Monday, May 6, 2013
Don DeWitte’s 20 years of service on the St. Charles City Council draws to an end tonight.
Leadership comes at a price, often in the form of detractors, but Don DeWitte takes in stride the criticism he’s received over the years for his support of sometimes controversial proposals. In recent years, he’s been targeted for his support of the nearly complete Red Gate Bridge, for casting the deciding vote on the Lexington Club proposal, and for backing a proposal to add a housing element to the Corporate Reserve project, a plan that was rejected by the City Council. He makes no apologies and exudes confidence that each project is important to the future of St. Charles. He questions whether the controversy surrounding them really reflects numbers of opponents or their political volume. Still, as vocal as his detractors have been on …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Now that the polls have closed, follow our site for live results to learn who won and by how much in all your Geneva races. We'll be updating this post throughout the night as votes are tallied.
The results are finally rolling in. The above list gives you the results for all your local races and will be updated regularly as vote totals become available.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Here are the hours you can vote early in Geneva and near Geneva.
Early voting for the April 9 election begins Monday, March 25. Kane County residents may vote at a variety of locations, and Geneva's got the extra advantage of having the Kane County Clerk's Office right here in town. Just FYI, all voting offices will be closed on Friday, March 29. Kane County Clerk's Office 719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. B, Geneva, 60134 Here are some other early-voting options near Geneva: Kane County Branch Court 530 S. Randall Road, St. Charles, 60174 City of St. Charles 2 E. Main St., St. Charles, 60174 Batavia City Hall 100 N. Island Ave. Messenger Library 113 Oak St., North Aurora, 60542 For more information, visit KaneCountyElections.org
Friday, December 28, 2012
Barring any petition challenges, the slates are set for city of Geneva Election 2013.
So, the candidate choices for city of Geneva elected positions played out without a bang or a whimper since filing began Dec. 17. The filing period officially concluded at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, and since no last-second hats landed in the ring, the ballots are set—barring any petition challenges. For city offices, the boxing card looks like this: It's Kevin Burns versus Bob McQuillan for the office of Geneva mayor. And in the 1st Ward race, Zac Ploppert lines up against Mike Bruno. The whistle for the final deadline means that some folks who showed interest in running decided they weren't quite interested enough to make a go of it. Among those names was former 2nd Ward Alderman Bill Barclay According to an article in the Kane County …
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Alderman Sam Hill was half right about the red light cameras!
- GOVERNMENT
- Jeff Ward
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
We’re a little late with this one because I had to wait for some FOIA results from the city of Geneva. For those who didn’t already know, government agencies generally have at least five days in which to comply with a Freedom of information Act request. With the revenue data now in hand, we’ll once again turn to that most heinous of all municipal money making devices, the patently unconstitutional red-light camera. But first, I want to thank state Sen. Chris Lauzen for reminding me just how much I appreciate my semi-sedate kind of life. To paraphrase Beacon-News reporter Matt Hanley, there’s nothing like standing on a muddy street corner while vehicles whiz right by you at 50 mph to make you feel truly alive. Lauzen called his Feb. 16 …
41.89039
-88.340345
Williamsburg Ave & Randall Rd, Geneva, IL
/articles/jeff-ward-if-geneva-red-light-camera-revenue-quacks-like-a-duck
/locations/6474820
41.87574
-88.34161
Fargo Blvd & Randall Ct, Geneva, IL
/articles/jeff-ward-if-geneva-red-light-camera-revenue-quacks-like-a-duck
/locations/6474821
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I'm still waiting for a reasonable response to the recent credit card theft revelations.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jeff Ward
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Almost immediately after the news broke, some friends called to say something along the lines of, “I bet you’re laughing out loud over this one!” You see, long before the thought of putting my thoughts in print had even occurred to me, former Geneva Streets Superintendent Steve LeMaire and I did not get along. The specific details are unimportant. Suffice it to say, I’m not always easy to get along with, and I’ve never been a big fan of an entitlement mentality. But despite that precipitating bad blood, there was no triumphant rush when I saw LeMaire’s mug shot. In fact, I was overwhelmed with a sense of despair for him and his family. This isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. For just $250 a month—that’s what stealing $24,000 from …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Part 2: It's not rocket science! A down real estate market means lower assessments! And that means the city has to start making some real budget cuts.
Now that we’ve thoroughly covered the fact the city of Geneva won’t even discuss real budget cuts, it’s time to move on to their shock and awe over the current 15 percent decline in downtown property assessments. To briefly digress for purposes of a preemptive self-defense, while City Administrator Mary McKittrick may like to brag about the $4 million Geneva hasn’t spent over the last three years, not spending money you haven’t yet spent, while prudent, isn’t a cut. It’s simply holding the budgetary line. But let’s get back on track because the irresistible force—rapidly declining property values—is about to meet the immovable object: a city administration that won’t make cuts. To wit, McKittrick claimed she and city staffers were …
Monday, February 6, 2012
Geneva hasn't made one single budget cut!
This time, in an effort to keep our relationship fresh, I’m going to start off with the irony instead of saving it till the end. On page 12 of the Jan. 31 Kane County Chronicle, a letter-to-the-editor writer lauded Mayor Burns for understanding “the necessity of smaller government” and that during his tenure, “Geneva has reduced its spending significantly.” Ah! But if you turn just one page of that Chronicle edition, a below-the-fold headline reads “Geneva considers fees to help budget.” The news story goes on to enumerate the “revenue enhancements” (another new name for taxes) City Manager Mary McKittrick presented to the City Council to help make up for plummeting business district property tax assessments. And those lovely new taxes …
CountyLeaks
12:16 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Here's some interesting information about an elected official: http://countyleaks.blogspot.com/2013/04/tweets-twits-tax-dollars-joe-birkett.html more ›