Village of
Westchester
NOVEMBER 2016 Newsletter
From the Desk of The President POLICE DEPARTMENT
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FIRE DEPARTMENT
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CALENDAR
7 President Sam Pulia with Boy Scouts from Troops 1 and 73, as well as Cub Scouts from Troop 1, who were recognized by the Board for their volunteer efforts throughout 2016. Thanks again for all your hard work, Troops!
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
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NEWS AND NOTES
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SCHOOL DISTRICT
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PARK DISTRICT
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GET OUT AND VOTE! Tomorrow, November 8th, 2016, is Election Day. Throughout our history, voting has been the cornerstone of our democracy, of the United States. On Election Day, we the citizens of the USA get to have direct input on the leadership of the United States Congress, as well as our Illinois State Senate and House members. The pinnacle of the election is the Presidential selection; however, whoever is the winner must work with the congressional leaders across any aisle if we are to get anything done. Cities throughout the country are in dire need of financial assistance, especially in the area of our failing infrastructure. Many needed and worthy projects have had to be placed on hold due to the cost. Finding the dollars to fund the initial engineering costs has been difficult to obtain. Westchester was incorporated on October 30, 1925 and has just celebrated its 91st Birthday. A good portion of our unseen infrastructure - water mains, storm, and sanitary sewers - has reached the end of its useful life and planning the replacement is costly. Many of these projects are funded in part by federal grants, through matching participation, or subsidies sent to our state through the federal government. The stalemate not only on the federal level but in the State of Illinois is counterproductive and will
continue to be a definite obstacle for local leaders when we try to provide basic services now and in the future. Recently, many of our “Collector Streets” projects, once eligible for 80% Federal Funding and a 20% local match, have been eliminated making the whole project 100% local cost. Our economy and job creation, notwithstanding our safety and security both here and abroad, are the worries we all share. I have heard comments from friends and family that “it does not matter who wins, nothing is going to change.” Maybe so, but having a strong voice, following the issues, and actually finding out what the candidates’ platforms are and questioning how they plan on moving their agendas forward is our job as citizens. I located some reasons I would like to share on why voting is important. Top Reasons Why You Should Vote • Voting is a way to speak your mind and let your voice be heard! Your vote is your voice. When we vote, we are actually telling elected officials and lawmakers how we feel about education, public safety, social security, health care, and other important issues. • One voice, one vote really does count!
See PRESIDENT, page 5