Monday, May 20, 2013
The fact new Mayor Przybylo holds a liquor license requires trustees to enforce a new law that says someone else (other than the mayor) must hold the title of liquor commissioner. Some want to be thorough in approaching this.
When three new Niles trustees took office Tuesday, May 13, they immediately had to consider how to put into effect a new Illinois law--which had made it possible for new Mayor Andrew Przybylo to run for mayor. Because it brought up some touchy issues, the discussion got a little heated. The board wlll meet again tonight, May 20, to discuss the issue further. Up until recently, Przybylo would have been barred from running for mayor due to a Prohibition-era law which prevented liquor license holders, of which Przybylo is one, from also being mayors. However, three local Illinois House representatives, who represent Niles and areas nearby, succeeded in passing a law a few months ago that would enable liquor license holders to run for mayor…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The two candidates for Niles mayor faced off in a debate Wednesday. They disagreed on granting tax breaks, whether Przybylo has enough time in his schedule to be mayor, and ways to keep Golf Mill bringing in money for Niles.
This is Part 2 of a two-part story. Click here to see Part 1. Andrew Przybylo and Chris Hanusiak, who are competing to be Niles mayor in the April 9 election, ignited some sparks Wednesday in a debate, sponsored by the Journal & Topics. Read on to see where they disagreed. Was $100,000 to televise board meetings worth it? Moderator Amy Kruppe, superintendent of Niles Elementary School District 71, read off this question on the value of televising board meetings, written by an audience member. Andrew Przybylo responded that transparency is important but that he had no idea it would cost $100,000. (The video system was researched and recommended by the village's Information Technology staff). "It is expensive, I get it," Przybylo …
At a Wednesday debate, Chris Hanusiak and Andrew Przybylo differed on term limits, tax breaks for businesses, whether televising village meetings is worth it and whether a mayor needs to be available during the workweek. They also agreed on a lot.
Part 1 of two parts At a debate Wednesday, the two candidates for Niles mayor at times disagreed. They challenged each other and gave Niles issues a vigorous airing, but the overall tone was respectful. Andrew Przybylo and Krzystof "Chris" Hanusiak, who are both current trustees running for mayor in the April 9 election, even agreed on a few issues--such as instituting a senior advisory board to keep the village board apprised of senior issues. At the debate, held at the Niles Park District's Oasis Fun Center and sponsored by the Journal & Topics, they also both said they want to expand the Niles Teen Center's hours. And they agreed the village will not have to cut services to residents. But they diverged on other issues. Ban on video …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Illinois law forbade Przybylo, a liquor license holder, from serving as a trustee and mayor--so he arranged for pols to change the law, but not before violating it for years. A Letter to the Editor from Chris Hanusiak.
The Patch.com article and interview of Andrew Przybylo about his liquor license illustrates once again the arrogance and “entitlements” which the Responsible Leadership for Niles Team members have been fighting against for over three years. The liquor control questions about what is happening in Niles are many and are mostly unanswered. Readers can go to the State of Illinois web site which publishes information about all such licenses issued for Niles which lists 101 such licenses. The licenses are rightly and lawfully issued to lounges, restaurants and catering venues, big box stores, liquor stores, grocers and even drug stores. Nothing wrong about any of that. But the problems arise about enforcement and who does the enforcing. Back …
The municipal candidates running in the April 9 election have much more power than D.C. pols to raise or lower your taxes, keep your streets from flooding and deliver services such as snow and trash removal. Przybylo is running for Niles mayor.
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Tuesday, March 19
Presidential elections get all the glamor, but local elections--for your village, schools, park districts and more--affect your property taxes, whether your snow gets cleared and whether your street floods more than do Washington elections. Patch.com is presenting the candidate questionnaires of candidates running in the Niles election. Today you can see that of Andrew Przybylo; scroll way down to see previous Patch.com articles about him. Get Niles and Morton Grove news in a daily email from Patch. It's like getting a free newspaper. Learn more. Name: Andrew Przybylo Age: 61 How long have you lived in Niles? 30 Family: Wife and two children Education: Bachleors Degree Occupation: Food Service Business & Government Previous Elected…
Monday, March 18, 2013
Niles has to become a representative democracy. It's time to bring village government into the 21st century. A Letter to the Editor from Niles Village Trustee Louella Preston.
