CUinFP in the News
A NIGHT ON (TOP OF) THE TOWN
CUinFP's 2007 Membership Drive Outreach Night
CUinFP held its first membership outreach party on July 26 and what a fine time it was.
Members and guests were treated to beautiful bird’s-eye views of Forest Park,
its neighboring communities and even Chicago from the eighth floor rooftop of a
Marengo Street Condominium.
In spite of the altitude, it wasn’t all tall talk. Fifty plus attendees got a chance to learn
more about the mission of CUinFP and Forest Park while enjoying a variety of beverages
and fine fare from Palate Pleasers, the catering company of Forest Park’s own Bonnie Doolin.
About eight o’clock a raffle was held to give away gifts donated by generous
local businesses.
Success of the event was easily determined by the nearly eleven o’clock
ending and the many happy faces of the proud new members.
Special thanks to: Dean Holub, Mary Richie, The Brown Cow, Chang
Thai Restaurant,La Maison de Bonbon, Moss, Roseann’s Hallmark,
Schauer’s Hardware,Starship,Two Fish, and Cecile Webster.
Back to Top
AD HOC PARKING IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE INTIATIVES
Presented to Citizens United in Forest Park, June 28, 2007
By Chuck Hoehne, Committee Member and Resident
BACKGROUND
The Committee was formed in reaction to the R.H. Anderson Study (2006), commissioned
by the Village. This study concluded:
• Madison St needs about 150 additional spaces
• Customers won’t walk more than 600 feet from destination
• Employees will walk more that 600 feet
• There are no ‘inexpensive’ solutions, but surface lots are the significantly least
expensive solution
• Acquire local homes to create/expand surface lots.
Many residents and other stakeholders objected to the Anderson Study’s conclusions.
The Committee’s mission is to develop alternative solutions to the Study. Members asked
themselves “What if there is an inexpensive, timely and realistic alternative?”
Their goal is to find mutually agreeable solutions to the Madison Street parking
problems of the following stakeholders:
• Business owners
• Customers
• Employees
• Residents (that have parking)
• Residents (that need parking)
The Committee of 12 is made up of business owners, residents and the Mayor. The
Committee first met in January, 2007. Their process is basic brainstorming for
tentative solutions that are fine-tuned through neighborhood feedback and expertise
provided by the Mayor’s office.
ALTERNATIVES PLANS BEING CONSIDERED
1) Negotiate with owners of private parking lots to allow limited parking.
While costs would be relatively low and locations close to Madison, the problems would
be the difficulty of coordinating prime-time Madison needs with these owners'
business schedules. For instance,the funeral home’s availability is unpredictable.
2) Acquire commercial lots on Madison.
Again, location and easy access are obvious. Disadvantages are costs will be relatively high,
and availability to purchase is not predictable. And an overriding issue is how do we want
Madison St to look/behave? Do we want storefronts or parking lots? The Village prefers
‘mixed use’ properties on Madison, i.e. structures that provide both ‘destination businesses’
and parking.
3) Build parking structures on existing surface lots.
The good news is we already own these lots. The difficulties would be: significant costs,
significant time to build, the footprints are relatively small (for instance, ramps would take a
large % of available space), and concerns whether customers will use the space when built.
4) Allow angled parking where feasible.
Angled parking is not allowed on Madison (per State of Illinois) as the street is too narrow.
Off-Madison streets are possible as five ‘normal’ parking spaces will provide
nine angled spaces.
5) Create Village sponsored public message boards to network needs of
individual parking.
Create a ‘bulletin board’ to connect parking supply/demand.
THE PLAN - THE EMPLOYEE PERMIT PARKING PILOT PROGRAM (EP4)
The Committee has developed a voluntary proposition for our businesses.
This PILOT program asks Madison Street owners & employees to:
• park on the south side of Adams, and the north & south sides of Jackson
• increase time limit for on-street parking on 400 to 600 blocks of Ferdinand
to Elgin and metered spaces – from 2 to 3 hours
• increase parking enforcement
The employees will be issued 'permit' tags for their cars which guarantee free &
non-ticketed parking during their work shifts. Overnight parking is not allowed.
