I read with disappointment your Dec. 7 Perspective article about the efforts of residents of Arlington Heights to exert some influence over a cinema/residential development being planned for their community. But for a few of the details it could have been an article about Evanston.
My disappointment lies in the blatant disregard for the desires of the voters by the Arlington Heights City Council. Those citizens went much further in the way of petitions and a referendum than was the case in Evanston and still their council went on its merry way to suburban glut. We here in Evanston are also faced with a council that is being unresponsive to our concerns. Sure, its members will sit and listen to us list our grievances, but then they turn around and do as they please.
There is a lesson here that all mid-sized communities should learn from. Pay attention to what your elected officials are doing in their self-constructed ivory towers. Be involved before the developers get their big feet in the door so you can have a say in what you’ll be forced to live with for the next 25 years. Otherwise the John Bucks of this world will end up owning and running everything, and each suburb will have its very own cineplex with no more than five people sitting before any of the 16 screens at any one time.
