If you don't know what the Reconveyance is, I don't have the wherewithal to get you completely up to speed now.
The opponents of the Reconveyance, and the Forest Preserve it will allow for, promise to mount a concerted push to stop this thing cold.
Some things that are good to know about the opponents of the Reconveyance:
The law isn't on their side, so they can't pound the law.
The facts aren't on their side, so, they can't pound the facts.
All that is left for them to do, then, is pound the table.
And pound the table they shall.
There promises to be a very large, and very loud, group of citizens who will line up to pound the table loud enough to drown out supporters of the Reconveyance who might be too preoccupied to attend this meeting.
These opponents do have a history of bringing enough energy, and numbers, to give the appearance of significant public opposition to this notion.
The recent history of the County Council is that if you throw a big enough hissy fit, then you can get the Council to do an about face on almost anything... provided that you happen to be well-coined and well connected politically, that is.
Many of the opponents of the Reconveyance meet the terms of this provision and they will get the full benefit of the Council's time and attention, and are likely to also be given every benefit that could come with doubt.
And that is what these opponents want to create.... doubt.
It is not clear that there are enough members on the Council who are firmly enough in support of the Reconveyance to prevent this sort of political blitz from succeeding. If the opponents can exert enough political pressure to the Council to shave off even one vote on Tuesday night, then the Reconveyance may not happen.
I get that you are busy (whoever you are) and that you can't attend every meeting, even the meetings you wish you could attend, but if you can attend this meeting and speak on the record about your support of the Reconveyance, I believe it will mean something.
Quite often people attend County Council meetings, and express their opinions and petition the Council, and the Council is unmoved by these comments.
This is undeniably frustrating, but that is the deal.
Just because you make time to argue your case before the Council, doesn't mean the Council will be moved to see things your way.
So, this is not an activity that lends itself to instant gratification.
Just know that sometimes... more often that you might think... the citizens get through to the Council and sway the Council from a course to which it otherwise seems firmly committed.
And when it works for you, that seems wonderful... and when it works for citizens with whom you disagree, that seems... rather less wonderful.
Just bear in mind, the opponents of the Reconveyance are not going to assemble a critical mass of citizens to rise in spirited and firm opposition to this action because they don't think that it works.
They know it works because they have done it before on other County matters.
The County Council has a history of reacting to Squeaky Wheel activism by giving oil to the squeakiest wheels.
The only question on Tuesday night is... which wheel will squeak the loudest?
Well, you tell me. Tuesday. In the County Council Chambers.
I will be there, and I will be profoundly grateful to anyone to can make the time to attend and testify.
Let's do this.
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