The Committee believes EP4 will free up approximately 100 spaces
near Madison each day! In reality, these 100 spaces could provide
200-300 customer spaces over the duration of a normal 6-8 hour
employee work shift. Please note, the R.H Anderson study identified
our parking needs as only an additional 150 spaces at the present time.
ADVANTAGES of EP4
• Create approximately 100 additional spaces near Madison
• Guarantee ticket-free parking for employees – no more than two blocks
from Madison
• Immediate parking relief for businesses
• Minimal or no cost to Village
• Quickly buys time to assess long-term parking solutions
• Program could be expanded to satisfy valet parking needs, if not all
spaces are used by employees
• No need for 3rd party negotiations, as these are existing spaces
• Minimal impact on parking in front of homes
• May decrease congestion for residents on 400 blocks but not at expense
of 500 blocks
• Consistent with Metropolitan Planning Council Parking Conference (parking
begets parking, walking begets walking)
DISADVANTAGES of EP4
• This is a pilot program. Problems are expected – both anticipated and
un-anticipated
• Program will not solve all the parking problems
• Requires cooperation of all stakeholders
• Enforcement concerns – how to find the balance between sufficient and
excessive
• Long-term solutions still needed but will help with efficiency of any future
plans
• Requires sensitivity to residents’ concerns about increased number of cars
parked on residential streets
IF ALL STAKEHOLDERS BUY INTO EP4, ALL STAKEHOLDERS WIN!
Business owners: More parking for customers immediately
Customers: More parking within 600’ of destination
Employees: Guaranteed, free parking with no risk of parking ticket
Residents: No ‘homes for parking.’ Minimal impact on residential areas.
No compromise of existing overnight parking options.
AUDIENCE DISCUSSION POINTS:
• Will all businesses cooperate?
• What about homes facing Adams & Jackson? Should they be exempt?
• How will residents work with enforced three hour parking limit for themselves
and their guests?
• Will the employee ‘tags’ be permanent? If not, will there be cheating? If so,
they will never be able to park on Madison (when not working).
• Will business owners be vigilant about employees returning tags upon
termination of employment? (If kept, exempt from 3 hour parking limit)
• Will the business owners also use tags and respect the spirit of this program?
• Safety concerns/solutions for late night employees – shuttle, escort services.
• Enforcement is key!
This is a PILOT program, and everyone expects problems will arise and will need
resolution. But, the Committee, which represents all stakeholders and also represents
our entire Village is ready, willing and able.
Believe!
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2008 Annual Rummage Sale--A Repeat Success
This October, CUinFP's 4th annual rummage sale
took place at a new venue, the First United Church of
Christ in Forest Park. The vintage nature of the
Church hall lent itself perfectly to the potpourri of
donated items. Shoppers took their time finding
bargains and filling their arms with items - necessary,
useful or just whimsical.
The menagerie of items varied from electronics and
other media, hand tools and power tools, advertising and bar memorabilia,
jewelry, paintings, knickknacks, holiday items and house wares.
A fabulous (and unused) Tiffany style chandelier was donated. Vinyl albums,
even for those non-collectors, provided many folks with a trip down memory
lane. Shopping the book donations ran a close second to shopping the bestseller
aisle at local bookstores. DVD's, CD's and books on tape were abundant. A
large cookbook donation was scooped up in the first hour of the sale. One member
donated a barbeque grill, complete with a bag of charcoal. 
Children's books, puzzles and toys again proved popular
with parents, teachers and, of course, the children. There
were lots of great browsing, buying and visiting for all.
Sincerest thanks to all the people who magnanimously
donated items. Thanks to the shoppers, many of whom
were repeat customers. Last, but not least, thank you to
the volunteers who generously and graciously shared their time
to set up, price, sell and clean up after the sale. You are the
success behind the event. (And thanks to our chef who kept
us nourished all day.) Oh yes, thanks to the parishioners from
the Church who gave of their time and even did some early
shopping.
