A bunch of folks showed up at the International Plaza shopping mall yesterday to distribute fliers and conduct a survey as part of the effort to save the plaza and a few neighboring properties from eminent domain abuse.
Larger ImagePicking Up a Survey Packet |
(The young lady at right is a reporter who showed up to cover the effort.)
The village of Arlington Heights is trying to use a TIF district to take over the mall property so Target can build a store there. Not only will the village be saving Target from the effort of assembling the land, but the village has also promised to rebate some of the property taxes back to Target in the form of a sales tax reduction, according to TIF opponents.
Larger ImageScott Bludorn Instructs the Troops |
The survey effort was lead by Scott Bludorn, a local activist and occasional office-seeker who is familiar with running political operations. I was amazed by how well prepared he was, with maps and lists of likely voters for everyone who showed up to help. He also had practical instructions for approaching people, taking the surveys, and handing out fliers.
Larger ImageSurvey Materials |
(The most important rule of distributing fliers, by the way, is never leave them in or on a mailbox. Only the U.S. Post Office is allowed to deliver stuff to mailboxes and they get pretty upset when someone else does it.)
The survey and flier operation continues today, and may be repeated again in the near future.
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