In an awkward and emotional situation, credit to Forest Park village officials for their sensitive response to the public protest of a local couple engaged in a hunger strike while camping in frigid weather on their front lawn.
The story is complex and involves a family losing its house to a developer which paid off long past due property taxes and will, eventually, gain control of the home on Circle Avenue. Steve Glinke, the village’s health and safety department director, took the lead, making sure the family’s children were safe and warm inside the home while allowing the protest to continue out front. After allowing the family’s point to be made publicly, through newspaper reporting and on social media, the village finally gave the family a deadline of Jan. 9 to end the public aspect of the protest. Happily, they did.
This measured and respectful approach to a longtime Forest Park family hitting hard and confusing times reflects well on our village. Also, while there was a lively discussion of the matter on social media, credit also to the immediate neighbors who, according to Glinke, did not lodge complaints or make immediate demands.
Library for all
We’ve been fans for many years of Forest Park’s public library. We’ve admired the conscious and strategic choices this institution has made to reflect the great gift of diversity in our village. We’d say the library was an early adapter to the reality that Forest Park has grown to be a fascinating and complex meld of people with many needs.
Today, our Tom Holmes revisits the library and assesses its direction under still-new director Pilar Shaker. We’re happy to report progress continues and the definition of service continues to widen with a new focus on Hispanic residents, an embrace of teens for after-school services, a welcome for homeless individuals, for small business owners seeking resources. And, of course, there is always a place for those checking out the latest bestseller.
This is Forest Park at its best.
Apologizing to Hosty
Presumably in a well-advised effort to make it go away, Katherine Nolan appeared in Forest Park’s local ordinance court last week and issued an apology to Mark Hosty, the former village commissioner, bar manager, local political activist and self-proclaimed lover of Forest Park (see signs).
“I’m sorry,” she said.
That was enough to get her off the hook for the silly allegation that Nolan had assaulted Hosty on Election Day.
Ever gracious, Hosty launched a rant about how the world is unfair to him, he’s the innocent party, it was all overblown, the Review hates me, etc., etc. He said he’d wait to see what the Review had to say in response.
Well, Mark, you’re a bully. Appears to be second nature to you. You ought to spend some time reflecting on it.
