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We were at Mayor Sabonjians party the other night and heard him say he accomplished none of his top 35 goals. But the mayor is set on bringing a race to the streets of Waukegan and from what I read today that is all he is working on. We have no restaurants, no bookstores, no retail shopping except Walmart and Kmart, no movie theater, no nothing. But if the mayor has his way we will have racing. How about the fact that somebody has to pay for the improved streets, and police and fire overtime. How can Waukegan afford this when we have such a large hole in the budget according to the Mayor. We are facing possible police layoffs now and our firestations are already under staffed. So who benefits from a race? Maybe food vendors, definitely Gurnee where all the hotels and entertainment venues are, and possibly other nearby communities. As for Waukegan, we will still be left with no restaurants, no bookstores, no movie theaters and no nothing. Hopefully the Aldermen and paying clsoe attention to what is going on at city hall. The residents are.
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Until someone is elected or appointed to run Waukegan who is actually qualified this is to be expected. Waukegan is a large city and is in trouble. We need someone who is educated as a city planner and has no previous political ties to the city to take control of the ship. Decisions need to me made that will move the city forward. Really, anyone can be elected mayor if they get enought votes. Getting votes does not mean you are qualified to run a city.
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As the budgetary problems show, the Hyde administration was incompetent. Many of the issues that have come to light would have been under the purview of the Director of Governmental Services--Ray Vukovich. It it indeed unfortunate that Sabonjian has kept this incompetent adminstrator on for another year.
The whole issue of an Grand Prix Race in Waukegan is no different than the promise of Drew/Hyde/link/Vukovich/Kolber that the Genesee Theatre would bring about the renaissance of dowtown Waukegan. The stargazer is attacking Sabonjian by citing the failure of past Democratic administrations--how ironic is that.
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No, I think stargazer is recognizing what the people of Waukegan need to recognize. If we keep electing mayors like this is a populatiry contest for local good ole boys nothing will ever change. We need to hire someone who is qualified to do the job of revamping Waukegan. Our current method of leadership selection has not worked in years. We keep ending up with ineffective leaders who do not know how to run a business as large as Waukegan. It is time to make some major changes and get this place on the road to recovery.
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Dear stargazer, The alderman are the majority of the problem; they hold the purse strings; they confirm mayoral appointments; they deny police reports to the local newspaper; but they all work so well together. Waukegan needs to get tough on the "low level public disorder laws" first, before we can ever hope for a better day in this town. The whole Genessee Theater concept was doomed to failure from the beginning. Have you ever been to the Drury Lane Theater in Lincolnshire, with it's hotel, golf course, and restaurants? Who, living on the North Shore would ever consider coming to this gang infested, crime-ridden, litter strewn city for a show, when all they have to do is check in at the Marriott Lincolnshire for a weekend?
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Dear all the rest of you people on this forum, I only have a high school education, but, at least, I'm smart enough to know that a city manager or administrator serves at the pleasure of the council. You don't seem to see the connection between the city council and the massive mistakes and negligence wrought on this once livable community. Put away your smiley faced icons and think about what your alderman should be doing to address the massive gang problem in this community. It is not about racial profiling, it's about law and order. We pay ever increasing taxes for failure, yet there were 27% of our student population able to pass the state high school exam in 2007. Why do we blame our teachers, solely, for the high drop-out rate and lack of performance in our schools? Aren't parents ultimately responsible for their children?
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If a city administrator has NO PREVIOUS TIES to Waukegan they will be less likely to fall prey to being bullied by the councel, aldermen, etc. We need someone strong willed, educated in management, & not afraid to shake things up to make needed changes.
