FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 09, 2020
We respectfully urge the Mayor of Joliet and City Council to postpone holding a vote regarding the North Point proposal to annex 1,200 acres of land into the City of Joliet.
The first duty of government at all levels is to protect the lives, health and safety of the people we jointly serve. The decision to hold a meeting to decide the North Point issue during the COVID-19 pandemic—as COVID-19 cases and deaths in Will County surge—violates common sense as well as the intent of federal and state guidelines to flatten the curve.
To hold this important vote when residents are unable to address the Mayor and Council in person jeopardizes the democratic process. Government works best when ample opportunity is provided for those affected by its decisions to voice their views. The procedure set by the City of Joliet for public comment at the forthcoming meeting falls far short of this.
Please postpone the North Point vote until circumstances allow the vote to be taken in a safe, transparent and accountable manner.
Sincerely,
Representative Larry Walsh, Jr. – 86th District
Senator Pat McGuire – 43rd District