Citizen Advocacy Center 2005 Citizen Initiative Award Recipients

The Citizen Initiative Awards recognize citizens who act as catalysts for more citizen participation in the democratic process. Recipients have demonstrated significant and informed civic participation in their communities and by their example have inspired others to build democracy. Congratulations to all 2005 recipients!

§ Ms. Cherie Travis received an award for her persistence in bringing accountability and oversight to the DuPage County Animal Control Department. The County not only lied and refused to respond to FOIA requests, but threatened harassment charges against Ms. Travis. Undeterred, Ms. Travis convinced the Department of Agriculture, the State agency that oversees Animal Control, to conduct its own investigation of Animal Control policies and practices. Ms. Travis also recruited three major newspapers to cover the systemic problems at the agency. The result was an overhaul in the system.

§ Ms. Ellen Raymond, Founder of Save the Timber, was recognized for her efforts in trying to save a 105-acre public golf course from being sold and converted into a 340-unit subdivision development. The property has more than 1000 trees, some of which have stood for 250 years. Ms. Raymond organized her neighbors, held protest rallies, monitored township and municipal government meetings, and empowered residents to speak out at government meetings. Using the power of the referendum, Save the Timber successfully placed a referendum on the ballot asking citizens to approve bond sales that would allow the Township to acquire 25 acres from the developer for a park. The measure passed with 52% of the vote, second only to the presidential vote. Unfortunately, a bill had been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that took away the power of a township to acquire property in certain circumstances. Coincidentally, the property Ms. Raymond was fighting to save was one of only a handful of properties in the entire state of Illinois impacted by the bill. Despite this underhanded action by the General Assembly, Ms. Raymond has convinced the Township to pursue the outright purchase of 10 acres of property.

§ Ms. Linda Spicer and Sharon Fischer received an award for their relentless efforts to provide accurate information about the happenings of their local government to the citizens of Warrenville. Recently, Warrenville has been busy with establishing home rule, expanding TIF districts, developing a downtown, and the retirement of a 20-year mayor. Through all of these issues, the citizens of Warrenville felt information from the city and the local newspaper was biased and inaccurate. A handful of citizens decided to attend every public meeting, conduct their own research, and publish their reports and observations through pamphlets and by going door to door. Ms. Spicer and Ms. Fischer took this grassroots effort one step further and started a newspaper called Warrenville Today. Warrenville Today includes a City Desk section that provides its own minutes to village meetings, and Elephant Tracks and Donkey Tails sections that detail the happenings of the local Republican and Democratic parties.

· Citizens United in Forest Park. (CUFP) . Citizens United in Forest Park (CUFP) is an outstanding example of how organized citizens can build democracy at the local level. CUFP began with a small group of citizens who contacted the Center because they wanted assistance in setting up a community organization to address and reform their city’s lack of decorum and responsiveness to public concerns. They described problems such as the City trying to deter the public from attending Council meetings by intentionally not setting up enough chairs in the City Council meeting room and attempting to limit what citizens said during public comment. The Center empowered citizens to bring their own chairs to the City Council meetings and to enforce their First Amendment right to comment on any issue during the public comment portion of the Council meeting. The Center also helped CUFP organize to stop a proposed 200-unit condo development that members felt was too large, would change the character of the town, and result in serious traffic and safety problems. They lobbied zoning and planning commissioners, created relationships with the press, and applied public pressure on Council members. This comprehensive effort resulted in the City approving a smaller development of 164 units. Ultimately, because the developer was not able to build as large of a building as he wanted, the builder chooses not to build the complex at all. CUFP’s continued monitoring of development issues has resulted in developers being responsive to citizen concerns and taking a more collaborative approach to proposed projects. CUFP also began videotaping Council meetings because the approved minutes did not reflect substantive conversations of the Council. It was not long before citizens and public officials alike began asking CUFP for copies of taped meetings to keep informed or verify the content of discussions. Annoyed that CUFP was getting praise in the community for taping Council meetings, the Mayor called on the Council to sign a contract to provide cable coverage of Council meetings. Airing Council meetings has resulted in a more respectful exchange between the Council and citizens. Additional CUFP successes include forcing the City to adhere to zoning and planning ordinances, persuading the Mayor to revive a defunct Ethics Commission, getting a Whistleblower Protection ordinance passed, and organizing voter registration drives. In a short year and a half, CUFP has become a force in the community. Their membership includes more than 50 people, and they have a community reputation as being both an ombudsmen and a watchdog.