I’ve long thought of people who show up at DeKalb City Council meetings as the City-watchers Club, but some of us have begun to embrace Council’s label, “Lunatic Fringe.”
“Lunatic Fringe” Facebook page is here.
“Lunatic Fringe” theme song is here.
As of this morning, there are 40 members. I’m often ambivalent about Facebook, but whole-heartedly support using it as a tool to reject the marginalization of dissent.
Feel free to use this thread for whatever is on your mind, even if it is not fringe-tastic.
The Chicago Trib reports that Bill Brady, Republican candidate for governor, almost certainly has benefited from votes he’s cast as a state senator.
In 2003, the state legislature gave the local government authority to take land for sewers along Curtis Road east of Brady’s property. A final vote to enact the law occurred Nov. 4, as Brady was securing options on the land he planned to develop. He voted for it.
Three years later, when the legislature re-authorized the sewer plans, well after Brady began acquiring the land, he again voted in favor of the measure. In 2007, Brady also voted for similar legislation allowing Champaign and other local governments to seize property to build their share of the interchange.
Although the actions would help move the interchange project along, and affect the value of his land, Brady did not recuse himself.
They couldn’t have dug this up before the primary, so maybe we’d have had half a chance of getting somebody to vote for this fall?
I love being called “lunatic fringe” by a City Council member. I really do. Let them show the world how far this body has fallen in matters of decorum and discipline. Let them demonstrate how much they despise the people they are supposed to be representing. Folks ought to know exactly who’s responsible for running this city into the ground through ignorance, arrogance and denial.
My lunacy at last night’s Council meeting comes after the jump. Read the rest of this entry
Last week I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the names of the Council members who are signed up for the City of DeKalb’s health insurance plan, and have since been denied under the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), specifically 45 C.F.R. 164.501 and 164.502. [Update 6/6: Link found to be broken, have substituted another.] This essentially means the City’s legal counsel maintains that the names are protected health information, which is defined as individually identifiable health information.
Legal counsel is incorrect. To understand the error, take a look at the definition of health information itself:
Health information means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that:
(1) Is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and
(2) Relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.
Did you spot it? They are mixing up the provision of health care with the provision of a health plan.
I’ll keep you posted on the appeal.
Click on the photo to see a larger version.
Here’s a little meta to accompany morning coffee. I’ve separated out the “Blogroll” category so that statewide or national watchdogs and policy wonks now reside under the “good government” heading and the truly local sites and blogs under “Local Voices.” Today I welcome Dan Kenney’s issues blog, Prairie Voice. Let me know in comments if a local gem has escaped my notice!
If you haven’t been following this story, links are provided below. In a nutshell, two bars that served underage drinkers back in January were fined last week, while a third requested and got its hearing rescheduled. Charges were dropped against two other bars whose licensee had been accused of advertising free beer as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion.
Advertising any sort of “happy hour”-type drink special in DeKalb constitutes a violation of the liquor code. Hosting an open bar for a private party does not.
Frankly, I don’t get it. Read the rest of this entry
We’re getting a lot of junk registrations lately so I’ve changed the settings for the time being, eliminating the “anyone can register” option. If you are not a current subscriber to CB but would like to be able to leave comments, please e-mail me at yinn@citybarbs.com. To register you I’ll need your real name, your user name if different from your real name, and a valid e-mail address. Sorry for any inconvenience.
The County Board members who voted “no” to the landfill expansion proposal are: Ken Andersen, Kevin Chambliss, Eileen Dubin, John Gudmundson, Pat LaVigne, Scott Newport, Mark Todd, and Derek Tyson.
The purported environmentalists on the Board who were outed last night as being nothing of the sort are: Julia Fauci, Paul Stoddard, Ruth Ann Tobias and Pat Vary.
The Board members who voted “yes” and are up for election this fall are: Michael Haines, John Hulseberg, Steve Walt, Sally DeFauw, Julia Fauci and Marlene Allen.
Filed under:
County Watch
