City Council: January 2008 Archives

On Monday Mayor George Pradel gave his annual state of the city address, calling Naperville a "world-class city" and a wonderful place to live. Of course, his speech emphasized the positive -- he's the mayor! Now, here with a rebuttal, is [YOUR NAME HERE].

The talk of the town in late 2007 was an ambitious plan to rethink land uses for more than 200 acres smack dab in the middle of One of the Most Desirable Places to Live on Earth. It was bounced around like a political hot potato between Naperville School District 203, the Park District and City Council before being unceremoniously dropped. What happened?

In Sunday's Sun we feature - or revisit - the case of the Napergate Man. A liquor store owner who believed he was unfairly targeted by Naperville government officials back in the early '90s, he battled long and hard against City Hall and won. He became such a thorn in the side of city officials they eventually setlled with him after a lengthy court battle.

Although the Napergate man was a local businessman, his case does have some parallels with the current federal civil rights lawsuit brought by Councilman Dick Furstenau against the City of Naperville and several of its officials. We thought this was the right time to go back and take a look at the Napergate man and you can read all about him ONLY in this Sunday's (1.20) Sun. Be sure to tell us what you think - or, if you want to get the party started now, fire away you bloggers. And, try to stay warm this weekend. It's hard to type with frostbitten fingers.

Tonight, Naperville's City Council is set to consider a plan to finance the $32 million public portion of three new parking decks that will add 1,000 spaces downtown within two years. Do you support the plan to pay for construction?

Battles could be brewing over future uses of land along 75th Street. Some residents are absolutely against anything commercial, while others would be willing to tolerate a little retail. For residents of that area, now is the time to speak up.

Time's up: A year has passed since the Naperville City Council imposed a one-year no-build restriction on 6 acres near Plainfield-Naperville Road and West Street, between two bodies of water owned by the Naperville Park District. Unless the City Council takes further action, a developer could move forward with plans to build homes on the land. What should happen with the Ponds of Hobson West?