Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The village scheduled, then modified, then cancelled a meeting to sort out which of the two referendums on term limits, both passed by voters, applies. One could potentially prevent the mayor-elect from serving.
Three weeks after Niles voters passed two term limits ordinances-- and 10 months after Niles citizen Joe Makula started working for term limits in Niles--the issue has reached a standstill which could last indefinitely. At the April 23 Niles village board meeting, Trustee Rosemary Palicki called for a special board meeting to take place April 30 for the board to discuss the issue. The village subsequently emailed to say the meeting was closed to the public, and then a second email on April 30 said the meeting was cancelled. "The need for the Special Board Meeting concerning the referenda is no longer necessary at this time," the email said. It did not explain what that meant. Earlier: Term Limits Referendum Could Potentially Keep …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
After voters passed two--conflicting--term limits measures, no one know which will take effect. One might bar Mayor-elect Przybylo from taking office. The Niles village board will try to figure out answers Tuesday at a special meeting.
Update: The village sent out a notice saying Mayor Callero decided to make this meeting a closed session. That means it is not open to the public. Niles has a very unusual legal situation on its hands--and one which may have no precedent in Illinois. The village board will meet Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at village hall to explore the situation. In the April 9 election, voters passed two different referendums on term limits. The petition version limits an individual's public service on the Niles board to 16 years (the equivalent of four four-year terms). The author intended for it to be retroactive. If that were the case, Mayor-elect Andrew Przybylo would have to step down, because he has already served 24 years. Earlier: If one version…
Friday, April 12, 2013
Two conflicting referendums on term limits passed in Tuesday's election and it's unclear which will apply. The creator of one said he believes it would prohibit Mayor-elect Andrew Przybylo from serving.
Niles voters heartily approved two referendums on term limits in Tuesday's election. However, they are different, and there is no clear guideline in law or precedent as to which should apply. "This has never happened before in Illinois, and I expect it'll be decided in court," said Joe Makula, who gathered about 1,000 signatures--twice-- to create the petition version of the referendum. He said if that version applies, it would bar Mayor-elect Andrew Przybylo from serving. The petition version limits individuals' service as trustee and/or mayor to 16 years, and Makula said it would be retroactive. Since Przybylo has already served 24 years as a trustee, Makula said it would require Przybylo to step down. The other version of the …
Monday, December 10, 2012
After a petition for term limits for Niles officials got quashed by a judge, citizen advocate Joe Makula and his attorney filed a new petition Friday. Advocating good government, it would limit officials to 16 years in office.
A battle-tested Joseph Makula stepped to the Niles village clerk's counter Friday afternoon to officially file a question he wants placed on the April 6, 2013 ballot. It would limit the Niles mayor and trustees to no more than 16 years in office. The scene was a deja vu from July, when Makula filed a similar petition, with 1,018 signatures. Except this time, Makula was accompanied by an attorney. And having suffered a petition challenge by the village of Niles and a subsequent court defeat, Makula is wiser on to how to dot the i's and cross the t's of an election petition. Earlier: Village of Niles Challenges Petition in Court Earlier: Judge Dismisses Petition: Now What? Now, in Round 2 of the term limits battle in Niles, the situation…
Thursday, October 25, 2012
After more than 1,000 citizens signed a petition to put term limits on the ballot and were rebuffed, the village board discussed the issue; trustees' thoughts varied immensely. The board will vote Nov. 27 on whether to put term limits on the ballot.
Niles village board members--the very people who would be affected by imposing term limits in the village--discussed the issue informally before their regular board meeting Tuesday. When Mayor Robert Callero started the discussion by asking each trustee whether they would favor term limits, and if so, how many terms, most of the trustees said they would favor term limits. While the citizens' petition would have limited one official's service to four terms, an option popular with most of the board was a total service, for one person, of three terms as trustee and two as mayor. (Each term is four years.) However, Trustee Chris Hanusiak said, "I believe 16 years is a long enough time." Most of the trustees felt that officials who had …
Friday, October 19, 2012
In this Letter to the Editor, Niles Trustee Joe LoVerde outlines his position on term limits. A citizens' group gathered 1,000 signatures to force a referendum on the issue, but the village took the issue to court, where a judge quashed it.
