Archive for August, 2007

What’s Up in Hastert Country

Author: yinn

Aug 31

Jack Roeser of the Family Taxpayers Network, in a letter to the editor:

While this is still unconfirmed by the congressman, credible sources are reporting that U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert may be planning to resign as early as Nov. 6, rather than finishing out his term. If Hastert does step aside early, Gov. Rod Blagojevich would get to pick two special election dates, one for a primary and one for a general election.

The regular Illinois primary has already been moved up to Feb. 5. Not only would two new elections create considerably more confusion, but there would be significant new costs imposed on taxpayers.

None of us should be surprised by these kinds of games.

Games? Roeser seems convinced that someone is trying to manipulate the process to benefit one or another CD-14 candidate, but the rules are clear… Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: National Campaigns, Political Campaigns

“How I Spent My Afternoon in DeKalb, Illinois”

Author: yinn

Aug 27

I tripped over this one while viewing YouTube videos of DeKalb flooding, and was reminded of it this morning for reasons that will become apparent in a minute. You’ll need to make the jump so we don’t have two of these things trying to load at the same time. Caution: a little strong language at times–though probably nothing much different from what you or I have occasionally indulged in with the windows up… Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: General Happenings

“One Tin Soldier”

Author: yinn

Aug 26

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Filed under: National/International

Additional Reports: Public Access Improvements

Author: yinn

Aug 26

The Daily Chronicle today published an article by Benji Feldheim regarding recent complaints over the City Council meeting minutes and subsequent actions by citizens and the city to improve public access to them.

Mr. Feldheim did a good job. The story is accurate and IMO almost annoyingly objective. ;-) My aims here are only to provide a bit more of the back story and a wrap-up of citizens’ actions for whatever use they might be to others who are contemplating similar ventures. Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: Council/City Watch

Corn Fest Cancellations

Author: yinn

Aug 24

There will be no amusement rides or other entertainment this evening, though some local restaurants and other downtown merchants will offer specials to lure the strong swimmers. Head on over to DeKalb County Online for details on the Flood of ’07 and what’s left of Corn Fest.

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Filed under: Community Resources

Sandbags

Author: yinn

Aug 24

Just got back from DeKalb’s Public Works Water Division where my son and I, along with over 70 others, filled sandbags for whatever help they might offer to the flood-prone areas. The site is 1216 Market Street and I’m sure they could use more help today.

We saw a couple neighbors there to talk to and a few more who looked like folks whose names would come to me in a minute or two. As is my custom I smiled and nodded across a sand pile at one such familiar face and he did the same. Then it struck me that it was Vic Wogen. Oy. Well, he was out of context, in tee shirt and baseball cap. And he was working hard.

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Filed under: Community Resources

A Discussion of Ethics

Author: yinn

Aug 21

Lately I’ve been pondering questions of conflicts of interest in political life and recently declared (elsewhere) that since a certain act of omission by a certain politician made me trust him less, I knew he had made the wrong decision. I was mocked for it, I suppose because it sounds simplistic.

Yinn’s short rebuttal: It is that simple.

Cross over for long yinn. Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: General Happenings

My Space-Intensive Garden

Author: yinn

Aug 20

As the spruces that line the south side of our property grew, they increasingly shaded and gradually shortened the growing season of the vegetable garden until the time that no tomato would ever ripen again in that spot. The trees must stay, as they’ve always sheltered pairs of cardinals and mourning doves. I relocated the garden this year.

The Breakthrough

The original beds were built of concrete blocks, 3 slightly-raised rectangles each 4 feet wide but of varying orientations and lengths of 4, 12 and 16 feet. After growing everything from corn to squash in them for 10 years, I knew exactly what I liked about those beds but mostly what I didn’t. Low beds kept me on my knees. Four feet was too wide for the arms of a 5’2″ gardener. Rabbits could be discouraged with chicken wire, but this meant stepping over it and onto the garden soil, which compacts it. If we dared vacation in July, the weeds won.

With a book bought for 25 cents at a church fundraiser plus a couple of winter afternoons spent online, I solved all of these problems and more. The book is a 1981 edition of Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening. Bartholomew, who used to raise vegetables for restaurants, had a show on PBS back then. He has refined his methods in 25-plus years but his basic challenge to home gardeners remains the same:

Why do you need rows? Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: Energy & Environment, Garden Blog

Ethics & Downtown Revitalization

Author: yinn

Aug 19

All we know for sure is this: DeKalb Mayor Frank Van Buer cast a vote against Gavin Wilson’s candidacy as 5th Ward alderman. The mayor is now found to have close political relationships with Wilson’s opponent in the race and with the man who challenged Wilson’s ballot petition.

Van Buer’s campaign manager, Don Floyd, says that the mayor did disclose, by way of filing electronically with the Illinois State Board of Elections (btw, the irony has not escaped me). He’s got a point. How is it that the opposition party–in this case the Republicans–didn’t dig up that nugget? How did the Daily Chronicle miss it? As for myself, I didn’t blink or think twice at the time, when Van Buer said “We were advised that that was a mandatory.” That’s ’cause I trusted him.

I assume that when Van Buer sought legal advice, it was from the city attorney. Perhaps he should also have visited with the city manager, who is the designated ethics advisor for the city. That way the mayor’s men maybe wouldn’t have to be engaged right now in a flurry of damage control activity because the ethics of the situation called for recusal. Recusal would have saved the day.

At any rate let’s pursue a big-picture hypothesis brought to the fore by Gavin Wilson:

The Mayor and I were not strangers. He had just recently sent me a letter asking me not to write any more letters to the Chronicle, or it would undo all the things he was trying to accomplish, (for instance, removing the only viable parking in the downtown). I did write more, and I know this was not an action that would endear me to him.

Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: Council/City Watch, Plans & Surveys

Conflict of Interest No. 12,498

Author: yinn

Aug 14

In the February 24 article, “No Race in DeKalb’s 5th Ward” I decried the Illinois campaign laws that could be used to get a person kicked off the ballot for not much more than forgetting to cross a “t.” In my opinion only out-and-out fraud, such as forgery, should get a person tossed off the ballot.

Wilson blames two-thirds of the local election board, comprised of the mayor, city clerk and the 3rd Ward alderman (who voted in Wilson’s favor) for supporting perfect paperwork over competitive races. He’s got a point but the real culprits here are the cumbersome Illinois candidacy requirements and the shameless way they can be exploited by an experienced opposition, especially an incumbent candidate.

The reason that the local election board made a determination is that Wilson’s nominating petitions did not have to be perfect. The wording of the applicable state statute reads:

The name of no candidate for nomination…shall be printed upon the primary ballot unless a petition for nomination has been filed in his behalf as provided in this Article in substantially the following form: [Emphasis added.]

So there was some discretion involved. The board did not have to vote the way it did. I’ve wondered why Mayor Van Buer, who strikes me as someone who would support the spirit of the law and a true contest, voted against Wilson. Then this week I was tipped off to a stunning (to me, anyway) conflict of interest. Read the rest of this entry

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Filed under: Council/City Watch
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