THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ELMHURST, ILLINOIS

Celebrating 75 Years of Leadership in Voter Education and Public Policy Debate in our Community.

Elmhurst League of Women Voters Study, Support and Action Items 2009-2010

1. Monitor and report on activities of local government bodies and support and promote good governmental practices.

2. Support strategies that recognizes the relationships among the environmental health, economic vitality, and social equity of the City of Elmhurst.

3. Support and encourage intergovernmental cooperation among the City of Elmhurst, Unit School District #205, Elmhurst Park District and Elmhurst Public Library.

4. Encourage and support voter registration and education.

5. Continue to lead the community Cool Cities Coalition and take action to promote policies and practices to reduce CO2 emissions levels by providing volunteers to help the city with labor-intensive activities, promoting the City's on-going sustainability efforts; and educating the community on ways to continue to decrease pollution and use sustainable practice.

Mayor DiCianni Proposes to Open Council Meetings With a Prayer

At the January 19, 2010 Elmhurst City Council meeting, after recognizing newly ordained Bishop Joe Siegel, former pastor of Elmhurst's Visitation Parish, Mayor Pete DiCianni suggested that each City Council meeting be opened with a prayer from leaders of all faiths within the community.

At this time, Aldermen Rose, Mulliner, Bram, Leader, Gutenkauf, Shea and Pezza, who have expressed their support to open dialogue on any change in conducting the Council's regular business, have requested that the Finance & Council Affairs Committee take the Mayor's proposal under consideration to discuss the purpose and logistics.

Below is the e-mail dialogue between the League and the Mayor regarding this proposal:

• President Laura Kratz's January 26, 2010 letter to the Mayor
• Mayor's January 26, 2010 response to League's letter
• League's January 29, 2010 reply to Mayor's letter

School District 205 Concerns

To view the slide show presented at our October 2009 meeting, click here, but first, a message

From our President, Laura Kratz:

The materials presented here are those used for our October 22, 2009 program covering recent actions of Elmhurst School District 205.

The League began this project back in July 2009 after hearing member and community concerns about the many changes the District had been making and about controversy surrounding the purchase of the building at 162 South York.

We undertook this project because we believe our dedication to monitoring local governmental bodies over a long period of time combined with our experience researching governmental issues and action would provide the community with an alternate source of information on the issues.

Furthermore, as a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active citizen participation in government, we also knew we could offer the community a unique opportunity to engage in an open civic discussion on areas of concern.

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Concerns about the District's Budget Process
Read our Open Letter to School District 205 on the Budget Process , and Superintendent Lynn Krizic's response.

On Monday, September 7, 2009, we submitted, via e-mail, a series of questions to the District 205 adminstration about the 2009-2010 Budget, which you can view here. On September 9, 2009, we recevied responses to those questions. More questions and answers can be found here and here.

LWV Elmhurst Board Members Cheri Niewiara and Connie Zillig enjoyed the 2nd Annual Green Fest in Elmhurst, which was held August 1, 2009.

Resolve to Become a Cool Citizen! Read an overview of Elmhurst Cool Cities' history and activities, and the Elmhurst Cool Cities Pledge. You can help by taking the Cool Cities Pledge yourself and making a personal commitment to keep our environment at the forefront of your daily activities. Green Fest in Elmhurst The 3rd Annual Green Fest was held on July 31, 2010 The goal of the annual Green Fest is to educate our community on ways individuals can reduce their tCO2e footprint (Carbon footprint) through fun, hands-on exhibits, interesting speakers, and the introduction of eco-friendly products and services. Pictures of our members at the 2010 Green Fest can be found on LWV Elmhurst's Home page. Elmhurst Energy Audit Click here, to view Elmhurst's Energy and Emissions Profile, which provides information about how energy is consumed by the residents and businesses in Elmhurst, and to help us prioritize strategies for energy efficiency and conservation.

Here's what the Illinois Constitution says about the environment: Constitution of the State of Illinois ARTICLE XI ENVIRONMENT SECTION 1. PUBLIC POLICY - LEGISLATIVE RESPONSIBILITY The public policy of the State and the duty of each person is to provide and maintain a healthful environment for the benefit of this and future generations. The General Assembly shall provide by law for the implementation and enforcement of this public policy. SECTION 2. RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS Each person has the right to a healthful environment. Each person may enforce this right against any party, governmental or private, through appropriate legal proceedings subject to reasonable limitation and regulation as the General Assembly may provide by law.