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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Valparaiso council overrides mayor's veto of reimagined Advisory Human Relations Council
As Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas predicted, the city council responded to his veto of a revised Advisory Human Relations Council with a 5-2 override vote Monday. 'I think we know how this vote is going to go, so let's call the vote,' Costas said Monday after council member Robert Cotton, D-2nd, motioned for a vote to negate the mayor's veto. Another vote and further debate of the ordinance were not included on the council agenda released late Thursday, which prompted council member Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, to rebuke Costas for waiting until after the agenda was created before notifying the council of his veto. As with the last council meeting on July 28, the ordinance, which was crafted and introduced by Kapitan and at-large member Emilie Hunt, drew the same supportive votes from Cotton, Barbara Domer, D-3rd, and Diana Reed, D-1st. Peter Anderson, R-5th, and Jack Pupillo, R-4th, once again voted against having the mayor's veto dissolved. Kapitan asked that Costas repeat for the public the reasoning behind his veto, as communicated in his email Thursday. 'I decided not to sign Ordinance No. 8 as passed at last month's council meeting because, as I've been clear all along this process, I believe that the current make-up and function of the AHRC as it is now is very effective to advise me in my role as the city's executive,' Costas explained. 'I've continued to urge the council to create their own Human Relations Council or a similar committee by selecting their own member to serve on that body rather than absorbing my existing appointed member and adding to that number. As I've said publicly, I don't wish for there to be mayor appointments to this council's created advisory group. I haven't seen the collaboration I'd hope for this, and as a result, I felt that vetoing this [ordinance] was warranted.' Of the 10 residents who addressed the mayor and council before the override, the divided sides were split evenly with five residents in favor of the council-created combined committee and five voices favoring the mayor retaining his existing advisory group. 'I fully support the mayor's veto of this ordinance,' James Ferguson said when addressing the mayor and council members. 'After last meeting's discussion about this ordinance, I decided to attend the Advisory Human Relations Council meeting on July 22, and I kind of expected some of the city council members to be there. Instead, there were the Advisory Human Relations Council members all there wondering what's going on.' Alison Quackenbush, a middle school civics teacher who serves as the chair of the existing Advisory Human Relations Council as appointed by Costas, said Tuesday she, like most of the members of the mayor's appointed council, 'are still processing what is happening' and 'are unsure of what comes next.' Hunt and Kapitan have publicly expressed their displeasure with 'a lack of programming and events' organized by the existing advisory council and insist it is part of that group's 'mission.' Quackenbush has publicly responded that she and the other members are volunteers assisting as appointments by the mayor and have never been directed to oversee and promote specific events and programming. In addition to Quackenbush, other appointed voting members of the existing council are Elisabeth Cohon, Debi Sibray, Mark Fesenmyer, Patrick Lyp, Carolyn Rodea, David Muniz, Mike Hendren and Jack Tipold, in addition to non-voting members Katie Shideler, Olivia Krutz and Valparaiso Police Chief Andrew McIntyre. 'Just because I was appointed a member of this group for the mayor doesn't mean I will want to serve on a newly formed council, depending on what the direction and mission is for the group,' Tipold said at the July 22 Advisory Human Relations Committee. Other members echoed Tipold's sentiment while Costas told those assembled he 'wasn't in a place to provide any advisement or further information' because he wasn't clear on what the council's purpose was for their re-imagined group. In March, a news release announced the city of Valparaiso's Human Relations Council's 'invitation to the community' to apply for its new Community Cultural Educational grants. 'We are looking to support events or efforts that further the mission of the HRC, which is to increase awareness, appreciation and dialogue among diverse and traditionally underrepresented groups, such as race, religion, national origin, age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status and individuals with disabilities,' Quackenbush said in the distributed press release. 'This grant is designed to spark ideas and support efforts that advance inclusion and education, whether that's in programming, events or other outreach.' She said then the $10,000 grant pool was funded by the Valparaiso Mayor's Office and was to be disbursed in the form of matching grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 per project. The plan is for grants to be awarded twice annually. Applications for the first cycle were due April 30. Quackenbush said they had three organizations apply for grants: the Valparaiso Creative Council, LGBTQ Outreach of Porter County, and Hilltop Neighborhood House. However, though each was approved by her council and recommended for funding, ultimately, all three were rejected when presented to the mayor's office. 'We were able to find two out of the three funding for their projects through other funding means,' Quackenbush said.
Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Mod-Asian eatery's excellent food deserves better service
There we were, sitting on a tall table on glorified bar stools eating very good food at a better-than-average restaurant called Mister D'Arcy in a northern suburban diner that wasn't even half full. Perhaps this is what they call elevated dining, but I just wouldn't mind a view out the window at the glorious blue sky without having to perch like a ventriloquist dummy on a wobbly chair. Once home to one of Perth's most beloved restaurants in (super-chef Stephen) Clarke's of North Beach, the food in this joint is bloody good. The service is not. What there is of it. You have to order at a till and grab your own water. When they announced they were taking over Clarke's, new chefs and owners Cara and Wes D'Arcy said Mister D'Arcy (named after Wes' father) would be somewhere between a bar and a restaurant, while the South East Asian-inspired tucker would be somewhere between Nobu and Long Chim. The D'Arcys also own The Iluka and Temple Bar in Iluka, and Jarrah in Hillarys. They appear to be building an eatery empire in Perth's northern corridor. I'll say it again, the food deserves better. Mister D'Arcy, North Beach. Credit: Simon Collins Pause. Breathe. The staff are lovely, just not the most proactive. Why would they be? We're meant to come to the bar, multiple times, to order starters, mains, drinks and dessert. If you're paying $44 for a curry, and if you're sharing it, you want a decent bowl in which to plonk rice and, for example, the rich sauce of the excellent Kapitan chicken curry. We got a flat share plate. Putting aside the colonial bric-a-brac strewn artfully around the bar/restaurant, the venue was a tad drab. There was no music, which might have been a blessing — if I never hear another soulless Cafe del Mar ChillOut mix, it'll still be too soon. But this Mister had all the atmosphere of a palliative care ward on the Friday afternoon we drove north. The solid wine list offered 19 by the glass, all around the $14-15 mark. There's also tap beers and cocktails, including a traditional Raffles Singapore sling for $25. The menu is divided into cold and hot small share plates, larger share plates, rice and noodles (plus chaat masala fries) and dessert. We started with the blue fin tuna tartare on crispy rice squares (six bites for $28), which were crunchy fun — a bit like fancy prawn toast with a hit of spice thanks to the sriracha kewpie mayo and ponzu sauce. A canny little starter. The ma hor or galloping horses were four sweet and spicy mounds of crispy duck and pork belly, imbued with chives, fish sauces, chilli ginger jam and cashews riding small slices of fresh pineapple ($18). Subtle spice galloped across my palate, soon reined in and tethered by the pineapple. Mister D'Arcy, North Beach. Credit: Simon Collins Shark Bay popcorn prawns ($25) were loads of fun, a bit like Nobu's famous rock shrimp tempura. Mister D'Arcy calls this KFC, or Kashmir fried chaat, and serves the super tasty nuggets of prawn in crispy golden better with wasabi kewpie sprinkled with chilli plus fresh lime. There are five curries, costing $34-$48, among the larger share plates. All come with enough jasmine rice for two. We had the Kapitan chicken curry ($38), an incredibly fragrant Malay dish of ridiculously tender chicken in a mildly spicy curry infused with turmeric and prawn head oil. Mister D'Arcy's version was creamy without being overly rich. The crispy beef fillet salad ($35) was a surprise, in a good way. A dry dish with striking aromas from fried curry leaves and kaffir lime, plus a spicy nuoc cham dressing on the cabbage, coriander, spring onion and other greens. The moreish beef was fried into chewy flavoursome little strips that made my wife reckoned tasted like a Thai Big Mac. We eschewed the temptation of curry chips to leave room for the molten chocolate brownie ($22), which had a baked exterior and a hot fudgy centre. Accompanied with excellent matcha green tea ice-cream and a little jug of Nikka Japanese coffee whiskey ganache, this dessert was served on a wooden bowl — an intriguing choice for a dish involving ice-cream. 97 Flora Terrace, North Beach Monday-Thursday, 4pm-10pm. Friday-Saturday, midday-11pm. Sunday, midday-10pm. 0419 269 472, Yes Vibrant South-East Asian dishes showcasing local produce. Decor evoking colonial Singapore. Counter service. Good drinks list. Neither here nor there, overall. Food deserves better.
