patching...
Breaking: St. Charles East Top Geneva for Regional Baseball Title »
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

2013 St. Charles Mayoral Election

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Review April 3 St. Charles Candidates Forum

The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County forum welcome the candidate for St. Charles mayor and the St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Board of Education.

The four candidates for St. Charles mayor and eight candidates for the St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Board of Education will appear before voters tonight to introduce themselves and answer a question or two during a candidates forum. St. Charles Patch will be on hand to provide live-blog coverage of the forum. F you can’t be there in person, be sure to visit St. Charles Patch to follow the evening’s dialogue. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County, the forum is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in the Kane County Circuit Clerk’s Building, 540 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. The evening’s guests are St. Charles mayoral candidates: Also on the evening’s agenda are the eight …

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Stein, Rabchuk: Rogina's Downtown St. Charles Plan Not Enough

Mayoral candidates tout own economic development plans after praises focus on Arcada but says Rogina’s vision for downtown is a good start.

St. Charles mayoral candidates Jotham Stein and John Rabchuk on Monday each responded to 3rd Ward Alderman Ray Rogina’s vision for downtown renewal, with Stein saying the plan does not go far enough and Rabchuk saying he is the only candidate with a comprehensive economic development plan. “The Arcada Theatre (105 E. Main St.) is a fantastic source of culture and entertainment and building on the Arcada’s accomplishments will certainly help our downtown grow,” Stein said in a statement issued Monday afternoon. “The more the Arcada offers quality shows that people want to see, the more vital our downtown will be and the more tax revenue the city will collect. “To the extent Mr. Rogina’s plan works to grow downtown’s culture and …

Michael Mak

5:05 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Please finish up the First Street Project !! To go past the vacant land where Blue Goose and Manor House use to be for 3 years, and see that Eye sore for the City is ridiculous. Lets get a mayor that can make something Happen, and Quick!! Scrap the Condo Plans. Lets get a Family/Pancake type restaurant there and save some park space ! (Really if you look at the project as a whole right now, I …   more ›

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Rogina Outlines Vision for St. Charles Central Business District Renewal

St. Charles alderman and mayoral candidate says the Arcada’s success can be expanded upon to spark more development downtown.

Third Ward Alderman Ray Rogina on Saturday laid out his vision for renewal of the central business district in which he sees downtown St. Charles expanding from primarily an entertainment area to an area that includes an emphasis on the arts and as a zone that centers on the historic Arcada Theatre. If elected, Rogina said, he would appoint a blue-ribbon committee of civic, business and cultural leaders to develop the most efficient strategy to accomplish that goal. According to the alderman, the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., generates $2 million annually in economic development. The Arcada’s past success can be be used to expand its offerings for residents and help spark more downtown development, Rogina said. “In conversation with …

Ben f

6:08 am on Thursday, March 14, 2013

Really? That's a bigger vision than anything else suggested? I appreciate the idea of expanding entertainment options but what about the other venues in the area that offer cultural programs? I can only afford to go and see Martin short or don rickles so many times, but I can get on my bike any day!   more ›

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Stein: Enforce, Not Reform St. Charles Liquor Code

Mayoral candidate said the mayor just needs to enforce the law; Wyatt likes reform but wants questions answered.

In a city where liquor dealers already are tense over the St. Charles City Council’s stance on downtown alcohol-related problems, things could get a little more so once there’s a new sheriff — er, mayor — in town. Whether the tension does increase remains to be seen, but St. Charles’ mayoral candidates agree the city needs to draw the line more clearly and enforce the law more strictly. On one side of the line is 3rd Ward Alderman Ray Rogina, who this week proposed revamping the city’s liquor code to more clearly distinguish the difference between liquor licenses for restaurants and those for bars, to plainly delineate what penalties are in order for various infractions, and to subject 2 a.m. liquor licenses to annual approval based on an …

Comment_arrow

David Amundson

1:01 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013

Case and point. We have sold our reputation for relatively few dollars of tax revenue (a fraction of a percent of the City's annual budget). A wise professor I had in college once remarked "funny thing about reputations; you only get to sell them once." While I am not as deeply pessimistic as my professor was, he did make a very good point. We have sold our reputation, and we are now tasked with …   more ›

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Rabchuk Defends Bike Hub Plan for St. Charles

Mayoral candidate thanks political opponent Rogina for correction on abandoned railway line.

St. Charles mayoral candidate John Rabchuk on Wednesday responded to his opponents’ criticisms of his plan to make the city a hub for bicyclists, even thanking 3rd Ward Alderman Ray Rogina for correcting his remarks about an abandoned rail line. “I have received tremendous support for the concept of making St. Charles a cycling hub, including many new ideas from residents that would greatly expand on my original concepts,” Rabchuk said in a release issued Wednesday. “Once elected, I intend to create a cycling commission made up of cycling enthusiasts and business leaders that can identify and review what other cycling hubs around the country have successfully implemented and then make recommendations to our city staff and council.” In …

josephine s.

11:37 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Sine he sat on the Comprehensive Plan Task Force, I would not be so quick to credit Mr Rabchuk with this "specific idea". The Comp Plan is a vision document, not a mandate nor enforceable, but a 3o year projection. And the point is, Mr. Rabchuk is presenting his initiatives as his own, original, visionary....rather than an outgrowth of existing dialogue among business owners, residents, cyclists…   more ›

St. Charles Mayoral Candidates Pan Rabchuk Bike Plan

Jotham Stein says city’s greater need is to be a business hub; Rogina says the desciption of the abandoned rail line segment may mislead businesses that rely on open section.

St. Charles mayoral candidates Jotham Stein and 3rd Ward Alderman Ray Rogina this week offered some constructive criticism of John Rabchuk’s plan to make the city a hub for bicyclists, with Stein saying the city’s greater need is to become a business hub, and Rogina criticizing an inaccuracy in the plan that might mislead some businesses. Rabchuk said he wants to make St. Charles a hub for bicyclists, and proposed a number of steps, including the addition of some amenities. “Making St. Charles not just a cycling hub, but a sports hub is a great idea,” Stein wrote in an email to St. Charles Patch, “however, what St. Charles really needs is a mayor who will make St. Charles a business hub. “That’s my top priority and what, with my experience…

Rich Swenson

3:34 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

I think there are many other more important issues that need priority such as rebuilding our commercial infrastructure and business base long before we start with this kind of stuff. Mr. Rabchuck doesn't appear to want to face or deal with the real issues if this is what he is trying to get elected on.   more ›

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Rogina Pitches St. Charles Liquor Code Reforms

St. Charles alderman and candidate for mayor polishes suggestions he offered during Monday’s City Council committee meeting.

A St. Charles mayoral candidate is calling for “commonsense reforms to the liquor code” he believes will help to settle down alcohol-related problems that sparked a proposal in August to cut back the business hours for bars and taverns. Third Ward Alderman Ray Rogina on Tuesday pitched the proposals he first offered as a question and some suggestions Monday night to his fellow aldermen, who were meeting as the City Council Government Operations Committee. Rogina asked the city staff Monday night to see if there is a model — ostensibly an ordinance already in use by another community — that treats the 2 a.m. closing time as a privilege that needs to receive City Council approval year by year. Doing so, he said in a release he issued Tuesday…

Rich Swenson

2:07 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013

David, What I have heard is The Office and McNally's run very tight operations and are not part of this over serving or fighting issue. That is why they won't joint, they don't wish to be lumped in with those others. I may be wrong but I have heard that from several reliable people.   more ›

Monday, January 28, 2013

Rabchuk: Make St. Charles a Cycling Hub

Doing so would boost tourism and increase the health and vibrancy of St. Charles, mayoral candidate says.

Those who remember the Criterium bicycle races, which drew scores of cyclists to St. Charles, might agree with mayoral candidate John Rabchuk’s idea that the city ought to start promoting itself as a place to ride. “St. Charles has a golden opportunity to become a cycling hub for northern Illinois,” he said in his latest campaign announcement. “With careful planning and minimal investment, the city of St. Charles, the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the local cycling community working together should aggressively pursue this opportunity to attract cycling visitors to St. Charles. “A coordinated and focused effort to create and promote this cycling hub concept will enhance the economic and physical …

Michael Quintos

7:34 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Build a velodrome, Chicago did this on the south side 2 years ago. People from neighboring states will come and ride   more ›

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Rogina: Lengthen Comment Periods for Controversial Developments

Alderman and mayoral candidate notes St. Charles residents were shocked by sudden Lexington Club approval less than a month after aldermen voted to recommend rejection of a TIF district for the project.

Alderman Ray Rogina of St. Charles’ 3rd Ward on Thursday called for a city policy to ensure the public gets at least seven days notice prior to any controversial votes on proposed developments. In a release issued Thursday, Rogina vowed he would implement the policy if elected mayor of St. Charles on April 9. His call for the policy follows the City Council’s divided vote nearly two weeks ago to approve the development, which has faced vocal opposition from neighbors of the project, as well as from critics of the city’s use of tax-increment financing districts. Just a month prior, aldermen voted to reject the TIF for the project, effectively killing the plan. But the developer came back with a revised TIF, reducing the amount sought as …

salecheapjerseys

2:44 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013

our jerseys shop http://www.yourjerseyhome.com Nike San Francisco 49ers jerseys,Nike Baltimore Ravens Jerseys and best servise. http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/Nike-NFL-Jerseys-c124.html Nike NFL Jerseys http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/MLB-Jerseys-c94.html cool base mlb jerseys http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/NBA-Jerseys-c77.html Revolution 30 nba jerseys http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/NFL-T-Shirt-c126.…   more ›

Mayoral Candidate Wants Volunteer Corps in St. Charles

John Rabchuk wants to launch STC Corps to organize, encourage volunteerism in St. Charles.

St. Charles mayoral candidate John Rabchuk this week said that he wants to form an volunteer organization that would match resources with needs in the community. Calling community volunteers as “a critical component” that earned St. Charles the title “No. 1 place for families” by Family Circle, Rabchuk said the STC Corps he would establish if elected would help match volunteer skills and availability with the respective needs. “It is often difficult for someone interested in contributing to our volunteer infrastructure to find a place where their particular skills and available time are matched to a community need,” he wrote in a release. “This can include Eagle Scouts attempting to identify the community project required for their …

Vanessa Bell-LaSota

12:13 am on Sunday, February 10, 2013

This is not original! The Near West Neighborhood Association initiated this concept three years ago, to support those in need in our community, help home upkeep for seniors, showcase small business owners and promote one another, in service to our neighborhood. With our website community and e-mail ,we disseminate topical information to keep our community connected on issues, and with other …   more ›

Got a Hot Tip?
 
 

Videos