Latest news with #Iles
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston mayor breaks tie to OK appointee to Land Use Commission
New City Council members made it close, but not impossible, for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to cast a tie-breaking vote to approve his appointee to the city's Land Use Commission. The commission is currently charged with giving final approval for Envision Evanston 2045, an initiative that would increase density that Biss has strongly supported. Councilmembers Tom Suffredin (6th), Clare Kelly (1st), Parielle Davis (7th) and Matt Rodgers (8th) voted 'no' to Lutheran Grace Church Lead Pastor Luke Harris joining the Land Use Commission. Councilmembers Shawn Iles (3rd), Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th), Bobby Burns (5th) and Juan Geracaris (9th) voted to approve the mayor's pick. In Evanston, the mayor is responsible for appointing members to the city's Boards, Commissions and Committees. Those appointees are then voted on by the City Council, and need a simple majority of votes to join a board. Before casting their votes, city councilmembers gave their opinion on their vote. 'I have never had the privilege of being able to be underqualified for a position. I've never gotten a position over someone else who had higher credentials, and so I'll say that this is a soft spot for me,' Davis said. 'Quite frankly, I find this appointment to some degree insulting,' she said, because of Harris' lack of experience compared to other applicants to the commission. Previously, Biss allowed former Commissioner George Halik's term to expire in order to create a vacancy on the Land Use Commission. Biss also attempted to appoint to the commission an affordable housing expert who specializes in low income housing tax credits, but the appointee was met with significant pushback following the discovery of her social media posts that critics said were ageist and biased in favor of making Evanston more dense. Iles, the Overnight Shelter Director for Interfaith Action of Evanston, was under fire by some public commenters and Kelly who speculated that because of his employment and Lutheran Grace Church's ties to Interfaith Action, he could not cast an impartial vote to approve Harris to the Land Use Commission. Iles checked with Corporation Counsel Alexandra Ruggie to ask whether his vote would meet the city's standard of a conflict of interest. Ruggie said Iles' vote would not be considered a conflict of interest under the city's ethics code. 'It's just not there,' Ruggie said. 'It's just too far removed.' Lutheran Grace Church is one of 40 churches that provide funding to Interfaith Action, but a large portion of funding comes from individual donors, Iles said. Iles commented, 'He (Harris) has direct experience with affordable housing. I find him to be a passionate, informed, thoughtful member of our community. I think he can serve us well both as a younger person and as a renter,' he said. Rodgers said prior to the meeting, he met with Harris over coffee to discuss his interest in being on the commission. 'I was impressed with his commitment to affordable housing in Evanston, and making sure it's some place that people can move to and live.' 'However, I do have a number of reservations about his overall qualifications for this position,' he continued. 'Outside of recommending for the comprehensive general plan and the zoning ordinance, affordable housing is a very small part of what Land Use does.' 'I mentioned to the mayor in my letter to him that if Mr. Harris was nominated to (the) Housing and Community Development (Committee), I would be 100% supportive of that. I think that's a great place for them to do the work they are interested in doing and accomplishing great things for Evanston,' Rodgers said. Burns commented on the city's form of council-manager government, which some on the council have described as a 'weak mayor' government because the mayor does not vote or make motions, and does not typically give their opinion on agenda items during a council meeting. 'The one area where the mayor does have some influence, and obviously what you're seeing here today still needs to be confirmed by this council, is appoint people to BCC's (Boards, Commissions and Committees),' Burns said. 'In my opinion, that is the way a mayor with a limited influence in this form of government can try to think about how to compose a BCC in a way that helps to deliver on the things that he told his constituents in the community were important to him, important to them, etc.,' he said. 'I don't think there's anything improper with that. That's just to me the way that it works when you have that ability as a mayor,' Burns said. 'As council, up here, we have to use our own lens whether or not we feel we agree with that composition.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia early voting starts Friday for June primaries
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Early voting for the June primaries starts today. The primaries will determine who will appear on the ballot for the general election in November. If you want to vote early in the June primaries, you have from May 2 until June 14 at your local voter registration office. 'So, most localities in this 757 are having just a Democratic Party primary election,' said Norfolk Director of Elections and General Registrar, Stephanie Iles. Registered voters can vote in any primary election in their precinct. All 133 Virginia counties and cities have Democratic primaries, but only 31 will have a Republican primary. 'There are a couple of localities that are having a dual party primary, meaning both parties, Democratic and Republican, are having their election on the same day. And in those cases in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, they're going to ask you which ballot style you would like so that you could vote for the candidates of your choice,' said Iles. If you want to cast a ballot, make sure you bring your voter ID. That could be your driver's license, military ID, passport or any form of a photo ID. 'We will have two Saturdays of early voting before the election, June 7th and June 14th. The last day to vote early will be June 14th,' said Iles. You have 45 days to vote early. Primary Day is June 17th. 'So you can register to vote, you can check your voter registration, you can apply for an absentee ballot by mail, or you can request to become an officer of election simply by downloading the My Norfolk app,' said Iles. For an in-depth voter's guide, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk election officials ask judge to remove one of its board members
