My experience at the township meeting stood in stark contrast to the many Crest Hill City Council meetings I have attended. This was most evident in how public comment was handled. Public comments were taken at the beginning and at the end of the meeting. Taking comments at the beginning allowed citizens to speak on issues prior to action being taken and allowed residents not to have to stay until the end of the meeting just to be heard. Of even greater note though was how the comments were responded to by the Township Supervisor and Board members. The residents were treated with respect, their issues were discussed in detail, there was a dialogue between the residents and the elected officials, and the residents were told exactly what actions would be taken in response to their comments. The board spent half an hour dealing with the two residents comments regarding the recent flooding in the township.
Contrast this with how the Crest Hill City Council treats its residents when they make public comment. The only response to many comments is a cursory "thank you." Others are met with derision and dismissal by Mayor Churnovic. The best one can hope for is a statement that the Mayor will look into it and that the resident should talk to the Mayor later. The Mayor and Council refuse to ever discuss a matter with a concerned citizen publicly, even though many times an issue affecting one person affects a number of others in the City. Crest Hill views public comments as something that has to be endured, should be completed as quickly as possible, and do not need to be followed up on. I think this makes a strong statement about how the City and some of its officials view the citizens and their concerns.
This is jut one more reason why change is needed in the City of Crest Hill. A change of attitudes. A change of priorities. And a change of elected officials.
