Mario Garcia, the former Currier teacher charged with abusing students, appeared in court today for his arraignment and pled not guilty to 38 charges—up from 11 reported by news outlets earlier this month.

Two counts were for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child; 15 were for aggravated criminal sexual abuse; five were for aggravated battery; 11 were for grooming.

“Not guilty to each and every count,” said his lawyer Karen Mondry.

Mondry also told the judge she would be requesting DCFS records, school records and pediatrician records for the case. Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh responded that some of these might come out in discovery, but that they would need to prepare motions to request the others.

One woman in the room started crying at the words “not guilty.” She later told me, through a friend interpreting, that her daughter was one of those victimized by Garcia.

“My daughter is not okay,” she said.

Garcia’s next court date will be October 15 at 9:30 am, and his case number with the DuPage County Clerk is 2026CF001622. We will keep providing updates and may update this post if necessary.

Thanks to Ryan Schwebel for helping with this report.

Mario García se declara inocente

Mario García, el ex maestro de Currier acusado de abusar de estudiantes, compareció hoy ante el tribunal para su lectura de cargos y se declaró inocente de 38 cargos, más que los 11 cargos informados por los medios de comunicación a principios de este mes.

Dos cargos fueron por agresión sexual criminal depredadora a un niño; 15 fueron por abuso sexual penal agravado; cinco fueron por agresión agravada; 11 fueron para grooming.

“No es culpable de todos y cada uno de los cargos”, dijo su abogada Karen Mondry.

Mondry también le dijo al juez que solicitaría registros del DCFS, registros escolares y registros del pediatra para el caso. La jueza Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh respondió que algunas de ellas podrían salir a la luz pública, pero que necesitarían preparar mociones para solicitar las demás.

Una mujer en la sala empezó a llorar después de las palabras “inocente”. Más tarde me dijo, a través de un amigo que interpretaba, que su hija fue una de las víctimas de García.

“Mi hija no está bien”, dijo.

La próxima cita en la corte de García será el 15 de octubre a las 9:30 am, y su número de caso ante el Secretario del Condado de DuPage es 2026CF001622. Seguiremos proporcionando actualizaciones y podremos actualizar esta publicación si es necesario.

Gracias a Ryan Schwebel por ayudar con este informe.

And the futsal fields will have to continue to wait. On Monday night, August 17, the city council voted unanimously to table the zoning amendment that would allow the fields —which already has $300,000 pledged from private organizations, together with $50,000 pledged by the city council—in order to run it past the Historical Preservation Commission.

In this episode, we (Laura & Liuan) talk about the people who showed up to give public comment on the fields and what it shows about how much soccer means to the community.

In addition:

• an update on the Mario Garcia story that you may have missed if you’re not a D33 parent;

• recap of the August 10 data center special meeting;

• a quick library update from Laura;

• a reminder to be thinking about running for office in 2027. Candidate packets are now available at City Hall, and petitions will be due in November. All you have to do is show up.

  WARD MAP

Muchas personas de la comunidad latina de West Chicago y también otros apoyantes hablaron apasionadamente el 17 de agosto en el ayuntamiento sobre sus deseos de tener canchas dedicas en la ciudad para que los jovenes puedan jugar futból . Pero al fin el cambio de zonificación el cual permitiran nuevas canchas en el centro se suspendió porque el concejal Dan Beebe señaló que la Comisión de Preservación Histórica debe revisar primero la modificación de zonificación. Beebe dijo que estaba “indeciso” sobre las canchas en el centro, pero pensaba que deberían seguir el procedimiento establecido por la ordenanza municipal.

Beebe citó la ordenanza que creó la Comisión de Preservación Histórica en 1990, la cual establece que la comisión «revisará y emitirá recomendaciones sobre las propuestas de modificación de la zonificación que afecten a monumentos designados o distritos históricos». La ubicación de las nuevas canchas están parte del districto histórico Turner Junction.

Alcalde Bovey expresó su frustración de que un proyecto que la comunidad ha esperado por decadas puede ser detenido por motivos procesales. Argumentó que la decisión en frente del consejo es mantener un terreno baldío y cubierto de maleza —donde actualmente no hay estructuras históricas— o llevar a cabo un nuevo proyecto urbanístico que beneficiaría la salud de la comunidad y fomentaría la revitalización del centro.

Una miembra de la comunidad, durante el tiempo de comentarios publicos, dijo que ha hablado de la necesidad de canchas dedicadas de fútbol para el pueblo desde las ochentas. “Es una lástima que tengamos que estar aquí suplicando por algo que ya nos hemos ganado,” dijo.

Algunos miembros del consejo, por ejemplo Sandy Dimas y Rebecca Stout, dijo que apoyaron la idea de más canchas de futból en West Chicago pero no pensaron que el distrito comercial sería la major ubicación para estas canchas. Otros concejales apoyaron el cambio de zonificación para permitir las canchas. Matt Myers dijo que los nuevos campos se planificaron intencionadamente para la zona céntrica con el fin de generar más afluencia de peatones y hacer así que el área resultara más atractiva para la inversión de los promotores inmobiliarios. Concejala Tracey Hernandez dijo que el cambio de zonificación “no es pedir demasiado cuando la mayoría de nuestra comunidad lo está solicitando.”

Al fin todos los miembros del ayuntamiento votaron para posponer la modificación de la zonificación. No está claro cuando los planes para las canchas de futsal en el centro llegarán otra vez en frente del ayuntamiento.

Downtown futsal courts failed to reach council vote on a technicality

Many members of West Chicago’s Latino community, along with other supporters, spoke passionately at City Hall on August 17 about their desire for dedicated soccer fields in the city where young people could play. However, the zoning change that would have allowed for new fields downtown was put on hold after Alderman Dan Beebe pointed out that the Historic Preservation Commission needed to review the amendment first. Beebe said that he was “torn” regarding the downtown fields but believed the process established by the municipal ordinance should be followed.

Beebe cited the 1990 ordinance that established the Historic Preservation Commission, which states that the commission “shall review and make recommendations regarding zoning amendment proposals affecting designated landmarks or historic districts.” The site for the new courts lies within the Turner Junction historic district.

Mayor Bovey expressed frustration that a project the community has wanted for decades could be halted on procedural grounds. He argued that the choice facing the council was between maintaining a vacant, overgrown lot—where no historic structures currently stand—and proceeding with a new development project that would benefit community health and foster downtown revitalization.

During the public comment period, a community member noted that she had been advocating for dedicated soccer courts in the town since the 1980s. “It is a shame that we have to stand here begging for something we have already earned,” she said.

Some council members, such as Sandy Dimas and Rebecca Stout, stated that while they supported the idea of ​​more soccer courts in West Chicago, they did not believe the downtown business district was the best location for them. Other aldermen supported the zoning amendment to allow for the courts. Matt Myers said that the new fields were intentionally planned for the downtown area to increase foot traffic, thereby making the area more attractive to developers. Councilwoman Tracey Hernandez remarked that the zoning amendment “is not a big ask when the majority of our community is asking for it.”

Ultimately, all city council members voted to postpone the zoning amendment vote. It remains unclear when plans for the downtown futsal courts will come before the city council again.

Plans for new futsal fields on a corner of the 14-acre city-owned West Washington Street property may meet significant opposition on Monday night (August 17) when the city council of West Chicago will consider a zoning amendment allowing them.

The quarter acre of artificial turf fields would stand directly behind C&A Auto Repair and Streamline Manufacturing (133 N. Aurora). They are part of Mayor Daniel Bovey’s vision to revitalize the languishing downtown area.

The fundamental problem with downtown development, Bovey said, is that “because there is no foot traffic, these properties are essentially underwater in terms of their value for a developer.” The fields would address this conundrum, he said, while also answering ongoing requests from a large portion of the West Chicago community for more designated places to play soccer. “It is one of the first solid steps of creating third spaces in our downtown which will begin to draw foot traffic, which is what our downtown needs to catalyze development.”

