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KEEP QUESTIONING
Maybe people are starting to actually wake up and question their county and city boards and look into whether these are a boon or bust for their communities (“Future uncertain for data centers,” July 30). Bravo!
Tracey Shellhammer Diczban
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
FLAWED SYSTEM
The current battle over AI data centers exposes the “Absolute Insanity” of supporting vital public services with property taxes. As a result of the current system, some tiny school district will see its tax revenue increase many fold. It can now afford to build a new school building every other year while a neighboring district can’t afford maintenance on an aging building.
Now might be a good time for rational people to develop a more equitable tax system.
Richard Leary
Springfield
WORTH THE COST
I hope that former Mayor Jim Langfelder’s letter to the editor (July 30) got the undivided attention of the new developers of the latest plans for the Y Block.
He suggested that it should include the amenities of the original plan, (which included) water fountains and an ice skating rink along with a café where the skaters could warm their hands with a cup of coffee.
It would be twice as expensive as the most recent plan, but it would be well worth it for future generations to enjoy.
Mike Shepherd
New Berlin
KEEP GOING
We fell short in getting the 6,359 signatures of Sangamon County voters to put on the November ballot the binding referendum on whether our county should have recall for the county sheriff and other county elected officials.
But all is not lost. Almost 20 dedicated volunteers have been hitting the bricks hard and are well on their way to collecting the needed signatures. While recall won’t be on the November ballot, the next election is only five months later on April 6, 2027, when we elect mayors, alderpersons, school board members and other local offices.
I urge all recall circulators and others who want recall to work hard between now and the Jan. 4 filing deadline to collect signatures from our fellow Sangamon County registered voters. Petitions can be downloaded from sangamonrecall.org, and completed, notarized petitions should be turned in to my law office at 915 S. Second St., Springfield.
The need for recall hit us hard after the tragic killing of Sonya Massey by former – and now convicted – deputy Sean Grayson. We learned that our elected sheriff had been very negligent in ignoring all the red flags that should have stopped him from hiring Grayson. Despite a tremendous outcry for his resignation, he initially refused to resign, and there was no way to force him out of office because we do not have recall.
The need for recall was just underscored again last month when disgraced former state Rep. Harry Benton resigned from his state office but refused to resign from his other elected office of Wheatland Township highway commissioner, despite the unanimous vote of the township board calling on him to resign. Without recall there is no way to force him out, and his term runs to 2029.
Citizens in Aurora filed 9,000 signatures Aug. 3 to put a binding referendum on recall on their November ballot. Thirty-nine states have recall for local elected officials, including Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Recall is a safety valve that should rarely be used, but needs to be available for those rare times when the people have lost confidence in their elected official.
Sam Cahnman
Sangamon County Board, District 18
This article appears in August 13-19, 2026.
