MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR – FEBRUARY EDITION
By Kim Savage, DGTDO Chair
We’ve said it before, “Bad
officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote!” This quote is
attributed to magazine editor George Jean Nathan. This has played out over and
over again throughout the county, the state, and even locally when school
boards have been taken over by Tea Partiers bent on destruction of the public
education system and creation of a bench to launch candidates for higher
office. For decades, local Republicans have used local elections to create their
local networks and funding to move officials into bigger roles. Just from
College of DuPage, the Tea Party has sent 2 people to the state legislature and
others who started out as council members, mayors or trustees are on the County
Board.
Local Democrats, on the other
hand, have long suffered from “I’m the only Democrat on my block” syndrome.
Many of us are afraid to offend our neighbors by putting up yard signs or
discussing politics. Much of that changed in 2016 and we have since elected
Sean Casten to Congress, joining Bill Foster, Mike Quigley, and now Marie
Newman. Everyone in Downers Grove Township also has a Democratic County Board
Member; and there is a majority of Democrats on the County Board.
Maintaining our Democratic
gains and building upon them is dependent on Democrats turning out in the April
6 Consolidated Election. Are you one of the thousands of good Democrats in our
township who do not vote in local elections? Yes, there are thousands; if you
do vote, you certainly have many neighbors, friends, and relatives who do not
vote.
In general, people are happy
with local government, except when they aren’t. Then, they yell and complain a
lot; some will take action. However, navigating the geopolitical reality in
Downers Grove Township is very challenging. There are 10 municipalities, three
of which cover parts of Cook County! In addition, 10 park districts, 3 fire
protection districts, 2 library districts (plus municipalities that elect
distinct library trustees), and 15 school districts. (In my own precinct, there
are 2 fire districts and 2 school districts). This mess is compounded by the
fact that local news outlets have disappeared or diminished over the past
decade, and what does exist is rarely staffed with dedicated reporters and
editors who know the community. These races are non-partisan (and should be),
but the lack of good information about candidates and issues motivates most
people to sit on the sidelines. Even more astounding is the fact that some of
these entities did not have anyone file to run for open seats (more about that
later).
In 2021, there is ONE partisan
election for a local unit of government that impacts everyone in the township,
whether they live in Burr Ridge, unincorporated Lemont, Downers Grove, or any
of the other places we call home: Downers Grove Township. Our township
government has been controlled by the Republican Party since its establishment
(more than 140 years). As we have been mentioning for months, most people don’t
even know it exists or what it does (and that is explained elsewhere in this
newsletter). Currently, it barely provides services that it should and people
who need them are not aware of them. Moreover, the highway department, which
residents in unincorporated areas depend on, is poorly managed and exists as a
source of jobs for the current Commissioner’s relatives.
The township had one program
that worked very well, the Peer Jury. This program provided an alternative to
the court system for non-violent, first offenders who were minors. It was a
model program that served communities throughout the township, and yet the
Township Board of Trustees discontinued it. Thankfully, under the leadership of
our DGTDO Vice Chair and Downers Grove Village Council Member, Greg Hosè, the
Village of Downers Grove picked up the program in conjunction with other local
municipalities. While townships are limited in the services they are allowed to
provide, what is provided can be reimagined and re-engineered to ensure more
efficient and responsive delivery to the residents of the township.
It is Your Township, Your
Voice, and a New Choice for leadership of the township. It is up to you to help
make it happen. The Republicans will outspend us in this election for sure, but
by using the networks that each of you have, we can win this election. It is
all about turning out the right voters. More information is included elsewhere
in this newsletter. So, please boost on social media, talk to your friends, and
donate what you can.
Back to municipal races. The
Downers Grove Township Democratic Organization does NOT endorse in non-partisan
races. However, people always ask, so we have identified candidates who we
believe share our Democratic values. Please refer to that information when
visiting our website. Regarding the seats where there were no candidates filed,
we were successful in recruiting some people to run as write-in candidates.
Unfortunately, for two of the races, other people also filed, making them
competitive. The write-in candidates to support are:
·
Village of Clarendon Hills Trustee: Allyson
Russo
·
Village of Westmont Trustee: Amylee Hogan
Simonovich
·
Indian Prairie Public Library District: Sri Rao
We encourage all of you to
request your Vote by Mail Ballot now. They will be mailed February 25. Educate
yourselves about candidates and issues. Then, fill out and return your ballot.
Or you will be able to vote early in person or on Election Day. See information
in this newsletter about voting.
The future is in your hands!
Vote!
