Ela Township’s “peace pole” — etched with the word “peace” in 60 different languages — has become the center of community strife.
At Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, about a dozen residents voiced support for the peace pole and more than 30 emails were included in the agenda packet endorsing it and criticizing Trustee Larry Bowman for allegedly raising the possibility of its removal.
Bowman, for his part, said his reasoning for bringing the pole up for discussion was much more mundane than some were suggesting.
The peace pole was installed in 2023 on Main Street, next to the Ela Historical Society and Museum, and paid for through community fundraising. The pole was brought to the township by the Ela Peace Project, a nonpartisan group co-founded by Lake Zurich resident Shari Gullo.
In January, Gullo helped organize a vigil and protest at the pole in support of Renee Nicole Good, the Minnesotan woman shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during federal immigration enforcement operations.
Gullo and fellow organizer Cathy McCauley said the protest sparked some local pushback, and they believe complaints were made to the township.
“A protest in a small town is controversial,” McCauley said.
But at Wednesday’s meeting, there wasn’t a single negative word spoken about the peace pole, including from Bowman.
Bowman said his concerns were purely related to legal technicalities regarding funds collected for the pole, and he only wanted to protect the township from potential undue consequences. He said he has no problem with the peace pole itself and is not calling for its removal.
He said he, and perhaps those who had donated money, were under the impression it was being run by a nonprofit, and could have incorrectly written it off on their taxes as a contribution.
The safest path forward is for a nonprofit to be created to take over the peace pole, Bowman said, an idea that didn’t seem to gain much footing during the meeting.
His statements on Wednesday came in contrast to the framing of numerous emails and public comments, many of which referenced Bowman and criticized the township for allegedly considering the removal of the peace pole.
Gullo alleged Bowman had described the site as a source of controversy during an April 14 Highway and Parks Committee meeting. Bowman denied he made any such comments. He also said he hadn’t heard any complaints about the protest held at the pole.
Township Supervisor Laurie Wilhoit could not verify whether Bowman made any comments describing the pole as a source of controversy, and the meeting minutes won’t be released until mid-May.
Wilhoit said she was glad to see the engagement from the community during Wednesday’s meeting. She and other township leaders praised the peace pole and voiced their opposition to its removal, warning of the message that would send.
During the meeting, Trustee Robert Glass pushed back against Bowman’s legal concerns, saying Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul had already declined to prosecute anyone over any funding issues, and the township’s legal liability is minimal.
“I see no purpose to privatizing it, and it’s a great public asset,” Glass said.
Bowman was defended by former township Supervisor Gloria Palmblad during public comments, saying there had been issues under her watch with how funds had been held. But she emphasized all the money raised had been used for the pole, and there had been no ill intent by anyone involved.
More Top Picks Best Heavy Punching Bags
“I’ll take fault for maybe not handling something properly,” Palmblad said during public comments. “But at the end of the day, it’s a peace pole. It’s beautiful. It’s a great attraction to our park.”
Speaking after the meeting, she said there had been issues with the money raised being deposited in an Ela Township bank account, rather than a separate account. Palmblad said Bowman was only looking out for the township, but any potential legal concerns would be dwarfed by the consequences of trying to remove the pole.
Despite their concerns going into Wednesday’s meeting, Cathy McCauley and Gullo said they hadn’t been particularly worried that the township would move ahead with actually removing the pole. And Wednesday’s meeting affirmed the community continues to support the peace pole, they said.
Speakers called the idea of removing the pole “ludicrous” and “crazy,” describing it as a “symbol of peace and justice.”