Newsletter Highlights
Register Now: LWVCC Annual Meeting
Brookfield Zoo Chicago May 6, 2025
Register at our website Home Page
Observer Corps Reports on Cook County Electronic Monitoring Programs and MWRD Board Discuss PFAS
| | | | "Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence." Robert F. Kennedy 1966 | |
LWVCC Annual Meeting
All League Members Invited
When: Tuesday, May 6th from 9:45am until 1pm
Where: Brookfield Zoo Chicago, ITW White Oak Room,
South Gate Entrance, 3300 Golf Road,
Brookfield, IL 60153
Register by April 29th on the
LWVCC Website Home Page
Parking and entrance to the Zoo will be complimentary
You will be able to stay after the meeting and
visit the Zoo.
Cost: $40 Continental breakfast and buffet lunch
Sign in begins at 9:15am and coffee, tea, and rolls will be served
Buffet lunch includes sandwiches, wraps, salad,
chips, and cookies
Business meeting starts at 9:45 am,
followed by lunch and program
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Annual Meeting Program
Dr. Michael Adkesson, Brookfield Zoo Chicago President and CEO, will speak on the Zoo's Next Century Plan
Dr. Mike Adkesson is a renowned leader in the care of zoo animals and the conservation of wildlife. He is a passionate advocate on the importance of modern zoos and aquariums as a means for inspiring societal compassion and concern for wildlife and nature.
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| | The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) is hosting an open house and tours at the MWRD's Calumet Water Reclamation Plant on Saturday, May 10, from 12 noon to 3 pm. The Plant is located at 400 E. 130th Street, in Chicago. All ages are welcome. The MWRD asks that everyone wear closed-toe shoes. This is one of 7 Plants where the MWRD treats wastewater in Cook County and then discharges the clean water into local waterways. | | | | Follow-up on the April 1 Consolidated Elections | |
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Results can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s Elections Web Site. Turnout varied considerably among the different municipalities and races, though the overall voter participation rate was a little over 18% as of April 10: 309,395 ballots cast out of 1,690,660 registered voters.
- April 15 is the deadline for validating and counting the remaining provisional ballots and late arriving vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before April 1.
- April 22 is the deadline for the Clerk to certify the election results, though that can be done any time after April 15.
- The Cook County League’s Voter Service Committee is holding a meeting via Zoom on April 15 with the voter service people in the local Leagues within Cook County to discuss the 2025 election process, sharing the problems and successes, as well as collecting information to share with the Cook County Clerk on how to make the election process smoother. Invitations to the Zoom meeting were sent out to the voter service people in the local Leagues.
Thank you to all of you who helped register and educate voters about this election and who served on election day. This is the original and core mission of the League!
| | LWVCC Interest Groups keep members informed about important activities of our local government. | |
Upcoming Meetings
All Local League members are invited to participate in these interest group meetings
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Budget & Structure Tues., April 29, 10 am via Zoom
Criminal Justice Friday, May 29, 9 am via Zoom
Contact Jan Goldberg
Forest Preserve Thursday, May 1, 8:30 am via Zoom
Contact Lauramdavis90@gmail.com
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Budget and Structure Interest Group
We Learn, We Report, We Make a Difference
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Cook County Health just opened its Clinical Triage and Stabilization Center, located at Provident Hospital (500 E. 51st, Chicago) The center is for people experiencing mental health crises but do not require inpatient hospital care. Patients receive care for up to 23 hours and work with a medical team to connect into the next appropriate level of care.
| | Criminal Justice Interest Group | | |
- The FAIR act (Funding Advocacy Independent Representation) has passed out of the State legislative committee and should be voted on soon. It would set up a statewide public defender system instead of our current county by county system in Illinois.
- Members will be court watching during the first two weeks of April at detention hearings at the main courthouse (26th and California) to monitor the ongoing implementation of the Safe-T Act. Appleseed lawyers are coordinating this round of court watching.
- The Group will be meeting with the State Attorney's Office on April 22nd.
- Our next book discussion will be on Thursday April 17th at 9AM via zoom. The book will be "The Secret History of the Rape Kit" by Pagan Kennedy.
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Our next regular meeting will be on May 29, 2025 9 am via zoom.
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To participate in these meetings, please contact Jan Goldberg
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Forest Preserve Interest Group
Nature is our Business
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On Friday, April 18 at 11am, Chris Anchor, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Forest Preserve District of Cook County will speak at River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook about the Cook County Forest Preserves long term urban coyote research. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch for after the talk. If interested, contact Laura Davis Lauramdavis90@gmail.com
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LWVIL Earth Day Event, Tuesday April 22, 6:30 pm, Virtual. Kim Erndt-Pitcher, Director of Ecological Health for Prairie Rivers Network will speak on chemical pesticides straying from target area to protected natural areas and what legislative options are being offered to address the problem. Register Here
Next team meeting is Thursday, May 1, 2025 - 8:30am on zoom. If interested, contact Laura Davis Lauramdavis90@gmail.com
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LWVCC members observe and report on board and committee meetings of Cook County government entities to keep you informed.
To read more: LWVCC Observer Reports
| | | | Recent Meeting Highlights | | |
Criminal Justice Committee March 11, 2025
Cook County Is Transitioning to a Single Electronic Monitoring Program under the Chief Judge
The Cook County Observer Corps was at the March 11 meeting of the Cook County Board’s Criminal Justice Committee where representatives for the Sheriff and Chief Judge presented their plans for transitioning to a single EM program. The full Observer Report can be found HERE.
