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Neighbor News

The politics of 143rd Street

Are local politicians using the 143rd street expansion for votes? Yes, they are.

Whether or not you agree with the expansion of 143rd Street from Lemont Road to Bell Road, it has to be argued that local politician Steve Balich has been using this issue to generate name recognition and votes in preparation for his Township Supervisor re-election campaign in 2025. The frequent emails, the meetings, the videos on the side of the road, the objection filed with the county are all free publicity for his campaign. As a Will County board member Mr. Balich has voted not only in favor of the expansion (2016) but also in favor of moving utilities and allocating funds to negotiate right of way acquisition appraisals for properties on 143rd. As with the Hadley Road issue, Mr. Balich has jumped in to “save “ ordinary citizens from the big bad county, where he is a sitting board member. Why would Mr. Balich suddenly have a change of heart regarding 143rd? Traffic has not decreased, there is nowhere east of lemont road that supports the fear mongering of “trucks, truck, trucks”. The voters deserve an explanation. Again, whether or not you’re in favor of this expansion, please do not be fooled by this blatant politicking.

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