We look forward to the 5th annual sale, tentatively schedule for
October 11, 2008. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime,
save your goodies!
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WHY A CAMPAIGN FINANCE PLEDGE?
During the summer of 2005, members of CUinFP
began researching the funding habits of our own elected officials. Public records indicated that some were
taking large sums of money from vendors, developers, village employees and
other contributors who had no real connection to our community.Though legal in Illinois, to us it seemed
inappropriate and unethical. It defied
logic that in our small community of 15,000 people, a candidate would need to
raise $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000 to run for office. How was the average Forest Parker seeking
office going to compete with that kind of money? Our reaction was to
study what kind of political and legal atmosphere allowed for this behavior and
what could be done.We created a task force to research the issue
and hosted a presentation by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) to school us
on Illinois campaign laws (or lack there of) and how they actually operate. In no time, we learned
that our state had some of the weakest laws on the books to control this unethical behavior.
Our solution was to create a Campaign Finance Pledge that made sense for Forest Park.
In July of 2006, after a year of hard work by our Campaign Finance Task Force,
Citizens United in Forest Park unanimously approved a Campaign Finance Pledge for
local candidates seeking office in the 2007 municipal elections.
We believe our pledge successfully balances the interests of the citizens of Forest Park,
candidates for office and campaign contributors. Most importantly, the pledge creates a model for
funding campaigns that reduces the potential for perceived or real conflicts of interest in the
decisions that local elected officials make - decisions that can dramatically affect our quality of life.
The overall focus of this pledge is to keep local elections “local.”
Back to Top
TRASH TALK AT CUinFP
Read the account of CUinFP's September Recycling Presentation in the Forest Park Review.
(click here to link to the article)
RECYCLING INS AND OUTS
Recycling benefits residents by reducing the waste stream and the attached disposal costs.
The environmental benefits include saving natural
resources and reducing water and energy use as well as pollution emissions
associated with many remanufacturing processes. Forest Park’s
recycling program allows all materials to be loosely commingled into
the green recycling cart or blue bin. Recyclables are collected
in a “single stream” in dedicated trucks and require no
separation prior to pick up.
What’s In? Mixed paper products including Newspapers and inserts, Magazines,
Telephone books, Paperback books, Chipboard (Boxes from cereal, crackers and cookies,
cake mixes), Wet strength cardboard (canned beverage cases),
Junk mail (including window envelopes), Office paper, stationery, computer paper,
Gift wrapping paper, Brown grocery bags, Corrugated cardboard (MUST be cut and flattened
into no larger than 2’ by 2’ pieces) May be placed into,
next to or on top of cart or bin; need not be bagged.
What’s Out? Pizza boxes and other paper products used to wrap food.
Why? Food particles are the worst contaminants for paper.
Pizza boxes or sandwich wrappers with oil, cheese or other food particles need to be thrown in the trash.
What’s In? Plastic containers labeled #1 (PET), #2 (HDPE), #3 (PVC), #4 (LDPE), #5 (PP) and #7 (Other).
Look for these names or numbers surrounded by chasing arrows on or near the bottom of the container.
These containers are commonly used for milk, food, juice, shampoo, detergent, yogurt, etc.
What’s Out? Plastic bags, plastic lids, #6 (Polystyrene), other plastic items such as toys,
food storage containers, shrink wrap and plastic packaging.
Why? Many of these plastics contain other resins that cannot be mixed with the acceptable
items above or, in the case of plastic bags, these items are difficult
to process through automated sorting systems. Finally, some plastics are unable to be recycled because
there is no demand for them to be remanufactured into a new product.
What’s In? Glass bottles and jars (all colors). Discard lids and caps and rinse.
It is good to remove labels but it is not necessary to the recycling process.
Glass bottles and jars are remanufactured into new bottles and jars. Broken glass (called cullet)
is used in paving and in composite materials such as concrete. There is a new line of countertop
that is made with recycled glass pieces.
What’s Out? Windows, mirrors, lightbulbs, ceramics, vases and glass tableware
such as drinking glasses, plates or baking pans.
Why? These items usually contain a high lead content. They are not hazardous to use
but they would contaminate recyclable glass containers.
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April 2006 Teardown Panel Discussion Hits Home
Note: You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view the presentations
referred to in the article below. You can obtain the reader free by
downloading it from http://www.adobe.com/downloads/
CUinFP’s April meeting was a revelation to our community.
Never before in this town has there been such a rational, thought-provoking
discussion on “teardowns.” Our own Bob Cox
hosted the three-member panel of nationally recognized
experts in this controversial area of community development.
Each expert came from a different professional background
that represented an essential point-of-view needed to manage the housing stock in towns like ours. First to speak was Robert R. Kiely, Jr. ( Link to Kiely presentation). He is the City Manager of
Lake Forest, Illinois, which has taken a pro-active stance on teardown development for more
than twenty years. Their two-decade-old zoning and planning ordinances
that address these issues have been continually updated in order to confront
the changing attitudes about money, property rights and the community as a whole.
A combined, educated effort taken on by the city, its realtors and citizens have set
standards on what can be taken down or modified and what can be put back in its place.
So far, this approach has proven beneficial, but vigilance has been necessary. Our second speaker was Ellen Schubart from the “Campaign for Sensible Growth
( Link to Schubart presentation).” Based on her experience, she advocated a need to
remove some buildings, such as those that are worn out or are no longer functional in
modern communities, but she warned that communities must be very careful about the replacements.
Economic engines, like Wal-Marts and car dealerships, can really help a town’s bottom line, but at
what cost to the sense of community? Her approach is to create a well-planned and
selective process towards analyzing the wants, needs and possible sacrifices of a community. Finally, Ken Lerner from the “Downers Grove Coalition for Managed Redevelopment” gave the
citizen’s point of view, highlighting his experiences with unmanaged development in his home town
( Link to Lerner presentation). Recognizing the problem was only the tip of the iceberg for Downers Grove.
Ken gave his first-hand account of starting a citizens group, going to meetings, studying plans and zoning
codes and finally becoming a voice to be respected in Downers Grove’s development process,
a testimonial that many in the audience could surely relate to. This well publicized event drew many folks from all over the Chicago land area. Included in the audience
were activists, public officials, realtors and even a developer. After the presentation, all were able to get
their questions answered in a relaxed Q & A session led by the experts.
Back to Top
Community Organization Honored for Achievements
By Bob Skolnik (Forest Park Review: December 14, 2005) When Steve and Gloria Backman first began attending village council meetings back in the summer of 2003 they noticed that there never seemed to be enough (chairs) for members of public who came to watch the proceedings. So at the next meeting the Backmans brought their own lawn chairs and plopped right down. They made their point and by the next meeting the village had at least doubled the amount of chairs for the public so that everyone could have a seat in the council chambers. That’s the kind of dogged activism that earned the organization that the Backmans help found, Citizens United in Forest Park (CUinFP) a citizen’s initiative award last week from the Elmhurst based Citizens Advocacy Center (CAC).
The Citizens Advocacy Center was founded in 1993 by a former staffer to Ralph Nadar and identifies itself as a non-profit, nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to building democracy for the 21st Century. The CAC provides legal and strategic advice to community groups who are often trying to reform local government and also tries to promote greater public participation in local government.
The citizen’s initiative awards have been given annually since 2003 (and) are meant to recognize those citizens who act as catalysts for more citizen participation in government. CUinFP was one of four recipients of the award for this year.
CUinFP has approximately 60 to 70 members according to vice president membership of membership Marcy Wozniak and was officially founded in May 2004.
Its members attend all open meetings of village government and monitor the actions of the village
government. "In a short year and a half CUinFP has become a force in the community," said Terry Pastika, the executive director of the CAC. "They have a reputation of being both an ombudsman and a watchdog in the community."
In January of 2004, the Backmans spent about $800 of their own money to buy a camera and recording equipment. Since then they or other CUinFP members, have videotaped every village council, zoning board of appeals and plan commission meeting. The tapes are made available for rent free to CUinFP members and for (purchase for) $10 to non-members.
