Elgin mayor to address city with new Web chat

Next Wednesday, March 11, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock will deliver a State of the City address on the city's Web site, cityofelgin.org, and take questions from people during a real-time chat.

That's the long way of summing up what I'm dubbing "Schock Cyberstate 1.0."

"It's going to be an opportunity for the mayor to communicate with residents the state of the city and be able to engage them in any questions they may have," city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said of the first-time event.

Other area towns have different ways for their mayors or village presidents to deliver the state of the city.

Some act like cheerleaders at a chamber of commerce lunch.

Others read their speeches like drones before board meetings.

Until recently, Schock has not made a formal address.

The chat will be archived on the city's Web site that people can view later if they miss the window from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

I have no idea how this will turn out, but it seems like a good way to reach out to people beyond a select audience.

People don't have to drive anywhere and can watch it later if they want, too.

One topic Schock is expected to address is unemployment and the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce's work force retraining program called WorkKeys.

Questions from people logged into the chat will be selected and the mayor will respond to them.

If things go well, city leaders are open to continuing it.

"If there's a positive response to it, it's definitely something we could employ (in the future)," Olafson said.

Even though Schock will hold the chat from the Gail Borden Public Library, don't expect him to be cozied up next to the library fireplace like President Franklin D. Roosevelt with his "fireside chats" during the Great Depression.

Olafson said city leaders hope to hold the chat in the library rotunda if the acoustics are OK.

Emergency plan: Police departments and municipalities all have emergency plans that they hope they never have to use.

If you live in a home with kids, you probably have those too, like a fire escape route.

The Elgin Police Department has started a new program that most people hope to never have to use.

It's called Family Finder and it's a plan to identify older folks who might get disoriented or lost, such as those with dementia or Alzheimer's.

In this voluntary program, families can provide a picture and other information to the Elgin Police Department.

Then, if or when the person gets lost the department will already have a photo and information on file that can be shared with officers, the media and others.

"We believe this creative program will help us reunite family members quicker," said Police Chief Lisa Womack in a prepared statement.

For information, call Deputy Chief Jeff Swoboda at (847) 289-2761 or Cherie Aschenbrenner, senior service officer, at (847) 289-2626.