Last week’s cleanup efforts by the Cook County Sheriff’s office in south suburban Ford Heights is the second major task it has had to provide for the economically challenged town.
Last week’s cleanup efforts by the Cook County Sheriff’s office in south suburban Ford Heights is the second major task it has had to provide for the economically challenged town.
Three years ago Sheriff Tom Dart’s office assumed full-time police duties due to budget constraints the village had then, which remain today.
The cash strapped village still picks up residential and commercial trash, last year it stopped picking up bulk trash. So for the past year many residents have resorted to illegally dumping bulk items – such as furniture, mattresses and appliances – in vacant lots and abandoned buildings, said Dart. “Residents have dumped their trash in abandoned buildings, which are magnets for bad people and that is my concern,” Dart told the Defender. “It’s a daunting task (cleaning up waste sites) but we cannot just leave the village unattended.”
Dart said his office is not attempting to be brash or to show up the town’s administration. Instead, he explained, the sheriff’s department is trying to help the residents of Ford Heights. “This place is a mess,” he said. “We had to do something. (The) local government has been disappointing at best and do not have the ability to do much.”
Ford Heights, which is among the poorest towns in Illinois, has a population of 3,456. Newly elected Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin said he is in the process of reviewing the village’s revenue and expenses and expects to have a better sense of the village’s economic position within the next six months.
At Defender press time, Griffin could not confirm the village’s 2010 budget. “I do now know what our operating budget is off the top of my head,” Griffin told the Defender. The mayor explained that he “inherited a tremendous task. I welcome the assistance from Sheriff Dart, I caution him not to use this effort as an opportunity to promote himself.”
Griffin disagrees with Dart’s assertion that the mayor’s office has not done much to improve the quality of life for Ford Heights residents.
“Last year we spent $30,000 in clean up so I am not sure what the sheriff means we he said leadership has been disappointing,” said Griffin.
The clean up was done with the help of offenders from the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program Work. “Our clean-up week activities and give-away are one more way for us to lend a hand to the families and children of Ford Heights to make the village a better place to live,” said Dart Some Black ministers, including Rev. Steve Jones, president of the Baptist Pastors Conference of Chicago and chaplin for the Cook County Sheriff’s office, helped to pass out 800 free turkeys to residents so they could have Easter dinner. Two Black businessmen, Timothy and Everett Rand, donated the turkeys.
Jones said instead of Griffin getting offended by the sheriff constructive criticism, perhaps he should focus his attention on improving the village’s finances.
“One should not bite the hand the feeds them. I mean here we have people willing to come in and help and local leaders are worried about posturing,” Jones said.
Chief Apostle WM. McCoy, pastor of International Pentecostal Assembly Fellowship in nearby Chicago Heights, also helped pass out turkeys to residents. He said every resident he handed a turkey to was smiling and was glad to receive it.
“The people were happy and that’s all that counts,” he added.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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