Major accomplishments of CUinFP, according to members, include more chairs for the public at meetings, videotaping all village’s public meetings, better decorum at village council meetings because the videotaping, pushing for the appointment of members to the village’s ethics commission, and hosting a workshop of gangs with the Forest Park police department according to Steve Backman who serves as the president of CUinFP.
The award was a welcome pat on the back for CUinFP said Backman. "What we do gets us labeled as crackpots or wise guys," Backman said. "It was nice to get recognized by like minded people all fighting the same struggle in different towns."
In the future CUinFP plans to conduct a voter registration drive before next year’s primary election in March, host a workshop on teardowns, and push for the enactment of a stronger whistleblower ordinance that would offer more protection to village employees according to Backman.
And village officials know that whatever they do someone will always be watching. "The village administration has had to take a look and really pay attention to what they are doing because they are being watched," said Wozniak. "They are no longer going to be able to make decisions on where taxpayer dollars are going without a watchful eye."
Back to Top
Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser, Another Year Stronger!
As usual, the details are in the fine print. CUinFP accomplishments to date:
- CUinFP incorporates in State of Illinois - May
- Presentation: Historic Preservation - Lisa DiChirea of the Landmarks
Preservation Council, Robert Cox and Rich Vitton - August
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Voter Registration: Ultra Foods - September
- Voter Registration: Public Library - September
- Presentation: Development at Taxman/Abel Howe Property - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- Presentation: Sales Tax Referendum, Commissioner Terry Steinbach, Speaker - October
- CUinFP Becomes Bona Fide State of Illinois Organization - November
- CUinFP Joins Chicago Suburban Alliance - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
- Candidates Forum: Park District Candidates - March
- Senate Bill 1296 Involvement - May
- CUinFP Creates Website - May
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates First Anniversary - May
- Presentation: Ethics and Whistleblower Ordinances, Terry Pastika of Citizen Advocacy Center - June
- Workshop: Ethics and Whistleblower Ordinance “Follow-up” - July
- CUinFP Joins Forest Park Chamber of Commerce - July
- Workshop: Gang Activity in Forest Park, Detective Scott Fry and Office Michael O'Conner of the Forest Park Police Dept. - August
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Ethics Committee Formed by Village - August
- First Whistleblower Resolution Adopted by Village - September
- Campaign Contribution Task Force Meeting - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- CUinFP makes Katrina Donation - October
- Voter Registrar Training - October
- CUinFP Receives Citizen Advocacy Center “Citizens Initiative Award" - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
- Voter Registration: Public Library - February
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - February
- Candidates Forum: Incumbents, State Senate 4th District and State Representative 7th and 8th District - January
- Candidates Forum: Challengers, State Senate 4th District and State Representative
7th and 8th District - February
- Workshop: Campaign Reform, David Morrison of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform - March
- Panel Discussion: Teardowns, Robert Cox, Ellen Schubart, Robert Kiely Jr., & Ken Lerner - April
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates 2nd Anniversary - May
- Village Clean Up - June
- Workshop: Campaign Finance Pledge - July
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Presentation: Roos Development, John Schiess, Speaker- August
- Voter Registration: Forest Park Library - September
- Voter Registration: Ultra Foods – September
- Presentation: Library Referendum, Roger Brayden, Speaker – September
- Voter Registration: School District #228 – October
- Rummage Sale – October
- Presentation: Illinois Ballot Integrity Project, Robert Wilson, Speaker – October
- Survey: Althenheim Property - November
- Forest Park, Park District Deck-a-Tree - December
- Candidates Forum - Mayor - February
- Candidates Forum - Comissioners - March
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - May
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates Third Anniversary - May
- Presentation: Forest Park Ad Hoc Parking Improvement Committee - June
- Membership Event - July
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Recycling Presentation - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- Voter Registrar Training - November
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
Back to Top
Never before in this town has there been such a rational, thought-provoking
discussion on “teardowns.” Our own Bob Cox
hosted the three-member panel of nationally recognized
experts in this controversial area of community development.
