NEWS...
CIVIC COALITION, POLICE, FIRE FIGHTERS AND TEACHERS
ENDORSE NAVISTAR CORPORATE HQ PROJECT
NAPERVILLE, March 25, 2010 - A coalition of leaders from Naperville area police, fire fighters and teachers unions have endorsed the proposed Navistar corporate headquarters project. Navistar (formerly International Harvester), one of the country's largest government contractors, is looking to acquire the Alcatel-Lucent site in Lisle for its new corporate headquarters. If this project is approved by the Village of Lisle, the DuPage County Board and the DuPage County Forest Preserve, it will generate approximately 3,000 permanent jobs and inject $5 million annually to the area's economy.
Civic Coalition President and Naperville attorney John Driscoll said "Navistar is an excellent corporate citizen that treats its employees well. The company is also on the cutting edge in terms of protecting the environment. This is a great opportunity for our community."
Vince Clark, President of Naperville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 42, said "Police officers work hard to serve and protect the residents of our community. We know people are hurting, and we naturally support efforts to improve our economy and bring jobs to the Naperville area."
Val Dranias, President of the Indian Prairie Education Association (the teachers union for school district 204), added "As teachers, we care very much about the people who we serve. When our community suffers because of the bad economy, teachers and support employees suffer too. That is why I support Navistar. It will bring good-paying jobs to the area and help get our local economy going again."
According to Dave Griffith, President of the Naperville Unit Education Association (the teachers union for school district 203) "Navistar's new corporate headquarters will help reinvigorate the technology corridor and our local economy. New jobs will be created, meaning new customers for local business and improved property values."
Tom Wronski, a Naperville resident and business owner, praised Navistar. "This is the type of environmentally-sound, strategic growth that our community needs. A new corporate headquarters for Navistar will help attract other corporations to our region."
Rick Sander, President of the Naperville Professional Fire Fighters Union, summed up the sentiments of the coalition by saying "Police officers and fire fighters and school teachers and taxpayers are all in this together. Our highest priority is to make sure that the Naperville area remains one of the best places to live in America. That's why I support the Navistar project."
The Navistar headquarters project is supported by a broad coalition of local organizations including the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information go to www.jobsforlisle.com.
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CIVIC COALITION HOSTS OPERATION SUPPORT OUR TROOPS BENEFIT
The Civic Coalition of Aurora and Naperville hosted an after-work fundraiser to benefit Operation Support Our Troops www.osotil.org on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at The Two-Nine Martini Bar in Downtown Naperville. Over 75 people attended this first annual event, which generated approximately 250 lbs of care package items that will be sent to our soldiers fighting overseas, plus over $1,000.00 in contributions. The care package items and contributions were dropped off on Saturday morning (December 19) at the Operation Support Our Troops warehouse in Lisle.
Participants included: the Civic Coalition of Aurora and Naperville, Indian Prairie Education Association, Naperville Unit Education Organization, affiliated local IEA units, Amalgamated Bank of Chicago, Naperville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 42, Carpenters Local 1027, Driscoll Law Offices, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 701, Friends of Thomas J. Wronski, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District 30, Brian Kocsis Attorney at Law, Friends of Dianne McGuire, Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 501, Proforma Promotional Products, Inc., International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 731, as well as other Naperville area community and veteran leaders.
"At this time of year especially, it is important to remember the men and women in our armed forces who are sacrificing so much for our country." said John Driscoll, President of the Civic Coalition. Driscoll added "We are extremely grateful to the Naperville area teachers unions, the Fraternal Order of Police, the trade unions, the teamsters, the guys from the VFW and our other friends - particularly attorney Brian Kocsis - all of whom came together on short notice. The 2009 party for the troops was a big success. Next year will be a blockbuster!"
According to Val Dranias, President of the Indian Prairie Education Association (the teachers union in School District 204), "As teachers, we are especially proud of our students who have gone on to serve our country in the military. For us, supporting the troops is a fundamental component of our commitment to the Aurora and Naperville community."
Bill Habel, Business Agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 701 (located in Warrenville), said, "When they are not serving in the military, many soldiers work in our community as electricians, carpenters, truck drivers, and in other jobs. We want these soldiers and their families to know that organized labor stands by them when they are serving overseas, and we'll continue to stand by them when they return home."
Operation Support Our Troops is a non-for-profit organization that supports the needs of our members of the armed forces of the United States of America deployed in harm's way. We accomplish our mission by sending packages of items that are not readily available to our troops in their deployed locations, along with personal letters, cards and notes of support from the community at large. Locally, Operation Support Our Troops is best known for the annual Gary Sinese concert at Cantigny and for the recent Healing Fields event at Rotary Hill in Naperville. For more information go to www.osotil.org
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NAPERVILLE AND AURORA SCHOOLS AGAIN RANKED AMONG BEST IN STATE
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GOVERNOR QUINN SIGNS CAPITAL BILL, SUBSTANTIAL BENEFITS TO AURORA AND NAPERVILLE COMMUNITY
On Monday Governor Pat Quinn signed a $31 billion capital bill to fund infrastructure programs throughout the state of Illinois. This is the first major community investment bill passed in Illinois in over a decade and will go a long way to restoring the state's crumbling roads, bridges and schools. The Aurora and Naperville community will benefit greatly, as this bill includes funding for Route 59, the Illinois Math and Science Academy, College of DuPage, Fermilab, Argonne, and the DuPage Children's Museum.
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OPEN SPACE WINS OUT IN NAPERVILLE
Park, not townhouses to be built at Hobson West site. HURRAY!!!
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CANDIDATES BACKED BY CIVIC COALITION WIN NAPERVILLE AND COLLEGE OF DUPAGE ELECTIONS
The Civic Coalition of Aurora and Naperville congratulates our endorsed candidates Judy Brodhead, who was elected to the Naperville City Council, and Kim Savage, Nancy Svoboda and Sandy Kim, who were elected to the College of DuPage Board of Trustees. Judy, Nancy and Sandy will serve our community well.
We are also proud to have endorsed Naperville City Council candidate Jim Derkacy, College of DuPage Board of Trustees candidate Tom Wendorf, and School District 204 candidates Doug DiFusco, Jerry Huang, Don Moscato, and Eric Hepburn. Each one of these candidates was highly qualified for the position he sought, and each one worked hard for the opportunity to serve our community. We commend them and hope that they continue to be involved.
Copyright 2010. Paid for by Civic Coalition of Aurora and Naperville Illinois.