In the May meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Commission, the group voted 5-1 to recommend the inclusion of athletic fields in the overall revitalization plan, provided the fields were located in the far southwest corner of the 14-acre city lot. “In the past, we waited for the next big thing to come along, and we’re still sitting with some of those spaces today,” said commissioner Denise Kolode, who voted for the inclusion. “A futsal field that will also be able to serve as pickleball could be a great way to bring some life to the area now without closing the door on future development. We want to see our downtown moving forward, and sometimes that means taking a step instead of continuing to wait for the perfect opportunity.”

Commissioner Sara Phalen voted against the fields’ inclusion. She believes the fields are too small to drive the large amounts of players or spectators to boost downtown traffic, and that the project feels too much of like a duplication of the Community Park project on the old Kerr McGee factory site. “I firmly believe we need a comprehensive plan to make the West Washington site successful economically that works in concert with the full development, not piecemeal one-off projects,” said Phalen, who also directs the West Chicago City Museum and serves on multiple local boards, including Gallery 200 and Healthy West Chicago.

The futsal field plans have already made it through several financial and logistical hoops, including engaging outside partners. The nonprofit organizations Street Soccer USA and Missionary Athletes International have each committed $150,000 toward the fields. Street Soccer USA has also said they would hire a part-time maintenance person for the site. The city council on June 1 unanimously voted to set aside $50,000 toward the project, funds that would have gone to hire a new finance director but which the city didn’t end up using. On July 18 community organizations hosted a soccer tournament to begin to raise the remaining $100,000 of the $450,000 project. According to Bovey, the event raised about $7,000.

But plans may be put on hold on Monday if the council doesn’t pass the zoning amendment. The August 10 Development Committee meeting foreshadowed this coming Monday’s showdown. The committee narrowly approved a zoning amendment by a 4-3 vote, moving the amendment forward for a full council vote this Monday, August 17. The amendment designates “Outdoor Athletic Fields, Publicly Owned” as a new land use classification and allows for its special use in the B-1 district, where the city property is located. If the amendment passes, building the fields would still require another level of city approval through a special use permit.

Council members Chris Swiatek, Rebecca Stout, and Melissa Birch Ferguson voted against the amendment, while Matt Myers, Denise Carreto-Muñoz, and Julieta Alcantar-Garcia voted to move it forward. Alderman Sergio Santiago was absent. Mayor Bovey cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the amendment, as an ex officio member of the committee.

Earlier, the zoning amendment was recommended by city staff for approval to the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Assistant City Administrator Tia Messino explained the staff’s approach at an earlier council meeting. Because the fields would be located on a 100-year floodplain, “We take section of land that would otherwise be extremely difficult for the city to get someone interested in developing and instead take that into a use that would work out well in that space as a small recreation area,” Messino said. “It gives us a nice opportunity to start some development in that area and begin work on creating a transportation connection on North Aurora.”

On August 4, four members of the Plan Commission voted against the zoning amendment while three were absent. Barb Laimins, commission chairperson, said that she would prefer to wait to see details of other proposals for the entire 14-acre property coming in through a newly released Request for Qualifications, which closes August 28. “I just hate to see us limit the possibility, now that the land is available for use, to see what interest there is.”

Laimins also doubted that the soccer fields would draw people to downtown as intended. “We need condos or something to bring people downtown,” she said. Laimins said that there were other appropriate places around town for athletic fields, rather than at this particular property.

Jenaro Terrazas, a local realtor on the Plan Commission who was absent for that meeting, thinks that placing soccer fields in that location would indeed benefit the community and downtown businesses. “There’s a big soccer community in West Chicago. If we can bring these people over to downtown, that’s going to bring opportunities to downtown itself.” Terrazas envisions a “placita” or plaza space where local vendors would sell their wares, families would bring their kids to have an ice cream cone and play sports, and people would be drawn to spend time there instead of going to nearby downtowns like Wheaton or Geneva. “If businesses see hundreds of people downtown, at the placita, they’re going to say, ‘We want to be there.’”

Alderman Stout said she relied heavily on the 4-0 decision by the Plan Commission against the zoning amendment in her decision against it on the development committee. “The [Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals] held two public hearings asking for input from the public and no one came to either meeting. This does not speak to the project being the best use for this land in the B-1 zoning district.”

Alderman Myers, who voted for the amendment and is also on the Downtown Revitalization Commission, said that the commission’s recommendation to proceed with the futsal fields came out of dozens of hours of discussion and reaching out to local stakeholders to consider the most workable ways to bring activity to the downtown area. “Our community isn’t looking for new ways to spend money right now,” Myers said. “I think that they’re looking for something active where they can spend time together.”

While Myers shares others’ hopes for a large development project, he wants the community to take wins where they can. “I voted for it because what we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked and ignoring the lessons of history means you are likely to repeat the failures,” Myers said. Alderwoman Carreto-Muñoz agreed. “I don’t think it’s worth waiting for investors to come into this area because the waiting is what has led our downtown into this situation,” she said. “We have a great opportunity and I think it would be disheartening to miss it.”

Canchas de futsal en West Washington se enfrentan a una votación polémica este lunes

Un cambio de zonificación que permitiría los campos fue aprobada por un estrecho margen en el comité de desarrollo y ahora se somete a la consideración del pleno del concejo.

Los planes para construir nuevas canchas de fútbol sala en un sector del terreno de 14 acres —propiedad de la ciudad— ubicado en West Washington Street podrían enfrentar una fuerte oposición este lunes por la noche (17 de agosto), cuando el concejo municipal de West Chicago evalúe una modificación de zonificación que permita su instalación.

Las canchas de césped artificial, que ocuparían un cuarto de acre, se situarían justo detrás de los establecimientos C&A Auto Repair y Streamline Manufacturing (133 N. Aurora). Este proyecto forma parte de la iniciativa del alcalde Daniel Bovey para revitalizar el centro de la ciudad.

El problema fundamental del desarrollo del centro, dijo Bovey, es que “al no haber tránsito peatonal, estas propiedades tienen un valor negativo para un promotor inmobiliario”. Los campos deportivos resolverían este dilema y, al mismo tiempo, atenderían las constantes peticiones de gran parte de la comunidad de West Chicago de contar con más espacios habilitados para jugar al fútbol. “Es uno de los primeros pasos firmes para crear ‘terceros espacios’ en nuestro centro; esto empezará a atraer a peatones, que es precisamente lo que el centro necesita para impulsar el desarrollo”.

En la reunión de mayo de la Comisión de Revitalización del Centro, el grupo aprobó por 5 votos a favor y 1 en contra recomendar la inclusión de campos deportivos en el plan general de revitalización, siempre y cuando se ubicaran en el extremo suroeste del terreno municipal de 14 acres. “En el pasado, esperábamos a que surgiera el próximo gran proyecto, y hoy en día seguimos teniendo algunos de esos espacios sin uso”, comentó la comisionada Denise Kolode, quien votó a favor de la propuesta. “Una cancha de fútbol sala que también pueda utilizarse para el *pickleball* podría ser una excelente manera de dinamizar la zona ahora, sin cerrar la puerta a futuros desarrollos. Queremos ver cómo nuestro centro avanza y, a veces, eso implica dar un paso adelante en lugar de seguir esperando la oportunidad perfecta”.

La comisionada Sara Phalen votó en contra de la inclusión de las canchas. Ella considera que son demasiado pequeñas para atraer la gran cantidad de jugadores o espectadores necesaria para dinamizar la actividad comercial en el centro de la ciudad, y opina que el proyecto se asemeja demasiado a una duplicación del proyecto del Parque Comunitario (Community Park) en el antiguo ubicación de la fábrica Kerr McGee. “Creo firmemente que necesitamos un plan integral para lograr el éxito económico del sitio de West Washington que funcione en consonancia con el desarrollo general, y no proyectos aislados y fragmentarios”, afirmó Phalen, quien también dirige el Museo de la Ciudad de West Chicago y forma parte de varias juntas locales, incluidas Gallery 200 y Healthy West Chicago.

