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
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • 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
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs Entertainment
  • Orland Township Assessor Rich Kelly
    Taxpayers have an extra month to pay First Installment of Tax Bills Cook County
  • State hearings and transparency needed on Nicor gas cost hikes Blogger
  • William O. Lipinski former Congressman from Illinois (5th and later 3rd District). Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Newt Gingrich helped fuel America’s political polarization Bill Lipinski
  • Do more for senior citizens like we do for illegal aliens Baby Boomers
  • Typewriter. Photo by Andrew Seaman courtesy of unsplash
    District 230 students receive journalism awards Cook County
  • Cook County Sherif Tom Dart
    Sheriff and District 230 honor students for public service hours Education
  • Author Patrick Girondi
    Chicagoan who invested in research to save children releases new book Books & Films
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards Features
  • Telephone
     Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Phone Scam  Baby Boomers
  • Orland Township Democratic Organization Fundraiser Feb. 23, 2023 at Papa Joe's Restaurant in Orland Park
    Orland Township Democratic Organization to honor Former Secretary of State Jesse White on Feb. 23 Cook County
  • Zwar Restaurant chicken and beef-lamb Shawarma Plate
    How to have a great Middle Eastern meal in Orland Park area Culture
  • Orland First Responders candidates Matthew G. Rafferty and William Bonnar Jr.
    First Responders announce candidacies for Orland Fire District Board seats Cook County
  • D230 students win prestigious art awards Education
  • Alderman Raymond Lopez would have made a great mayor Blogger

Tag: 6th Cook County Board district

Crestwood, saving money at the expense of the public

Posted on March 9, 2018November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Crestwood, saving money at the expense of the public
Crestwood, saving money at the expense of the public

Crestwood, saving money at the expense of the public

In the heated race for the 6th Cook County Board District, Patricia Joan Murphy offers taxpayers a better chance of standing up to tax increases. Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta reflects Crestwood’s record of failing to defend taxpayer rights. Crestwood’s history and recent newspaper disclosures about Presta’s past problems with tax debt and red light cameras raises serious questions

By Ray Hanania

(Published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group March 8, 2018)

I first became acquainted with Crestwood in the late 1970s when a police officer there called claiming then Mayor Chester Stranczek ordered police to shoot stray dogs. The order would “save money” by not requiring the village to chase them down.

After I wrote the story, Stranczek and officials there got angry, first because I wrote the story and second because I refused to identify the officer, the whistle blower who I consider to be a hero. The anonymous phone threats wouldn’t stop.

Crestwood was known for refunding resident property taxes, and that meant they needed to find ways to save money. But it just doesn’t seem that the price the public has to pay so Crestwood can “save money” hasn’t been worth it at all.

A red light camera in Chicago, USA. Français :...
A red light camera (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I made it a habit not to drive through Crestwood, fearing I might get pulled over and who knows what could happen in a Crestwood jail? They might force me to drink the water there.

As it turned out, to save money, Crestwood officials figured they could save money by ignoring EPA safety regulations, mixing poisoned water into the village water system between 1985 and 2007. How many people got cancer from that outrageous “money-saving” practice?

The tiny, 3-square-mile village of under 11,000 residents can’t seem to get away from officials who want to “save money.”

Both ABC TV’s “I-Team” and the Chicago Tribune have slammed Crestwood for their abusive red-light camera system. In fact, of 85 suburban communities that have red light cameras, the Chicago Tribune asserts Crestwood is the “most prolific ticketer in the suburbs.”

Many of the Crestwood red light camera intersections have been denounced as “traps” intended to squeeze drivers for their money, rather than to make the community safer, as Crestwood asserts on its village website.

That’s a history no one should be proud of. So, I am surprised that the mayor there, Lou Presta, instead of rolling up his sleeves to change that poor public image, is instead running for the 6th Cook County District seat that was held for many years by the late Joan Patricia Murphy. Murphy died in September 2016 and was succeeded by Edward Moody, who decided not to run for election.

Murphy’s daughter, Patricia Joan Murphy, is on the ballot running to succeed where her mother left-off and is in a head-to-head battle with Crestwood’s Mayor, Presta to win the March 18 Democratic primary. Donna Miller is also in the race.

I know both Murphy and Presta, although not very well. Murphy has reached out repeatedly to provide me with information about her candidacy but Presta and Miller have not. When I did research on the three candidates, Crestwood’s pathetic history kept dominating the Google searches.

And there is the Sun-Times disclosure that Presta owes a lot of money in back taxes. Presta says it’s from a bad investment and he’s paying it all back.

