New Bus Stop

Boy, was I surprised to find a bus stop - Route 808- right outside my front door, one morning. It appears Pace 808 was rerouted to go through Woodstock - down Dean Street to Kimball then out to RT14. The Route goes between Harvard and Crystal Lake during the morning and afternoon rush hours. I am a big advocate and fan of public transportation. My wife and I try to avoid driving our cars on our days off from work. Sometimes that self imposed "car ban" can last 2-3 days.

The new reroute shows that officials are trying to make Public Transit more available. I would like to have seen a more coordinated link up with Metra, however. Having bus service after rush hour from the Metra Station in Crystal Lake to Woodstock & Harvard would make more sense. When returning from an event in Chicago in the evening, Metra often doesn't continue past Crystal Lake. That forces one to drive and park in Crystal Lake. There should be a bus that continues to on to Woodstock and Harvard when Metra service ends in Crystal Lake.

To find out if there is enough demand for additional bus service, a citizens group with total transparency should be involved in the process. Often the response for new service is "not enough demand". A citizens group would track demand and make all interest in new service public. That way everyone can see the numbers and just what it takes to create new service.

ILGP Convention

The ILGP has two state-wide meetings per year. The second meeting in an election year is called "The State Convention". It was held at the Loyola Lake Shore Campus on July 30, 31 and August 1 - the former Mundelein College Campus. A wonderful venue right on Lake Michigan. Workshops were held and candidates took 5-10 minutes to speak about an issue that is important to them. I spoke about sustainability - economic and environmental sustainability. Basically, that the economic and environmental costs of the new subdivisions in the Lake-In-The-Hills/Huntley area are unsustainable. You can view my speech and other ILGP candidates at http://www.livestream.com/ilgp The convention was a great place to compare campaign strategies and issues with other candidates.

I am now starting to canvas - go door-to-door. I will start in the Woodstock area near my house and then go further out in District #5. Hope to see you before the election on November 2.