Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania’s Columns
  • Advertise
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • Midnight Flight Book
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Seniors
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Two Guys on Politics Podcast: A Centrist View on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • The Arab street Podcast
  • Submit a Press Release
  • Toggle search form
  • Orland Park Trustee Dan Calandriello at a Village of Orland Park Board meeting.
    Candidate Calandriello announces “Biking the 17th” to raise awareness for Cook County Forest Preserves Cook County
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium Cook County
  • Piano. Photo by Dolo Iglesias on Unsplash
    Too old to rock? Elton John, in town tonight, turning back the clock Blogger
  • President George W. Bush walks across the tarmac with NFO Lt. Ryan Phillips to Navy One, an S-3B Viking jet, at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Thursday, May 1, 2003. Flying to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the President addressed the nation and declared "Mission accomplished" in Iraq to justify diverting forces from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Can we win the war in Ukraine? Bill Lipinski
  • Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois
    Kelly, Foster, Newman among those voting to pass Assault Weapons Ban Act Crime
  • Hanania newspaper column on Pritzker pushing for Democratic National COnvention
    Pritzker push for Democratic National Convention could backfire Blogger
  • Fire Truck, Fire District. Photo courtesy of the Orland Fire Protection District
    Orland Fire District will maintain “all services” despite delayed county tax collections Cook County
  • Mike Porfirio, Democrat endorsed candidate for 11th Senate District
    Porfirio urges “full investigation” into reported racist rant of local official Cook County
  • New Lenox offers Free CERT training
    New Lenox offers free Disaster Preparedness Training to residents Government
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Partnership Will Offer Economic Development and Employment Support in South Suburbs  Business
  • USO barbecue for the troops 2022
    USO hosts Barbecue for the Troops July 23, 2022 Cook County
  • TikTok Screen shot
    TikTok generates nearly $4 billion in consumer spending Business
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Tough punishment needed in wake of Danny Golden shooting Blogger
  • US Declaration of Independence, courtesy of the US Government. Archives.gov
    Right from the Middle: Extremist political views challenge the religious freedoms of Americans Bill Lipinski
  • Congressman Sean Casten
    Congressman Casten brings home $14 million to help district on climate change, hunger, transportation and domestic abuse survivor Baby Boomers

Home Rule makes Summit equal to other communities

Posted on April 3, 2016November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Home Rule makes Summit equal to other communities
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Most communities are automatically given Home Rule powers. But some communities have to fight for it, and overcome the ignorance of some politically active whiners who complain about everything because they are not in power

By Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania

The last election shows that newly appointed Mayor Sergio Rodriguez is very popular in the Village of Summit.

Rodriguez was a close ally of the late Mayor Joseph Strzelczyk, who passed away a year ago this coming May 17th.

Strzelczyk entered public office as a Summit Village Trustee in 1990 and was elected Mayor in 1997, a path taken by Rodriguez, who is Summit’s acting mayor. Strzelczyk protected Summit from the lobbyists and outside agitators who sought to control the tiny Southwest suburban hamlet’s budget. Rodriguez is doing the same thing.

In a small community like Summit, that’s not easy. Everyone with an agenda, including politically motivated lawyers who have no concern for the village except for their own personal agendas, slammed Strzelczyk and slam Rodriguez.

But having covered Chicagoland politics for more than 40 years, I see in Rodriguez as the same kind of courageous leaders that helped protect the Village of Summit from the outside vultures, politically motivated activists, and lobbyists who only saw the tiny community as little more than a trough where they could squeeze more profits.

Rodriguez showed his brilliance in this past election when he supported the referenda to grant Summit Home Rule Powers. The referenda was approved with 952 votes, with only 823 against it. By any measure, that spread of 54 percent to 46 percent is a landslide victory.

Sergio Rodriguez, Acting Village President of Summit, Illinois

Home Rule gives the Village of Summit the ability to be like every other community in Illinois. Most municipalities have Home Rule authority, which prevents the state from dictating local policies, especially policies involving land use and the dumping of poverty into communities that are incapable of protecting themselves.

State and Federal taxes meant to help communities and drained away to help cover the state and Federally mandated programs.

Home Rule prevents that.

Home Rule is most often opposed by the sinister Real Estate lobby and by attorneys who work closely with the realtors. Their goal is turn over housing and make fast profits – a 6 percent profit on a $100,000 home is $6,000, plus they charged closing fee and bank fees and interest rates that are available to the wealthy but not to the poor.

I hate lawyers who do that and I try not to listen to them when they spout off selfish political agendas against vulnerable local governments like the Village of Summit.

