AFLA to host Elgin town-hall meeting

Elginites - what's on your mind?

The Association for Legal Americans, or AFLA, has planned a town-hall meeting for Oct. 26 to discuss issues facing the city.

Mayor Ed Schock and City Councilman David Kaptain, who also is running for mayor, have been invited to speak and answer questions at the meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 820 N. Liberty St.

AFLA co-founder David White invited several neighborhood groups to attend the meeting, which will cover crime, neighborhood issues and other topics.

"I want to stress that this is not an illegal immigration meeting. I don't know if any of you were at our forums during the last election, but even many members of SOAP (Speak Out Against Prejudice) praised the way the AFLA forums were run and the quality of questions asked," White wrote in an e-mail to leaders of neighborhood associations.

White said people in attendance will be able to ask questions of both candidates.

He said questions will be prescreened by a panel to ensure they are not offensive.

People can reserve general admission tickets for free on a first-come, first-served basis by e-mailing dwhite9845@aol.com or by calling (847) 695-5564 and picking them up at the door on Oct. 26. The hall has a capacity of 200.

People who might arrive later can reserve a seat for $5 in the front rows.

"This will give Elginites and citizens a voice," White said. "We're going to make sure it's courteous and it's done with class. We're not going to ask any immigration questions at all. All we're going to do is run (the meeting) and let the people ask."

So far, Schock and Kaptain are the only two people running for mayor in the April 2 election; White, who was considering a run, will not.

Three, 4-year council seats also will be up. Two incumbents, John Steffen and Mike Warren picked up nominating petitions this week. Seven residents have picked up petitions: Mike Curtin, Manfred Czymmek, David Koldos, Tom McCarthy, Kathrine Moser, Andrew Scheeler and Toby Shaw.

All have said they definitely plan to run for council except Curtin, who said he is still considering a run and will have an answer in a few weeks.

White said AFLA is still considering forming a slate of candidates to run for council; as of Friday, no one from that group had picked up a petition.