Officials push referendum to maintain government
On your Nov. 4 ballot, you will be asked “Shall the village of Westchester retain the managerial form of municipal government?” We hope you will vote yes.
In the three years since the most recent manager was hired, village operations have become more efficient in many ways, including:

• Eliminating no-bid contracts, saving the village a great deal of money;

• Improving the budget process and implementing a capital improvement plan;

• Ensuring the village has adequate funds in reserve during a down economy;

• Identifying funds to repair and replace aging water and sewer lines;

• Providing transparency to village operations, including recording all public meetings and placing audio on the village Web site; and

• Creating, for the first time in Westchester, human resources policies that include job descriptions and performance evaluations for village employees

Now, more than ever, Westchester is in need of an educated, accountable, experienced and professional manager to guide us through these tough times.

We cannot afford to let politics, patronage hiring of unqualified employees and contractors, and a lack of professional planning influence how our village operates.  A professional village manager brings greater accountability to the village government, making your tax dollars work smarter and harder.

Say yes to professional management.

Barbara Bailey, Patrick Casey, Neil Boyle, Rick Fox, William Buikema and Rick Ryan, village trustees
Kathryn Hayes, village clerk

Iwo Jima flag-raisers deserve more credit
The drawing of heroism in World War II by cartoonist Charles Krebs of the flag rising on Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima in the Oct. 1 Suburban Life would have been a masterpiece if only he would have drawn the original true flag-raising.

His drawing was staged for publicity sake, replacing the original flag by those who you show in your drawing. The original men who fought their way up that mountain to place the original flag and the Army sergeant photographer who took the original photo were deprived of the glory of their heroic and historic act, which I feel is a disgrace and shame.

Their photo is not shown anywhere and their heroic act was taken from them by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, a commercial photographer, who took the staged photo, which was sent around the world. He became a hero.

The original risers who fought the enemy to put that original flag up were local Riverside resident Jimmy Michaels, whose wife still lives here, is the rifle guard shown on the original photo with the risers Charles Lindberg, Henry Hanson, Lewis Charlo, Harold Schrier, Earnest Thomas and photographer Sgt. Lowry. All have passed away without being recognized for their heroic act.

John Storcel, North Riverside

Red light cameras cause more harm than good
Brookfield definitely needs the revenue for the pay increases they are giving people in the village manager’s office, but comprehensive studies from Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Ontario have all reported cameras are associated with increases in crashes.

According to a University of South Florida study, “cameras at intersections increase, not decrease accidents.” A study by the Urban Transit Institute at the North Carolina Technical State University looked at almost five years worth of data. The study concluded that accident rates increased 40 percent at intersections with cameras; injury crashes rose between 40 and 50 percent. Instead of using a camera to catch red light runners, the study suggests that engineers look at the timing of the yellow lights and make sure the signals are very visible to motorists. This will do more to curb accidents than cameras, which cause drivers to speed up or lock up their brakes and cause multiple accidents.

Another study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council also found that cameras were linked to increased crash costs. People see a yellow light and normally they would drive through it, but at red light camera intersections, they do the quick stop. They slam on the brakes and that means everybody else behind them slams on the brakes, which can cause a big chain reaction type of accident with multiple injuries.

The only studies that conclude cameras reduced crashes or injuries contained “major research design flaws,” such as incomplete data or inadequate analyses, and were always conducted by researchers with links to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS, funded by automobile insurance companies, is the leading advocate for red-light cameras since insurance companies can profit from red light cameras by way of higher premiums due to increased crashes and citations.

Bill Russ, Brookfield