I’m not sure how a person who owes the IRS can stand up for the needs of taxpayers. But that’s what Presta claims.

IN OTHER RACES: Bob Fioretti is mounting a strong campaign to unseat Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who was bruised by a stupid political decision to impose a one cent per ounce tax on sweetened drinks and soda pop. Even her supporters abandoned her when County Commissioner Sean Morrison introduced a repeal ordinance that passed despite her objections. Fioretti is a credible anti-tax alternative.

Kwame Raoul’s TV Commercials touting his candidacy for Illinois Attorney General are pretty lame. Raoul succeeded Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate. But then I heard him speak at a candidate’s breakfast hosted by the Lyons Township Democratic organization. I was moved by his comments and understanding of the issues including fighting gun related crimes, being an independent voice, and standing up to Gov. Rauner. I wish he would have put “that candidate” in his TV Ads. He is a very powerful speaker, not a meek successor to Obama. That needs to come out in the next two weeks because right now, name recognition is the driving force for most voters.

(Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author and former Chicago City Hall reporter. Contact him through his webpage at www.RayHanania.com.)

Read More “Crestwood, saving money at the expense of the public” »

Blogger, Commentary, elections, Government, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • State hearings and transparency needed on Nicor gas cost hikes
    February 5, 2023
  • William O. Lipinski former Congressman from Illinois (5th and later 3rd District). Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Newt Gingrich helped fuel America’s political polarization
    February 3, 2023
  • Do more for senior citizens like we do for illegal aliens
    February 3, 2023
  • Alderman Raymond Lopez would have made a great mayor
    January 26, 2023
  • Pritzker’s assault weapons ban not enough to make law abiding citizens safe
    January 16, 2023
  • Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot must go
    January 15, 2023

Subscribe

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

Trending

  • Chicago Mayor Lori Lightf... Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot must go Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has faile... posted on January 15, 2023
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website Vallas urges probe in Lig... Vallas urges probe in Lightfoot's CPD scandal and accuses of Congressman Ga... posted on January 16, 2023
  • Alexi Giannoulias, former Illinois state treasurer and candidate for Illinois Secretary of State Secretary of State Alexi... Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias releases comprehensive Transition Team... posted on January 17, 2023
  • Chicago Mayoral candidate Kam Buckner 2023 Black and Latinx Elected... Black and Latinx Elected Officials Unite Against the Chaos Caused by Mayor... posted on January 8, 2023
  • Orland Township Assessor Rich Kelly Taxpayers have an extra m... Taxpayers have an extra month to pay First Installment of Tax Bills In Cook... posted on February 6, 2023
  • NEWS
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs
    February 6, 2023
  • Orland Township Assessor Rich Kelly
    Taxpayers have an extra month to pay First Installment of Tax Bills
    February 6, 2023
  • Typewriter. Photo by Andrew Seaman courtesy of unsplash
    District 230 students receive journalism awards
    February 3, 2023
  • Cook County Sherif Tom Dart
    Sheriff and District 230 honor students for public service hours
    February 3, 2023
  • Author Patrick Girondi
    Chicagoan who invested in research to save children releases new book
    February 3, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023
  • 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
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs
    February 6, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023
  • Telephone
     Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Phone Scam 
    February 3, 2023

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
  • Chicago Wolves 2022-2023 season
    Chicago Wolves top Stars for second win in a row
    October 25, 2022
  • Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop! The team that does a lot of the work to help the Stagg High school band perform works behind the scenes like a NASCAR pit stop. The students are profiled in this feature
    Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop!
    August 31, 2022
  • 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
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Cook County Sherif Tom Dart
    Sheriff and District 230 honor students for public service hours
    February 3, 2023
  • Author Patrick Girondi
    Chicagoan who invested in research to save children releases new book
    February 3, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023
  • Zwar Restaurant chicken and beef-lamb Shawarma Plate
    How to have a great Middle Eastern meal in Orland Park area
    January 31, 2023
  • Orland First Responders candidates Matthew G. Rafferty and William Bonnar Jr.
    First Responders announce candidacies for Orland Fire District Board seats
    January 31, 2023
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar
    Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications
    January 23, 2023
  • money $20 dollar bill, dollars, cash
    Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job
    January 19, 2023
  • United Airlines Flight at O'Hare Airport
    United offers endless airline travel problems for travelers
    December 25, 2022
  • Sam Bankman-Fried in an interview during the Bitcoin 2021 conference. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Demands continue for Lightfoot and Garcia to detail ties to FTX scandal
    December 15, 2022

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

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