During pandemic, DuPage Board should put residents’ health first

During the Oct. 27 meeting of the Finance Committee of the DuPage County Board, a proposal to offer grants totaling $2.5 million to restaurants and bars to help them get through the pandemic was discussed. A common-sense amendment was offered that would ask those bars and restaurants applying for public dollars to certify that they were abiding by all state and county rules regarding occupancy, indoor dining, mask mandates, social distancing, etc.

In a total abdication of this duty, the GOP-dominated board voted down the amendment, with Republican board members spouting the same old talking points about regulations, allowing businesses to regulate themselves, and finally, unbelievably, that the reason we can’t ask businesses to certify they are following the law before we reward them with our tax dollars … it’s just too hard to enforce.

The first duty of any public governing body is to protect the health and safety of the citizens it represents. If this is too hard to do for some County Board members, perhaps they should be replaced on Nov. 3.

Mike Malone, Glen Ellyn

Where is my ballot?

I dropped off my ballot at Mount Prospect on Friday. There was a young kid checking to make sure it was my name on the envelope. Now it’s Wednesday afternoon, and the Cook County Clerk website still lists my ballot as “not received.” And if you want to speak to anybody on the County Clerk phone numbers and message system, forget about it.

My wife is keen on us making phone calls to get out the vote. But how can I, in good faith, ask others to drop off their ballots in a drop box when my own ballot is “not received,” and I have no indication that it will be counted?

Paul Brucker, Mount Prospect

Prosecute Postmaster Louis DeJoy

We have all seen how Louis DeJoy’s actions resulted in seriously slowing down the Postal Service. He has testified he took these actions to improve efficiency, but this is obviously a lie; you don’t slow down the mail for efficiency, you speed it up. And he had numerous postal sorting machines taken out of service, an obvious action to slow the mail.

We have heard from Trump that he is worried how mail-in votes would have a negative effect on his result: hence, Louis DeJoy’s actions to slow the mails is a blatant effort to help Trump, who appointed him.

Lee Knohl, Evanston