Why shouldn’t Summit have the same rights as other municipalities and villages?

State Law automatically gives Home Rule to communities that have populations of 25,000 or more. But those like Summit with smaller populations are denied Home Rule. They have to approve it through a voting referenda, a process often controlled by the big-buck realtors and their lawyer lobbyists.

Rodriguez managed to get Summit voters to understand that Home Rule, managed properly, is a good thing, like in Orland Park where I live. Orland Park did impose a Sales Tax on certain retail sales, but they also imposed a sales tax rebate for its residents. Home Rule allowed them to approve that Tax rebate, which I get every year.

In effect, the sales tax hike only impacts outsider. Sale tax revenues cover costs that outsiders create through roadway erosion, the burden on public works from their driving, and the need for police services.

I work and support a lot of governments over the years, like Summit, to help them get their message out. In my mind, it’s the smaller communities who are hurt most by the system. They have just as much right to control their own destiny as everyone else.

That’s a promise that Rodriguez made when he was appointed to fill the big shoes of Mayor Strzelczyk last year. And the election shows he has the wherewithal to keep that fight going.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. He is President/CEO of Urban Strategies Group. Email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Right from the Middle: Can we win the war in Ukraine? - August 3, 2022
  • Arabs and Muslims wrongly rush to judgment in Oak Lawn police beating of teenager - August 3, 2022
  • Winning complex trials to be subject of CLE at Jeffery Leving law firm - August 1, 2022
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:government, home rule, Village of Summit

Post navigation

Previous Post: Finding a new place to lose weight & hang my iPod
Next Post: Red light cameras would be good, if they were fair

Related Posts

  • JR Pritzker Ewing
    The psychology of JB’s massive tax hike plan Blogger
  • The Bridgeview Stadium, SeatGeek Stadium, hosts many community regional, sports and entertainment events.
    Lightfoot’s pandemic hypocrisy, and a Drive-In Theater revival Blogger
  • Bernard Kerik, former New York City Police Commissioner, endorses Scott Kaspar for US Congress in 6th District
    Kaspar Announces Public Safety Task Force, Led by 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernard B. Kerik Crime
  • Kennedy accuses Illinois Dems of blocking candidacy Opinion
  • Police Squad Car, courtesy of Wikipedia
    Culver’s to help family of Cmdr. Bauer News
  • Philo, Illinois, USA. Watertower and post office. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    2018 Illinois Governor’s Export Award recipients announced Business

More Related Articles

Two Guys on Politics Podcast with former Congressman Bill Lipinski and former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania Two Guys on Politics Podcast on religious curbs, Foxx’s failures, Lightfoot’s stumbles Chicago
Morton College student charged with possessing weapons on school property Crime
Column on Pritzker misspending $17 million on fake face masks, and his poor leaders published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group May 1, 2020. Pritzker acts recklessly, jeopardizes first responders Blogger
IL Department of Human Services Announces First Day to Complete the 2020 Census Online Chicago
J.B. Pritzker receives endorsement from UFCW. Pritzker's Facebook Page In need of a “voter carwash” after governors’ debate Blogger
White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Trump White House should replace mainstream news media Opinion

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Piano. Photo by Dolo Iglesias on Unsplash
    Too old to rock? Elton John, in town tonight, turning back the clock
    August 5, 2022
  • President George W. Bush walks across the tarmac with NFO Lt. Ryan Phillips to Navy One, an S-3B Viking jet, at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Thursday, May 1, 2003. Flying to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the President addressed the nation and declared "Mission accomplished" in Iraq to justify diverting forces from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Can we win the war in Ukraine?
    August 3, 2022
  • 17t year old Hadi Abuatelah runs after Oak Lawn police stopped the vehicle he was in asking him to leave a suspicious looking bag in the back seat. Instead, Abuatelah took the bag and tried to run but was caught and beaten to force him to let go of the bag
    Arabs and Muslims wrongly rush to judgment in Oak Lawn police beating of teenager
    August 3, 2022
  • Hanania newspaper column on Pritzker pushing for Democratic National COnvention
    Pritzker push for Democratic National Convention could backfire
    July 29, 2022
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Tough punishment needed in wake of Danny Golden shooting
    July 20, 2022
  • US Declaration of Independence, courtesy of the US Government. Archives.gov
    Right from the Middle: Extremist political views challenge the religious freedoms of Americans
    July 20, 2022