Each expert came from a different professional background
that represented an essential point-of-view needed to manage the housing stock in towns like ours. First to speak was Robert R. Kiely, Jr. ( Link to Kiely presentation). He is the City Manager of
Lake Forest, Illinois, which has taken a pro-active stance on teardown development for more
than twenty years. Their two-decade-old zoning and planning ordinances
that address these issues have been continually updated in order to confront
the changing attitudes about money, property rights and the community as a whole.
A combined, educated effort taken on by the city, its realtors and citizens have set
standards on what can be taken down or modified and what can be put back in its place.
So far, this approach has proven beneficial, but vigilance has been necessary. Our second speaker was Ellen Schubart from the “Campaign for Sensible Growth
( Link to Schubart presentation).” Based on her experience, she advocated a need to
remove some buildings, such as those that are worn out or are no longer functional in
modern communities, but she warned that communities must be very careful about the replacements.
Economic engines, like Wal-Marts and car dealerships, can really help a town’s bottom line, but at
what cost to the sense of community? Her approach is to create a well-planned and
selective process towards analyzing the wants, needs and possible sacrifices of a community. Finally, Ken Lerner from the “Downers Grove Coalition for Managed Redevelopment” gave the
citizen’s point of view, highlighting his experiences with unmanaged development in his home town
( Link to Lerner presentation). Recognizing the problem was only the tip of the iceberg for Downers Grove.
Ken gave his first-hand account of starting a citizens group, going to meetings, studying plans and zoning
codes and finally becoming a voice to be respected in Downers Grove’s development process,
a testimonial that many in the audience could surely relate to. This well publicized event drew many folks from all over the Chicago land area. Included in the audience
were activists, public officials, realtors and even a developer. After the presentation, all were able to get
their questions answered in a relaxed Q & A session led by the experts.
Back to Top
Community Organization Honored for Achievements
By Bob Skolnik (Forest Park Review: December 14, 2005) When Steve and Gloria Backman first began attending village council meetings back in the summer of 2003 they noticed that there never seemed to be enough (chairs) for members of public who came to watch the proceedings. So at the next meeting the Backmans brought their own lawn chairs and plopped right down. They made their point and by the next meeting the village had at least doubled the amount of chairs for the public so that everyone could have a seat in the council chambers. That’s the kind of dogged activism that earned the organization that the Backmans help found, Citizens United in Forest Park (CUinFP) a citizen’s initiative award last week from the Elmhurst based Citizens Advocacy Center (CAC).
The Citizens Advocacy Center was founded in 1993 by a former staffer to Ralph Nadar and identifies itself as a non-profit, nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to building democracy for the 21st Century. The CAC provides legal and strategic advice to community groups who are often trying to reform local government and also tries to promote greater public participation in local government.
The citizen’s initiative awards have been given annually since 2003 (and) are meant to recognize those citizens who act as catalysts for more citizen participation in government. CUinFP was one of four recipients of the award for this year.
CUinFP has approximately 60 to 70 members according to vice president membership of membership Marcy Wozniak and was officially founded in May 2004.
Its members attend all open meetings of village government and monitor the actions of the village
government. "In a short year and a half CUinFP has become a force in the community," said Terry Pastika, the executive director of the CAC. "They have a reputation of being both an ombudsman and a watchdog in the community."
In January of 2004, the Backmans spent about $800 of their own money to buy a camera and recording equipment. Since then they or other CUinFP members, have videotaped every village council, zoning board of appeals and plan commission meeting. The tapes are made available for rent free to CUinFP members and for (purchase for) $10 to non-members.
Major accomplishments of CUinFP, according to members, include more chairs for the public at meetings, videotaping all village’s public meetings, better decorum at village council meetings because the videotaping, pushing for the appointment of members to the village’s ethics commission, and hosting a workshop of gangs with the Forest Park police department according to Steve Backman who serves as the president of CUinFP.
The award was a welcome pat on the back for CUinFP said Backman. "What we do gets us labeled as crackpots or wise guys," Backman said. "It was nice to get recognized by like minded people all fighting the same struggle in different towns."
In the future CUinFP plans to conduct a voter registration drive before next year’s primary election in March, host a workshop on teardowns, and push for the enactment of a stronger whistleblower ordinance that would offer more protection to village employees according to Backman.
And village officials know that whatever they do someone will always be watching. "The village administration has had to take a look and really pay attention to what they are doing because they are being watched," said Wozniak. "They are no longer going to be able to make decisions on where taxpayer dollars are going without a watchful eye."
Back to Top
Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser, Another Year Stronger!
As usual, the details are in the fine print. CUinFP accomplishments to date:
2004
- Documenting Village Council, Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission meetings since January 2004- CUinFP incorporates in State of Illinois - May
- Presentation: Historic Preservation - Lisa DiChirea of the Landmarks
Preservation Council, Robert Cox and Rich Vitton - August
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Voter Registration: Ultra Foods - September
- Voter Registration: Public Library - September
- Presentation: Development at Taxman/Abel Howe Property - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- Presentation: Sales Tax Referendum, Commissioner Terry Steinbach, Speaker - October
- CUinFP Becomes Bona Fide State of Illinois Organization - November
- CUinFP Joins Chicago Suburban Alliance - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
2005
- Presentation: Citizen Involvement, Mary Kay Minaghan, Speaker - January- Candidates Forum: Park District Candidates - March
- Senate Bill 1296 Involvement - May
- CUinFP Creates Website - May
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates First Anniversary - May
- Presentation: Ethics and Whistleblower Ordinances, Terry Pastika of Citizen Advocacy Center - June
- Workshop: Ethics and Whistleblower Ordinance “Follow-up” - July
- CUinFP Joins Forest Park Chamber of Commerce - July
- Workshop: Gang Activity in Forest Park, Detective Scott Fry and Office Michael O'Conner of the Forest Park Police Dept. - August
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Ethics Committee Formed by Village - August
- First Whistleblower Resolution Adopted by Village - September
- Campaign Contribution Task Force Meeting - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- CUinFP makes Katrina Donation - October
- Voter Registrar Training - October
- CUinFP Receives Citizen Advocacy Center “Citizens Initiative Award" - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
2006
- Voter Registration: Ultra Foods - January and February- Voter Registration: Public Library - February
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - February
- Candidates Forum: Incumbents, State Senate 4th District and State Representative 7th and 8th District - January
- Candidates Forum: Challengers, State Senate 4th District and State Representative
7th and 8th District - February
- Workshop: Campaign Reform, David Morrison of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform - March
- Panel Discussion: Teardowns, Robert Cox, Ellen Schubart, Robert Kiely Jr., & Ken Lerner - April
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates 2nd Anniversary - May
- Village Clean Up - June
- Workshop: Campaign Finance Pledge - July
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Presentation: Roos Development, John Schiess, Speaker- August
- Voter Registration: Forest Park Library - September
- Voter Registration: Ultra Foods – September
- Presentation: Library Referendum, Roger Brayden, Speaker – September
- Voter Registration: School District #228 – October
- Rummage Sale – October
- Presentation: Illinois Ballot Integrity Project, Robert Wilson, Speaker – October
- Survey: Althenheim Property - November
- Forest Park, Park District Deck-a-Tree - December
2007
- Dissemination of Campaign Finance Pledge - January- Candidates Forum - Mayor - February
- Candidates Forum - Comissioners - March
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - May
- Citizens United in Forest Park Celebrates Third Anniversary - May
- Presentation: Forest Park Ad Hoc Parking Improvement Committee - June
- Membership Event - July
- Voter Registration: School District #91 - August
- Recycling Presentation - September
- Rummage Sale - October
- Voter Registrar Training - November
- Voter Registration: School District #228 - December
- Forest Park, Park District Deck a Tree - December
2008
- Voter Registration: Public Library - JanuaryAbout Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Copyright © 2005 by Citizens United In Forest Park. All Rights Reserved