EDITORIAL

Ten Days of Art

Arts Week Evanston kicks off its annual ten-day celebration of the arts at 6 p.m. on Oct 10 with a free family event at Fountain Square. Among the artists performing on opening night are the Dolphin Show Singers, the Music Institute of Chicago's Children's Choir and puppeteer Michael Montenegro. On Oct. 11, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., artists and organizations will host a free open house at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, showcasing arts-related activities on three-floors, including demonstrations in silkscreening and printmaking.

On Oct. 19, at 3 p.m., the Dance Showcase will present local amateur and professional dancers at the Levy Center. Other art events and activities will be available throughout the week. A complete schedule of events is available at www.cityofevanston.org/artweeek.

The Evanston Art Center will host an exhibition Oct. 5-Nov. 9, featuring artists responding creatively and practically to environmental challenges. The First Evanston Art Walk will feature art work by Evanston and other Illinois artists in more than 40 retail shops along Central Street during October. The winning photographs in the Faces of Evanston photo contest will be on display this month at First Bank & Trust, 820 Church St. The RoundTable's Artist Weekend reception will feature the work of Erik Horvitz on Oct. 10-12 at the Frame Warehouse.

Evanston has always prided itself on the fact that, though it adjoins Chicago, it has a vigorous identity of its own. Arts Week, known around the state for its excellence and breadth, is a window on the cultural riches of our town. It is a chance for the public to sample art in its various forms - dance, visual arts, music - and an invitation to come back later for more.

A Way to Green the Consciousness And the Conscience

Inundated with information about environmental degradation - and swamped with suggestions on how to live responsibly -some conscientious citizens these days are drowning in "green guilt." This weekend those who are interested in making changes but not sure where to start will find practical suggestions just a walk or a bike ride away from home.

Evanston's second annual green living festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Evanston Ecology Center. The festival offers strategies and "how to" tips on reducing one's carbon footprint, including lectures on buying local first, green remodeling and design, and using solar power for the home as well as advice for parents on earth-friendly living for kids. Children's activities and crafts will be available. Local vendors will explain their environmental services and products, from nontoxic cleaning supplies to organic lawn care. The festival will also feature demonstrations of composting, rain barrels, organic gardening, bio-fuel and I-Go cars, as well as Northwestern University's solar car.

Stop by and take advantage of a lineup of experts whose practical advice is intended to help attendees implement earth-friendly practices and move Evanston toward the goals of the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.

The festival is hosted by the Evanston Environmental Association and the City of Evanston. For more information visit www.cityofevanston.org.

Déjà Vu, All Over Again?

By Charles Wilkinson

They were all there last night and the party was long and joyous. The ballpark was dark, the stands were empty, but the field was aglow and overflowing with a century's worth of Chicago Cubs. To name one would mean to name them all, but that was not what the party was all about.

While the rest of Wrigleyville slept, history took over the Friendly Confines at Clark and Addison, Waveland and Sheffield. "Cubbies" gathered from every nook and cranny of the last hundred years - owners, management, broadcasters, sportswriters, PR people, ushers, cops, ground crews, vendors and nameless others in the Cubs organization who never stopped believing - and the players, all of them, their managers, coaches, trainers, bat boys and the umps (Can't forget them.).

This "Field of Dreams" was not surrounded by cornfields but by bricks and ivy. For the occasion, someone thought to hoist the white banner with the big blue "W" high above center field and "Cubs Win! Cubs Win!" flashed across the iconic scoreboard. On the field, memories flowed like Old Style. Story after story told and retold the saga of the "lovable losers" who later in the day would try again to win it all. "And this time, THIS TIME, it's gonna happen!" "Hey, Hey!" "Holy Cow!"

"There isn't a black cat or a Billy goat in creation that can stop these guys," one old-timer shouted, getting a roar of approval. "We got the pitching; we got the hitting!" another cried out, cueing a chorus of "Yeah's." "And home field advantage! How can we lose?"

The party broke up before dawn, disappearing into the bricks and ivy. Sunrise found the field in perfect shape. Wrigleyville rubbed the sleep out of its eyes, hoping the coming days would not be about business as usual, that the biggest of the "Big Show," the World Series, was just a playoff or two away.

Déjà vu? Not this time. It is different this year. The baseball Gods have baked a cake with a hundred candles on it, and half of Chicago, at least, and Cubs fans everywhere are waiting for their team to blow out the competition, then the candles, so everyone can have a slice.

That party will be real. The field, the stands and storied streets as well, will be overflowing with jubilation - and relief. And among the crowd - every single one of last night's partygoers, adding a piece of heaven to the occasion.

Soap Opera 2008

By Peggy Tarr

My late mom (Katie) was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican (party originating 1854-56), who voted in every election come rain, sleet, snow or heat. Many black Americans became/were/are loyal to the Republican Party because it was the party that first embraced black people - "the party of emancipation."

Katie was loyal to ex-President Nixon to the very end, believing Nixon's plight to be the result of an underhanded Democratic plot. (Sigh!) Need I say that my mom and a brother-in-law had many a heated political discussion, since he was a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. However, my mom pointed out to any- and everybody that she did not vote for ultraconservative Republican Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater (1964), who was (among other negatives) against the Civil Rights Act.

By revealing this, my mom showed that she was not a straight party voter; she could think, assess a candidate's character and make an enlightened decision. (Right on!) I would like to think that my mom would assess the qualifications and character of the candidates in this year's presidential election and make "an enlightened decision" and vote for the candidate who will make the best president for the U.S.A., domestically and globally - a candidate who is intelligent, well-educated, articulate, enlightened, compassionate, experienced and tolerant. Obama! Who else?

In a recent column, Mary Mitchell (Chicago Sun Times, Sept. 23) comments on the probability of racism playing a part in the presidential election. Of course it will. Racism is endemic in the United States and raises its ugly head in every facet of American life - the government, the justice system, housing, education, medical care, restaurants, stores, social clubs, not-for-profits, religion, employment ("last hired, first fired"), politics, etc. Racists/bigots come in all colors, and the outstanding qualifications of a candidate will mean very little to racists who judge a person's worth and potential by the color of his/her skin.

An article on Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the Sept. 23 Evanston Sentinel - reprinted from Charley James' story in The Nation ("Alaskans Speak in a Frightened Whisper: Palin Is Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, and Mean" - left me speechless (well ... speechless for a minute).

My stomach dropped. I wished what I read was the script for a fabricated soap opera, but it wasn't. This was real - Soap Opera 2008.

I can only hope that voters will be enlightened and vote for the better candidate in November, making this election a marker for ushering in political change rather than perpetuating the same old woeful scripts of the current political U.S. soap.

"...The flowers must be buried in darkness
Before they can bud and bloom,
And the sweetest, warmest sunshine
Comes after the storm and gloom."
- Anonymous
"Hope springs eternal."

Letters to the Editor

What Evanston Needs (And Doesn't Need)
Editor:

Recently, a community leader asked me, "What do you think Evanston needs?" This huge question can't be answered in one conversation, but looking back at the last few years, here are some starters.

What Evanston needs are more leaders who regard every citizen's concerns as deserving consideration, regardless of their neighborhood. What Evanston does not need are opinion leaders - elected, community or media - who exploit differences between neighborhoods or constituencies, or seek to pit one against another.

What Evanston needs is a constant reminder that disagreement can be expressed without disrespect. What Evanston does not need are public personal putdowns, whether of residents, staff or colleagues on a governmental body.

What Evanston needs is an ordinance to protect its urban forest. What Evanston doesn't need quite so much are ordinances dictating the height of lawns.

What Evanston needs is for more citizens to step up and volunteer to dig into the hard facts and figures of budget, infrastructure and growth. Complaining is a civic right, but constructive input does more civic good.

What Evanston needs are forums that assure courtesy and adequate hearing to those willing to give time and energy on issues of public concern. What Evanston doesn't need are anonymous bloggers belittling residents and discouraging civic participation.

What no one needs is more gossip.

What Evanston needs are enough inspectors to enforce our energy code and forthcoming green building requirements. What no city needs are more laws that it won't enforce, such as our summer leaf-blower ban.

What Evanston needs is a ground-up review of its entire traffic system, for smoother and safer flow with less frustration and pollution. What Evanston does not need are more ad hoc traffic controls that are individually well-intended but cumulatively maddening.

What Evanston really does not need is more traffic.

What Evanston needs is straightforward legal advice, even when it's not what our governments want to hear. What we don't need is more lawsuits.

What Evanston needs is a focus on the root causes and perpetrators of serious crime. What Evanston does not need are more roadblocks and restrictions that harass and criminalize ordinary citizens and businesses.

What Evanston does not need are more hidden taxes. What we all need to remember, before demanding any rule or regulation, is that this country was dedicated to freedom.

What Evanston needs is for those upset about City finances to take a closer look at our schools, and vice versa.

What Evanston needs is to fix the Civic Center roof and remove that ugly scaffolding.

What Evanston needs is to discuss whether we still want a form of government in which no one answers directly to the entire citizenry except a mayor with weakened powers and a token salary.

What Evanston can let go of is nostalgia for two aldermen per ward.

What Evanston needs is to leverage, not lament, being a university town.

What Evanston needs is the discipline, in tough times, to say no.

What Evanston doesn't need are fiscal surprises with $100 million pricetags.

