Thursday, January 10, 2013
Cameras, posted at Harlem and Lake and Harlem and North, catch lead foots going through red lights and rolling turns.
Lights, camera, ticket. Cameras identifying drivers who do not stop at stop lights at two of River Forest's busiest intersections will be going live in a matter of weeks. Trustees approved red-light cameras in October 2011, but were required to get approval from the state, because they will be installed on Illinois routes. The cameras have been posted at the intersections of Harlem and North avenues and Harlem and Lake Street for nearly a month. When they officially go live and begin to record infractions, locations will be posted on the River Forest website, said Michael Braiman, River Forest's assistant village manager. The devices will take a picture of the license plate of the car getting the citation and a video of the infraction. …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Pride in River Forest candidates file, run as group on Dec. 17.
Four candidates running as a group for positions on the River Forest Village Board in April filed the necessary documents at Village Hall in River Forest on Monday. The group, running as Pride in River Forest, includes longtime residents Michael Gibbs, Lissa Druss Christman, Kevin Hanley and Tom Dwyer. Gibbs, who has been a trustee since 2008, will be running for village president, while the other three candidates are seeking trustee positions on the village board. The group announced their plans to run in October. “Our candidacy is based on growing up in the community,” Gibbs said in their announcement. “All four of us attended neighborhood schools and were raised here. We are running as a team to ensure our children and grandchildren …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The village will recoup $400,000 from the Foley-Rice Cadillac Dealership lawsuit brought in 2009.
A lawsuit filed by the village of Oak Park against the former Foley-Rice Cadillac dealership in 2009 has finally come to a close. In the settlement, approved by the village board on Nov. 19, the village will be able to recoup $400,000. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the lawsuit was filed in October 2009 with the village seeking the repayment of $400,000 in tax increment financing funds, the return of $1,156,500 the village gave the dealership for its property at 722 W. Madison St. (as well as returning the property) and $200,000 in compensation to the village for the time spent on the lawsuit and attorney's fees. The settlement will still need approval from a judge on Nov. 28. Read the full story on the Chicago Sun-Times website here.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Michael Gibbs, Lissa Druss Christman, Kevin Hanley and Tom Dwyer are running as the Pride in River Forest group for open seats on the River Forest Village Board in the April 2013 local election.
Four longtime River Forest residents have announced that they'll be working together in seeking open positions on the River Forest Village Board in the April 2013 local elections. Michael Gibbs, Lissa Druss Christman, Kevin Hanley and Tom Dwyer are running as the Pride in River Forest group. Gibbs, who has been a trustee in River Forest since 2008, is running for village president. Christman, Hanley and Dwyer are all first-time candidates seeking to fill three open seats in 2013 as trustees on the board. “Our candidacy is based on growing up in the community,” Gibbs said in a press release announcing the group's intention to run. “All four of us attended neighborhood schools and were raised here. We are running as a team to ensure our …
Friday, October 19, 2012
Oak Park's Village Board President has announced he will not be seeking a third term in the April elections.
Village Board President David Pope has made the decision not to run for a historically unprecedented third term as president of the village board, he announced to the Wednesday Journal on Thursday evening. Pope, who said last month he was still weighing his options about whether to seek a third term as president, told the Journal in an emailed letter that he was pleased with the progress made during his time on the board. Specifically, Pope cited lower crime rates and a more economically efficient government as progress the board made during his time as president. Oak Park Trustee John Hedges announced last month that he would be seeking the Village Managers Association's backing for the president's seat. Hedges is currently in his second …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
As Trustee John Hedges officially throws hat in the ring for board president, current President David Pope weighs options before committing to seeking an unprecedented third term.
A battle for the president's seat on the Oak Park Board of Trustees could be brewing. According to an article published on Sept. 25 on OakPark.com, Trustee John Hedges has officially announced that he will be seeking the recommendation of the Village Manager Association for the position. Current Village President David Pope has yet to announced whether he'll also be seeking the position again for an unprecedented third term. If Pope were to seek the nomination and win, he would be the first village president to win the position for a third term. Pope told Wednesday Journal Editor Dan Haley this morning that he's still considering his options with his wife. You can read the full article on OakPark.com here. Tell us what you think, Oak Park…
Friday, March 25, 2011
Experienced commissioner seeks first elected post.
Robert Tucker, 44, is vying to win his first seat on the Oak Park Board of Trustees, six trustees and the village president responsible for shaping the village’s public and fiscal policies. This is his first run for public office. Members of the board of trustees serve four-year terms. This year, three seats are up for election. Tucker is running with Ray Johnson and Adam Salzman as part of the slate of the Citizens for Accountable Leadership Party, a group backed by the Village Manager Association, Oak Park’s principal candidate slating organization. Lynn Kessen and Lewis Carmichael are running as independents. Tucker is the corporate general counsel and chief risk officer for the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago. He has served on…
Commissioner looks to step up to board of trustees.
Adam Salzman, 32, is vying to win his first seat on the Oak Park Board of Trustees, six trustees and the village president responsible for shaping the village’s public and fiscal policies. This is his first run for political office. Members of the board of trustees serve four-year terms. This year, three seats are up for election. Salzman is running with Ray Johnson and Robert Tucker as part of the slate of the Citizens for Accountable Leadership Party, a group backed by the Village Manager Association, Oak Park’s principal candidate slating organization. Lynn Kessen and Lewis Carmichael are running as independents. An attorney in private practice, Salzman has been on Oak Park’s Universal Access Commission since 2008 and has served more …
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Who knew: Removing lots of snow adds up to a lot of money.
If you missed Monday's Oak Park Village Board meeting, Patch has some of the highlights: Snow piles add up: The monumental effort to remove Oak Park’s 20-plus inch snow fall cost the village an estimated $115,000 in straight time and overtime for crews and for contractors to plow streets and village parking lots, officials said. Through Saturday, about 200 tons of salt were spread on roadways throughout town. Applying the salt at the start of the storm allowed the main streets to remain open during the blizzard, said public works director John Wielebnicki. Residential streets were cleared and alleys opened up within 24 hours after the last snow fall, Village Manager Tom Barwin said. In all, crews filled 300 semi-trailers with snow, he …
Monday, January 24, 2011
New technology allows residents to follow live webcasts during sessions, review archived footage afterward.
Come February, Oak Park will take another technological step forward with the addition of streaming Village Board meetings on its official website. The village has inked a deal with Granicus, a San Francisco-based software company widely recognized as a leader in hosting video streams for hundreds of government entities, from the Orange County Transportation Authority in California to the Utah Department of Community and Culture. On its homepage, Granicus boasts of a rolling counter touting nearly 30,000 million of their hosted webcasts have been viewed. Here’s how it will work: Anyone can point their web browser to the official Oak Park homepage, where a link leading to the live video stream of the board meeting will be available. …
Matthew Hendrickson
3:00 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
Thanks for leaving your comments, John, and a link to that video. Interesting. more ›