It's costing a lot these days in the form of time, harassment, and general cruelty. To advocate with conviction and transparency is not easy in this time.
Jon Kerr's substack is a worthy read on the bigger picture at hand with the pushback against two citizens being recommended for volunteer roles on Naperville city boards. Last night's city council meeting brought this unprecedented drama to a head. Numerous inflammatory comments were brought against both Awake IL President Shannon Adcock and Safe Suburbs PAC leader Kevin Coyne.
The public remarks start at 22 minutes with Mayor Chirico's introduction:
After all registered individuals spoke, Holly Hootman-a ring-leader among the opposition- stood up at the end of public comment and yelled from the audience that she signed up to speak and wanted to give comment. As her name didn't appear on the registrar, the Mayor denied the request saying "We have rules". She stormed out of the chamber.
The Mayor criticized the breach of procedure given the allegation a sitting councilman leaked the appointment names to the angry mob prior to notice going on the agenda. This violated procedure and will be reviewed. Meanwhile, the city council has been given time for further vetting of appointees Kevin and Shannon, both of whom spoke last night.
We highly encourage all Awake IL members, followers, and blog readers, to watch the public comments and share your thoughts with city council on what is wrong...and what is right. You don't have to be a resident to send correspondence.
Please send emails to Naperville city council @ council@naperville.il.us
Sadly, this is a glimpse into the social litmus throughout our country where civil discourse is no longer embraced. Given all of the false and slanderous comments about Awake IL, please do your research. This statewide organization launched from Naperville Illinois by regular citizens; not politicians or special interest lobbyists. From philanthropy to civic empowerment, Awake Illinois is providing a bridge between citizens and policymakers with 31 chapters statewide and growing.
Mr. John Blakey, Director of Equality and Civil Rights in Education, sums it up best below with his remarks this week to Naperville School District 203. Watch and listen to how our advocacy efforts are representing the voices of parents and communities throughout Illinois: