It’s June—school is almost out—and the Big Boy is coming. For the moment, it’s all about Main Street, where the first Mosaic Market will happen this Thursday, June 4.

In celebration, here’s a feature-style episode on a topic we have long struggled to understand: why has it been so hard, over the years, to get tenants into the buildings on Main Street? What are property owners thinking, and what are developers waiting for? What is the latest on the city’s efforts to sell off city-owned property?

We took walks with Kelley Chrissee, Business & Community Relations Director for the City of West Chicago, and Dan Czuba, owner of Daniel & Associates Real Estate, down Main Street past key spots to chat and get more context on this micro-economy that means so much to us.

Grab a margarita and an outdoor table at Coco Loco, and enjoy. And for even more tea on Main Street, visit the next meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Commission on Monday, June 22, at 6:00pm.

Rick Gieser, DuPage County Forest Preserve District 6 Commissioner, shares about the timeline for the project connecting the West DuPage Woods with Blackwell. He tells us about the District’s goals to acquire 250 additional acres using increased funding from the 2024 referendum, and a little-known piece of civil rights history that took place in one of the preserves.

Plus, did you know that the Forest Preserve District owns one-seventh of the land in DuPage County? We also hear an update on the conflict over the land north of Menards that the City of West Chicago approved to be a housing development but the Forest Preserve wants to annex into Pratt’s Wayne Woods, and why Rick loves the West Chicago Prairie and the Elsen’s Hill Area of the West DuPage Woods Forest Preserve… PLUS: where to find native, wild orchids in 60185.

Email Rick with your ideas and feedback at rgieser@dupageforest.org.

UPDATE: The Tribune (and apparently the AP?) were there at the board meeting last night. They chose not to name the teacher in their story, but you can find it.

We cover a whirlwind of West Chicago news, starting with the elementary school gym teacher controversy that drew large crowds to a City Hall listening session (Jan. 26) and a school board meeting last night (Feb. 5). The board accepted the teacher’s voluntary resignation before public comment, and we reflect on the community reaction and how social media amplified the situation.

The bulk of the episode focuses on City Hall: the January 31 departure of longtime City Administrator Michael Guttman, the history of his contract dispute, and the mayor’s December disclosure of an EEOC complaint that led to a $300K+ settlement. We discuss (again) why this history matters, how residents can better engage with their alderpeople, and what comes next—including the search for a new city administrator, downtown revitalization plans, a new Ward 3 council member, and recent appointments to the Building Board of Appeals—a commission that is mandated by ordinance, but had not operated until Mayor Bovey’s tenure.

Links

Mayor’s statement on former city administrator complaint: https://westchicago.org/news-archive-2025/mayor-statement-on-former-administrator-complaint/

May 5 swearing-in ceremony recap:

July 15 Guttman settlement and Bond replacement recap: