, pasted from his website.
Immigration
The United States is a nation of laws with a proud tradition of extending citizenship to legal immigrants in our country. I believe that we must secure our nation’s borders and act to improve workplace enforcement while addressing the underlying causes of illegal immigration. As Congress begins to work to alleviate the growing issues surrounding immigration, I will continue to support reasonable, comprehensive reforms to our immigration system that do not reward those who break the law.
Rather than dealing with one aspect of our immigration crisis, it will be best to consider such measures as part of broader immigration reform that deals simultaneously with all aspects of this problem: secure borders, rapid and reliable workplace enforcement, background checks, and realistic and humane quotas that meet the needs of our businesses and communities.
Concerning border security, we need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to secure the border. We must greatly increase the number of agents at the border, and also provide these agents with the tools, including roads and physical barriers, that they need to perform their duties fully and efficiently. The relationship that Border Patrol Agents have with the Mexican government needs to be improved so that we can more easily identify who can and cannot legally enter the U.S., and also expedite the deportation process.
While border enforcement must remain a priority, immigration reform must include workplace enforcement as a key element, like a strengthened and more reliable form of the e-verify program. Employers need to have a fast and reliable way to check if potential employees are legally able to work in the United States so that they can be held responsible for legal hiring practices.
I would like to see an accurate national database of American citizens, so that border patrol and employers can both quickly determine a person's citizenship status.
http://foster.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=4338
Monday, April 20, 2009
Save the date
We all know how important the oath of office is. Here's a little trivia for you: The two Elgin city council incumbents who lost on April 7th both told the AFLA forum that they saw no conflict between their stand on illegal aliens and their oath of office.
Which brings me to this reminder:
The new Elgin City Council will be sworn in on April 29 at 6:00 pm.
Mark your calendar. Please join with us in witnessing this blessed event.
Which brings me to this reminder:
The new Elgin City Council will be sworn in on April 29 at 6:00 pm.
Mark your calendar. Please join with us in witnessing this blessed event.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Just the facts
Some SOAPers are licking their wounds over the election results. The scapegoat is "low turn-out." For the record, here are the facts.
2005 Consolidated
KANE Registered voters: 47,426
Ballots cast: 7,352
Turn out: 15.50%
COOK Registered voters: 11,337
Ballots cast: 1,151
Turn out: 10.15%
2007 Consolidated
KANE Registered voters: 35,687
Ballots cast: 4,721
Turn out: 13.23%
COOK Registered voters: 11,357
Ballots cast: 857
Turn out: 7.55%
2009 Consolidates
KANE Registered voters: 38,973
Ballots cast: 6,303
Turn out: 16.17%
COOK Registered voters: 12,555
Ballots cast: 1,553
Turn out: 12.37%
You'll get no beef from me that we need more registered voters and more of those voters actually going to the polls, but to say this election has a low turn-out is simply not true.
2005 Consolidated
KANE Registered voters: 47,426
Ballots cast: 7,352
Turn out: 15.50%
COOK Registered voters: 11,337
Ballots cast: 1,151
Turn out: 10.15%
2007 Consolidated
KANE Registered voters: 35,687
Ballots cast: 4,721
Turn out: 13.23%
COOK Registered voters: 11,357
Ballots cast: 857
Turn out: 7.55%
2009 Consolidates
KANE Registered voters: 38,973
Ballots cast: 6,303
Turn out: 16.17%
COOK Registered voters: 12,555
Ballots cast: 1,553
Turn out: 12.37%
You'll get no beef from me that we need more registered voters and more of those voters actually going to the polls, but to say this election has a low turn-out is simply not true.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Something to work on
During Juan Figueroa's swan song Wednesday night, Mayor Schock said something rather profound: "It isn't always easy identifying what the interest of the community is."
We hope the mayor will study the outcome of the election and consider what it says about "the interest of the community." It should give him a few things to work on.
We hope the mayor will study the outcome of the election and consider what it says about "the interest of the community." It should give him a few things to work on.
Congratulations
We are very pleased to see that John Prigge was "endorsed" by the voters. We look forward to his leadership on the Elgin City Council.
And we are also pleased that another candidate AFLA supported also won. We welcome Richard Dunne to a seat on the council as well.
And we are also pleased that another candidate AFLA supported also won. We welcome Richard Dunne to a seat on the council as well.And we welcome back Bob Gilliam. As many of you know, Messrs. Gilliam and Kaptain were the two members of the city council willing to hear us out from the beginning. We are grateful for their understanding of our position.
And we welcome Mike Warren as well. He is a man of many talents.
Tom Sandor
I understand Tom Sandor was blasting me on WRMN yesterday. Sorry I missed it. I'm hoping lots of people miss his program in the future since his political touch seems to have left him
He was wrong about his own re-election to the Elgin Council...
...wrong about switching parties to win a county race...
...and wrong about the outcome of the Elgin election yesterday.
That can't be good.
He was wrong about his own re-election to the Elgin Council...
...wrong about switching parties to win a county race...
...and wrong about the outcome of the Elgin election yesterday.
That can't be good.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A tribute to Mike Robins
He didn't want your money.
Mike Robins was defeated for the two year Elgin seat last night. He improved his position since the primary by gaining another 5% of the voters, but it wasn't nearly enough to win.
Mike Warren was a formidable opponent. He came out early with his signs. He had the billboards, too. Lots of them. Warren appealed to the business owners through his Rotary connections and the progressives with his Well Child work. He had the #1 spot on the ballot. And obviously he had some money behind him.
The other Mike, Mike Robins, didn't have your money. He didn't WANT your money.
Mike Robins is a different kind of politician. In fact, you might say he isn't a politician at all.
A politician would have wanted special interest money. Mike didn't want union money. Heck, Mike didn't want AFLA money.
A politician would have wanted individual contributions. Mike never pitched for your money like the others did. He used his own money to run. Thousands of dollars of his own money.
A politician would have danced around the question of taxes. Mike Robins made it clear that he wouldn't vote for increasing your taxes, even a $2 phone tax.
A politician would have remained silent about the $10,000 a year members of the city council receive. Mike Robins not only said he wouldn't accept that money, but he published a list of the charities he was going to give it to.
See what I mean? Mike Robins proved he didn't want your money. All he wanted was a little space on your lawn for a yard sign, a few hours of time to pass out his literature, a few phone calls.
If you ask me, Elgin missed a rare opportunity to elect a man who isn't a politician and didn't want your money. Thank you, Mike, for giving it your best.
~Doug Heaton
Mike Robins was defeated for the two year Elgin seat last night. He improved his position since the primary by gaining another 5% of the voters, but it wasn't nearly enough to win.
Mike Warren was a formidable opponent. He came out early with his signs. He had the billboards, too. Lots of them. Warren appealed to the business owners through his Rotary connections and the progressives with his Well Child work. He had the #1 spot on the ballot. And obviously he had some money behind him.
The other Mike, Mike Robins, didn't have your money. He didn't WANT your money.
Mike Robins is a different kind of politician. In fact, you might say he isn't a politician at all.
A politician would have wanted special interest money. Mike didn't want union money. Heck, Mike didn't want AFLA money.
A politician would have wanted individual contributions. Mike never pitched for your money like the others did. He used his own money to run. Thousands of dollars of his own money.
A politician would have danced around the question of taxes. Mike Robins made it clear that he wouldn't vote for increasing your taxes, even a $2 phone tax.
A politician would have remained silent about the $10,000 a year members of the city council receive. Mike Robins not only said he wouldn't accept that money, but he published a list of the charities he was going to give it to.
See what I mean? Mike Robins proved he didn't want your money. All he wanted was a little space on your lawn for a yard sign, a few hours of time to pass out his literature, a few phone calls.
If you ask me, Elgin missed a rare opportunity to elect a man who isn't a politician and didn't want your money. Thank you, Mike, for giving it your best.
~Doug Heaton
Monday, April 6, 2009
The day has arrived
Please vote today. And make sure family and friends vote as well.AFLA supports
John Prigge
Richard Dunne
Michael Robins
for Elgin City Council.
Questions:
For Official Information about Voter Eligibility,Polling Places,and Disability Accommodation, please call:
Kane County ~ 630-232-5990
Cook County ~ 312-603-0906
As always, if you see suspicious activity or voter fraud, call the appropriate number above.
(And let us know as well so we can report it to the press. afla.heaton@sbcglobal.net )
Juan's "Other Job"
City council incumbent Juan Figueroa is a busy man. Maybe too busy. Maybe he needs to be defeated tomorrow so he can devote more time to being a latino activist.
Here's the paper trail. It turns out that State Rep Keith Farnham sent out a political ad last October critical of Ruth Munson's vote to give illegal aliens drivers licenses. If you'd like to see the ads themselves, clilck the links below:
http://www.elginet.com/images/FIM1.jpg
http://www.elginet.com/images/FIM2.jpg
Upon seeing these mailers a group called Latinos Unidos 2008 sent an e-mail to sitting Elgin Councilman Juan Figueroa calling for a meeting to discuss what to do. Here's the message. (Note that they are calling them "anti-immigrants political mailings."):
"To: jfigueroa2343@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, October 24, 2008, 9:30 PM
Saludos!
There will be an URGENT meeting at La Quebrada Restaurant tomorrow Saturday at 9:00 AM. Your attendance is very important. There are anti-immigrants political mailings sent out by one of the candidates running for State Representative.
We need to discuss this matter immediately. We hope to see you there.
Hasta pronto,
LATINOS UNIDOS 2008"
First of all, these activists are always trying to lump illegal aliens with immigrants as you can see here. They are NOT the same thing, and Figueroa should know better.
People get e-mails all the time and most go right to the trash, but what did Sitting Councilman Figueroa do with this message? He forwarded it to a long list of activists in Elgin. Here are some of the people he invited to this emergency meeting at La Quebrada:
~Two year candidate Emi Morales
~Emi's campaign manager
~A member of Elgin Civil Service Commission
~FOUR current Elgin CITY Employees (using their city e-mail account)
~One current Carpentersville Employee (using their village e-mail account)
~One U46 employee (using their district e-mail account)
~Local immigration lawyers
~The director and a board member of Centro de Informacion
~The entire SOAP distribution list
Now, first of all, the issue. There is NOTHING anti-immigrant about opposing drivers licenses for illegal aliens.
Secondly, should a sitting member of the city council be putting his name out there promoting an issue like this?
We don't think so. But his actions are consistent with someone who takes the oath of office to uphold the laws of the land, then sees no problem with advocating for illegal aliens.
I say it's time to vote AGAINST Juan Figeuroa to give him more time to represent the illegal segment of Elgin's population.
TOMORROW is election day.
VOTE FOR RICHARD DUNNE, JOHN PRIGGE, and MIKE ROBINS!
Here's the paper trail. It turns out that State Rep Keith Farnham sent out a political ad last October critical of Ruth Munson's vote to give illegal aliens drivers licenses. If you'd like to see the ads themselves, clilck the links below:
http://www.elginet.com/images/FIM1.jpg
http://www.elginet.com/images/FIM2.jpg
Upon seeing these mailers a group called Latinos Unidos 2008 sent an e-mail to sitting Elgin Councilman Juan Figueroa calling for a meeting to discuss what to do. Here's the message. (Note that they are calling them "anti-immigrants political mailings."):
"To: jfigueroa2343@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, October 24, 2008, 9:30 PM
Saludos!
There will be an URGENT meeting at La Quebrada Restaurant tomorrow Saturday at 9:00 AM. Your attendance is very important. There are anti-immigrants political mailings sent out by one of the candidates running for State Representative.
We need to discuss this matter immediately. We hope to see you there.
Hasta pronto,
LATINOS UNIDOS 2008"
First of all, these activists are always trying to lump illegal aliens with immigrants as you can see here. They are NOT the same thing, and Figueroa should know better.
People get e-mails all the time and most go right to the trash, but what did Sitting Councilman Figueroa do with this message? He forwarded it to a long list of activists in Elgin. Here are some of the people he invited to this emergency meeting at La Quebrada:
~Two year candidate Emi Morales
~Emi's campaign manager
~A member of Elgin Civil Service Commission
~FOUR current Elgin CITY Employees (using their city e-mail account)
~One current Carpentersville Employee (using their village e-mail account)
~One U46 employee (using their district e-mail account)
~Local immigration lawyers
~The director and a board member of Centro de Informacion
~The entire SOAP distribution list
Now, first of all, the issue. There is NOTHING anti-immigrant about opposing drivers licenses for illegal aliens.
Secondly, should a sitting member of the city council be putting his name out there promoting an issue like this?
We don't think so. But his actions are consistent with someone who takes the oath of office to uphold the laws of the land, then sees no problem with advocating for illegal aliens.
I say it's time to vote AGAINST Juan Figeuroa to give him more time to represent the illegal segment of Elgin's population.
TOMORROW is election day.
VOTE FOR RICHARD DUNNE, JOHN PRIGGE, and MIKE ROBINS!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The image
ESO, Mozart, Soprano Arianna Zukerman, and Shi-Yeon Sung conducting. At the Hemmens.
Sure to bring the well-heeled to town, something we could use right now. People with the power to bring manufacturing jobs to town, or invest in the real estate, or simply tell their friends what a great place Elgin is.
But as they pulled into the parking lot they were greeted by this:
Sorry about the poor quality of the photo. Let me describe the scene. A large pylon sign on the corner advertising the fees for remittances to Mexico. I asked the city to get the sign torn down, but that never happened. The building itself is empty. It used to be an office for George Irizarry.
Look closer at the wall. "SUR13" gang graffiti adorns the wall.
Of course, they might ignore all that and look at how nice the library is in the background.
But I'm guessing the movers and shakers who came to listen to Mozart left with a less-than-favorable impression of Elgin.
Sure to bring the well-heeled to town, something we could use right now. People with the power to bring manufacturing jobs to town, or invest in the real estate, or simply tell their friends what a great place Elgin is.
But as they pulled into the parking lot they were greeted by this:
Sorry about the poor quality of the photo. Let me describe the scene. A large pylon sign on the corner advertising the fees for remittances to Mexico. I asked the city to get the sign torn down, but that never happened. The building itself is empty. It used to be an office for George Irizarry.Look closer at the wall. "SUR13" gang graffiti adorns the wall.
Of course, they might ignore all that and look at how nice the library is in the background.
But I'm guessing the movers and shakers who came to listen to Mozart left with a less-than-favorable impression of Elgin.
Beyond flashlights, "we're doing all we can", and "federal issue"
Here are the answers about immigration enforcement from Dunne, Prigge, and Robins at the LWV forum:
Richard Dunne: First of all, I believe this is a federal issue with a lot of local ramifications. The first thing we have to do is to take care of the local ramifications. Before that, some of the items that needed to be addressed we didn’t take an opportunity to address. There’s training of our police department. Our police department could have gone to receive training from ICE. We didn’t avail ourselves of that training. Fifteen months we’ve waited for ICE to respond back to us. That was fifteen months too long. The program today is not being funded. We do not know if the funding is going to come back. If it comes back the police department should avail themselves of that, because they might come back with a lot of great, creative ideas on how to handle the situation. Without that training, we don’t know. But in the meantime we need to make sure that we enforce all of the adopted codes of the city of Elgin. Those are the codes on property maintenance which come into overcrowding, and all of the other codes of the city of Elgin. Property maintenance is very particular to be enforced to make sure that we don’t have any issues of overcrowding which comes down to a life/safety issue that need to be addressed as a life/safety issue across the entire city.
John Prigge: Illegal aliens and illegal immigration in Elgin is it’s #1 problem. I’ve said that since the very, very beginning. Is the city doing everything? Absolutely not. We asked for ICE help 15 months ago and haven’t gotten it, and haven’t followed up and asked. I wouldn’t wait for a magazine subscription to start for 15 months. I wouldn’t wait for a doctor appointment for 15 months. I sure as heck would never wait 15 months to ask the federal government to follow up on a letter. We need to form a coalition as is being done in every city on other issues…form a coalition with other cities to go to the federal government, to go to ICE, and say, “Look, we need help. We’ve not a citizen base of 107,000 asking. We are a coalition of cities asking for help.” This needs to be done. There are solutions that I have on my website and accurately portrayed in the Daily Herald a few days ago. The issue is, forming a coalition and treating the problem. You can’t solve it. It is a federal issue. It is, to solve it. But to treat it, we can do some things to make Elgin not so pretty for this type of activity.
Mike Robins: There’s a little waffling going on all over the place with this tonight. Some of the things that were brought up are definitely racial profiling. When you look at my website there’s a constructive issues to what we can do with landlords and what we can enforce with their renters license as far as overcrowding and illegal immigration. A lot of the issues lately brought up with the economy, OK, illegal immigration has some strong impact with the economy. Some of the incumbents bring up this lawsuit situation. It’s a scare tactic. I talked to judges about this; not attorneys, judges. There’s things the city can continue to follow through on that’s not going to get a lawsuit started. The city did apply for the ACCESS situation through ICE, but the city did NOT request the 287g. So we do have Operation Shield going on, and a few other things. Again, we can’t put everything on the police department. We can’t put everything on the chief.
Richard Dunne: First of all, I believe this is a federal issue with a lot of local ramifications. The first thing we have to do is to take care of the local ramifications. Before that, some of the items that needed to be addressed we didn’t take an opportunity to address. There’s training of our police department. Our police department could have gone to receive training from ICE. We didn’t avail ourselves of that training. Fifteen months we’ve waited for ICE to respond back to us. That was fifteen months too long. The program today is not being funded. We do not know if the funding is going to come back. If it comes back the police department should avail themselves of that, because they might come back with a lot of great, creative ideas on how to handle the situation. Without that training, we don’t know. But in the meantime we need to make sure that we enforce all of the adopted codes of the city of Elgin. Those are the codes on property maintenance which come into overcrowding, and all of the other codes of the city of Elgin. Property maintenance is very particular to be enforced to make sure that we don’t have any issues of overcrowding which comes down to a life/safety issue that need to be addressed as a life/safety issue across the entire city.
John Prigge: Illegal aliens and illegal immigration in Elgin is it’s #1 problem. I’ve said that since the very, very beginning. Is the city doing everything? Absolutely not. We asked for ICE help 15 months ago and haven’t gotten it, and haven’t followed up and asked. I wouldn’t wait for a magazine subscription to start for 15 months. I wouldn’t wait for a doctor appointment for 15 months. I sure as heck would never wait 15 months to ask the federal government to follow up on a letter. We need to form a coalition as is being done in every city on other issues…form a coalition with other cities to go to the federal government, to go to ICE, and say, “Look, we need help. We’ve not a citizen base of 107,000 asking. We are a coalition of cities asking for help.” This needs to be done. There are solutions that I have on my website and accurately portrayed in the Daily Herald a few days ago. The issue is, forming a coalition and treating the problem. You can’t solve it. It is a federal issue. It is, to solve it. But to treat it, we can do some things to make Elgin not so pretty for this type of activity.
Mike Robins: There’s a little waffling going on all over the place with this tonight. Some of the things that were brought up are definitely racial profiling. When you look at my website there’s a constructive issues to what we can do with landlords and what we can enforce with their renters license as far as overcrowding and illegal immigration. A lot of the issues lately brought up with the economy, OK, illegal immigration has some strong impact with the economy. Some of the incumbents bring up this lawsuit situation. It’s a scare tactic. I talked to judges about this; not attorneys, judges. There’s things the city can continue to follow through on that’s not going to get a lawsuit started. The city did apply for the ACCESS situation through ICE, but the city did NOT request the 287g. So we do have Operation Shield going on, and a few other things. Again, we can’t put everything on the police department. We can’t put everything on the chief.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Bus tickets - April 15th
There is a rally on April 15th in Chicago to protest the state of government in this country. if you're tired of bail-outs and corporate take-overs, now is the time to get off the couch, stand up and be counted.
There will be tour buses leaving from Elgin but you'll need to reserve a seat.
The cost is $16 and they will take us right to Federal Plaza and pick us up after the rally.
If you want to go, call Joe at 224-629-8062. He'll save you a seat and tell you where to send the money.
There will be tour buses leaving from Elgin but you'll need to reserve a seat.
The cost is $16 and they will take us right to Federal Plaza and pick us up after the rally.
If you want to go, call Joe at 224-629-8062. He'll save you a seat and tell you where to send the money.
Other voices on illegal aliens
Once again, from the League of Women Voters Candidate Night, March 30th. First Brenda Harris Khan, then Mike Warren:
Brenda Harris Khan: I believe that things that we can do right now to help the situation of illegals in any city. One of the things we can do is to get together as neighbors in a neighborhood, get together with your neighborhood organization and make citizen patrols. Make your neighborhoods a nice place for families to live and walk around and make it an unpleasant place for those who are illegal and in gangs and who want to conduct their illegal business. Make it unpleasant for them. Make it uncomfortable for them. Don’t hide in your houses. Go out. Get together with flashlights. Walk around and say, if you see someone, ask them what they’re doing. Ask them if they’ve seen anything going on that shouldn’t be going on, and find out what’s going on. And tell them that you’re watching. Tell them that you’re out there and you’re watching. Make it unpleasant for them. They’ll leave.
Mike Warren: I think you’ve heard a lot about illegal immigration and the programs that the city has. I think I would bring a balanced approach. We need to work with our neighborhoods. We need to work with our police department. We also need to work with our neighbors. We need to work with the county level, the Fox Valley area, because it is a problem that Elgin cannot solve. But I think it goes back to being safe in your home. We need to make sure that we devote the resources to have strong neighborhood groups and a strong conduit to our police department and our city council and city hall. Make sure that we devote the resources to those areas, that everybody feels safe in their home.
Warren seems to have borrowed the neighborhood involvement idea from Khan and the coalition idea from Prigge.
Brenda Harris Khan: I believe that things that we can do right now to help the situation of illegals in any city. One of the things we can do is to get together as neighbors in a neighborhood, get together with your neighborhood organization and make citizen patrols. Make your neighborhoods a nice place for families to live and walk around and make it an unpleasant place for those who are illegal and in gangs and who want to conduct their illegal business. Make it unpleasant for them. Make it uncomfortable for them. Don’t hide in your houses. Go out. Get together with flashlights. Walk around and say, if you see someone, ask them what they’re doing. Ask them if they’ve seen anything going on that shouldn’t be going on, and find out what’s going on. And tell them that you’re watching. Tell them that you’re out there and you’re watching. Make it unpleasant for them. They’ll leave.
Mike Warren: I think you’ve heard a lot about illegal immigration and the programs that the city has. I think I would bring a balanced approach. We need to work with our neighborhoods. We need to work with our police department. We also need to work with our neighbors. We need to work with the county level, the Fox Valley area, because it is a problem that Elgin cannot solve. But I think it goes back to being safe in your home. We need to make sure that we devote the resources to have strong neighborhood groups and a strong conduit to our police department and our city council and city hall. Make sure that we devote the resources to those areas, that everybody feels safe in their home.
Warren seems to have borrowed the neighborhood involvement idea from Khan and the coalition idea from Prigge.
Emi on illegal aliens
On March 30th, 2 year council candidate Emi Morales gave this answer when asked about illegal aliens and enforcement:
I support the measures that the city council has already enacted. In regards to what some of the other candidates have spoken about, the 287g program I have had the ability to research on. And to expand a little bit on what Ms. Rodgers has stated, 287g they do not have programming funds to implement that. And as many of you have stated that you don’t feel safe in your communities and feel that as far as seeing police in your communities has been down. If we do implement this program, our own funds from the city will have to be used to implement this program, and therefore that will take away from the policemen being out in your community policing. And that will lead to racial profiling because they will be out there looking for undocumented residents. I think that we need to relook at that and really rethink that. And I think our residents really need to rethink that. We are facing a really tough time right now economically and to utilize our funds to that program I don’t think would be the direction that our residents want us to go on.
I have a copy of the "playbook" issued by La Raza called, "Sample Talking Points- Why shouldn't local police enforce federal immigration laws?- A toolkit for advocates."
Among the "Talking Points"
~It's too expensive
~It takes away from other police duties
~It leads to racial profiling
Hmmmm.
I support the measures that the city council has already enacted. In regards to what some of the other candidates have spoken about, the 287g program I have had the ability to research on. And to expand a little bit on what Ms. Rodgers has stated, 287g they do not have programming funds to implement that. And as many of you have stated that you don’t feel safe in your communities and feel that as far as seeing police in your communities has been down. If we do implement this program, our own funds from the city will have to be used to implement this program, and therefore that will take away from the policemen being out in your community policing. And that will lead to racial profiling because they will be out there looking for undocumented residents. I think that we need to relook at that and really rethink that. And I think our residents really need to rethink that. We are facing a really tough time right now economically and to utilize our funds to that program I don’t think would be the direction that our residents want us to go on.
I have a copy of the "playbook" issued by La Raza called, "Sample Talking Points- Why shouldn't local police enforce federal immigration laws?- A toolkit for advocates."
Among the "Talking Points"
~It's too expensive
~It takes away from other police duties
~It leads to racial profiling
Hmmmm.
Jerks!
There must be something special about this Mike Robins, 2 year city council candidate. For the THIRD TIME some jerks stole the Mike Robins yard signs. And they didn't stop at my yard. They stole others on the main streets as well.
Who is behind it? Well, his opponents are:
Emi Morales
Mike Warren
Brenda Rodgers
It must be someone from one of those campaigns, don't you think? Who else would have a motive? Besides, I have Prigge and Dunne signs in my yard. They are never touched. Two doors down they have a Figueroa sign. It's still there. They have a fixation on Mike Robins signs.
The police have been told all three times.
Somebody really wants to keep Robins out of office. I wonder why?
Vote for Mike Robins and tell all your friends to do the same. After all, they aren't likely to see his yard signs around town.
Who is behind it? Well, his opponents are:
Emi Morales
Mike Warren
Brenda Rodgers
It must be someone from one of those campaigns, don't you think? Who else would have a motive? Besides, I have Prigge and Dunne signs in my yard. They are never touched. Two doors down they have a Figueroa sign. It's still there. They have a fixation on Mike Robins signs.
The police have been told all three times.
Somebody really wants to keep Robins out of office. I wonder why?
Vote for Mike Robins and tell all your friends to do the same. After all, they aren't likely to see his yard signs around town.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The incumbents on illegal aliens
Here are the latest quotes from the incumbents, spoken at the League of Women Voters on March 30th. The topic was the illegal alien problem and enforcement:
John Walters: Elgin does every legal thing it can do right now. First of all, every person arrested is screened, we get a profile from the jail, contractors are scrutinized under E-Verify, we E-Verify all of our own people, we have helped out (garbled audio) in certain areas.
The next step folks, they’re going to tell you differently, but the next step is a lawsuit for racial profiling, something the city of Elgin cannot afford.
Comment: Didn't Walters say at our forum that contractors weren't scrutinized because we never had the manpower for it? As for his comments about racial profiling, I hope this doesn't turn out like the shot fired by the council in July of 2004 that began the U46 lawsuit.
Juan Figueroa: I think the city of Elgin has done what has to be done. We had listened to a community organization in town that was very concerned about illegal immigration. That organization submitted seven proposals. Out of those seven we passed at least two important ones. The first one is having better communication with the ICE, basically report I would say having better reporting, that we are holding at the jail, city jail. So those are better communication with ICE and also the booking at the city jail. I think that’s what we need to do. In order to do it better we need to continue enhancing that relationship with ICE.
Comment: It sounds like he's not particularly impatient with ICE.
Bob Gilliam: When it comes to illegal immigration I was approached, along with Dave Kaptain, by AFLA to talk about what we could do about immigration. And we met with AFLA and on behalf of the city council we agreed to do all the things that John Walters indicated. After our meeting with them and passing those new regulations we’ve done everything legal that you can do under the law. If you look at AFLA’s website you’ll see where Dave White said that he’s happy that the city took an interest, he’s happy with what the city is doing toward illegal immigration. This is on their website and I have some copies for you outside. They were happy with that, and with ICE. You cannot make ICE do anything. Have you ever tried to get the federal government to do something? You can’t do it. We’ve asked them to come. If they say no, what do we do? We have a relationship with ICE. We work with them. They take the people that we refer to them. They do a good job for us so far. You cannot make ICE do anything. You can’t make the federal government respond. It’s just impossible.
Comment: I think Mr. Gilliam is making reference to this statement on our website. We were pleased to see some action at the time. Our enthusiasm waned as we saw the actual implementation. At the time (January 2008) we wrote:
"This is a big step for the city. We are grateful for their announcement and look forward to seeing these initiatives enforced. AFLA plans to monitor their compliance in these matters.We are particularly interested in the outcome of the ICE ACCESS meeting. It could be significant (we hope so) or simply a rehash of programs we already have. As you know 287g is an ICE ACCESS program as well as the CAP officer. It would be great to see either of these programs implemented."
Here's another interesting warning from AFLA about ICE ACCESS:
http://elginlegalamericans.blogspot.com/search?q=chinese+menu
We must say here and now that Bob Gilliam and Dave Kaptain were the two council members who would talk to us. Gilliam deserves some credit for that.