Los planes para las canchas de fútbol sala ya han superado diversos trámites financieros y logísticos, incluida la colaboración con grupos externos. Las organizaciones sin fines de lucro Street Soccer USA y Missionary Athletes International se han comprometido a aportar 150.000 dólares cada una para las canchas. Street Soccer USA también ha manifestado que contratará a una persona para el mantenimiento del recinto a tiempo parcial. El 1 de junio, el concejo municipal votó por unanimidad destinar 50.000 dólares al proyecto; se trataba de fondos que originalmente iban a utilizarse para contratar a un nuevo director de finanzas, pero que finalmente no se emplearon para ese fin. El 18 de julio, grupos locales organizaron un torneo de fútbol para empezar de recaudar los 100.000 dólares restantes del presupuesto total de 450.000 dólares del proyecto. Según Bovey, el evento logró recaudar cerca de 7.000 dólares.

Pero los planes podrían quedar en suspenso este lunes si el concejo no aprueba la modificación de zonificación. La reunión del Comité de Desarrollo el 10 de agosto anticipó el enfrentamiento que tendrá lugar este lunes. El comité aprobó la modificación por un estrecho margen de 4 votos a favor y 3 en contra, permitiendo así que la propuesta pase a votación ante el pleno del concejo este lunes 17 de agosto. La enmienda establece la categoría de «campos deportivos al aire libre de propiedad pública» como una nueva clasificación de uso del suelo y permite dicho uso especial en el distrito B-1, donde se encuentra la propiedad municipal. Si se aprueba la enmienda, la construcción de los campos aún requeriría un nivel adicional de autorización municipal mediante un permiso de uso especial.

Los concejales Chris Swiatek, Rebecca Stout y Melissa Birch Ferguson votaron en contra de la modificación, mientras que Matt Myers, Denise Carreto-Muñoz y Julieta Alcantar-Garcia votaron a favor de tramitarla. El concejal Sergio Santiago estuvo ausente. El alcalde Bovey emitió el voto de desempate a favor de la modificación en su calidad de miembro *ex officio* del comité.

Previamente, el personal municipal había recomendado a la Comisión de Planificación y a la Junta de Apelaciones de Zonificación que aprobaran la modificación de la normativa de zonificación. Tia Messino, administradora municipal adjunta, explicó el planteamiento del personal en una reunión anterior del concejo. Dado que los campos se ubicarían en una zona inundable con un periodo de retorno de 100 años, Messino señaló: «Tomamos una parcela de terreno que, de otro modo, sería extremadamente difícil de desarrollar por falta de interés de terceros, y la destinamos a un uso adecuado para ese espacio: una pequeña zona recreativa». Y añadió: «Esto nos brinda una excelente oportunidad para iniciar el desarrollo de esa zona y comenzar a trabajar en una conexión de transporte en North Aurora».

El 4 de agosto, cuatro miembros de la Comisión de Planificación votaron en contra de la modificación de zonificación, mientras que tres estuvieron ausentes. Barb Laimins, presidenta de la comisión, expresó su preferencia por esperar a conocer los detalles de otras propuestas para la totalidad de la propiedad —de 14 acres— que se reciban a través de una reciente convocatoria de presentación de credenciales (Request for Qualifications), cuyo plazo finaliza el 28 de agosto. «Me desagradaría limitar las posibilidades —ahora que el terreno está disponible para su uso— de ver qué interés existe realmente».

Laimins también dudaba de que los campos de fútbol atrajeran a la gente al centro como se esperaba. “Necesitamos condominios o algo así para atraer a la gente al centro”, dijo. Laimins comentó que había otros lugares apropiados en la ciudad para campos deportivos, en lugar de esta propiedad en particular.

Jenaro Terrazas, un agente inmobiliario local y parte de la Comisión de Planificación que estuvo ausente en esa reunión, cree que colocar canchas de fútbol en ese lugar beneficiaría a la comunidad y a las empresas del centro. “Hay una gran comunidad futbolística en West Chicago. Si podemos traer a estas personas al centro de la ciudad, eso generará oportunidades para el propio centro de la ciudad”. Terrazas imagina una “placita” donde los vendedores locales venderían sus productos, las familias traerían a sus hijos para tomar un helado y practicar deportes, y la gente se sentiría atraída por pasar tiempo allí en lugar de ir a centros cercanos como Wheaton o Geneva. “Si los negocios ven a cientos de personas en el centro, en la placita, dirán: ‘Queremos estar allí’”.

La concejal Stout afirmó que, al votar en contra de la propuesta en el comité de desarrollo, se basó en gran medida en la decisión (4-0) de la Comisión de Planificación de rechazar la modificación de zonificación. «[La Comisión de Planificación y la Junta de Apelaciones de Zonificación] tuvieron dos audiencias públicas para recabar la opinión de la ciudadanía, pero nadie asistió a ninguna de las reuniones. Esto no sugiere que el proyecto represente el mejor uso posible para este terreno dentro del distrito de zonificación B-1».

El concejal Matt Myers, quien votó a favor de la enmienda y también forma parte de la Comisión de Revitalización del Centro, dijo que la recomendación de la comisión de avanzar con los campos de fútbol sala surgió de docenas de horas de discusión y de llegar a las partes interesadas locales para considerar las formas más viables de llevar actividad al centro de la ciudad. “Nuestra comunidad no está buscando nuevas formas de gastar dinero en este momento”, dijo Myers. “Creo que están buscando algo activo donde puedan pasar tiempo juntos”.

Si bien Myers comparte las esperanzas de otros sobre un gran proyecto de desarrollo, quiere que la comunidad obtenga ganancias donde pueda. “Voté a favor porque lo que hemos hecho en el pasado no ha funcionado e ignorar las lecciones de la historia significa que es probable que se repitan los fracasos”, dijo Myers. La concejal Carreto-Muñoz estuvo de acuerdo. “No creo que valga la pena esperar a que los inversores lleguen a esta zona porque la espera es lo que ha llevado a nuestro centro a esta situación”, dijo. “Tenemos una gran oportunidad y creo que sería desalentador perderla”.

Update: The city council voted unanimously 12-0 on July 6, 2026 to pass the 180-day moratorium on new permits and approvals for data centers and battery energy storage facilities.

Curious residents may have noticed new construction at 1345 West Washington Street just west of the post office. It’s the site of a new data center being developed by the California-based Colovore LLC, a company that provides “ultra-high-density, liquid-cooled colocation data centers” for artificial intelligence purposes.

City council member Julieta Alcántar-Garcia found out about the development through the company’s request for a permit through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to operate a diesel generator for backup power for the new center, which would create potential air quality concerns. The company did not have to go through any special use permitting for the City of West Chicago to begin construction of the new data center.

In November 2024 the previous city council amended the city code to allow for data centers in Zone M (Manufacturing), where the new data center is located. Data centers had already been allowed in Zone A (Airport). (Zoning map here.) One data center, an 80,000 square foot facility at 603 Discovery Drive south of Roosevelt Road near Fabyan Parkway, has already been operating in West Chicago for about two decades.

Several council members, who found out about the 1345 West Washington development after construction was already underway, have requested the city place a moratorium on new data centers and battery energy storage facilities. The measure, Ordinance No. 26-O-0011, will be discussed at tonight’s city council meeting on Monday, July 6, 2026 at 7 pm at city hall. Residents are able to comment on the issue during the public participation period at the beginning of the meeting.

The ordinance can be found on page 48 of the council agenda packet. The 180-day moratorium would not prevent new data centers or energy storage development but rather “temporarily pauses new applications while the City evaluates whether additional regulations are necessary to ensure these uses are compatible with surrounding land uses and available infrastructure.”

Neighboring communities have taken similar measures. The City of Aurora placed a 180-day moratorium on data center development last September, which resulted in new regulations passed this March. The City of Naperville in January denied a controversial plan for a large data center.

At the state level, legislators failed to pass the BYONCE (Bring Your Own New Clean Energy) Bill, which would have required any new project looking to set up shop in Illinois and needing over 25 megawatts of energy to supply their own clean energy (such as wind or solar).

Data center development across the country has placed strains on local communities’ water and electricity supplies, as they require massive amounts of energy to run and hundreds of thousands, sometimes up to millions, of gallons of water per day to cool.

The new ordinance up for discussion tonight would not prevent the development at 1345 West Washington Street, though Alcántar-Garcia is hoping to include this development in the conversation. At the very least, it would open up the conversation to how the city wants to approach future data center developments.

Clarification: The original article said Colovore LLC didn’t have to go through any permitting to begin construction for the new data center. The updated article clarifies that it did not have to go through any special use permitting. It still had to go through building permitting according to city code.

Daniel Czuba, a longtime West Chicago realtor featured on our latest episode, “Why is it so hard to develop Main Street?” was approved at June 1’s city council meeting as the latest member of the Downtown Revitalization Commission, with a vote of 8-5-1 (yes, no, and abstain). He was recommended to the commission by Mayor Daniel Bovey.

Update: Voting aye were Beebe, Alcántar-García, Santiago, Carreto-Muñoz, Hernandez, Smith, Aviña Soto and Myers. Voting nay were Stout, Dimas, Sheahan, Birch Ferguson, and Swiatek. Morano abstained.

A significant group of council members opposed Czuba’s appointment, citing his inappropriate comments at last year’s May 5 swearing-in ceremony of the new mayor and newly-elected city council members, among other reasons. Czuba has been vehemently opposed to the previous mayoral administration and, in our last episode, called that administration, “I wouldn’t even say a big brother but more like a bad stepdad. Instead of getting along with the family just kept reminding them of the rules.”

Czuba moved to West Chicago from Lombard in 1978 when he bought a pet store on Main Street and soon after got into realty.

“Back then I didn’t talk a lot. I smiled a lot,” Czuba said to Liuan in a 2022 interview for her article on West Chicago’s thorium history. “I was putting houses on the market in West Chicago and advertising them in Lombard.”

People would ask Czuba to see a house they thought was in Lombard. “I’d get them in the car, then just start going west. As soon as I said, ‘Oh we’re going out to West Chicago,’ people said, ‘Oh I don’t want to go to West Chicago.’”

Prejudice against the town’s Hispanic community was the primary reason people from other suburbs were disinterested in buying in West Chicago, Czuba said, along with the growing awareness of the town’s radiation contamination issues from the old Kerr-McGee factory (more on that in a coming episode). Czuba was the only realtor who joined the Thorium Action Group, which advocated successfully to move the factory waste out of town.

Czuba attempted to run for mayor in the 2021 election but was not allowed on the ballot after an objection filed by local resident Tristan Moffet which stated that Czuba did not live at the West Chicago address listed on his candidate application (Czuba’s realty office).

A similar concern arose in the 2025 election when mayoral candidate Joseph Sheehan ran for election using an address in the Burr Oaks apartment complex while operating his campaign out of a house in Winfield. No objections were filed and Sheehan continued his run for office through the April 1 election.

The Downtown Revitalization Commission was established by the city council in August 2025 as a temporary working group to lead the city’s efforts to infuse new life into the struggling downtown. Members have included Chair Greg Salzman, alderman Dan Beebe, Daniela Ballines, Omar Espinosa, Denise Kolode, alderman Matthew Myers, Sara Phalen, David Sabathne, and Fernando Rodriguez.

Czuba is eager to contribute his “candid honesty” to the group’s efforts. He wrote to us in a text, “I have no personal agenda other than to hold our leadership accountable for the responsibilities they have agreed to accept on behalf of the citizens, the taxpayers, and the business people who just want a fair shake when investing their hopes, energies, and money into our community.”

The next meeting of the commission takes place on Monday, June 22, at 6:00pm.

In celebration, here’s a feature-style episode on a topic we have long struggled to understand: why has it been so hard, over the years, to get tenants into the buildings on Main Street? What are property owners thinking, and what are developers waiting for? What is the latest on the city’s efforts to sell off city-owned property?

We took walks with Kelley Chrisse, Business & Community Relations Director for the City of West Chicago, and Dan Czuba, owner of Daniel & Associates Real Estate, down Main Street past key spots to chat and get more context on this micro-economy that means so much to us.

Grab a margarita and an outdoor table at Coco Loco, and enjoy. And for even more tea on Main Street, visit the next meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Commission on Monday, June 22, at 6:00pm.

More on the downtown revitalization grant: The city launched the grant program in January 2025. with a total annual budget of $125,000. Grants are offered up to $75,000, and up to $100,000 for projects that preserve historically significant or landmarked buildings. As of May 2026, two grants have been given, totaling $86,557, both awarded in 2025. These went to Jose Oscar Muñoz (116 Main Street) and Randall M. Lellios (216-222 Main Street).

“Two additional projects have been discussed and are anticipated,” Kelley wrote to us in an email.

“The Economic Development Commission made the recommendation for the program budget and will be discussing the 2027 budget over the summer. The goal was to increase the budget for this program over time,” she added. “However, the program is largely funded by the General Fund until such time as the Downtown TIF generates sufficient revenues to cover the program budget.

More details on the downtown revitalization grant program here.

We’ve got several very exciting episodes brewing, aided by our new “dead kitties,” which are not as morbid as the name sounds. They are just lapel microphones that connect with our phones that have fuzzy covers to keep the wind sounds from getting into the recordings. We bought them with the funds from all of you paid subscribers! You know who you are, and we appreciate you immensely.

And yes, you can become a paid subscriber of 60185. We will use your support to get equipment and tech subscriptions as needed, and place local ads so that more community members can get informed and join the conversation! Subscribe below.

For now, we wanted to invite you to office hours with your 60185 hosts! We’ll be at Kamila Cakes on Friday, May 29, between 1:30 and 3 pm. Stop by to say hi and share your ideas about what topics we should cover on the podcast. You can even spill the tea if you want. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Plus, did you know that the Forest Preserve District owns one-seventh of the land in DuPage County? We also hear an update on the conflict over the land north of Menards that the City of West Chicago approved to be a housing development but the Forest Preserve wants to annex into Pratt’s Wayne Woods, and why Rick loves the West Chicago Prairie and the Elsen’s Hill Area of the West DuPage Woods Forest Preserve… PLUS: where to find native, wild orchids in 60185.

Email Rick with your ideas and feedback at rgieser@dupageforest.org.

This article was originally published in Sojourners Magazine in July 2025. As we hit the one-year mark of the 2025 consolidated elections that shook up West Chicago’s city council, we (Liuan and Laura) want to celebrate how far we’ve come since election night 2025.

We both got involved in local politics because it was one area where we felt we could make a difference. It’s the same motivation behind the 60185 podcast. We saw a gap in how our community gets information, as well as too many hot takes and not enough nuanced conversations. Though we’ve gone through some rough patches in the past year as a community, we remain rooted in the conviction that neighbors talking to neighbors is what’s going to move us forward from divisiveness to collaboration, from us-versus-them to mutual flourishing, from power in the hands of a few to power rightfully shared among many.

Okay, here’s the original article!

AFTER THE NOVEMBER 2024 elections, I felt called to local community action. As I voiced despair to my therapist over the demise of democracy on a national level, she asked, “What is within your circle of control?” A friend had just decided to run for mayor of our town. This was one area where I could do something.

As a journalist, I typically don’t support specific candidates publicly. This time, I left my neutral observer role to get in the local political trenches as a volunteer campaign team member. Even at this level, it gets nasty — mudslinging, blatant lies, threats, bribes, and all those things that give regular folks a bellyache.

Long story short, my friend and our slate of city council candidates won. I’m still amazed by the fact that ordinary people who wanted change unseated five incumbents bent on preserving the status quo.

Reflecting back on how we did it, and how we might do it again, one strategy rises to the surface: We activated our social networks.

I don’t mean that we got really busy on social media, although we did. I mean that we met our neighbors. We went door to door. We got people in parent groups, churches, schools, sports clubs, and homeowners’ associations talking to one another. We bridged a pervasive sense of isolation and disconnect from government by connecting people to a movement.

Social trust has frayed in recent decades, as Robert Putnam (in Bowling Alone) and others have documented. The sense that neighbors look out for neighbors is fading. Social media, backed by a few multibillion-dollar companies, has usurped older networks where people used to get information from trusted messengers. In short, our social infrastructure is crumbling.

I recently chatted with Andre Henry, a nonviolent movement builder at Christians for Social Action. People have a hunger these days, he said, for agency. We want to do something about the problems we’re witnessing. We want to interrupt injustice.

So, we have the people, and we have solutions. What’s missing, Henry said, are the links plugging people into movements that meaningfully execute the solutions.