The Cook County League, in a coalition with other organizations, supported having all defendants awaiting trial whom Cook County Circuit Court Judges ordered be placed on electronic monitoring (“EM”) be in a single EM program overseen by the Cook County Chief Judge. Starting April 1, that will be the case for all those newly ordered on EM. Those defendants who prior to that date were ordered by Judges to be placed under the program operated by the Sheriff will remain under that program until the disposition of their cases or some other actions are ordered by the Judges. The expectation is that the Sheriff’s program should be wound down in about 6 months, which is the average time most defendants are on EM.
The Cook County League’s Criminal Justice Interest Group led the charge for looking at the two EM programs and determining that having only one under the Chief Judge was preferable. EM in other Illinois counties is also handled by the counties’ chief judges.
Following are a few highlights:
- While the vast majority of those on the Chief Judge’s EM program only had restrictive movement from 7 pm to 7 am, those who have been under the Sheriff’s program have generally had restrictive movement almost 24/7. Judges have been placing about 150 people a month under the Sheriff’s program and about 90 per month under the Chief Judge’s program. The Chief Judge anticipates that many more of those who now will be placed on EM under the Chief Judge will have more restrictions than 7 pm to 7 am, and is gearing up to do the additional monitoring that will be required.
- One other difference between the Sheriff’s and Chief Judge’s EM programs is that the Chief Judge assigns to each EM participant a pre-trial services officer, who helps provide or connects the defendant to other services. That will continue to be done.
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As a result, the Chief Judge is anticipating needing up to 153 new employees: 66 to 83 new people in the Home Confinement Unit (which monitors EM) and 54 to 79 new people for the Pre-Trial Services Unit over the coming months.
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The Chief Judge has a 4-phase implementation plan to accomplish this, with the first group of newly trained people on-boarded just prior to April 1. Under the plan, the Chief Judge’s EM should be fully staffed by May of 2026.
The Cook County Commissioners had a number of questions and we can expect them wanting future updates on how the transition to a single program is going. The Cook County Observer Corps will be there to report on future Criminal Justice Committee meetings.
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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
March 6, 2025
PFAS Toxins (Bio-solids disposal)
Executive Director Perkovich to retire April 1.The Board approved without discussion a motion to appoint John Murray as Acting Executive Director
Commissioner Dr. Sharon Waller pulled three items from the consent agenda for public discussion and asked they be considered together. All were linked to the District’s regular disposal of sewage by-products (biosolids) containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are commonly known as “forever chemicals.”
The three items were:
• Staff sought authority to pay Synagro Central, LLC (an Agricultural resource company) $3.8 million to remove, transport, distribute and use air dried solid by-products from the Stickney and Calumet wastewater treatment plants.
• Item #19. 25-0168. In a similar request staff asked for approval to pay Stewart Spreading, Inc. $29.1 million to remove air dried solid by-products from the Stickney and Calumet wastewater treatment plants.
• Item #18. 25-0166. This item awards $3.8 million to McGill Construction for heavy equipment and operators. The contract includes the use of minority subcontractors. It appears the men and equipment will load the PFAS-affected biosolids into trucks for transport
• All 3 items were approved.
During discussion:
Commissioner Davis agreed the District needs a solution to the biosolids disposal issue and asked when a Black & Veech engineering report commissioned in July 2024 would be available to the Board. Executive Director Perkovich replied the consulting contract goes through 2026, and that preliminary results might not be available until late 2025. Operations Director John Murray said the Biosolids removal “season” begins in late March and early April, and encouraged the Board to approve the items and allow staff to answer questions later.
Commissioner Waller noted the District produces 150,000 dry tons of biosolids each year and she would like to see the MWRD end current practice of land application of sludge products on farm fields. Her constituents are concerned about this issue. She’d like the agency to adopt a policy to reuse water and solids after treatment. Current practice of selling biosolids for application on farmland meets “evolving” EPA regulations, but change is needed.
| | The LWV Palatine, Barrington & Schaumburg has been active in Defend Democracy Drop-ins. Every other month, a committee selects an issue supported by LWV requiring action. Background information is provided and League members meet for one hour to take immediate action to contact our Representatives via emails, postcards or other forms of communication. The League also participated in a Women's History Month event featuring a performance by Martina Mathisen about the role women played in shaping local history. | | Local League Upcoming Events | | |
Thursday, April 17, 6:30 - 8 pm In person
LWV Oak Park River Forest
Drinks and Dialogue
Help Save the Planet and Save Money
Speaker: Pamela Tate, Certified climate reality leader (trained by Al Gore)
Friendly’s Tap
6733 Roosevelt Road
Berwyn, IL 60402
No registration required
Thursday, May 1, 9:30 - 11 am In person
LWV Oak Park River Forest
Coffee and Conversation
UN Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women
Speaker: Jane Ruby, President, LWV Chicago
Nineteenth Century Charitable Association
178 Forest Avenue Oak Park, IL
No registration required.
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2024-2025 Cook County League Board Members
OFFICERS: President: Cynthia Schilsky, LaGrange Area; Vice-Presidents: Pris Mims, Chicago, Kathi Graffam, LaGrange Area; Secretary: Carolyn Cosentino, Homewood/Flossmoor; Treasurer: Trudy Turner, Evanston.
Board members: Victoria Cerinich, Palos-Orland Park Area; Laura Davis, Palatine; Diane Edmundson, Chicago; Jan Goldberg, LaGrange Area ; Sue Gregory, Glenview-Glencoe; Betty Hayford, Evanston; Sandra Slayton, Homewood-Flossmoor
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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, political organization whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government; to increase understanding of major policy issues, and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to anyone regardless of gender, race, or ethnic group.
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League of Women Voters of Cook County
332 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 634, Chicago, IL 60604
312-939-5935
lwvcookcounty.org
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