Letter to the Editor

Letter: Never Forget that DuPage County Officials Have Set Their Sights on Our Open Land

Forest District commissioners must fight to keep DuPage Forest District separate from the County Board or risk huge step backwards to 1988.

I am reading about this Deb Conroy (D-46th Elmhurst) legislation to eliminate the DuPage County Forest Preserve District commissioners' pay and the bill to move over their responsibilities to the DuPage County Board members. This does seem like a huge step backwards in time, to 23 years ago.   In 1988, the County Board commissioners and committees eagerly thought that an incinerator on Forest Preserve district property would solve their revenue problems. I became a Board Member of CHASE, the citizens group that fought this county plan, and then the "Landfill Beyond our Lifetime" plan. The idea 21 years ago then was to fully separate the County Board from the interests of the Forest Preserve District lands so that the county could not make …

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Robert Kolb

1:22 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013

Jim- I couldn't agree more! Term limitations, would largely eliminate complacency, the possibility of fraud, and backroom (good ole boy) dealings. I think adequate compensation should be paid for these positions, so that they are meaningful. Unopposed political races in our city are sad, and disease the good government process. Robert K Kolb, Candidate for 5 th Ward Alderman   more ›

Bill to Eliminate DuPage Forest District Commissioners' Salaries Passes House Committee

Salaries and benefits of up to $80,000 per commissioner may be nearing an end.

Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Deb Conroy (D-46th, Elmhurst) to eliminate the salaries and benefits of DuPage Forest District commissioners and chairman won the approval of a key House committee last week.   The House Counties and Townships Committee approved House Bill 2377 with a 3-2 vote. The bill will head to the full House for consideration. Who are the DuPage County Forest District commissioners? The proposal eliminates the salaries and pension, dental and medical benefits given to the Forest Preserve’s chairman and six commissioners. In DuPage County, commissioners meet once a week and receive a base salary of $53,500. With benefits, each commissioner costs the taxpayers up to $80,709.50. Forest district commissioners in …

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Legislators Turn Their Attention to DuPage Forest District; Seeks to Save Taxpayers Money

State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst) wants to disband the Forest Commission, Conroy wants to get rid of commissioners' pay.

State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R- Elmhurst, 45th) last week sponsored HB 2481, which would dissolve the DuPage County Forest Preserve District Board and transfer the responsibilities of the Forest District to the DuPage County Board in 2016. In response late Friday, the DuPage Legislative Committee scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, Feb. 26, to discuss the bill. "Before legislation of this magnitude is voted on in Springfield, I think it is important that all sides of the issue are explored," said Legislative Committee Chairman JR McBride in a prepared statement. "While I am open to the idea of a study to analyze a possible merger, I do not believe this bill has any merit until due diligence has been given on the subject." Reboletti …

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