We can’t rely on the tech giants, whose bottom line is not our best interests but profit. We must rely on something more old-fashioned: Neighbors talking to neighbors. Local networks of care.

Now more than ever, building community is crucial to our work of reversing authoritarianism and the entrenched exploitation of people and planet. While technology and social media can be tools, they are peripheral to the heart of our work, which is rebuilding relationships.

This means showing up to local meetings, starting a conversation with another parent on the playground, hosting a climate café at a nearby coffeehouse, plugging into your closest environmental group, or countless other possibilities. It could mean reinvesting in church. As we rebuild our social infrastructure, these networks will be ready to activate when a crisis or opportunity strikes, whether extreme weather, the next executive order, or an upcoming election.

When we are connected and organized, what we can do together is stunning.

We cover a whirlwind of West Chicago news, starting with the elementary school gym teacher controversy that drew large crowds to a City Hall listening session (Jan. 26) and a school board meeting last night (Feb. 5). The board accepted the teacher’s voluntary resignation before public comment, and we reflect on the community reaction and how social media amplified the situation.

The bulk of the episode focuses on City Hall: the January 31 departure of longtime City Administrator Michael Guttman, the history of his contract dispute, and the mayor’s December disclosure of an EEOC complaint that led to a $300K+ settlement. We discuss (again) why this history matters, how residents can better engage with their alderpeople, and what comes next—including the search for a new city administrator, downtown revitalization plans, a new Ward 3 council member, and recent appointments to the Building Board of Appeals—a commission that is mandated by ordinance, but had not operated until Mayor Bovey’s tenure.

Links

Mayor’s statement on former city administrator complaint: https://westchicago.org/news-archive-2025/mayor-statement-on-former-administrator-complaint/

May 5 swearing-in ceremony recap:

July 15 Guttman settlement and Bond replacement recap:

This article was originally published in Sojourners Magazine in September 2024. While much has changed on West Chicago’s city council since then, my encouragement to our community to show up for one another in local government remains.

NOVEMBER 20, 2023. The three short rows of folding chairs for the public were not full, but this was the highest attendance I had seen at a city council meeting. I was curious how the mayor and council members would respond this time. Community members had showed up to support Dan and Jody Bovey, a couple fighting what they felt was an unfair $20,000 building code violation fine.

(Update: Mr. Bovey is now the mayor of West Chicago.)

After some preamble, the floor opened for public comment. A handful of residents came to the podium for their allotted three minutes. “We’ve lost the adult in the room,” one woman said. “I implore the council to consider the human aspects,” a man said. He asked if the building board of appeals would be seated to review this case.

The mayor blinked, expression unchanged, “We can’t comment, and your time is up.”

The rest of the meeting flew by. Each agenda item was raised with no discussion and pushed through with nearly unanimous votes. The entire meeting was over in 17 minutes.

Later, I met with some of the residents who showed up that day. They are concerned about an opaque and unresponsive municipal government that doesn’t have residents’ best interests in mind. But changing the status quo is tedious, to say the least. Who will attend hours of city council and committee meetings and leaf through pages of disbursement reports? Who will track down if that new contractor is the mayor’s cousin? More importantly, who will hold elected officials accountable? Who will challenge public servants for their seats when they aren’t truly serving the public?

IN ONE OF our last municipal elections, one alderman won with 49 votes. Only seven percent of the registered voters in her ward turned out.

A recent study from Portland State University found that local election turnout in 10 of America’s 30 largest cities was less than 15 percent. The median voter age was 57. Given the dismal turnout rates and overrepresentation of older, white voters, however, a small, committed group of people encouraging their neighbors to participate can dramatically shift the face of local government.

Local civic engagement is unsexy and often boring. Media outlets tend to skip over local stories, creating news deserts where people hear little about what’s going on in their neighborhoods, apart from unreliable social media posts. When the community is uninformed, it’s easy for local officials to abuse their power.

As a Christian, when I consider Jesus’ call to love my neighbors, showing up at city council and committee meetings isn’t top on my list. But the deliberations that happen in these spaces matter significantly for the daily lives of my neighbors and me, from how much our water costs to which companies get to do business in our backyards. Uniting with neighbors on these granular details can bridge the polarizing ideological divides so prevalent in national politics. In our times of fraying social trust, local civic action is one powerful way we can know and love our neighbors.

Ama a tu prójimo. Asiste a una reunión del consejo municipal.

Cuando una comunidad está desinformada, es fácil que los funcionarios locales abusen de su poder.

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en la revista Sojourners Magazine en septiembre de 2024. Aunque desde entonces han cambiado muchas cosas en el ayuntamiento de West Chicago, sigo animando a nuestra comunidad a que se apoyen mutuamente atras de participar el gobierno local.

20 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2023. Las tres filas cortas de sillas plegables para el público no estaban llenas, pero era la mayor asistencia que había visto en una reunión del ayuntamiento. Tenía curiosidad por saber cómo responderían esta vez el alcalde y los concejales. Los miembros de la comunidad habían acudido para apoyar a Dan y Jody Bovey, una pareja que luchaba contra lo que consideraban una multa injusta de $20,000 dólares por infringir el código de construcción.

(Actualización: el Sr. Bovey es ahora el alcalde de West Chicago).

Tras algunos preámbulos, se abrió el turno de comentarios públicos. Un puñado de residentes subió al estrado para disponer de los tres minutos que se les habían asignado. «Hemos perdido a los adultos en la sala», dijo una mujer. «Ruego al consejo que tenga en cuenta los aspectos humanos», dijo un hombre. Preguntó si la junta de apelaciones de construcción se reuniría para revisar este caso.

El alcalde parpadeó, sin cambiar de expresión: «No podemos hacer comentarios, y su tiempo se ha acabado».

El resto de la reunión pasó volando. Cada punto del orden del día se planteó sin debate y se aprobó por unanimidad. La reunión duró solo 17 minutos.

Más tarde, me reuní con algunos de los residentes que asistieron ese día. Les preocupa que el gobierno municipal sea opaco y poco receptivo, y que no tenga en cuenta los intereses de los residentes. Pero cambiar el statu quo es, como mínimo, tedioso. ¿Quién asistirá a las largas reuniones del ayuntamiento y de las comisiones y hojeará las páginas de los informes de gastos? ¿Quién investigará si ese nuevo contratista es primo del alcalde? Y lo que es más importante, ¿quién exigirá responsabilidades a los cargos electos? ¿Quién desafiará a los funcionarios públicos por sus puestos cuando no estén sirviendo verdaderamente al público?

EN UNA DE nuestras últimas elecciones municipales, una concejala ganó con 49 votos. Solo el siete por ciento de los votantes registrados en su distrito acudió a las urnas.

Un estudio reciente de la Universidad Estatal de Portland reveló que la participación en las elecciones locales en 10 de las 30 ciudades más grandes de Estados Unidos fue inferior al 15 %. La edad media de los votantes era de 57 años. Sin embargo, dadas las pésimas tasas de participación y la sobrerrepresentación de los votantes blancos de edad avanzada, un pequeño grupo de personas comprometidas que animen a sus vecinos a participar puede cambiar redicalmente el panorama del gobierno local.

La participación cívica local no es atractiva y a menudo resulta aburrida. Los medios de comunicación tienden a pasar por alto las noticias locales, lo que crea un vacío informativo en el que la gente apenas se entera de lo que ocurre en su barrio, salvo por las publicaciones poco fiables de las redes sociales. Cuando la comunidad está desinformada, es fácil que los funcionarios locales abusen de su poder.

Como cristiana, cuando pienso en el llamamiento de Jesús a amar a mi prójimo, asistir a las reuniones del ayuntamiento y de las comisiones no es una de mis prioridades. Pero las deliberaciones que occuren en estos espacios son muy importantes para la vida cotidiana de mis vecinos y para mí, desde cuánto cuesta el agua hasta qué empresas pueden hacer negocios en nuestros patios traseros. Unirnos con los vecinos en estos detalles minuciosos puede salvar las divisiones ideológicas polarizantes tan frecuentes en la política nacional. En estos tiempos de desgaste de la confianza social, la acción cívica local es una forma poderosa de conocer y amar a nuestros vecinos.

