Kwasman tough in CN takeover fight

As president of the West Chicago Fire Protection District, I am charged with the responsibility of providing the best protection possible for the citizens of this district as it pertains to their life safety. This of course is directly connected to the quality of life experienced by our citizens. Recently we have seen a direct threat to that quality of life appear on the horizon in the form of a possible purchase of the EJ&E Rail System by the Canadian National Rail System.

This purchase if it happens will place many more trains on the track going through our city, essentially cutting our city in half for a significant portion of the day. This not only inhibits the movement of emergency vehicles from one side to the other, but greatly enhances the possibility of a train versus auto or pedestrian accident where the auto or pedestrian usually loses terribly. Furthermore, with the many additional trains the possibility of a hazardous material spill from one of these trains is also much greater. What this all means is our quality of life will deteriorate significantly if this purchase takes place.

With the aforementioned clearly in mind, Mayor Mike Kwasman has been in the forefront of the battle to stop this purchase "in its tracks". He has worked tirelessly to gather the legislators and other government officials needed to thwart the CN attempt to purchase the EJ&E and in the process, save our quality of life.

I know I can speak for our entire board when I say: thank you Mike Kwasman. You are demonstrating the first requirement incumbent of a mayor for our city in excellent fashion. By that I mean, doing your best to protect our life safety and overall quality of life.

David Janaes

West Chicago