Aurora Beacon-News
March 23, 2002
After reading today in the newspaper that the Kane County Board voted 20-3 to support board Chairman Mike McCoy's compromise corridor for the proposed Prairie Parkway, only one thought came to my mind. Kendall County needs a new board.
It is an insult to the residents of Kendall County that their elected representatives have chosen to ignore this very important issue. Over the past few weeks, I have read some very disturbing comments in the newspaper, one in particular ran on March 6 in the Beacon News.
One Kendall Board member, who claims to be undecided, said, "Personally, I don't feel that I have the expertise to say where it should be located." Another board member said, "I think people give us credit for having more power than we actually do. I have truly felt from the begining that our stance is not important." Worst of all, a third board member said, "I do not believe anybody is taking us seriously anyway. They're only doing this so they can say they listened to us."
These types of comments from the members of the Kendall County Board are a disgrace. IDOT is not asking the Kendall County Board to site the highway. All they are asking for is the board's opinion. As board members, their collective opinions carry far more weight than do the opinions of ordinary citizens. Most ordinary citizens are not fully aware of the county's land use plans and zoning. Ordinary citizens also do not have access to the expertise of the county highway department and its engineering staff.
If the County Board can develop a plan for the Eldamain Road corridor, then they should at least be able to provide their opinion about the Prairie Parkway.
Don Ahlborn Yorkville