Note: I apologize for any misquoting here. The sound system was terrible. I think I accurately represented the remarks.
John Walters: Elgin does every legal thing it can do right now. First of all, every person arrested is screened, we get a profile from the jail, contractors are scrutinized under E-Verify, we E-Verify all of our own people, we have helped out (garbled audio) in certain areas.
The next step folks, they’re going to tell you differently, but the next step is a lawsuit for racial profiling, something the city of Elgin cannot afford.
Comment: Didn't Walters say at our forum that contractors weren't scrutinized because we never had the manpower for it? As for his comments about racial profiling, I hope this doesn't turn out like the shot fired by the council in July of 2004 that began the U46 lawsuit.
Juan Figueroa: I think the city of Elgin has done what has to be done. We had listened to a community organization in town that was very concerned about illegal immigration. That organization submitted seven proposals. Out of those seven we passed at least two important ones. The first one is having better communication with the ICE, basically report I would say having better reporting, that we are holding at the jail, city jail. So those are better communication with ICE and also the booking at the city jail. I think that’s what we need to do. In order to do it better we need to continue enhancing that relationship with ICE.
Comment: It sounds like he's not particularly impatient with ICE.
Bob Gilliam: When it comes to illegal immigration I was approached, along with Dave Kaptain, by AFLA to talk about what we could do about immigration. And we met with AFLA and on behalf of the city council we agreed to do all the things that John Walters indicated. After our meeting with them and passing those new regulations we’ve done everything legal that you can do under the law. If you look at AFLA’s website you’ll see where Dave White said that he’s happy that the city took an interest, he’s happy with what the city is doing toward illegal immigration. This is on their website and I have some copies for you outside. They were happy with that, and with ICE. You cannot make ICE do anything. Have you ever tried to get the federal government to do something? You can’t do it. We’ve asked them to come. If they say no, what do we do? We have a relationship with ICE. We work with them. They take the people that we refer to them. They do a good job for us so far. You cannot make ICE do anything. You can’t make the federal government respond. It’s just impossible.
Comment: I think Mr. Gilliam is making reference to this statement on our website. We were pleased to see some action at the time. Our enthusiasm waned as we saw the actual implementation. At the time (January 2008) we wrote:
"This is a big step for the city. We are grateful for their announcement and look forward to seeing these initiatives enforced. AFLA plans to monitor their compliance in these matters.We are particularly interested in the outcome of the ICE ACCESS meeting. It could be significant (we hope so) or simply a rehash of programs we already have. As you know 287g is an ICE ACCESS program as well as the CAP officer. It would be great to see either of these programs implemented."
Here's another interesting warning from AFLA about ICE ACCESS:
http://elginlegalamericans.blogspot.com/search?q=chinese+menu
We must say here and now that Bob Gilliam and Dave Kaptain were the two council members who would talk to us. Gilliam deserves some credit for that.
Note: I apologize for any misquoting here. The sound system was terrible. I think I accurately represented the remarks.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Last call for EARLY VOTING
Here's the information I was able to gather about EARLY VOTING:
Early Voting Rule –
Must present a Government Issued PHOTO ID to vote
Kane County
City of Elgin
150 Dexter Ct, Elgin
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Elgin Township
729 S McLean Blvd, Elgin
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Gail Borden Library
270 N Grove Ave, Elgin
04/01/2009 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
04/02/2009 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cook County
Streamwood Village Hall
301 E. Irving Park Road
Streamwood
(630) 736-3800
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Hoffman Estates Village Hall
1900 Hassell Road
Hoffman Estates
(847) 882-9100
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Election Day is Tuesday, April 7th
Early Voting Rule –
Must present a Government Issued PHOTO ID to vote
Kane County
City of Elgin
150 Dexter Ct, Elgin
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Elgin Township
729 S McLean Blvd, Elgin
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Gail Borden Library
270 N Grove Ave, Elgin
04/01/2009 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
04/02/2009 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cook County
Streamwood Village Hall
301 E. Irving Park Road
Streamwood
(630) 736-3800
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Hoffman Estates Village Hall
1900 Hassell Road
Hoffman Estates
(847) 882-9100
04/01/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
04/02/2009 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Election Day is Tuesday, April 7th
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
