Letters to the Editor
The first issue that was presented was the labor contract for the maintenance workers, which includes street department, sewer and water, etc., all of whom work extremely hard and, as citizens, we depend on a great deal.
We were presented a four-year contract that includes several sacrifices by the union members, but also includes retroactive raises for 2009, guarantees of no layoffs for 2009-2010 and subsequent raises for the remainder of the contract.
The main component missing in our ability to vote or make a decision was the actual 2010 budget. In a recent memo to another union, the mayor acknowledged his lack of a long-term, multiyear "financial reduction plan," but suggested his annual budget is, in fact, a plan.
The Aurora City Council was promised to receive a budget for review on Oct. 15, but now we learn the administration is waiting until probably mid-November to submit a budget for review.
The union contract may be attractive for taxpayers, but without it being presented in the context of an entire fiscal plan, it's not responsible to the employees or to commit taxpayers to certain obligations without a full understanding of the entire financial scope, depth and plan of how we move forward.
The mayor has stated he is unwilling to raise taxes again, so where will the revenue come from to cover all of his commitments over the past four years? He has promised to submit a balanced budget, so where will the balance come from, given the spending addiction of the Aurora City Council? You, the taxpayer, or them, the politicians?
Or, could the politicians be relying on the county multiplier? Will the mayor and city's finance director, Brian Caputo, keep their promise not to raise rates or taxes?
Beware, Aurora.
Rick Lawrence
4th Ward Alderman
Failure to provide health care to one-third of the population is a national disgrace. The time for national health care is now.
Dr. Pauline Harding
Warrenville
I am Joe citizen of DuPage County, co-defendant in the case of ComEd vs. the People of DuPage Co.
Defendants are accused of wanting healthy, natural-looking trails.
How do you plead? Guilty as charged.
Seeking to settle out of court, the plaintiff has offered small tokens, such as disclaiming restitutions of the past. It states it will continue to spray herbicides; it does not state any willingness to improve oversight and care as to the chopping and hacking of our natural trails. And finally, it offers no guarantees for 750 designated tree replacements along county trails.
These low-growth trees will lower future Com Ed maintenance costs in a win-win for them, but an unguaranteed win-loss for the people of DuPage County.
There is really no resolution in their proposed settlement for the people and, for that matter, electrical consumers of DuPage.
The city councils of Wheaton and West Chicago recorded proclamations requesting the Illinois Commerce Commission's intervention, meeting with all parties to resolve this issue -- to no avail.
It is time for the DuPage County Board to act, and join the call of constituents and city government for ICC intervention. This issue will not go away.
Tom Grimston
Wheaton
In 1928, she was living in Morris, Grundy County, and had a young child. (She is not Florence Luella Wilson, Florence Eloise Wilson or Florence Wilson Bennett.)
This Florence may be a lost relative of an acquaintance who would be so happy to hear of her.
Please contact me at 781-545-4486; Jane@alumnae.smith.edu; or 13 Circuit Ave., Scituate, MA 02066.
Jane K. Thompson
Scituate, Mass.