Our biggest takeaways:

1) Angry people driving out of—or into—their driveways during a parade is one of Fleury’s bigger fears about bringing them back;

2) Despite requests, ICE has provided no list to West Chicago of who they are arresting, why, or whether targets have criminal histories.—LF

Key Topics Covered — Parade Conversation

• The chief’s background organizing large-scale events and how that shapes his safety expectations.

• Why parades create unique risks: long footprint, many uncontrolled access points, vehicle hazards, and crowd unpredictability.

• Staffing limits at the department and how manpower affects what can be safely covered.

• The need for clear participant check-in, assigned slots, and no last-minute additions.

• Insurance and alcohol-use requirements for certain participant groups (e.g., riders).

• Past incidents the chief referenced—such as animal-related injuries and drivers bypassing closures—that inform current caution.

• The role of trained volunteers (CERT/ESDA) for staging, barricades, and first aid.

• The importance of confirming dates early so the department can adjust schedules and avoid staffing conflicts.

• A collaborative but safety-first tone: supportive of the event if proper controls and planning are in place.

Key Topics Covered — ICE Conversation

1. Training & Department Procedures (how are West Chicago police officers trained to react to ICE?)

• Officers document ICE encounters and provide warnings to federal agents who are violating city resolutions that city property cannot be used from civil immigration enforcement.

• City-wide directive: any staff member encountering ICE is to alert the highest-ranking police member.

• Officers respond when residents report unknown individuals who may be ICE. Residents can always call 911 if they spot a suspicious vehicle and responders can let them know if the vehicle is a concern.

• Local law enforcement vehicles can be distinguished from ICE vehicles by their license plates, which have letters “MP” on side.

2. The TRUST Act / “CARES Act” Confusion

• Fleury frequently refers to “CARES,” but the policy he describes aligns with:

  • Illinois TRUST Act (2017)

  • Way Forward Act (2021)

  • Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s guidance restricting cooperation with civil immigration enforcement

• Key restriction: local police cannot assist ICE in civil immigration enforcement (e.g., information sharing, detainers).

3. Chief Fleury’s Central Claims

• Communication restrictions by the state have created serious safety issues.

• ICE is operating without sufficient local intelligence, making operations chaotic.

• Local police are “caught in the middle”—unable to help ICE but unable to obstruct.

• Public misidentifies undercover units, fire vehicles, or unmarked cars as ICE.

• Community trust is eroding due to visible tensions and crowd clashes.

• ICE has provided no list of who they are arresting, why, or whether targets have criminal histories.

4. Examples Chief Fleury Shares

• ICE use of spray during Thorntons gas station encounter.

• Allegations that an undercover (non-ICE) vehicle was rammed by someone who assumed they were ICE.

• A local person was chased and harassed in an apartment complex because he was mistaken for ICE.

• Prior town hall meetings where residents expressed support for deporting violent offenders.

5. Community Reporting Options

• Tip411 system.

• Calling 911 for verification of suspicious vehicles or activity.

6. Perimeter Problems

• State law prevents local police from creating a barrier around ICE operations.

• According to Fleury, this increases likelihood of clashes between ICE and crowds.

7. Transparency Concerns

• Chief Fleury says ICE has given zero information to West Chicago about:

  • who is being arrested

  • whether arrests are criminal or civil

  • what charges people have

• Only one confirmed case: an individual at Thorntons who filed a police report. He was a U.S. citizen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Chief Colin Fleury

02:56 Chief Fleury’s Background and Career Path

05:51 Challenges of Organizing Parades

14:47 Police Department’s Role in Immigration Enforcement

36:23 Challenges of Communication with ICE

39:13 Public Safety and Trust Issues

40:47 The Impact of ICE Operations on Local Communities

I (Liuan) received an email from Laura with the title “Hear me out.” We had just survived an epic swearing-in ceremony for West Chicago’s new mayor Daniel Bovey and several newly-elected city council members. Dan had warned us there might be some fireworks, but I don’t think anybody in the audience was ready for the level of conflict that took place.

Laura wrote:

“I just recorded a 22 minute Marco Polo for a handful of friends explaining everything that happened tonight.

“That’s… a podcast.

“I am going to start one purely for WeGo residents — possibly time limited — to process all of this stuff. I think podcasts are so much more constructive than social media. People are always asking what is going on… this is how to fill them in.”

Subscribe now

The first recording

I sat in Laura’s dining room later that day, admiring the blue and white porcelain dishes on the wall. I thought, “No biggie, just talking with a friend over tea and sending it to a few other friends.”

Laura has podcasting experience from previous jobs, and somehow managed to drop the first episode about an hour after we recorded it.

In the first couple days, we got over 100 downloads. We were expecting, maybe, 15.

There was definitely an information gap here that people have been hungry to fill.

Since then

We’ve had Attorney Jeff Jacobson, Mayor Dan Bovey, Maria Correa and José (Pepe) Gutierrez from Casa Michoacán, Jonathan Wolfe from We Go for the People, Winfield Township Trustee Rebecca Holmes, and several aldermen on the show. When we can, we record episodes in both English and Spanish.

While social media can be a helpful place to get the latest scoop, our community needs more than hot takes and rumor mills. A podcast format gives listeners a chance to go deeper into a topic, getting past surface-level arguments that fuel an us-them mentality and truly understanding where decision-makers are coming from and the issues on the table.

It’s not us-them. It’s all of us. We all have a place here in West Chicago, and it’s time to sit down to an honest, respectful conversation.

Moving forward

We started the podcast specifically explain what happened on May 5 for our friends and neighbors, but with a larger purpose in mind: our community cares a lot—and has a lot going on. Our goal was (and is) to provide easy-to-digest updates on West Chicago’s taxing bodies, especially our city council. After overwhelming interest in our episodes so far, we’re planning to keep this up! You can expect episodes every few weeks or more frequently if we’re feeling ambitious. We’re busy working moms, so this is a side project for us. We’ll cover major city council decisions, interspersed with news on township, school district, and park district happenings, and anything else that’s of interest to West Chicago residents.

Subscribe below to get an email in your inbox every time a new episode drops. We’ll also post informative tidbits that don’t make it into an episode here on this Substack page.

Have ideas for topics? Comment below.

If you think our work is valuable, would you become a paid subscriber? We’re looking for 20 committed residents to become paid subscribers at $5 a month.

That will help us pay for our graphic designer (Joey Waltz) who made our beautiful banner and logo, as well as tech subscriptions and other costs here and there. And honestly, maybe a cup of coffee every once in a while.

And please share this with your friends and neighbors. We want everyone to be part of the conversation. You—each and every one of you—are what make West Chicago the quirky and wonderful town that we all love.

P.S. A couple of updates since we recorded this episode several months ago—

1. Liuan and Matt’s children’s book, My South American Classroom, has launched!! Find it here!

2. Heather Niziolek of The West Chicago Voice has concluded the platform, and Merle Burleigh’s column on the city website will not continue after this year… so we’re feeling even more committed to keeping this podcast and Substack active going forward.

Ward 1 Alderman Dan Beebe describes the 2026 budget proposal that will receive a vote tonight, December 1, 2025. We catch up on what is happening to the grocery tax (!!), explain sewer and water rate increases and why West Chicago treats its own water, and hear the story of how Dan got onto the city council (he wasn’t appointed!).

We also discussed a couple of things I’m still grappling with:

1. Why is the council so… quiet? We joke often about how long the meetings are now, but it’s because they used to be 10 minutes, with very little public comment. Now we see lots of public comments, but still less conversation among council members than I would expect. Is it possible that the council before April 1 was borderline rubber-stampy? Which leads into my next question:

2. Do we rely more than necessary on consultants? I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the last few months, both in the context of the City and the Library (where I am a board member).

   On the one hand, consultants provide institutional knowledge that you just don’t get from a group of 15 ever-changing volunteers. At the state and federal levels this is provided by staff and (gulp) lobbyists, who have been around for decades and may have deeper knowledge and time on an issue than either staff or electeds. Dan Beebe also explains to us in this episode that staff simply just don’t have time to do some of the tasks that we need done, like modernizing city code.

