The latest lack of quorum of a Special City of Waukegan Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 16, 2023 strongly indicates the blatant disregard by Waukegan Mayor Taylor and 4 alderpersons who failed to meet and address transparency and citizen concerns of the widespread inefficient bureaucracy plaguing the City today, including the Mayor's policies that prevent Council members to get information and to speak to City employees and department heads in order to address issues.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 18, 2023
Waukegan, Illinois - A Special City of Waukegan public meeting scheduled by several Waukegan Council members including Alderman Keith Turner from the 6th Ward failed to get quorum (majority of 6) and was not held to address multiple agenda items pertaining to transparency issues and other questionable practices concerning Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor's husband having after hours access to the mayor's computer system and her office when she and her staff are not present. The mayor's husband, Wayne Taylor is not employed by the City of Waukegan.
Another City of Waukegan fiasco to have been addressed was the continued blatant racist and discriminatory practices by Mayor Taylor and City departments concerning the September 17, 2023 Fiestas Patrias Mexican Independence Day Parade in the City.
According to a Facebook video that was posted on Thursday, August 17, 2023 by Alderman Turner, he claimed that Mayor Taylor restricted organizers of the Fiestas Patrias to only have 60 participants in the parade and prohibited parade organizers from including horses (Charros/cowboys) in the parade, which would be enforced by police and the City special events headed by Carlos Parada, the Finance Coordinator/Special Events.
According to Waukegan City officials, the City's Safety Team decided for 60 parade entrants like floats and dance troupes that would only allow at least ten people to participate totaling at least 600 parade participants (limit will be enforced) for each planned Mexican Independence Day parade event on September 17. Apparently, Puro Futbol Mexican Independence Day parade organizers received a parade permit as well and will follow the same parade route at Fiestas Patrias on Washington Street. One parade will start at 10:00 a.m. and the other at 12:30 p.m., according to Waukegan City officials.
According to information received by Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA), Parada met with other City departments and decided to create unprecedented restricted policies targeted at Fiestas Patrias. Other prior parades including the 4th of July parade and events that have taken place in the City of Waukegan, had no such restrictions in place and such restrictions have never been enacted before by City officials without the City Council approval and in some cases, parade and police service fees for those parades and events were waived, according to Fiestas Patrias organizers that claim, City officials including Mayor Taylor have engaged in targeted racist and discriminatory acts against the Fiestas Patrias non-profit organization.
Fiestas Patrias has been organizing an annual Mexican Independence Day parade in September for 40 years and last year they had horses in their parade and Mayor Taylor was the Grand Marshall for the parade and rode on a horse driven carriage.
The Fiestas Patrias September parade attracts thousands of visitors from Wisconsin and surrounding states including from Mexico that generate millions of dollars in the City, boosting the local economy as well.
This Year, Fiestas Patrias will host local events from September 1st to the 17th, the day of the parade and one-day festival.
Now, Parada is requesting a list of Fiestas Patrias participating vendors and parade participants, which no City ordinance and the Council members have yet to approved such a requirement, nor has the Council ever approved such a restriction to only have 60 parade participants and no horses with Mexican Charros (cowboys) allowed in the parade for September 17th.
Alderman Turner says, that he read in a newspaper on Waukegan that two Mexican Independence Day parades were approved by the City for September 17th, for different times. The other alleged parade organizer is Oscar Zepeda from Puro Futbol Newspaper, which is not legally registered with the State of Illinois as a business to pay taxes.
Apparently, Margaret Carrasco, the President of the Fiestas Patrias recently registered the Puro Futbol name and other entities related to Puro Futbol in her name, according to State of Illinois records.
Complete Facebook video explaining scheduled Special Meeting agenda items for Wednesday, August 16, 2023 posted by Waukegan Alderman Keith Turner from the 6th Ward (meeting had no quorum and did not take place, only 5 Council members were present, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor and 4 other alderpersons failed to show up for the Special Meeting) at link: https://tinyurl.com/2z8chaaj
Alderpersons present at the Special Meeting on Wednesday were the following Alders, Victor M. Felix, Keith Turner, Juan A. Martinez, Michael P. Donnenwirth and Jose A. Guzman.
Alders not present Thomas J. Hayes, Edith L. Newsome, Sylvia Sims Bolton, Lynn M. Florian and Mayor Ann Taylor.
Waukegan Council Special Meeting, August 16, 2023, had a lack of quorum at link: https://www.youtube.com/live/aQk4lt5Or6Q
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