Windypundit

Cal Skinner just sent me an email pointing out a PAC called Des Plaines Residents for Responsible Taxation. Its officers are Scott Olson and Barbara VanSlambrouck, co-owners respectively of Geiser-Berner and Chromatech, both of which are threatened by the Five-Corners TIF in Des Plaines. I spoke to another Geiser-Berner co-owner, Robert Janczak, a while back and he told me … [Read more...] about An Anti-TIF PAC in Des Plaines

Photo ArchiveGoogle EarthGoogle Maps In my previous post, I was exploring some of International Plaza's neighbors that are also part of the TIF district and in danger of condemnation. In the photo above, the building in the background is the Arlin-Golf Plaza strip mall. As I walked around to take more pictures, the sign promised a small but thriving mall. I've driven … [Read more...] about Arlin-Golf Plaza and the Residences

Photo ArchiveGoogle EarthGoogle Maps There was a rally for International Plaza a few weeks ago, but I had errands to run that morning, and by the time I got to the Plaza, all the excitement was over. There were just a few stragglers, including a newspaper reporter and Leo Plotkin who owns Unigma Camera. Plotkin told me that he put about $100,000 into remodeling the … [Read more...] about International Plaza and Its Neighbors

Last night, tipped off by Cal Skinner's post, I went to cover a protest staged by the Coalition to Save International Plaza outside an Arlington Heights village board meeting at the Senior Center at 1801 W. Central Road. I was surprised how many people showed up, many of them protesting on the abstract issue of eminent domain abuse, and not just because they owned a … [Read more...] about Vigil for International Plaza