Several Norfolk election officials have asked a Circuit Court judge to remove a member of the Norfolk Electoral Board, saying she has disrupted the election process and betrayed the nonpartisan nature of the position. Officials are asking a judge to remove Marianne McKay, the board vice chair, according to court documents. 'Her actions are a refusal to perform her required duties under state code as an appointed electoral board member,' Stephanie Iles, Norfolk general registrar, said in a Nov. 16 email to Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals. The case against McKay revolves around several actions taken by her during the 2024 June primary and November general election. In November, McKay attempted to rescind her approval of the 2024 election results because she was not allowed to personally review thousands of provisional ballots. 'Despite our procedures of researching all information for each provisional ballot cast to ensure the voter is eligible and in the correct precinct to present our findings before the board for approval, she continued to delay the request to certify the provisional votes,' Iles said in a Jan. 6 letter to the Virginia State Board of Elections. Additionally, Iles said McKay instructed election officials to deviate from normal protocols by asking chief and assistant chief officers to separately complete statements of results, according to the letter. 'Why would you change our procedures?' Iles asked. 'In a time where there are seeds of doubt sewn in our local and national elections, this action was tantamount to sabotage.' Iles also said McKay worked with a third-party election integrity group to staff outside poll watchers at the June and November elections. Iles said the poll watchers were instructed to illegally take pictures in the polling place and that she received complaints about their behavior. Iles called the actions ethically compromising and political in nature. 'Ms. McKay has exhibited aggressive actions and a micromanaging mentality as a board member,' Iles said in the letter, adding that she continues to ignore a passed motion telling board members to only perform duties assigned to their position. Finally, Iles said during the first election McKay served as a board member, she offended staff members with her opinions on gay people and offended Electoral Board Chair Atoy Carrington, who is Black, with racial insults. Carrington also sent an email to Beals and other state election officials in August, saying during the June primary McKay would not answer questions about an incident that occurred on another board member's assigned route. Carrington said McKay removed a poll chief at that precinct and replaced that person with one of her choosing. 'A team player she is not,' Carrington said. 'We have all attempted to work with Ms. McKay, but she refuses to work with us.' John Sitka, chair of the Norfolk Republican Party, even asked McKay to step down from her position after she included him in her email chains. In a Nov. 16 email, Sitka asked McKay to resign, saying doing so would prevent future embarrassment for her and Norfolk Republicans. 'If you do not voluntarily step down, I will have to consider asking a judge to remove you,' Sitka said in another email after McKay did not resign. In a written response to the state board, McKay sidestepped a question about whether she would withdraw her certification of the election if she had the chance to do it again. McKay claimed she and other poll watchers witnessed irregularities at the Chesterfield precinct, particularly involving groups of Norfolk State University students voting. She admitted to training the poll watchers but denied that it was ethically compromising because she said she was not acting as a board member at that time. She also countered claims of micromanaging by saying she was conducting oversight over Iles and blamed what she said was an overly broad motion delegating many tasks to the general registrar. She also denied insulting gay people or using racial insults. Virginia's bipartisan electoral boards are selected for three-year staggered terms by Circuit Court judges based on local party recommendations, according to the Virginia elections website. Iles said McKay was sworn in Dec. 15, 2022, and her term ends Dec. 31. McKay was one of three candidates recommended by former Norfolk GOP Chair Craig Shepherd, Iles said. Since Donald Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen and sought to overturn the results, the Republican Party and its allies recruited poll watchers in 2024 to attempt to collect evidence of fraud at elections, according to New York Times reporting. The Virginia Board of Elections voted 4-1 on March 4 to petition the court for McKay's removal. McKay's next hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Norfolk Circuit Court. McKay, Iles and Carrington declined to comment. In a handwritten letter sent to Iles' home following the June primary, McKay quoted a Bible verse from Proverbs: 'Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpers another.' Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Two Councillors To Vie For Mayoralty
Two councillors say they intend to contest the Whakatāne district mayoralty at this year's local body elections while two others are considering it. Te Urewera general ward councillor Andrew Iles and Whakatāne-Ōhope general ward councillor Nandor Tanczos have both announced their intentions to vie for the mayoralty. Mayor Victor Luca has also said he will run for second term as mayor. Meanwhile, two other sitting members, Kapu Te Rangi Māori ward councillor Toni Boynton and Rangitaiki general ward councillor Wilson James say they are giving the mayoralty strong consideration but are not prepared to make a commitment at this stage. Deputy mayor Lesley Immink and councillors Gavin Dennis, Julie Jukes, Tu O'Brien and Ngapera Rangiaho have said, while they will be seeking another term on the council, they are not planning to stand for mayor. Councillor John Pullar has said he will be retiring after the election in October. Mr Iles, a retired dairy farmer and businessman, has been a Waimana local for over 40 years and told Local Democracy Reporting he intended to lead a council with a focus on affordability and a back-to-basics approach. 