Truths: The reality of being a citizen

So, last night I exercised my right to freedom of speech and attended a Woodstock City Council meeting. I was there on behalf of a proposed ordinance change to a current leash law for dogs (go figure).

At the present – Woodstock institutes an “at heel” provision – meaning that you can either have your dog on a leash OR you can have them at your side… Of course, the intent is that only well-behaved dogs will be “at heel” but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that probably isn’t the reality of the situation.

I became involved because my groomer felt compelled to get this ordinance changed – and well, I do agree that “at heel” is a terrible accident waiting to happen.

It has taken over two years for the council to consider this proposal and last night it went up for a vote.

But, lets back up… I have never attended a city council meeting before. I have voted for council members based on what was written about them in the paper – but never actually saw them at work. It was seriously scary.

Scary in that – there wasn’t one topic brought up last night that the majority of them didn’t already know how they would vote on… They came to the meeting with deaf ears and that was very disheartening. In fact, they also came to the meeting armed with their own citizens ready to make their arguments.

I favor one of the members, not only because she voted in favor of removing the “at heel” provision (go Julie Dillon!) but because out of all the members she seemed like she was listening without tainted thoughts. There is another woman, Maureen Larson, who also appeared to be open minded (though she voted against removing the “at heel” provision) but none the less – she did her own research and gave valid reasons for why she was voting on all of the issues last night.

First it has to be pointed out that both of the members I favor are women. I never meant there to be a bias – but it does come down to the fact that the male members of the group did not listen to what anyone had to say last night – they only listened to themselves.

Second, the entire evening gave way to “the good ole boys club” phenomenon which apparently I naively believed was not something a town as big as Woodstock (22,000 people) would fall prey to.

I thought we were too big, too forward thinking, too liberal (all things I love about my town) for that sort of stuff but last night I was witness to it.

First, it was a citizen voicing his concerns about a gravel pit near his house not adhering to the regulations the city set-up so the gravel pit could operate. It just happens that the owner of the gravel pit is a prominent figure in the community and more than likely both friends and supporter of many of the members. And while I am certain the gravel pit contributes its share to the community – I also know that it does not operate in 100% compliance of not just the city regs but the state laws… And c’mon, if you live in McHenry County – no gravel pit is your friend.

But, in reality – I could sense the pretense of the issue. A supervisor of the gravel pit spoke in response (more like retaliation) to the complaint and while I am sure he meant well – there was very little remorse for the situation – very little ownership for both the problem and/or the responsibility to do something about it. And, it just didn’t seem like the majority of the council members were willing to stand up for the concerned citizen. Instead, they hid behind minor changes they would make and said that the gravel pit owner was working with the city in a cooperative effort and they were grateful for his efforts. The citizen suggested that perhaps the cooperative effort could translate to following the rules in the future.

Second, a builder was on the agenda for requesting an extension for building the sidewalks they said they would build when they started the development. Sure, we all realize that the construction trades have fallen flat on their face and that the myriad of building phases they had planned have all but collapsed. But, the fact of the matter is that they do have residents living in their communities – who thought they were going to be getting something for the money they spent and now that the builders are losing money – the people who bought the properties are left with little to say. The irony is that if the resident could no longer pay the assessment or association fee because they lost their job – I have a hard time believing that the builder would let it slide..

But anyway, the man gave a nice and caring speech and being the good boys that they are – they gave him a TWO YEAR hiatus on the sidewalks. TWO years – sure he could build them sooner – but what are the odds he will?

That was the kind of night it was… and the leash law was no different. Certain members of the council put all the right players in place to get just what they wanted. And, sadly, my first council meeting left me feeling raped of my civil liberties and flabbergasted that I lived in a community that worships the good ole boys.

On the positive side – I know who I will and will not vote for in the next council election… and I will try and make it a priority to pop in to a few more city council meetings but the reality is that I was better off never going – never realizing that I should be a little ashamed (maybe a lot) of what my council practices.

I sit on the fence with my political views – while I am certain my social beliefs are liberal my fiscal views tend to be conservative… my family calls me a democrat but I question it – I believe that everyone has a right to make money and that they shouldn’t have to give it all away to someone who chooses not to make money – but last night I was sadly reminded why there are laws to protect consumers, citizens from big businesses and why no one should be able to be in office for more than one term.