Here is our official response to the Village of Manhattan regarding their recent propaganda.
On behalf of StopNorthPoint.com, we would like to express our strong objection to the flyer that was mailed out by the Village of Manhattan in support of NorthPoint.
First, we object to the process in which the flyer was created. Did the entire Manhattan Village Board discuss, review and approve the content prior to taking a position? Does this flyer speak for each and every one of this village’s elected officials? StopNorthPoint.com is asking who wrote the content, who designed it, who printed it and who paid for it?
It is our understanding that this flyer is the initiative of Mayor Doyle and Administrator Sing without board approval. Is that correct? What is the motivation for Mayor Doyle to send out a developer’s propaganda piece when the all the discussions with NorthPoint have been behind closed doors without any public forum. Doyle, Sing and NorthPoint do not have the right to decide themselves which roads are closed or rerouted, particularly Manhattan Township roads, such as Cherry Hill, Brown, Sweedler, and Bruns, as discussed in a July 31st letter from Sing to NorthPoint’s Tom George. These discussions need to be in public and involve Manhattan Township officials.
Secondly, StopNorthPoint.com strongly objects to the substance.
The false claim that any successful legal action would merely delay the project not stop it is exactly the opposite legal opinion given to us by StopNorthPoint.com’s team of expert attorneys led by Chicago’s powerhouse civil rights lawyer Bob Fioretti. As we speak, StopNorthPoint.com’s legal experts are drafting a complaint with the sole intention to stopping this project once and for all. Period.
Further, Mayor Doyle’s claim that lawsuits to stop the project have been unsuccessful is inaccurate, since the litigation is ongoing and courts have not yet ruled. For Mayor Doyle to make that claim is misleading and irresponsible.
In fact, there is much misleading content in this flyer. For example, the City of Joliet has NOT agreed to give NorthPoint all the approvals necessary to move the project forward, when in fact, the City of Joliet does not have the authority to grant necessary approvals for the needed bridge, the FAA property annexation or several other key issues that are not yet finalized. Another misleading statement is that once the developer receives approvals from federal, state and/or local governments for the bridge, it can move forward — it is misleading because that is a long list of approvals that need to happen, that haven’t happened yet.
StopNorthPoint.com would also like to bring to Mayor Doyle’s attention that the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cemetery Division has detailed a five-point objection to NorthPoint, which would certainly impact any federal undertakings. Additionally, StopNorthPoint.com, along with Stone City VFW Post 2199; the Buffalo Soldier Memorial American Legion Post 241; the Veterans of the Menominee Nation; the Harry E. Anderson VFW Post 9545; World War II U.S. Army Air Force Veteran B-17 Bomber “Flying Fortress” Radioman Attilio “Ted” Micci; World War II U.S. Army Air Force Veteran P-38 Crew Chief Felix Pasteris; World War II U.S. Army Air Force Veteran Motor Pool Supervisor Wade Krohn; K9s for Veterans NFP; Veterans Outreach Services of Illinois NFP; Cheers to the Warriors NFP; have all co-signed a letter supporting a National Historic Preservation Act review prior to any federal action being taken. That letter served as the foundation for similar letters written by the Village of Elwood and Jackson Township — both of which also ask for a National Historic Preservation Act review.
Other organizations who have drafted letters in opposition include Wilmington VFW Post 5422; Manhattan American Legion Post 0935; Operation Care Package; Will county Sheriffs’ Department Deputies F.O.P. Labor Union; Openlands; the Sierra Club: Midewin Alliance; Mary Baskerville & the Will county Environmental Network; Cunningham Neighborhood Council; Ridgeview Subdivision Association; Bishop Steven Evans & Leap of Faith Ministries; Wendell Martin and Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church; the Will County Farm Bureau The Will-South Cook Soil and Water Conservation District; Manhattan Township; Elwood Community Consolidated School District 203; Laraway Community Consolidated School District 70 C; Manhattan School District 114; and Elwood Fire Protection District.
Further, thousands of emails have been sent via StopNorthPoint.com to senators and congressional representatives by people who want to stop NorthPoint. Even today, people are continuing to go to StopNorthPoint.com to send those emails.
The growing popularity of StopNorthPoint.com’s opposition movement, as well as StopNorthPoint.com’s investors are evidence that Manhattan residents and other people impacted by this project can’t be hood-winked into believing this propaganda.
Most sincerely and respectfully,
John Kieken & Ron Adamski – Founders
Stop NorthPoint, LLC
6 Comments
Michael W Jordan · September 15, 2020 at 5:21 pm
Thank you for your letter to the mayor. The majority of the citizens in Manhattan are against the Northpoint development. We know where the mayor and the unelected village administrator stand on this issue. It’s time that the residents on Manhattan and the impacted areas have a say in this.
Julie · September 15, 2020 at 6:51 pm
I’ve lived in Manhattan nearly 30 yrs. Manhattan does not want or need Northpoint. Most people moved here to get away from pollution and traffic. I moved from Chicago…I was willing to pay taxes, etc to be in a place that is apart from traffic and congestion. NorthPoint is nothing but traffic, noise, and congestion. NorthPoint belongs west of 55…not squatting on out ex-urban communities and crapping up our roads and communities. Please keep NorthPoint as far away from Manhattan as possible. I vote every election.
Mandie · September 15, 2020 at 8:03 pm
Thank you for expressing what so many of us Manhattan residents are feeling. I love living in Manhattan but if Northpoint or Compass Business Park or what ever new name they come up with is built – I’m out. This will be the push to not only make me leave Manhattan, my home for 20 years, but also the state of Illinois where I have lived my entire life. J
N. C. · September 19, 2020 at 5:23 pm
Many thanks for this very accurate and descriptive writing.
I’m deeply saddened for our community in countless ways. EVERY resident I know was angered upon receipt of this flyer. In fact, there isn’t ONE resident (non-political) that supports Northpoint.
All residents need to be informed of the inaccuracies contained within the flyer that was willfully and knowingly mailed by/for the Village of Manhattan. It is my belief that countless residents (especially the elderly) without internet/social media/etc are victims of trickery and deception via this mailer. This MUST be sufficiently rectified immediately.
Failing to do so, would be a deprivation of rights for the residents of Manhattan, as they relied upon the words written in this Village of Manhattan flyer to be true and correct.
I’ve been a resident of Manhattan for over 15 years and I absolutely admire our town for what it was then and for what it is today. We need our Mayor to speak the TRUTH of how we will stop Northpoint, not misleading mailers of how we can’t. Most importantly, we need our voices heard, not taped shut.
No to Northpoint!
Yes to Honesty, Transparency and the People of Manhattan!!
DONNA L FOX · September 19, 2020 at 5:56 pm
JUST SAY NO TO NORTHPOINT!
Michael · September 21, 2020 at 7:27 pm
This is the kind of bs that get people indicted years later when they least expect it.
The people do not want this. They have been VERY CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT about this. Say no to Northpoint – it’s time to drain the swamp!