Lake Co. soap box
Don't compound the mistake:
Quick thinking by officials from Ela Township and the Lake County Clerk's office saved a valid referendum question from being left off the Feb. 5 election. The question, which involves garbage collection in unincorporated areas, was properly certified last month. However, problems arose when the township dropped off the paper work in the wrong place in the clerk's office, and clerk's employees didn't notice the mistake. The omission finally came to light when the township clerk saw the referendum question wasn't included on the clerk's Web site. It's too late to include the question on the optical scan ballots run through the counter on Election Day. Instead, 3,737 township voters will receive a separate pink ballot to mark for the referendum question, and be hand-counted. Now, the township and clerk's office must make sure not to compound the mistake. They must work together to see that township residents have adequate warning, information and understanding about the pink ballot and the issue it carries.
Strike while the iron is hot:
Lake County officials are considering spending $42 million to acquire 700 acres of open land in the western part of the county. Officials are rightly excited about the deal. They'd be getting a good price, and they'd be protecting open space in high-growth areas near Wauconda, Antioch and Lakemoor. The downside is this purchase would likely deplete the county's land acquisition fund, which means officials might have to turn to taxpayers to replenish their coffers. Still, forest preserve district officials should go forward with the plan when it comes up for a vote next week. Open space is hard to come by, and it's only going to get more expensive to acquire.
Weather woes:
Fine, so editorializing against crazy weather is like singing to create peace in the Middle East. But if you're not weary of see-sawing temperatures, then you've probably been out of town for the last couple of weeks. The thermometer's not just confusing our bodies and making us sick, it's also turning our typical expectations for an Illinois January on its head. What kind of winter is this when you can't reliably grab a scarf to warm up the car before your trip to work? What's next? The Cubs winning the World Series? American Girl dolls selling for 50 cents? In this topsy-turvy world, if you can't rely on cold in Chicagoland in January, you can't rely on much.
Look behind, look ahead:
You don't have to be stewing in clogged traffic to know Lake County isn't an isolated country enclave anymore. Can or will anyone do anything about traffic and other issues? At 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Libertyville Civic Center the public will get a chance to drift back to the good old days of corner grocery stores while getting a glimpse of what the future might bring. "Changing Lake County: The Last 50 Years and the Next 50" promises to be a unique break from the daily routine. A passel of old photos and memorabilia will kick off the first part of the program, co-sponsored by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society and the American Association of University Women. In the second part, Randall Blankenhorn, head of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, will discuss what is regarded as the first true regional plan for the Chicago area, to be released in 2010. The agency will be on the road a lot in the next year, pitching an integrated approach to challenges in land use and transportation. Having the ear of someone with a big stake in how we'll prepare could make for interesting conversation.