What Evanston needs are governments who handle our money with the same care and frugality as if it were their own. What governments at all levels need to remember is that they exist to serve the people, not vice versa.

What Evanston needs is to make living near work in Evanston more affordable. What Evanston need not do is subsidize speculation in projects that destroy cherished community character.

What Evanston needs to realize is that development is neither all good nor all bad, but depends on an honest appraisal of the costs and benefits -- and to look at those cumulatively, not in isolation.

What no community can afford is a dependency on unsustainable physical growth to cover failures in long-term planning. What Evanston needs is to rediscover spiritual and cultural richness as integral to what drew so many of us, and those who came before us, to this place.

What Evanston needs is to embrace the challenge of leading, not lagging, on the most important issues of our day. What America needs is for towns like Evanston to act now, not next decade, to implement the best recommendations to combat environmental crisis. Evanston should aspire to be no less than a national model of urban sustainability, which also means having a vision of where we want to go, with metrics for evaluating progress.

Yet Evanston needs to occasionally kick back, and not always take itself so seriously. And remember, we already do a lot of things right.

Evanston needs a sense of humor. And a couple more places to hear live music.

Finally, what Evanston needs is at least a few citizens with the vision, pluck, passion and persistence to bring multiple constituencies together to tackle these and the other challenges we share.
- Jeff Smith

Enthusastic Response to John Macsai's All-Enveloping Suggestion
Editor:

Christo comes to Evanston!
Wheeee!
-- Jean SmilingCoyote

Facts Are Best: Do the Research
Editor:

He said-she said is always good, but hard facts are better.

I suggest you contact a university professor with a Ph.D. in psychology who specializes in behavior for comment on the Haven School's behavior management/modification program.

Then find out what research shows does work. And doesn't harm the kids.
--Dee Alpert, Publisher
SpecialEducationMuckraker.com

Light Opera Works Evanston Funded
Editor:

It is great to see our Golden Years Concerts program showcased as it was in the Evanston RoundTable. We are excited to have this program another year.

It's important for the people of Evanston to know this is only possible because of a grant from the Evanston Community Foundation. After the project's previous funder changed its focus and withdrew support, the Evanston Community Foundation stepped in to save the program.

With additional funding from the Blowtiz Ridgeway Foundation and the William J. Neill Memorial Fund, this will be the project's 15th year and its first entirely within the City of Evanston.
--Bridget McDonough, General Manager Light Opera Works

In Defense of Evanston's Former City Manager
Editor:

I am writing to respond to the misinformation in the letter from Barb Rakley published in the Sept. 17, 2008, RoundTable, regarding my wife, Julia Carroll, former City Manager of Evanston.

Ms. Rakley may believe that her administration was a "disaster," and she is entitled to that opinion. I know that Julia spent countless hours working very hard for this City, contributing her knowledge and expertise to address the many difficult financial and other problems of the City.

Ms. Rakley's insinuations are, frankly, disrespectful, and some information is not factual.

The public should know that Julia was taken by ambulance to the hospital on May 8. After that hospitalization, she worked with her cardiologist to address her heart problems. Frankly, I am tired of the media reporting this "unspecified health problem" as if it were all made up. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I feel compelled to defend her, so I chose to write this letter.

These are the facts: Julia met with Mayor Morton during the week of April 21 to discuss with the Mayor her health conditions and that she intended to resign.

The Mayor wanted Julia to tell the City Council of her resignation in person at the next City Council meeting on April 28.

In late winter we knew that she had heart disease and other related health problems.
Based upon the recommendation of her personal physician to reduce stress, she decided to resign and take time off to improve her health.

It was in April after her discussions with the Mayor that I insisted that Julia consider the possibility of taking retirement until we knew the extent of her heart conditions.

It is perfectly legal and appropriate to contact IMRF directly to gain an understanding of the possible costs and benefits of retirement prior to filing a final action for retirement.

There was no intent to hide anything, only a desire to seek information to make a decision about our future.

Further, what is missing from Ms. Rakley's information is that Julia was eligible to retire under IMRF when she turned 55 in March 2008. She had no intension of retiring until her health problems manifested. She really wanted to stay in city management until age 60. That option certainly would have been better for us financially.

Julia did leave work earlier than planned, but it was after a discussion with the City Council in an executive session on May 7, where the City Council offered her the opportunity to leave earlier than June 27 to deal with her health problems.

After much heart-wrenching consideration of her options, Julia did decide to file for retirement on May 29. She did so, however, only after meeting with her cardiologist a second time.

The primary factor in reaching that decision was the time needed to improve her heart health. Secondarily, she was concerned about our family and wanted to provide me with financial security if she were to die. We knew that this step of choosing to retire would cause some of the more cynical people on the City Council, and some others in the community, to criticize her for doing this.

