Parents responsible for
teaching kids about drugs

Last week, a special meeting on heroin was held at York Community High School; attendance was thin. Do we care about our community and our young ones?

We had a few speakers to tell us about the problems of drug trafficking and the results of the use of drugs. There also was a young lady named Kelly.

As Kelly opened up her life to us about her using drugs and why she used them, I watched as the attendance got thinner (I personally cannot think of any reason a person would leave at this point). After Kelly was finished speaking, the floor was open for questions and answers. People wanted to know what the schools, Police Department and drug enforcement agencies were doing about the problems.

Never once did I hear what can we do as parents — yes, it is still our duty as parents to raise our children. Maybe it’s time to put away your cell phone and find out who that beautiful person is sitting next to you.

Salvatore DiBenedetto, Elmhurst

Township not forthcoming
about how taxes spent

Where do property taxes go? Some go to our township.

Elmhurst (north of North Avenue), Bensenville, Itasca, Wood Dale and (oh, yeah) Addison pay taxes for our Addison Township government. In fact, Assessor Christopher Kain is directly responsible for our property taxes, and “exemptions” are up this month per his report.

Addison Township recently approved a budget of more than $5 million. Tax dollars are to be used for food for the needy, senior services, road maintenance and mosquito abatement.

Most residents know little about township services. In the last financial report, $1.8 million was spent on salaries.

As a taxpayer and former candidate for supervisor, I am interested in how my money is spent. The public portion of the Addison Township meetings (second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.) usually lasts no more than 10 minutes. I attended on Sept. 9, where public comment was permitted before they went into executive session to discuss pending legislation (paid for by us taxpayers) for the second time so far this year.

1. I asked about outreach, letting township residents know about services. Nowhere in their literature or on their Web site do they mention communities other than Addison. The Addison Township building, meetings, food pantry and senior citizen services are all in Addison. Nothing goes on in the other communities from Addison Township — Elmhurst, Bensenville, Wood Dale and Itasca. Is it a coincidence that Supervisor Kathryn Cermak-Durante is from Addison?

2. For transparency about meetings and budget, I was told to go to their Web site or request it through the Freedom of Information Act.

3. Addison Township sponsored casino trips. When I asked who went and how much it cost, I was told my two minutes were up.

See if you can find your township’s agenda, minutes and expenditures — and help hold our representatives accountable.

Kathy Salzano, Elmhurst