The following Letter to the Editor represents the views of the writer; Patch merely provides a forum for readers to express their opinions. I will be unavailable, for personal reasons to attend the Tuesday October 23 Village of Niles Board meeting. I would like to make my position clear on the very important issue of term limits. As you know I not only signed the petition but also voted in favor of term limits in 2010 when the issue first came up. I have two clearly separate concerns with the recent proposed referendum. Earlier: After 1,000 Niles voters sign petition to put term limits on ballot, Niles fights them in court and wins Earlier: Board will discuss term limits on Oct. 23 I support term limits as follows: trustees limited to…
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
After Niles silenced more than 1,000 voters who wanted term limits, it will allow them to speak Tuesday. But if a term limits make it on the April ballot, what happens if 16-year-plus officials are elected at the same time? A Letter to the Editor.
The following Letter to the Editor represents the views of the author. Patch merely provides a forum for expressing views. This summer more than one thousand Niles citizens rose up and voiced their disapproval with the current state of their local government. They were promptly told to sit down and shut up. The official spin on why Niles voters won’t be considering a term limit initiative this fall is that Mr. Makula didn’t “cross his t’s and dot his i’s” properly. Don’t believe it. The Village attacked this initiative proposal the same way they went after the Off Track Betting referendum of a few years ago – they insisted that despite the intentions of the signature gatherers and the petition signers, Makula’s initiative could only…
Friday, September 28, 2012
After 1,018 Niles residents signed a petition asking for term limits, the village objected and a judge ruled to quash it, term limits will finally get a hearing.
After three months of drama, term limits--which 1,018 Niles citizens supported by signing a petition--will get a hearing just prior to the next village board meeting on Oct. 23. Mayor Robert Callero announced Tuesday at the village board's monthly meeting, "Now that the judge has ruled on the term limits petition, I have set discussion for the pre-board meeting on October 23." Stay in the loop! Like Niles-Morton Grove Patch on Facebook Pre-board meetings usually take place at 6 or 7 p.m. on the night of monthly village board meetings, with the regular meeting starting at 8 p.m. Trustees and the mayor discuss pertinent topics, but do not take votes. Votes are held during the regular meetings. The issue of term limits arose this summer…
Monday, September 24, 2012
1,018 voters signed a petition to put term limits on the ballot. While the judge's decision voided it, people want term limits. Put them on the agenda for Tuesday's board meeting. A Letter to the Editor.
The following Letter to the Editor expresses the views of the author. Patch merely provides a platform for the writer's opinions. The writer delivered a hard copy of this letter to Village Hall Friday. Dear Mayor Callero, Niles Trustees, and Concerned Niles citizens. The voters spoke loudly and quite clearly to me-- 1,018 of them badly wanted term limits-- probably 75 to 80% of those that I solicited on this matter. I personally got 940 signatures and talked to a wide cross-section of the population. I can report that the issue is still on their minds and when I run into persons I talked to, even those who didn't sign, they bring up the subject. This didn't go away in a judge's decision, but it angered them. Most of the rest of the …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
In this Letter to the Editor, Mr. Kurfirst, discusses the recent judge's ruling which means voters will not see a referendum question on term limits for Niles officials on the November ballot.
The following Letter to the Editor expresses the opinions of the author alone; Patch merely provides a platform for writers to state their views. Earlier: Judge quashes referendum on term limits for Niles elected officials Get Niles and Morton Grove news delivered free in a daily email from Patch. Mr. Kurfirst is a former political science professor.
Big Al
6:43 pm on Monday, April 29, 2013
I think the bickering needs to stop. It is distracting people from our biggest problem in the town namely flooding and FIXING it for good . Also, start charging a buck for the "free bus" the gas alone probably costs us non - elderly tax payers a gazillion dollars a year. more ›