INSIDE
SPORTS Athletes to keep an eye on this fall Page 11
nilesbugle.com
NEWS Police begin latenight enforcement crackdown
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Your Community, Your News
AUGUST 21, 2014
Vol. 58 No. 46
niles
Concerns raised over ballot questions limiting mayor’s powers Niles Electoral Board will meet Sept. 5 and decide if they stay or go By Alex Hernandez
Cardinal Francis George performed mass at St. John Brebeuf and visited the parish’s school last Saturday. George, a Chicago native, has been battling cancer in his kidney recently. Back in May the Chicago Archdiocese announced it had begun the process of consulting to identify the next archbishop of Chicago. Chicago is the nation’s third-largest diocese and the consulting process is expected to be completed by late fall. George has been the city’s archbishop since 1997. During the service a special blessing to the parish’s “respect life coordinators.” After performing the mass, Cardinal George visited the school next door to look at its multi-million dollar renovations. About a year ago a main wall in the school’s 30-year-old gym was found to be in disrepair the roof needed replacement. George appeared happy with the renovations and took photos but declined interviews with media and after visiting the school left.
staff reporter
ahernandez@buglenewspapers.com @TheAVHernandez
The Details. St. John Brebeuf renovations; Cardinal George, center, and Father Michael Meany inspect the renovated gym wall at SJB along with the construction contractor and his family. The renovation of the gym wall is part of a multi-million dollar project at the Niles parish that will span three years. (PHOTO COURTESY DICK BARTON)
The Niles Electoral Board might strike two questions aimed at limiting the mayor’s powers off the November ballot. “All the paperwork was filled out properly with the clerk,” said Niles resident Joe Makula. “This is democracy in action...whoever’s objecting to this is an enemy of democracy.” Makula and his attorney John Fogarty filed petitions with Niles on July 24 to ask voters if they wanted to remove the mayor’s powers to appoint a village clerk and also if they wanted to remove his power to fill trustee vacancies between elections. The first question was submitted with 888 signatures while the second one had 775 signatures. Objections to the questions were filed by Frank J. Mareci, who lives in the 6800 block of Milwaukee Ave., right next to White Eagle Banquets and Restaurant. Some of his objections to Makula’s referendum questions are that they’re “compound, speculative and vague”and that the clerk question was“unclear whether the referendum would apply to a person currently serving in the office.” “[Mareci] wants to make sure that only valid referendums are on the ballot,” James P. Nally, the attorney representing Mareci, told The Bugle. Mareci’s objections led to White Eagle partner and Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo to call for an Aug. 16 hearing of the Niles Electoral Board, which consists of himself, >> see ballot | page 8