What's happened to West Dundee?

I was born and raised in West Dundee. I cannot think of a better place to transition from child to adult. When I left our quaint village to attend university across the country, the stories I told my friends of racing bikes past shops of downtown, candy from the Ben Franklin, and playing games at Tower Park, easily made any youth within earshot jealous.

Our town was never the biggest or brightest, but my fond memories made me refer to West Dundee as Mayberry, where I never remember locking a door and could knock on any neighbor's door if I needed help. I returned year after year from college to see my Mayberry diminish into its present state as Carpentersville West.

Many could blame the economy for the town's downturn, but the local government's failures to bring the small town into the next generation showed long before the current financial crises or recent arrest of the city manager.

Where have all the shops on Main Street from my childhood gone? They have fallen victim to the greed of taxes from the village. Where are the CARDUNAL businesses that resided inside houses in the historic district? They were allowed to be forced out by major corporations without a second thought from our elected officials.

Yes, we may now have a beautiful fountain, but at the cost of tearing down the tower of Tower Park for an unnecessary cost. These problems should have been addressed, and we should have been protected by our government. We have now become just another town between Rockford and Chicago because of the lack of foresight and commitment to our community from these local leaders.

I still believe in the people and spirit of West Dundee, but the only way to rejuvenate this area is with new ideas and newly elected officials behind them.

Jeffrey J. Beichner Jr.

West Dundee