'I understand the hurt that people are going through with rates. I'm very aware of rates affordability. As a council, our priority should be in our basic infrastructure, like water, sewerage, footpaths, roads, rubbish collection, as opposed to the nice-to-haves.' "Swimming pools, museums and libraries are an integral part of society, but it comes down to affordability across all levels of the community. As an example, he is opposed to spending $100 million-plus on the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub redevelopment. 'I'm not knocking a Rex Morpeth Park upgrade. What I'm saying is that it's a nice-to-have. If we can attract external funding, I'm happy to support it. With six terms on council under his belt, he feels he has the experience needed for the role. 'You're just the one vote at the end of the day. I believe as mayor you have to lead a team that you can sit down with, negotiate and say, 'this is where we need to limit our rates rise to'. The elected members need to set the direction they want a long-term plan to follow rather than the staff leading. 'I have leadership ability, and I am also a team player. I've had a term as deputy mayor, I know what the pressures are like. I know what the demands on you are and that's something that I'm quite capable of stepping up to. I've chaired standing committees; I've represented the district on a national level when I collected the Best Town awards as chairman of Keep Whakatāne District Beautiful Committee. Since 2004, Mr Iles has spent five terms as the Waimana-Tāneatua councillor, only losing the seat to Ian Shearer at the 2007 election, and one as Te Urewera general ward councillor. With 18 years' experience in politics, both in Parliament and on council, Mr Tanczos says he is the person needed to lead Whakatāne District Council through its next term. The Whakatāne-Ōhope ward councillor is standing for mayor at this year's local elections. 'First of all, I think that Whakatāne needs a mayor who knows how to get things done,' he said. With Central Government policies rocking local council with a host of reforms, he feels he has the political nouce to steer the council through it all. 'With my political experience, I've had nine years in Parliament and nine years, now in local government, I know how to make real achievements, and I know how to bat for our district, in Wellington if need be.' He said he will not run for any other council position. 'I won't be standing for council; I will only be standing for mayor. 'The last three years have been frustrating. We haven't, as a council, really done much in the last three years except grow our operating deficit. 'I'd like to see less words and more action. We need a mayor who is going to get on top of the financials. I can bring people together, I can build coalitions, I can achieve real gains. You just have to look at my record, both as an MP and on council. As a Green MP from 1999 to 2008, Mr Tanczos was spokesperson on environment, justice, constitutional issues, drug policy and IT. During his first two terms on council Mr Tanczos has chaired the strategy and policy committee and was the political force behind the council's Climate Change Strategy. With nominations opening on July 4, councillors Toni Boynton and Wilson James both say they plan to stand for their current council position and are seriously considering standing for mayor at the upcoming election. Ms Boynton said she will be standing for her current role as Kapu Te Rangi ward councillor. She has been approached to stand for the mayoralty and is considering doing so. 'Whoever is running for council, we really need someone who is capable of championing the district,' she said. Mr James said he had spent a lot of time in governance roles and would like council meetings to be more focused on strategy and direction and less on operational matters. 'If someone comes to me with an issue [on an operational matter] I will go and work in the background with the team and get it sorted rather than clog up a meeting with it. Local body election nominations open on July 4 and close at noon on August 1. Voting begins September 9 and closes on October 10.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Oswestry businesses say NI hike will have 'immense' impact
Businesses have told the BBC National Insurance (NI) hikes and minimum wage increases that have now come into effect will have an "immense" impact. Employers now have to pay NI at 15% on salaries above £5,000, and minimum wage has also risen from £11.44 to £12.21 for government has said the changes will eventually raise £25bn a year and the money will be spent on public services like the business owners in the Shropshire town of Oswestry are concerned they will have to raise prices to afford the tax increase and wage rises - risking losing out on customers. Jolyon Iles, who co-owns bistro The Beech Tree, said the changes mean prices will have to rise "because without [that], we're going to go out of business.""The cost of drinks, food, will all have to go up to cover those costs - without that, we can't survive," he said. "It's hard enough as it is in hospitality." Mr Iles also pointed out that minimum wage increases close the gap between wages earned by 16-year-olds and 20-year-olds. For 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, it rose from £8.60 an hour to £10 on 1 April, whilst for 16 and 17-year-olds, the National Minimum Wage rose from £6.40 an hour to £7.55."We're more inclined to employ an adult, because they're [more] experienced - and you're getting that for a smaller price difference," he said."Arguably, that makes it harder for teenagers to get into work." NI contributions are used by the government to pay for things like benefits and the Gliksman, who runs specialist cookshop Upstairs Downstairs, said the new changes mean his business' contributions have risen by an extra £625 per month."The impact is immense," he said."We never object to an increase in wages, but it's the increase in National Insurance contributions that is really crippling business - it's a massive jump." Robert Wolstenholme manages three sites in Oswestry - Square One Cafe Bar, Pickles gift shop, and Gillham's Delicatessen in the town said the changes "are going to cause a bit of chaos internally."With 27 employees across the three businesses, Mr Wolstenholme believes the minimum wage rise will "definitely [have] an effect on business."Similarly to The Beech Tree, he said the increases will be "passed on to the customers, unfortunately." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
