Coal City cleans house

After beating his opponent by a wide margin, Neal Nelson has been sworn in as Coal City's new mayor. In his first official meeting, Nelson appointed a new city attorney. In what may prove to be a shrewd decision, Nelson has avoided the politics inherent in hiring a local law firm by selecting a firm from outside the area. Congratulations to the people of Coal City for taking action to bring about a change in their city government.

Teacher knows best

In a peculiar campaign strategy, Mayor Micetich has published a political ad that manages to insult nearly every voter in the community. Micetich opposes the use of the referendum process to make major decisions about the future of Coal City. It is hard for me to conceive of any reason why the citizens of the Village of Coal City cannot be entrusted to participate in the decision making process for major issues. Is Micetich that much smarter than everyone else?

Mayor Micetich's failing memory?

WCSJ reported this morning that the Coal City Village Council would consider adopting a floodplain ordinance. It was reported that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources had sent letters to the Village in 2005 and 2006, and that adoption of such an ordinance would have the added benefit of allowing participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. The WCSJ report applied a kinder and gentler spin to the letters. Actually, these letters, which are addressed directly to Mayor Micetich, contain rather blunt warnings that if Coal City did not comply, the community could be suspended from participation in NFIP. WCSJ ended the story by attributing a statement to Mayor Micetich thanking a member of the community for bringing this important matter to the attention of the village council.

What WCSJ failed to mention, though, is the earlier letter sent by IDNR about this very subject almost twelve years ago, on August 18, 1995, and now circulating around the village. The letter summarizes the highlights of a meeting between IDNR and then city-councilman Jim Micetich that occured on July 28, 1995, in which the IDNR requested the adoption of such an ordinance "within 90 days" in order to bring the village into compliance. Micetich was given a manual, to provide "helpful guidance in establishing and implementing the administrative procedures necessary to comply with the ordinance and FEMA requirements."