"Correction Day" April 2nd in Village of Plainfield, IL

Will County has quickly become a huge part of what has been described as the nation’s intermodal hub in an article in the New Republic which stated, “According to the Will County Center for Economic Development, at least 25,000 tractor trailers a day come through the Intermodals. That amounts to three million containers annually, carrying $65 billion worth of goods. A staggering $623 billion worth of freight traversed Will County infrastructure in 2015 alone, roughly equivalent to 3.5 percent of the U.S.’s total GDP. Northeast Illinois is a key freight hub for the nation.”

The growth of e-commerce has spawned the need for truck terminals and warehouses, and lately Will County seems to be in the bullseye of the target for developers. Rank and file homeowners and citizens find their way of life threatened; oftentimes feeling helpless. They struggle to have their voices heard, as developers seem to be closing in on them, seemingly as unstoppable as a semi-truck barreling down on a runaway squirrel. The city of Elwood knows this all too well, becoming the largest inland port in North America, and garnering national attention with that article in the New Republic, which illustrated the effects this is having on the quality of life for its residents. https://newrepublic.com/articl...

The Village of Plainfield has also found itself taking the stage in some of these battles recently, and on Tuesday, April 2nd, the citizens of Plainfield will have a chance to put the brakes on this “semi” hoping to divert it to more suitable routes.

The Village of Plainfield allows six Trustee positions the power to determine whether or not any proposed development proceeds or halts. A Trustee’s term lasts four years, and this year, three of the spots are up for election. For many citizens in the Village, Election Day, Tuesday, April 2nd, could adequately be called “Correction Day.”

“Citizens United for Responsible Transportation: Plainfield” is a group of citizens that was started in June of last year, (Originally named “Citizens United Against Trucking Terminal on Renwick Rd”) in order to give a much-needed voice to the otherwise, seemingly isolated citizen. The organization has a Facebook group of over 1400 current members, and also a well-followed Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/stopthisnowfolks.

Being careful not to throw their support to any one candidate too soon, without allowing all of them a chance to state their case, the administrators of the organization took a cautious approach. After much thought and research, they have come out with their endorsements of three candidates for the three open Trustee positions in the Village of Plainfield. The endorsements are as follows:

Kevin Calkins.

Kevin Calkins is old-school. He admits that he is “Not that into social media,” but his common sense approach, and his “citizens first” attitude is rock solid. Kevin is an Airline Pilot for American Airlines. He flies both domestic and international routes. He has been flying since he was 16 years old and has been employed with American for 22 years.

Kevin was born and raised in Plainfield. His quote, “You don’t want trucks in your backyard and neither do we,” was a forceful line that shook the issue to its core, and left no doubt as to where he stood.

“Trains/Traffic: In my opinion, this is the biggest issue facing the Village. I also think that these issues go hand in hand. It is TIME to fix it!” Calkins added.

Mohammed Faheem.

Mohammed Faheem has been perhaps the most outspoken candidate, and has laid out a pretty detailed platform for all to see. He has a very impressive story. He has a long record of serving his community, and an impressive set of accomplishments. According to Faheem’s Facebook page, he once had a head-on collision with an 18 wheeler near Bartlett and was severely injured and moved to Houston to get into a rehab clinic. He spent 14 years in Houston from 1987 to 2001 where: He was a member of the Jaycees, volunteered for the Habitat for Humanity, started ‘The Good Newspaper” focusing on positive news in the community, launched a construction company- Golden Rule Home Improvements, a business consulting company- American Business Consultants, a web development company- Web Houston International, produced and anchored The International News Hour on local radio AM 1070 KENR, hosted a local radio show on the weekends highlighting community news, culture and music, and launched “The Kids Club,” a radio show for young kids. He retired early from all these activities and moved back to Chicago in 2001 to be near family. He attended the City of Lights Community Prayer Vigil for the shooting victims in Aurora in February, and the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at First Congregational Church in Lockport last year. In his own words, “It was a great outreach opportunity that helped us to be closer to others.”

Mohammed Faheem shows his keen insight into this issue, boiling it down to a nutshell, when he asks, “Do we want Plainfield to be known as a bedroom community where we can raise families in a healthy environment or turn it into another industrial community chasing the chimera of increased revenue from industry?”

Brian “Wojo” Wojowski.

Amid the cries for “new blood” on the Plainfield Village Board, Brian Wojowski has proven that old blood isn’t always bad. As an incumbent, Trustee Wojowski along with Trustee Margie Bonuchi, relative to the failed Renwick Road Trucking Terminal proposal before the Village Board last July, was instrumental in requesting that this particular issue have its own Committee of the Whole meeting rather than just voting yes or no on the project. The idea was that the “citizen has a right to be heard.” Up until the request made by Wojowski and Bonuchi, there were no plans for such a meeting. This Committee of the Whole meeting was pivotal; without which, the results could have been different. During an election year, when candidates can tickle your ears and tell you what they know you want to hear, there can be no doubt that the rights and interests of the citizen holds top priority for Brian Wojowski. He fought outside of an election year, while in office, to allow our voices to be heard.

Perhaps the most simple, yet most profound statement of that entire hearing last July, was uttered by Wojowski when he said, “I wouldn’t want it in [by] my house.”

It has often been lamented by many, that only six Trustees hold substantial power to plan the future of the Village of Plainfield. One thing is for certain. For a few short hours on the first Tuesday in April, everyone’s a Trustee.

Jeff Sniegowski

Citizens United for Responsible Transportation: Plainfield