Subscribe

  • Ray-Hanania-Newsletter-300-wide-Banner.jpg

Trending

  • Police Squad Car, courtesy of Wikipedia Two passengers killed in... Two passengers killed in car-semi collision in Bridgeview Bridgeview Polic... posted on July 16, 2022
  • car crashed through the front window of CosmoProf at 9109 W. 151st Street in Orland Park on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 11:45 AM. Vehicle crashes into Orla... Vehicle crashes into Orland Park cosmetic store front A car crashed throug... posted on July 19, 2022
  • Stolen vehicle recovered... Stolen vehicle recovered, offender arrested in Orland Park car theft On Fr... posted on July 18, 2022
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash Tough punishment needed i... Tough punishment needed in wake of Danny Golden shooting Society must dema... posted on July 20, 2022
  • Felon Donzel Jenkins charged with armed weapons possession in Orland Park July 22, 2022 Orland Park Police arrest... Orland Park Police arrest armed felon charged with weapons possession and v... posted on July 23, 2022
  • NEWS
  • Hastings files lawsuit against Frankfort police after politicized domestic violence report released
    August 10, 2022
  • Orland Park Trustee Dan Calandriello at a Village of Orland Park Board meeting.
    Candidate Calandriello announces “Biking the 17th” to raise awareness for Cook County Forest Preserves
    August 10, 2022
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • Piano. Photo by Dolo Iglesias on Unsplash
    Too old to rock? Elton John, in town tonight, turning back the clock
    August 5, 2022
  • Fathers Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Winning complex trials to be subject of CLE at Jeffery Leving law firm
    August 1, 2022
  • Row House fire July 30, 2022 146th Street and Morningside Road in Orland Park
    Fire damages Orland Park Row House at 146th and Morningside Road
    August 1, 2022
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

The Political Pundit

Political Pundit Aug. 24, 2021. Taliban thanks president for boxes of MAGA hats
  • WORD PRESS REVIEWS
  • MyCloud by Western Digital, a hard drive that doesn't last. Don't purchase Western Digital.
    Western Digital tubes its loyal customers for profit
    October 17, 2021
  • Macho Themes website front page. Don't buy their themes. They don't work
    Difficulties with Macho Themes for WordPress
    August 21, 2021
  • TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
  • TikTok Screen shot
    TikTok generates nearly $4 billion in consumer spending
    July 21, 2022
  • Netflix is the best streaming service, despite drop in stock price
    April 20, 2022
  • Book Cover "Laptop from Hell" by Miranda Devince
    Questions remain unanswered about Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukraine
    February 20, 2022

Follow Ray Hanania at
Gab.com, MeWe.com
IDobbinate.com,
Twitter, Facebook

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

What We’re Reading

Arab News Newspaper Leading English Language Publication in the GulfArab News Newspaper

Ray Hanania on Politics
SW News Newspaper Group

  • SPORTS
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • Stefan Noesen, Chicago Wolves
    Chicago Wolves Noesen wins President’s Award
    July 22, 2022
  • SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview
    Chicago Fire sets dates for “home games” at SeatGeek Stadium because of date conflicts with Soldier Field and Bears
    July 22, 2022
  • Chicago Wolves celebrate Calder Cup Championship 2022. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Wolves
    Calder Cup Champions Chicago Wolves sign two veterans forwards
    July 18, 2022
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Hastings files lawsuit against Frankfort police after politicized domestic violence report released
    August 10, 2022
  • Senior Care Home, eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger on social or copy the text below to attribute.
    Nursing Home Violations for First Quarter of 2022
    June 7, 2022
  • John B. Schulz, 36, of the 7400 block of Brookside Drive in Hanover Park
    Hanover Park Man Charged with Multiple Felonies After Attempt to Meet Minor for Sex
    May 27, 2022
  • State Rep Fran Hurley 35th district
    Hurley-led Measure to Support Families of Fallen First Responders Signed by Governor
    May 24, 2022
  • Orland Township hosts Job Fair
    Orland Township events: Walk & Talk program, and Summer Job Fair
    May 17, 2022
Two Guys on PoliticsTwo Guys on Politics

John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Partnership Will Offer Economic Development and Employment Support in South Suburbs 
    July 25, 2022
  • TikTok Screen shot
    TikTok generates nearly $4 billion in consumer spending
    July 21, 2022
  • Agave Cocina and Tequila Bar at 6050 W. 159th Street on Oak Forest, Illinois
    Restaurant Review: Agave Cocina in Oak Forest
    July 10, 2022
  • Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois
    House passes two bills sponsored by Congresswoman Newman to support small businesses and strengthen trade
    June 9, 2022
Click this link to watch or use the widget below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Email Ray Hanania for more information about performing at your event at rghanania@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme