Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Walsten was appointed acting mayor of Des Plaines by city council on Monday.
Des Plaines aldermen appointed Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Walsten acting Mayor of Des Plaines at a meeting on Monday. Walsten is the fourth city council member to fill the vacancy left by former mayor and now state Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) since January. Walsten will serve in the office until Mayor-elect Matt Bogusz is sworn in on May 6. City council voted 5-1 to appoint Walsten. Seventh Ward Alderman Dan Wilson voted “present,” Third Ward Alderman and Mayor-elect Matt Bogusz arrived several minutes after the vote was taken. Second Ward Alderman John Robinson voted against Walsten’s appointment. “I feel like I was left out of the picking of the next mayor, and I don’t feel it’s right to myself and my constituents,” Robinson said. …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Fourth Ward Alderman Dick Sayad has served as acting mayor since February. Des Plaines City Council is scheduled to consider appointing a new acting mayor on Monday.
Des Plaines may have another temporary mayor after tonight’s city council meeting, according to the public agenda. Consideration of selecting an acting mayor is planned to occur before the closed session portion of the meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday. Fourth Ward Alderman Dick Sayad has served as acting mayor since February 19. Prior to that, First Ward Alderman Patricia Haugeberg and Eighth Ward Alderman Michael Charewicz served as acting mayor to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) when he resigned on Dec. 31. The Des Plaines Journal reported Sixth Ward Alderman and former mayoral candidate Mark Walsten may be appointed acting mayor by city council. A message left for Walsten was not immediately returned at publication…
The bill charges school employees with hazing when they don't report incidents occuring on campus.
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Monday, April 15
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) passed legislation out of the House last week that charges school employees with the act of hazing when they fail to report hazing incidents among students on school grounds. “Hazing is a disturbing and unnecessary crime,” Moylan said. “By strengthening legislation to include educators and other school employees as responsible for hazing creates greater awareness of the problem. With greater awareness comes more safety.” Currently, the definition of those guilty of hazing is restricted to the individuals who performed the act. House Bill 1443 expands the current definition of hazing violators to include any person employed by a school, college, university, or other educational institution of …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Matt Bogusz, 26, garnered 54.98 percent of the votes, and is set to be the youngest mayor in Des Plaines' history.
In a meteoric rise in public office, Matt Bogusz was elected Mayor of Des Plaines, the youngest to serve in the role in the city’s history, on Tuesday. Bogusz, 26,surrounded by family and friends at a small Italian restaurant downtown, stood tall atop a chair, announced the latest voting results, and thanked his supporters. “There were a number of individuals on this team that contributed hours, days, months of their lives to helping us win,” Bogusz said. “So I was maybe the mascot at best on this team.” Bogusz began as an intern for Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook), worked on the Des Plaines Special Events Commission, on the Des Plaines Public Library board, and served as Third Ward Alderman from 2009 to 2013. Bogusz will be the …
Friday, April 5, 2013
The meeting was held March 18 at Des Plaines City Hall.
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Friday, April 5
Gun rights activists from all over Illinois flooded a town hall meeting held by Rep. Marty Moylan last week, the Chicago Tribune reports. The activists came because the Illinois Rifle Association emailed the group saying Moylan was an “anti-gun extremist.” Moylan spoke about an IDOT plan to improve a stretch of I-90 before speaking about the gun issue and taking many questions and comments from the crowd. Most asked Moylan why he holds his stance on not allowing concealed weapons to which he replied the meeting was for him to listen to his constituents, the newspaper reports.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Aldermen expressed a desire for involvement with Des Plaines’ lobbying in Springfield on gaming and other issues that impact the city at a meeting on Monday.
Des Plaines city council approved expenditures on lobbying services in Springfield at a meeting Monday, but limited the length of the contracts in order to reevaluate the performance of the firms. Council members voted 7-0 in favor of entering short-term contracts, until July 1, with two of the three lobbying firms the city has previously paid to advocate for Des Plaines’ interests with regard to gaming and other issues that affect the city. Fifth Ward Alderman James Brookman said he had never seen a report from the lobbyist firms, nor had there been regular communication between aldermen and the representatives. “Basically we don’t have meetings where we discuss with these gentlemen what they’ve done, or what our objectives and goals are…
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Des Plaines representative said the best way to solve the state's budget problems is to eliminate wasteful spending.
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Thursday, March 7
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) issued the following statement Wednesday in response to Governor Pat Quinn’s Budget Address: “Today, Governor Quinn laid out his budget proposal to both chambers and offered taxpayers an aggressive strategy mixed with spending cuts and revenue enhancements. While I applaud his efforts and appreciate the plan he laid out, I believe the best way to solve our budget crisis is by eliminating wasteful spending. “Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to find ways to rein in spending while preserving crucial services. Progress has been made, but there is much work to do. I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty and working with both sides of the aisle to right this state’s fiscal ship. …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Des Plaines representative wants first-time offenders of predatory sexual assault to stay in prison for at least 20 years.
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Wednesday, March 6
In furthering his efforts to make Illinois safer, state Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) introduced a bill that charges first-time offenders of predatory sexual assault of a child with a minimum sentence of 20 years in jail. “Children should be able to run outside with their friends and play in the mud without having to worry about being sexually assaulted by an adult,” Moylan said. “But, unfortunately this isn’t the world we live in and these predators need a sentence that reflects this fact.” House Bill 3195, also known as “Jessica’s Law,” states that if convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, the term of imprisonment will be a minimum of 20 years for the first offense. This legislation is in response to a twelve-…
Thursday, February 28, 2013
All Maine Township High School District 207 teachers and administrators were given a presentation on their role as mandated reporters of hazing incidents in January, according to a D-207 spokesperson.
Maine Township High School District 207 is continuing to work on initiatives in response to reports of hazing at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, said David Beery, spokesperson for D-207, in response to news of proposed legislation that would increase the responsibility of education employees that neglect to report hazing incidents. The bill, announced by Illinois Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th District, in a statement on Tuesday, would expand the definition of a hazing violator to include not only those carrying out the acts, but any employee that fails in his or her duty to report an incident of hazing. All D-207 teachers and administrators were given a presentation on their role as mandated reporters of hazing incidents in January, Beery…
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
An attorney representing four current and former Maine West High School students in a bullying and hazing lawsuit said proposed legislation that would stiffen disciplinary action for education employees that fail to report hazing would not affect the suit
An attorney representing four current and former Maine West High School students in a bullying and hazing lawsuit stopped short of saying proposed legislation validated his clients’ complaints, but Antonio Romanucci, of Chicago-based Romanucci and Blandin, said the recent action acknowledged hazing incidents do occur. The bill, which Illinois Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th District, announced in a public statement on Tuesday, would make employees of education institutions that fail to report hazing incidents equally responsible for the actions as those who carried out the acts. “It certainly indicates that there’s a problem out there, and the problem needs to be stopped,” Romanucci said. “And certainly Rep. Moylan is addressing that.” If passed …
Karla Hunt
10:02 pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
As the parent of a young man who suffered 18 months of hazing abuse while a member of his high school swim team, I can say that in my opinion, this is a big step in the right direction. Hazing can only exist where it is tolerated and condoned. Hazing behaviors on my son's team took place on the pool deck, in the locker room, in the showers, on the buses, in the cafeteria and in private homes. One… more ›