St. Charles Candidate Wyatt Plans Mayor’s Resident Forums
Second mayoral contender announces initiative to give St. Charles residents a greater voice.
A second St. Charles mayoral candidate has promised an initiative targeting residents who feel their voices were not heeded on the controversial Lexington Club development, which received approval from a divided City Council earlier this month.
A week after announcing his weekly “Coffee With Jake” campaign effort, Jake Wyatt said in a release issued Monday that he intends to continue the informal, open house-formatted “meet-and-greets” with residents if he is elected mayor.
As part of his campaign, Wyatt announced he plans to hold the open house-style sessions at American Legion Post 342, 1150 N. 5th Ave., Suite C, from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays from Jan. 26 through March 30.
“My goal is to make it as convenient as possible for residents to meet me and for myself, to reserve a maximum amount of time to hear their concerns and discuss what they value in their community,” he said in the release issued Monday. “This will be standard procedure when I am elected mayor. From recent discussion going on throughout the city, it is apparent that the residents often have no voice.”
The Lexington Club vote left opponents of the project angry. Many complained afterward and in public forums since then that the city failed to heed their voices on the issue.
“My administration will feature an open ‘Resident Forum’ held monthly and more frequently, as needed,” Wyatt said. “Special interest groups can offer constructive debate. They have developed over the years in our community, seeking to know and communicate the issues, to get the information they are entitled to have and to have a voice in city decisions.
“I applaud their efforts,” Wyatt continued. “They should not be marginalized. As Mayor I will want to hear from all sides of an issue and foster healthy discussion among these groups and other area residents.”
Related:
- Nov, 30, 2012: About Jake ‘Wayne’ Wyatt
Steve Swanson
9:37 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I applaud this type of thinking. It will make for a much more open process than the one favored by the current and outgoing administration. Really, the elected officials are suppose to represent us, the citizens of St. Charles, but all too often, in recent years, they seem to be representing out-of-town developers rather than the people who put them in office.
Ted Schnell
9:47 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Hey there Steve. Brian Doyle wrote an interesting blog on Monday that, along with the comments, is worth reading. In the comments, Doyle talks about some issues that seem to me to be pertinent, particularly as it relates to the responsibilities of the Plan Commission, but also in a broader sense as it relates to exactly what the responsibilities our elected officials bear. Certainly they are to represent the voters, but they also have a responsibility to uphold the Constitution, which includes protecting an individual's rights and acting for the greater public good. I'd urge you to read it at http://stcharles-il.patch.com/blog_posts/communication-controversy-and-city-planning
Steve Swanson
9:52 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Ted, I read it and was not as impressed by his blog as I was by David Amundson's comments and the comments of some others.
But I do think Mr. Wyatt's forum idea is worthwhile and I intend to attend one, or more, to get a better reading of the man who could be our next Mayor.