Vet had a heart-warming experience at parade
Oh, people of Naperville, it was the coldest of Saturday mornings and yet the sheer number of you who came out for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade held me in awe.
I was holding a Navy service flag and marching in my first parade as you braved freezing temperatures, steadfastly lining the curbs as you waved, cheered, clapped and reverently thanked those of us formerly in the military for our service. Some even saluted as the Color Guard flags passed.
I saw the smiles on the little ones, sons and daughters who mirrored their parents’ patriotism and even shared heart-melting little salutes that my flag-holding hands stumbled to return.
The “Present of Your Presence” reminded me of the images of the loving friends and neighbors who so thoughtfully and kindly were there for my wife and infant son while I was off in that foreign land called Vietnam.
Thank you, 50-plus years belated! God Bless America!
Ken Merrihew, Naperville
Ukraine attack unlikely were Trump still president
It has often been said that most elections are an exercise in choosing the “lesser of two evils.” That’s actually quite a shame as most candidates have issues for one group of voters or another. The last presidential election was a perfect example of this.
The question many people have on their mind now is, do you really think Putin would have invaded Ukraine if Trump were still president? I think not.
Elections obviously have far-reaching ramifications and I suggest that voters need to look not only at the person but the policies they represent. The invasion of Ukraine was preventable.
Mike Siemann, Naperville
Time to return to civility and end political threats
We’ve got a problem on our hands, one that has played out on the national stage, statewide and even locally.
The U.S. Capitol Police reported a 107% increase in threats against members of Congress in 2021 compared to 2020.
A new National League of Cities report says 81% of locally elected officials reported having experienced harassment, threats and violence.
Recently, state Rep. Deb Conroy received nearly 40 death threats, had to close her office and needed a police escort to go out in public.
When local school board members have resigned, citing “unrelenting harassment” or concern for their or their family’s well-being, we have a problem. When local public libraries have closed “due to threats to their staff,” we have a problem.
These threats attack the very foundations of our democracy because their intent, often expressed in the violent, crude and, in the case of elected women, misogynistic language, is to intimidate people from doing their jobs and upholding their oaths of office. It has a chilling effect on those considering public service and will cause others to leave public life.
The solution? A return to civility. In the meantime, we must enforce the law as it relates to threats directed to elected officials. To threaten a public official is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
We saw this law enforced in DuPage County in 2013. Threats against a state representative at the time led to a class 3 felony charge. Most recently, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, working with the Illinois State Police, charged an individual who posted this threatening social media message against Conroy: “You know how I respond to fear, Conroy? I move a little lever from SAFE to FIRE.”
So, what’s it going to be? We manage our behavior in a better way, including stopping the spread of disinformation and lies, or burden law enforcement and our courts with trials and convictions?
Indivisible Naperville members Lyndsey Kokoris, Beth Wendt, Lisa Rose, Dianne McGuire, Jean Page, Rebecca Gamboa, Kate Refine, Barbara O’Meara and Paulette Goodman
Yang Rohr says she’s ready to run for second term
To the residents of Naperville, Warrenville and Bolingbrook who recently signed my petition for state representative, please accept my deepest appreciation and thanks. Your signing embodies the civic responsibility that fuels our democracy: It’s not an endorsement of my candidacy, but it does allow a regular citizen like me the privilege of being on your ballot.
Whether we talked personally or you signed a petition from one of the amazing volunteers who helped me connect with our community, each one of those conversations is dear to me and drives how I represent all of us in Springfield.
To the families, educators, and countless others who talked with me about protecting the high quality of our schools: Please know I just passed a bipartisan bill with unanimous support that brings more of our most experienced educators back to our classrooms to help alleviate the substitute teacher shortage crisis.
To those expressing their worry about public pensions and Illinois’ finances: I share your concerns. I’ve brought my two decades of experience in the investment and retirement industry to the Personnel and Pensions Committee, sponsoring legislation and supporting a budget that reduces Illinois’ pension liabilities by $3.2 billion. That bill passed the House in February, and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce has called the proposed budget one of the best it’s seen in years.
There’s still much to be done. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that work and earn your vote on Election Day.
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville
Public safety act a failure, needs complete overhaul
A year ago January, Gov. Pritzker signed the the Safety Accountability, Fairness & Equity Today Act into law.
The legislation was quickly drafted and not vetted. Ultimately, it has not demonstrated its purported goal of making Illinois neighborhoods safer.
This legislation was sent to the governor’s desk after the General Assembly passed all 764 pages of it in hours, without public input or input from law enforcement. Mere hours to overhaul public safety in Illinois. Numerous trailer bills of corrections have confirmed this legislation was not good policy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the homicide rate in Illinois is 8.1 per 100,000 people. In 2021, there were 4,300 gunshot victims in the City of Chicago, the highest number of any other city in our nation.
These were human beings, including 1- and 2-year-olds — babies. These victims were Illinoisans whose lives were viciously taken far too soon because of violence; their losses were felt by all who loved them and all whom they loved.
Illinoisans need to feel safe and we cannot live in fear of criminals. We have a duty in Springfield to ensure Illinois families live in the violence-free neighborhoods they deserve. We need to work in the same direction, Republicans and Democrats, to stifle crime, support our police and craft real solutions to keep Illinois families safe.
I call on my colleagues in the House on both sides of the aisle to discuss these important topics and bring legislation ensuring public safety to the House floor for debate. We can do this together if we open up the forum for new ideas and aim for the ultimate goal of safety for our great state.
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield
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