   HOWEVER: Dan also told us that in his time with the city (on commissions and on the council), he has watched the city pay consultants to develop at least 3 plans to revitalize the downtown. Then there’s the 20 year old Strategic Vision that basically went untouched. In April, we overwhelmingly heard a direction from voters to work on our downtown—but here we are budgeting even more money for consultants to advise us how to do that.

   
   As a resident, I’d love to not pour more money into consultants when we haven’t tried ideas from the last ones yet. And I’m not talking about real estate deals with bad timing. How about basic recommendations for improving downtown? How about trying out the idea in one of our consulting plans to allow residents to build separate mother-in-law suites in town? This would address our housing shortage while giving residents more chances to make ends meet in our challenging economy.

What do you think? Am I off base here? If you’re a member of the council or city staff, would you be willing to come on the show to explain to me why we need even more consultants? 💙

P.S. We sponsored a soccer team! Eusebian is a longstanding outreach program at New Life Bilingual Church in West Chicago.

Cover photo courtesy of the West Chicago Voice. Alderman Dan Beebe (far right) speaks with protestors in spring 2025 at city hall.

This is an editorial and expresses the views of the writer. Español abajo.

Last night the West Chicago city council surprised me. All but one of the members present voted to pass a resolution (25-R-0072) creating ICE-free zones on city property. They also unanimously voted to support a “proclamation affirming the City of West Chicago’s commitment to human rights and the dignity of all immigrants.” This makes November and December “Immigrants are Essential” months here in town.

These actions are not cure-alls, and the discussion last night frequently centered around the lack of power city officials have to curb the current abuses of power by federal immigration agents (violating due process, human rights, and the constitution, as Mayor Daniel Bovey repeated several times). While the Illinois Trust Act prohibits local law enforcement from participating in any way with federal immigration activities, federal law on the other hand requires them to cooperate. As corporate counsel Keri-Lyn Krafthefer said, the city is “walking a fine line.”

Unsurprisingly, council members expressed concern that ICE-free zones would put the city in danger of lawsuits. Alderman Al Hallett (the only council member voting against the resolution) also warned that the council might be seen as “obstructing justice” and accused of treason against the federal government.

Fourteen local residents (including myself) spoke up last night beseeching the council to create these ICE-free zones. One brought a letter signed by 30 other residents also in favor of the resolution. I wasn’t sure if council members who had previously presented a stone face to the outflowing of public opinion on the city administrator issue would be moved by these public comments. But, to my surprise, almost all of them were.

Or maybe they were just pulled in the direction that most of their peers were already headed? It’s hard to say because the council has tended to be group that takes its cues from one another, even as the shaking up of the council in April has shifted those dynamics.

In any case, it feels like a momentous moment for West Chicago and a hopeful instance of making reality what Alderman Sergio Santiago described that our community wants—for the council to show that they are on the side of the people of West Chicago, “that we’re pulling in the same direction, here for unity, that our community is important to us.”

The other resolution passed last night (22-R-0073) was a bit more controversial. Instead of targeting ICE activities in particular on city property, it restricted use of city property for city business only. Some on the council thought this would be a helpful fallback if attempts to prevent ICE from operating on city premises are challenged in court of law. Others worried it would prevent free speech, like protests, or the use of city property by independent community organizations, like the West Chicago Garden Club. That resolution also passed, but with at least two dissenting members (Dan Beebe and Carlos Aviña-Soto).

Again, these resolutions are by no means perfect solutions, but they are a start. They show that council members listened, for once, to overwhelming public opinion. And for once, I feel proud of this city council for doing something that might have little precedent, but bridges the yawning gap our community feels between residents and the council. They showed they cared. And this matters.

If you are with me here, let’s contact our ward aldermen to thank them. Just as our elected officials need to know when residents are not happy with a situation, they should know when they’ve done something that we’re proud of. Let’s keep the circular communication going between community and council and reinforce a positive feedback loop of listening and appreciation.

One more thing— here’s a PSA on behalf of Mayor Bovey: passing these resolutions means the city will now put up signs on city premises, but that doesn’t mean ICE will comply. The West Chicago Police Department is currently making changes to their policy manual that direct officers in how to respond in such a situation. Local police might still show up when ICE agents park in city lots, but they still won’t be able to intervene. Instead, Bovey said, they would play a documenting role with their bodycams, to record any instances of excessive force or violation of due process to be filed for reports with higher agencies and try to hold these agents accountable.

Mayor Bovey stressed that these resolutions are meant to affirm that West Chicago residents are safe in city spaces, and they have the “full protection of the law and constitution.”

Este es un artículo de opinión y expresa los puntos de vista del autor.

Anoche, el ayuntamiento de West Chicago me sorprendió. Todos los miembros presentes, excepto uno, votaron a favor de aprobar una resolución (25-R-0072) para crear zonas libres de ICE en las propiedades de la ciudad. También votaron por unanimidad a favor de apoyar una “proclamación que afirma el compromiso de la ciudad de West Chicago con los derechos humanos y la dignidad de todos los inmigrantes.” Esto convierte a noviembre y diciembre en los meses de “Los inmigrantes son esenciales” aquí en la ciudad.

Estas medidas no son la panacea, y el debate de anoche se centró con frecuencia en la falta de poder de los funcionarios municipales para frenar los actuales abusos de poder de los agentes federales de inmigración (que violan el debido proceso, los derechos humanos y la Constitución, como repitió varias veces el alcalde Daniel Bovey). Si bien la Ley de Confianza de Illinois prohíbe a las fuerzas del orden locales participar de cualquier manera en las actividades federales de inmigración, la ley federal, por otro lado, les exige que cooperen. Como dijo la asesora jurídica Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, la ciudad está “caminando por una línea muy fina.”

Como era de esperar, los miembros del consejo expresaron su preocupación por que las zonas libres de ICE pusieran a la ciudad en peligro de demandas judiciales. El concejal Al Hallett (el único miembro del consejo que votó en contra de la resolución) también advirtió que el consejo podría ser visto como “obstruyendo la justicia” y acusado de traición contra el gobierno federal.

Catorce residentes locales (incluido yo mismo) tomaron la palabra anoche para pedir al consejo que creara estas zonas libres de ICE. Uno de ellos trajo una carta firmada por otros 30 residentes que también estaban a favor de la resolución. No estaba seguro de si los miembros del consejo, que anteriormente habían mostrado una actitud impasible ante la opinión pública sobre el tema del administrador municipal, se verían conmovidos por estos comentarios públicos. Pero, para mi sorpresa, casi todos lo estuvieron.

¿O tal vez simplemente se dejaron llevar por la dirección que ya habían tomado la mayoría de sus compañeros? Es difícil de decir, porque el consejo ha tendido a ser un grupo que se guía por las opiniones de los demás, aunque la reorganización del consejo en abril haya cambiado esa dinámica.

En cualquier caso, parece un momento trascendental para West Chicago y un ejemplo esperanzador de que se haga realidad lo que el concejal Sergio Santiago describió como el deseo de nuestra comunidad: que el consejo demuestre que está del lado de los habitantes de West Chicago, “que remamos en la misma dirección, que estamos aquí por la unidad, que nuestra comunidad es importante para nosotros.”

La otra resolución aprobada anoche (22-R-0073) fue un poco más controvertida. En lugar de centrarse específicamente en las actividades del ICE en propiedades municipales, restringía el uso de las propiedades municipales únicamente a asuntos municipales. Algunos miembros del consejo pensaron que esto sería un recurso útil si los intentos de impedir que el ICE operara en las instalaciones municipales fueran impugnados ante los tribunales. A otros les preocupaba que esto impidiera la libertad de expresión, como las protestas, o el uso de propiedades municipales por parte de organizaciones comunitarias independientes, como el West Chicago Garden Club. Esa resolución también se aprobó, pero con al menos dos miembros en desacuerdo (Dan Beebe y Carlos Aviña-Soto).

Una vez más, estas resoluciones no son en absoluto soluciones perfectas, pero son un comienzo. Demuestran que, por una vez, los miembros del consejo han escuchado la abrumadora opinión pública. Y, por una vez, me siento orgullosa de este ayuntamiento por hacer algo que puede que tenga pocos precedentes, pero que tiende un puente sobre la enorme brecha que nuestra comunidad siente entre los residentes y el consejo. Han demostrado que les importa. Y eso es importante.

Si están de acuerdo conmigo, pongámonos en contacto con nuestros concejales para darles las gracias. Del mismo modo que nuestros representantes electos necesitan saber cuándo los residentes no están contentos con una situación, también deben saber cuándo han hecho algo de lo que nos sentimos orgullosos. Mantengamos la comunicación circular entre la comunidad y el ayuntamiento y reforcemos un ciclo positivo de escuchamiento y agradecimiento.

Una cosa más: aquí hay un anuncio de servicio público en nombre del alcalde Bovey: la aprobación de estas resoluciones significa que la ciudad colocará ahora carteles de aviso en las areas municipales, pero eso no significa que el ICE vaya a cumplirlas. El Departamento de Policía de West Chicago está realizando actualmente cambios en su manual de políticas que indican a los agentes cómo responder en una situación de este tipo. Es posible que la policía local siga acudiendo cuando los agentes del ICE aparquen en los aparcamientos de la ciudad, pero seguirá sin poder intervenir. En cambio, según Bovey, desempeñarán una función de documentación con sus cámaras corporales, para grabar cualquier caso de uso excesivo de la fuerza o violación del debido proceso que se presentará en informes a las agencias superiores y tratar de que estos agentes rindan cuentas.

El alcalde Bovey subrayó que estas resoluciones tienen por objeto afirmar que los residentes de West Chicago están seguros en los espacios de la ciudad y que cuentan con la “plena protección de la ley y la Constitución.”

Trigger warning: this episode mentions warfare, mass killings, and PTSD.

Read more about the My Lai massacre here.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity has increased in West Chicago since September 15, when ICE agents detained at least 15 people in West Chicago in one day. It is unclear if the agents had judicial warrants. Several more people have been detained since then.

A member of the WeGo DuPage Rapid Response Team (part of ICIRR, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights) shared about their efforts to keep residents from being unlawfully detained and what witnesses to ICE activity should know about their rights.

• Call 855-435-7693 to report ICE sightings. This is the Family Support Hotline established through the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

• Federal agents are required by law to show clear identification, including badges, numbers, and names.

• Bystanders have the right to ask federal agents or members of any law enforcement agency for their identification and their agency affiliation.

• Witnesses to ICE activity have the right to film and take pictures of federal agents’ actions in public spaces, including outside businesses. Stand at a safe distance, as least 2 arms lengths away.

• On October 4 in West Chicago, ICE agents detained a US citizen and a legal permanent resident who identified themselves as such while they were pumping gas, and held them for over an hour before letting them go.

• We still don’t know what happened to the van full of 12 or 13 people who were detained by ICE in West Chicago on September 15.

• ICE detention facilities cannot operate in Illinois. The Broadview facility is a federal building for processing people picked up by immigration authorities, not intended to hold people for over a day. (However, reporting has shown that ICE held 143 people for two or more days there during the first seven months of 2025, and that conditions are inhumane.)

• Good documentation by rapid responders led to a recent court decision where 22 people who have been detained were freed due to the judge ruling ICE activity in violation of a 2022 consent decree banning warrantless arrests.

• Contact WeGoDuPageTeam@gmail.com or through their Facebook page, as well as ICIRR.org for Know Your Rights and rapid response trainings, which are happening weekly. They can also help with food delivery and help getting children to school.

“The more people who speak up when they’re seeing injustices, the better for everybody, because standing firm by our rights and helping our neighbors stand by their rights is how we will get through this.”

La actividad de la agencia de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) ha aumentado en West Chicago desde el 15 de septiembre, cuando agentes del ICE detuvieron al menos a 15 personas en West Chicago en un solo día. No sabemos si tuvieron órdenes judiciales. Desde entonces, varias personas más han sido detenidas.

Un miembro del Equipo de Respuesta Rápida de WeGo Dupage habló sobre sus esfuerzos para evitar que los residentes sean detenidos ilegalmente y sobre lo que los testigos de la actividad del ICE deben saber acerca de sus derechos.

• Llame al 855-435-7693 para informar sobre avistamientos del ICE. Se trata de la línea de atención telefónica de apoyo a las familias establecida a través de la Coalición de Illinois por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes y Refugiados.

• Los agentes federales están obligados por ley a mostrar una identificación clara, incluyendo placas, números y nombres.

• Los transeúntes tienen el derecho de pedir a los agentes federales o a los miembros de cualquier agencia de policia que se identifiquen y indiquen a qué agencia pertenecen.

• Los testigos de las actividades del ICE tienen derecho a grabar y tomar fotografías de las acciones de los agentes federales en espacios públicos, incluso fuera de los negocios. Manténgase a una distancia segura, al menos a dos brazos de distancia.

• El 4 de octubre, en West Chicago, agentes del ICE detuvieron a un ciudadano estadounidense y a un residente legal permanente que se identificaron como tales mientras cargaban gasolina, y los retuvieron durante más de una hora antes de liberarlos.

• Aún no sabemos qué sucedió con la camioneta llena de 12 o 13 personas que fueron detenidas por el ICE el 15 de septiembre.

• Los centros de detención del ICE no pueden operar en Illinois. El centro de Broadview es un edificio federal para procesar a las personas detenidas por las autoridades de inmigración, no está diseñado para retener a personas durante más de un día. (Sin embargo, informes han demostrado que el ICE retuvo a 143 personas durante dos o más días allí durante los primeros siete meses de 2025, y que las condiciones son inhumanas).

• La ​​buena documentación por parte de los equipos de respuesta rápida condujo a una reciente decisión judicial en la que 22 personas que habían sido detenidas fueron liberadas debido a que el juez dictaminó que la actividad del ICE violaba un decreto de consentimiento de 2022 que prohíbe los arrestos sin orden judicial.

• Contacta con WeGoDuPageTeam@gmail.com o a través de su página de Facebook, así como con ICIRR.org, para conocer tus derechos y recibir capacitaciones de respuesta rápida, que ofrecen cada semana. También pueden ayudar con la entrega de alimentos y con el traslado de los niños a la escuela.

“Más personas quienes alzan la voz cuando ven injusticias son mejores para todos, porque defender nuestros derechos y ayudar a nuestros vecinos a defender los suyos es la forma en que superaremos esto.”

Concejala Alcantar-Garcia habla de cómo la aumentación de actividad de la migra ha afectado la comunidad de West Chicago, los derechos de personas que están detenidos por ICE, y los recursos comunitarios disponibles para los que tienen miedo de salir.

• Alrededor de 19 personas han sido detenido por agentes de ICE desde 15 de Septiembre

• Llame al 855-435-7693 para informar sobre avistamientos del ICE. Se trata de la línea de atención telefónica de apoyo a las familias establecida a través de la Coalición de Illinois por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes y Refugiados.

• La policía de West Chicago no pueden involucrarse en las actividades de ICE, para apoyarles o para pararles.

• Hay esfuerzos de hacer legislación en el nivel estatal y federal haciendo que agentes de ICE no puedan usar máscaras.

• Concejala Alcantar-Garcia está parte de conversaciones sobre la posibilidad de prevenir el uso de propiedades como el Ayuntamiento o la Estación de Policía local por agentes federales, para mantener estas ubicaciones seguro para residentes.

• Kamila Cakes’ owner is a TikTok influencer!

• Reducing the barriers small business face in West Chicago

• Of the 118 city staff in West Chicago, how many work with businesses? (Fun fact: we have 51 police officers and 44 public works staff—that's 80% of the city employees)

• Reviving a downtown business alliance for West Chicago

• The financial reserves that West Chicago keeps on hand, always—and what that means for the yearly budget

• Does Matt know what happened to the 13-14M Kerr-McGee funds? (spoiler alert: nobody does)

• What makes Ward 7 so unique

• The grocery tax vs. sales tax debate

• The NEWLY forming Downtown Revitalization Commission—APPLY HERE.

• Why the long meetings in the Bovey Era are a sign of a good meeting.

• What we should be looking out for in the next few months 

Plus, Laura briefly recaps the Sept. 2 council meeting—both the grocery tax and sales tax were tabled until the Sept. 15 meeting.

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