Niles voters will for the second time in as many years will be asked in March whether or not the village mayor should have the power to appoint candidates to fill vacant trustee seats.
Residents were reminded to register to vote by Feb. 16 for the March primary election at a recent Village Board meeting. In addition to choosing which presidential candidate to vote for in the primary, Niles residents will also have the chance to weigh in on three local issues.
In the November 2014 election, a majority of voters in Niles – more than 75 percent — supported a binding referendum measure to restrict mayoral appointment powers by requiring vacant trustee seats be voted on during a consolidated election.
Village trustees subsequently voted to change Niles’ municipal code to reflect the results of the referendum.
Mayor Andrew Przybylo, who staunchly opposed the 2014 referendum measure and attempted to have it removed from the ballot, said during a meeting last November that the issue of trustee vacancies and whether the mayor should have the ability to fill them was not about power but about “common sense.”
The board approved a resolution at their meeting in November to place a referendum question on the March ballot asking whether such vacancies should be filled “by appointment of the mayor with the advice and consent of the Village Board” as allowed by the Illinois Municipal Code.
“God forbid there’s somebody laid up or out of town, in a car accident or what have you,” said Trustee George Alpogianis in November. He added that it’s possible enough vacancies on the board could prevent village government from functioning as it should.
“I also think that, once again, (the residents) put us up here and this question also reasserts the fact they have trust in us in helping us appoint somebody if need be,” he said.
At the board meeting last November, Trustee Joe LoVerde called the previous referendum on the ballot in the 2014 election “confusing.”
“I know it’s not a power issue with you,” he said to Przybylo. “We’ve had this conversation many times.”
Residents will also have the opportunity in March to weigh in on an advisory question which asks whether or not the village should continue to fund social, health and economic programs, which include the Senior Center, Family Services, Teen Center and the Family Fitness Center. Trustees approved the inclusion of the non-binding referendum on the March ballot at their meeting last November.
“The reason why we are asking this is so people are fully aware of what it does costs to run these services, not that we’re trying to get rid of them,” Alpogianis said at the November meeting.
The total annual cost to operate the services cited in the advisory question is nearly $2.6 million, per figures obtained from the village.
Przybylo said in November that he didn’t think Niles residents would opt to defund the services, “the only question is how well will they affirm a commitment to social, economic and health programs.”
Voters will also be asked in March to weigh in on an advisory question regarding the enhancement of the Leaning Tower of Niles, the iconic half-sized replica of its Italian counterpart, and adjoining property.
In November, the village board voted to purchase the Leaning Tower of Niles from the YMCA of Metro Chicago and spend nearly $550,000 on repairs to the 94-foot-tall steel, stone and concrete structure on Touhy Avenue.
During a discussion of the advisory question, which was also approved at the board’s November meeting, Przybylo said it behooved the village to project itself “as a destination for people to come and spend money and provide the sales tax we need to run the government.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
More Top Picks Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks Under 100