As there are no questions currently outstanding with my first End of the Year post, I thought Id try to spend some time summarizing some of the events that transpired in 2014, not all political but politics certainly took center stage at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Slowly, steadily and not always quietly, a few women in the community began to emerge as voices of determined reasoning as to why certain corrective actions must take priority over other matters facing the Village...candidates may want to take some serious notes: Floodlothian Midlothian: Latching onto the issue long before it hit the pages of local meeting minutes, Helen Lekavich stepped out and in front of the Midlothian Board of Trustees on a regular and reliable basis with a combination of researched information, demands for change and a strong showing of support for at least the general demand for changes to be made to better manage the Villages tendency to flood. Whether the argument was driven by some measure of man-made influence causing the rise in water levels or some simple measure of fate triggering the flash floods, Helen did more than just file complaint, she came armed with solutions. From rain barrels to multi-jurisdictional cooperation rarely seen in Illinois nowadays, her push for actions designed to lower the Villages ratings in the eyes of the Federal insurance program let alone securing a way to produce visible readings, change reached the mini-shores of Natalie creek once a recording system was installed at a critical point along 149th around Kilpatrick. While the June/July storm was the most brutal in terms of damage, it isnt what Helen and Floodlothian Midlothian managed to forstall in 2014...it is how much they were able to put in place as a long-term solution designed to benefit one and all as it relates to our risk of flooding. Mary Chiz: Enduring one of the more public bones of contention being picked in 2014, Mary managed to write a document containing conversation surrounding her complaints and concerns surrounding the management of the Midlothian Park District. The meeting she chose to read her letter to the board happened to be a meeting that became the most viewed video of a Midlothian municipal public meeting in 2014. Despite a major rift becoming clearly visible between Park District public officials and those that they serve, Mary continued to turn to other media outlets to further clarify, define and provide supporting evidence as to why her questions needed more than just the glib answers being shared in both public and private, they needed facts...Midlothian deserved certain facts to be made public...while the Park District maintained its on-record position clearly in support of a Park District employee. Marys desire to assert her own opinions into the public realm knowing they would be scrutinized by all sides did not dim her enthusiastic pursuit of more operational data to be put into the public domain data, which rippled through every municipal hall in Midlothian throughout the 4th quarter. Laura Dudek: While this former resident might have relocated across a border or two, her online presence triggered an onslaught of conversations ranging from the sublime to the silly all the way to the serious and the strange, proving one does not need to live in Midlothian in order to have rhyme and reason to chat about it...especially online. The speed in which her comments would start a conversation running 50, 100 or even 150 comments long complimented her rapid responses to existing comments were frequently instrumental in keeping the conversations on Facebook flowing away from the harsh and nasty tones of the past. Jean Ferraro-Bartecki: Whether it was in real life or online, Jeans contribution to the Midlothian community in 2014 was reflective of a woman ready and able to guard the honor of the Village by quickly reminding everyone of the positive experiences also transpiring within our community while equally participating in discussions and debates over what changes Midlothian might need to make at some point in the future. Her real life volunteer efforts with the most recent series of holiday events (including the toy drive) was only a continuation of her frequent contributions to Midlothian and others throughout the year. Formidable with her facts, Jean manages to ensure her actions back up her words, even when people still agree to disagree with her, which is a welcome skill-set to have...especially when talking about Midlothian, The Village that Pride Built. Theda Reed: To those who had come in contact with Theda while she was employed, it was common knowledge she was a tell it to me like it is, damn it! woman. To those who have yet to meet her, she is a tell it to me like it is kind of woman, although she may or may not add something to the end of that sentence. Controversial as some might believe her to be, her commitment to attending board meetings to better educate herself about the operations of the Village, along with her passionate support of issues near and dear to her, Theda has been no wallflower to the entire southwest suburban area for pretty much her entire life. Recently, she had the chance to participate in the political process simply because she wanted to see the event happen for herself. Simple as such an opportunity may appear on the surface, her lack of hesitation or reservation to go ahead and show up at public events every now and again eventually tallied into the shift in public conversation both live and online. Lori LHeureux: If anyone can be held up as an example of no favors needed from those related to a politician, Lori is definitely a Best of the Best example. While there are certainly lines of expectation from the public when it comes to a relative exercising their rights to equal access to government, Lori isnt afraid to just start a new thread and place her own set of facts in front of the world. This painter, vocalist and yes, employee for a school district demonstrates on a regular basis enough judgement and confidence in her own abilities to influence something...if nothing else perhaps even that tension-diffusing laugh...as she is working as a volunteer at one of the many events hosted in Midlothian in 2014. Lori is definitely one of those types of Ladies that fits into the atmosphere of Midlothian, as she has been known to travel around the Village with no real physical prep time and still have it appear to be cool. Nicole Faber: Disappointingly slapped around on social media from time to time, Nicole continues to demonstrate more than just a basic understanding of what comes close to constituting Great Government Service. Knowing how to answer to her bosses with an equal passion as she knows how to answer to the public on a variety of matters, there is rarely hesitation or reservation from Nicole to look into a concern or complaint as it relates to a wide variety of tasks the Village has responsibility for. Even when politics that initially erupt from public meetings that eventually spill into the front office operations at varying rates, Nicole managed to extend courtesy and respect to all who demanded a moment of her time at an exceptional rate of consistency throughout 2014. And lastly for this New Years Eve list: The late-comer Midlothian Valerie with her cheap cam-corder, a YouTube account and apparently too much time on her hands.... People who were previously unable to see for themselves what was happening at public meetings were finally able to decide for themselves if they wanted to listen to the truth via audio or rely solely on the more traditional he said/she said arguments Midlothian-style both behind the scenes and especially on social media. Her frequently confrontational demeanor carried with it a measure of initial shock to some in Midlothian and yet combined with her sometimes lengthy text, frequently verifiable facts were brought forth into the public eye for further debate and discussion as to why certain changes should have a certain measure of urgency put to them. Whether it was with the topic of meeting minutes or a minute by minute transcription of a recorded speech, more people with a vested interest in Midlothian managed to add content to either support, clarify or disprove comments and observations. ****************************** This is by no means supposed to represent some sort of all-inclusive list of the only women who contributed to the health and well-being of the Village of Midlothian...these are just some of the ones I had the chance to interact with more than just a handful of times and some for hours on end. Thank you for leaving space for me to be myself, even if it meant I wasnt always happy about something or other. You gave me the chance to further explain myself when you were disturbed about something I might have said or did and I learned so much from each of you in 2014 because of your own strong, individualized opinions! There are 97 days until the election. More than enough time to watch more facts and figures come forward in 2015 from more than just the Women of Midlothian! Well all just have to wait and see what happens next year, wont we? :)
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 03:15:44 +0000
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