The following Letter to the Editor states the opinions of the author. Patch is serving as a platform for writers to express their views. Friends and supporters have asked me to make a response to the hopelessly weak and offensive claims about my civic commitments. What is so surprising to all is that some of the people who level these ludicrous protests are the same people who campaigned and voted for me in many past elections. What their motives for dissing me now are best known to them and to God. These critics assert that I have been in office longer than most trustees in Illinois and pretend they are amazed that I am seeking office again while supporting term limits. They offer no similar criticism against Blase (47 years as …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Learn about the candidates for the April 9 election and make an informed choice. George Alpogianis is running for Village of Niles trustee.
Did you know there's an election in the Chicago suburbs on April 9? You'll vote for village trustees, a mayor, school board members and other officers. These are all positions that directly affect you--in terms of how much you pay in taxes, whether your street floods, the integrity of local government, and the quality of services such as garbage pickup and snow removal. Learn about the candidates and make an informed choice in the April 9 election. Get Niles and Morton Grove news in a daily email from Patch. It's free. Learn more. George Alpogianis is running for Village of Niles trustee. Name: George Dino Alpogianis Age: 46 How long have you lived in Niles? Almost 13 years Family: Wife Sophia, Evangeline, Costa, Kiki, Maria and Anna …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Niles Board of Trustees meeting should not be hijacked to showcase one candidate's campaign message, but that's what happened Tuesday. A Letter to the Editor from Niles Trustee Rosemary Palicki.
The following Letter to the Editor states the opinions of the author. Patch is providing a platform for writers to express their views. The March 12, 2013 Informal Consideration meeting of the Niles Board of Trustees was a throwback to the days of anything goes, legal or not. With exactly one month until the most significant and contested election that Niles residents have faced in decades, political campaigning was proposed as an agenda item by Trustee Przybylo and was placed on the agenda by Mayor Callero. I challenged Mayor Callero’s decision to allow political campaigning at a board meeting as unethical and even illegal. When the parliamentarian was asked for a legal opinion, none was publicly stated. The result? The show, …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
After one trustee put on the meeting agenda a topic highlighted in his campaign, other trustees called it campaigning at a public meeting and said it was inappropriate.
The Niles village board's meeting agenda became political Tuesday when one trustee put an item related to his campaign for mayor on the agenda and two other trustees said that was inappropriate and possibly illegal. Trustee Andrew Przybylo, who is running for mayor, placed on the agenda for Tuesday's "Informal Considerations" board meeting a presentation about Cook County's STAR system of performance management. "Informal Considerations" are meetings in which the board learns about and discusses upcoming issues, but does not vote. Trustee Rosemary Palicki commented that Przybylo has spoken about the county's performance management system in his campaign, and said it was an inappropriate use of the board's time, and the public's time, to…
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Another Niles trustee said Andrew Przybylo, whose family business has a liquor license, served 11 years as a Niles trustee in violation of a law that forbids liquor license holders from serving as trustees. Przybylo said the business was in transition.
Niles Trustee Andrew Przybylo, who is one of two candidates running for mayor in the April 9 election, responded to questions raised by Niles Trustee Jim Hynes about the Village of Niles liquor license Przybylo's family holds by saying his family's business was in transition during the years Hynes referred to. In a Letter to the Editor March 4, Hynes said the Illinois Liquor Control Act of 1934 prohibited liquor license holders from serving as trustees in village governments in the same village where they held the liquor license. Przybylo's family business held the liquor license from when he was first elected trustee, in 1989, to 2001, when that part of the law was struck down. His family business still holds the liquor license. …
Pat Craig
11:10 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I have no dog in this hunt, but I do have a couple of observations. - Never let the facts get in the way of a good political rant. --Before the new mayor was sworn in, the previous mayor was still the liquor commissioner. There was no vacancy so no action was legally allowed. --Przybylo is not the only newly elected mayor covered by this law. The same situation exists in Oak Park. --I agree with … more ›