Official Vows To Be 'Thorn' To Fix La Grange Flooding

LA GRANGE, IL – A Cook County Board member promised Monday to fight to get money to help towns such as La Grange fix flooding problems.

Board member Frank Aguilar, D-Cicero, spoke to the La Grange Village Board.

He was wearing a lime green T-shirt that read "Dry Up La Grange!" – the name of a local group formed last year to push village officials to act on flooding.

Aguilar said flooding was the No. 1 issue in his 16th District, which includes La Grange.

"It's not going away," Aguilar said. "I will be a thorn in their side and a pebble in their (shoe)."

He said he spoke with a county finance official, who told him the county reserved $9.3 million to address stormwater.

"It's not enough," Aguilar said. "Nine million is not going to buy a pipe. I'm going to be asking for twice as much."

He agreed with Village President Mark Kuchler, who said the issue involved all levels of government.

"I'm not going to give up," Aguilar said. "I'm building a coalition of federal, state and local officials. I promise you that this is the No. 1 issue in the district. We have to solve it. I'm going to stand strong on this."

Two years ago, Aguilar, a former Republican state representative, was appointed as a Democrat to the County Board. He replaced Jeff Toboliski, who resigned and later pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

La Grange has been dealing with stormwater issues on its south side for years. But officials stepped up their efforts after major flooding last June.

Patch reported on the village's latest efforts in a story last month.