60185 🇺🇸

It’s June—school is almost out—and the Big Boy is coming. For the moment, it’s all about Main Street, where the first Mosaic Market will happen this Thursday, June 4. In celebration, here’s a feature-style episode on a topic we have long struggled to understand: why has it been so hard, over the years, to get tenants into the buildings on Main Street? What are property owners thinking, and what ar...

Rick Gieser, DuPage County Forest Preserve District 6 Commissioner, shares about the timeline for the project connecting the West DuPage Woods with Blackwell. He tells us about the District’s goals to acquire 250 additional acres using increased funding from the 2024 referendum, and a little-known piece of civil rights history that took place in one of the preserves. Plus, did you know that the Fo...

UPDATE: The Tribune (and apparently the AP?) were there at the board meeting last night. They chose not to name the teacher in their story, but you can find it. We cover a whirlwind of West Chicago news, starting with the elementary school gym teacher controversy that drew large crowds to a City Hall listening session (Jan. 26) and a school board meeting last night (Feb. 5). The board accepted the...

Below is my ChatGPT-generated, Laura-approved summary of our conversation with West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury. Our biggest takeaways: 1) Angry people driving out of—or into—their driveways during a parade is one of Fleury’s bigger fears about bringing them back; 2) Despite requests, ICE has provided no list to West Chicago of who they are arresting, why, or whether targets have criminal...

May 6, 2025, 12:15 am I (Liuan) received an email from Laura with the title “Hear me out.” We had just survived an epic swearing-in ceremony for West Chicago’s new mayor Daniel Bovey and several newly-elected city council members. Dan had warned us there might be some fireworks, but I don’t think anybody in the audience was ready for the level of conflict that took place. Laura wrote: “I just reco...

Happy Cyber Monday! Buy local please! Ward 1 Alderman Dan Beebe describes the 2026 budget proposal that will receive a vote tonight, December 1, 2025. We catch up on what is happening to the grocery tax (!!), explain sewer and water rate increases and why West Chicago treats its own water, and hear the story of how Dan got onto the city council (he wasn’t appointed!). We also discussed a couple of...

Alderman Al Hallett joins us for an open conversation about his childhood, his time in Vietnam, how he ended up in West Chicago and on the City Council, and what he plans to do in the next 2027 consolidated election. Trigger warning: this episode mentions warfare, mass killings, and PTSD. Get full access to 60185 Podcast at 60185.substack.com/subscribe

Concejala Alcantar-Garcia habla de cómo la aumentación de actividad de la migra ha afectado la comunidad de West Chicago, los derechos de personas que están detenidos por ICE, y los recursos comunitarios disponibles para los que tienen miedo de salir. * Alrededor de 19 personas han sido detenido por agentes de ICE desde 15 de Septiembre * Llame al 855-435-7693 para informar sobre avistamientos del...

Things we learned from Matt— Kamila Cakes’ owner is a TikTok influencer ! Reducing the barriers small business face in West Chicago Of the 118 city staff in West Chicago, how many work with businesses? (Fun fact: we have 51 police officers and 44 public works staff—that's 80% of the city employees) Reviving a downtown business alliance for West Chicago The financial reserves that West Chicago keep...

During the August 4, 2025 West Chicago City Council meeting, a meeting where Mayor Bovey was absent, Ald. Alton Hallett—a Vietnam war veteran—publicly questioned Ald. Carreto-Muñoz on why she was standing during the Pledge of Allegiance rather than putting her hand on her heart. He questioned her on a number of things—including what the 13 red strips on the flag mean—prompting a quick reaction not...

Durante la reunión del Concejo Municipal de West Chicago del 4 de agosto de 2025, en la que el alcalde Bovey estuvo ausente, el concejal Alton Hallett, veterano de la guerra de Vietnam, cuestionó públicamente a la concejala Carreto-Muñoz por qué se limitó a permanecer de pie durante el Juramento a la Bandera y no se puso la mano sobre el corazón. La cuestionó sobre varios aspectos, incluyendo el s...

NOTA: NO haremos un resumen de la reunión del Consejo Municipal de esta noche, ¡al menos no por ahora!, pero puede ver la reunión en vivo por Zoom y a pedido en YouTube. Aquí están los detalles, a través del sitio web de la ciudad: https://westchicago.org/news/august-4-city-council-meeting-to-be-livestreamed/ Rebecca Holmes, recién elegida Síndica del Township de Winfield, nos acompaña para hablar...

NOTE: we will NOT be recapping tonight's City Council meeting—at least not anytime soon!–but you can watch the meeting live on Zoom, and on-demand on YouTube. Here are the details, via the city website: https://westchicago.org/news/august-4-city-council-meeting-to-be-livestreamed/ Newly elected Winfield Township Trustee Rebecca Holmes joins to discuss what townships are, what they do, and why she...

Laura and Mayor Bovey unpack last night's City Council meeting, including a tale of two gas stations: 1) the BP on North Ave. and 59, which the the previous city administration took to federal court for staining their bricks; 2) the situation with the Speedway at 38 and Fabyan Parkway, and what the legal term "estoppel" means for them. They reflect on the Mayor's first 12 weeks in office, Heather...

On July 7, the City Council approved a separation agreement with City Administrator Michael Guttman, appointed interim leadership, and hired a law firm—at least for the next 31 days. But the city’s legal battles are far from over. We unpack the latest developments in the Bond law firm saga, including withheld payments, legal threats, and competing interpretations of power and process. Plus: What’s...

NOTE: Liuan took 9 pages of (live!) notes on last night's city council meeting—find them at the above link. FURTHER NOTE: Never use AirPods for a podcast interview! Sorry for this audio quality everyone!! —Laura 1. Public Trust and Accountability Liuan reflects on her public comment to the council, calling out a long-standing culture of condescension and gaslighting from elected officials. She emp...

There was a distinct vibe shift at the Monday night, June 2 meeting. Liuan gives an update on the Illinois grocery tax situation, and comments made by the finance committee about it. There was a VACANCY in an elected office! What happens next?? Is it good to have a city council that disagrees? Ancel Glink law firm gave a presentation—which was basically a 7th grade civics lesson on the separation...

Casa Michoacán es un centro de bienvenida para inmigrantes de todos los orígenes. Registran votantes a través del Proyecto Nueva Democracia Americana, empoderando a los residentes para involucrarse cívicamente, manteniendo su identidad cultural.  Proveen referencias a servicios sociales básicos colaborando con el condado de DuPage, WeGo Together for Kids y otros grupos.  Aunque Casa Michoacán no d...

Casa Michoacán is a welcoming center for immigrants of all backgrounds. They register voters through the New American Democracy Project, empowering residents to participate in the democratic process.  They provide referrals to basic social services by partnering with DuPage County, WeGo Together for Kids, and other groups.  While Casa Michoacán doesn’t tell people who to vote for, they played a pi...

🎧 Episode Summary: The West Chicago City Council is in limbo right now over essentially one thing: the employment of an appointed staffer—former city administrator Michael Guttman—and whether or not he will receive his pension. Legacy aldermen continue to insist on this, although they appeared to soften on Monday night when Mayor Dan Bovey offered five concessions (listed below). 📝 Key Topics Co...

Jonathan Wolf joins to discuss the nonprofit organization We Go For The People, its purpose, goals, and the importance of community engagement in local politics. We explore the four pillars of the organization, upcoming city council meetings, and the significance of transparency and accountability in government. The discussion emphasizes the need for civic participation and building relationships...

Carlos es ahora uno de los cuatro hispanohablantes del Ayuntamiento de West Chicago, una primicia histórica para la ciudad. En este episodio, habla de su campaña de 2025 y su método para llamar a todas las puertas en el Distrito 6. (Se le acabaron los folletos muy rápido.) Carlos también describe cómo ve su papel - como un puente desde el pueblo, hasta el alcalde. A continuación, Carlos explica lo...

Carlos is now one of 4 Spanish speakers on the West Chicago City Council—a historic first for the city. In this episode, he discusses his 2025 campaign and his method for knocking on every door in Ward 6. (He ran out of pamphlets really fast.) Carlos also describes how he sees his role—as a bridge from the people, to the mayor. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ALDERMEN THIS WEEKEND. Every one of the legacy ald...

Episode Summary: Interim city attorney Jeff Jacobson breaks down the dramatic power struggle unfolding at West Chicago City Hall. After an overwhelming response to Episode 1, the podcast dives deeper into the controversy surrounding the city administrator and attorney positions—and what happens when public officials refuse to step down after an election. Jeff Jacobson, Mayor Bovey’s appointee, pro...

Last night the new mayor and incoming city council members were sworn in at 7pm—but the council meeting didn't finish until 10:30pm, and even then with no resolution. We explain why—and why the office of city administrator is so important. WARD MAP: chrome-extension: //efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://westchicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022WARD_NEW_FINAL..pdf CITY COUNCIL CONTACT I...