I can tell you that Julia personally struggled with decision to resign, and ultimately retire from her career in city management. However, I strongly encouraged her to do what was right for herself, which was to take care of her health. Family history is not on her side.

Her mother had a stroke at an early age, and her father died at 45.

Further, the early retirement cost she is paying is nearly $49,000, plus the full cost of health insurance five years early, and a drop in income of $100,000 per year. So, you do the math - would you give up that kind of income unless it was critical to your health?

There is one other incorrect statement in Ms. Rakley's letter. Although Julia could have borrowed up to $200,000 from the City for a home, she only borrowed $40,000 in May 2007. All $40,000, plus a portion of our home equity, was repaid to the City in May 2008, although she had until May 2009 to repay this loan.

So, Ms. Rakley, it may appear that my wife "put her finance background to effective personal use," but I can tell you it is not true. So go ahead and be a critic. Julia would be of no use to our family of five children if she were dead.

If the circumstances surrounding her departure give Ms. Rakley "heartburn," I sincerely hope she never has to face a serious health problem and the same kind of difficult decision that Julia had to face this spring.
-James R. Carroll

Use of Physical Restraint, Time-Out, for Special Ed Students Violate State Law
Editor:

I am writing to alert residents about School District 65's use, for six years, without the approval of the Board of Education and in violation of state law, of physical restraint (holding of children on the floor by an adult) and time-outs (children placed in a closed room alone).

My son experienced this unlawful restraint when he was in a program for emotionally disturbed children at Lincolnwood School in 2005-06.

The "time-out" room was a bare room, no padding, no place for him to lie down or comfort himself. Children passing by witnessed my son's "detention" in the room and heard his cries and screams.

My son was not the only child placed in this room -- other special-needs children spent time there. Children and teachers saw my son -- and other children -- in physical restraint.

The Illinois State Board of Education established rules in 2002 for the use of these procedures.

Only this past summer did the District 65 administration ask the School Board to vote on this law. The District was putting students and teachers in a physically dangerous situation without state-required policies to protect them for six years.

Under Illinois law, I was to have received notification of restraint, the duration and what staff member was involved.

When a staff member applied physical restraint, the incident should have been witnessed by another trained adult. Also, staff members who applied physical restraint should have been trained in its use.

A so-called time-out room should be private and padded in a way that the child is protected from injuring himself or others. The time-out room at Lincolnwood did not meet these requirements.

I am a member of a group called Evanston Citizens for Appropriate Special Education (CASE). Our organization was instrumental in pushing for revisions to the proposed policy. CASE advocated for safeguards limiting these interventions for use only if documented in a child's IEP and with parental approval.

CASE also insisted that training in restraint and isolated time-out should be mandatory for staff.

The draft policy from Dr. Hardy Murphy's staff called for only voluntary participation in training.

We are pleased that the Board Policy Committee (Katie Bailey, Bonnie Lockhart and Jerome Summers) took the time to understand the state law and revise the administration's proposal.
-- Nancy Traver,
On behalf of CASE Evanston

Ban the Handguns, Ban the Gun Shops
Editor:

I recently read an article in the Evanston RoundTable about a change in the City's laws regarding what I believe are the criteria for purchasing a handgun.

I was quite saddened that in this case policymakers seemed to succumb to the National Rifle Association's madness and a constitutional right to bear arms."

Today, I finished reading an article in the Sept. 17 RoundTable, "City May Amend Zoning Code, Ban Gun Shops." I say, "Good for Alderwoman Wollin and Alderwoman Rainey." Somebody has their thinking caps on, and, by golly, they're using them.

What is ironic and probably not happenstance is the article right below it on page 3, "One Shooting, More Guns on the Street." Good for whoever placed this piece there too.

I am hoping it was a strategic move to say, "Okay, great citizens of Evanston, here's what you are really dealing with here." I have been in Evanston for nearly 15 years and since that time have felt the effects of several youth being killed by handguns, one a good friend of my daughter, who graduated from Evanston High School in 1999.

Since that time it seemed that law enforcement and policymakers were serious about cleaning up crime on the North Shore and things quieted down somewhat.

Then I read the first article about relaxing some criteria on the purchase of handguns, and, if I'm not mistaken, this seemed to make them easier to obtain. I was ... well ... mortified. It seems that a city that describes itself as "one of Chicago's most sophisticated suburbs ..." and says that "Evanston offers it all. ..." should include this statement: "Find yourself on the wrong intersection, though, ... and the quiet isolated atmosphere might just be shattered by a barrage of gun-fire."

Come on, mighty Wildcats and Wildkits, ban the handguns, ban the gun shops in any area, whether retail or not, tighten rather than loosen the criteria to purchase handguns, although this is a farce, because most likely no one shooting another human being has to actually purchase a handgun.
--Geri L. Palmer