DuPage County: September 2008 Archives

Warrenville residents turned out Monday night to hear DuPage County officials explain why flooding was so bad in their community last week. And it turns out that no, it wasn't because the Fawell Dam was controlled in such a way to keep all the water upstream and out of Naperville, they said. It was just that there was an awful lot of water in places that drain into the West Branch of the DuPage River.

Sounds logical enough. Still, Warrenville was hit a lot harder during this flood than Naperville, and residents had their say. High water washed out three bridges, effectively cutting Warrenville in half for days. Some residents said they had to be evacuated, and were unhappy with what they said was poor communication by city officials.

What should Warrenville, Naperville and DuPage County learn from this experience? Should the Warrenville Road, Butterfield Road and Williams Street bridges be replaced with higher structures? How could city and county authorities better communicate with residents during emergencies like this?

A couple stories from Wednesday's Sun illustrate how DuPage County is gradually becoming more diverse. It may still have one of the highest per-capita income rates in the nation, where housing is hardly affordable, and where 100 percent of the county office-holders are Republican. But there are signs of change.

First is Tuesday's opening of the Sudanese Community Center in Naperville. Cofounder Gene Tenner of Lisle estimates that two-thirds of the 800 to 1,000 people who fled to the Chicago area from the genocide in Darfur are living in DuPage County. We wish the center success in serving the Sudanese community and welcome the facility to Naperville.

Second is a story about funding for the DuPage County health department, which is proposed to remain flat at $48 million for 2009. Health Department Executive Director Maureen McHugh notes there are 18,000 Medicaid recipients living in DuPage, and that the county is home to more low-income residents now than it was five years ago. A chief contributing factor is the 29,523 Hispanics who have moved into the county since 2003, she said.

That's a lot of change in a relatively short amount of time. How do you see the changing demographics affecting life in DuPage? Will housing become more affordable? Will taxes increase? Will a Democrat ever be elected to a county office? Have you noticed the increasing diversity, and thought about how it affects you?