We have a question for Trustee Deborah Bullwinkel of Villa Park. We want to know why she wants a dog park in Villa Park when we can’t afford one, and here are the reasons why: Villa Park cannot afford to stump the trees they cut down a year or two ago, Villa Park cannot afford to plant new trees where the old trees were and we can’t afford to repair our streets. So, how can we afford a new dog park? Now, I’m a dog lover. I have two dogs myself. I would just like this question answered and I have a couple of neighbors who would like this question answered, too, because we’ve been looking at dead tree stumps for the past year to two years. So Ms. Bullwinkel, answer the question, please.

After two e-mail requests for a comment, Trustee Bullwinkel contacted SPEAK OUT to say she would respond to your question. After receiving no further communication, a third e-mail attempt was made, unsuccessfully, to get a response from the trustee.—JAC

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Hello, this is the manager of the new business in Lombard. I’m calling to address the comment about phone calls not being answered. I apologize for the confusion. Our phone number is 630-317-7938. The previous number was a misprint and I hope this clears up anything. Thank you.

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Apparently some readers want to blame the president for higher gas prices, as if he has the title of king and can control the markets. As higher gas prices benefit the CEOs of oil companies, you’d think the conservatives in our country would be happy with it. The previous president and former oil man from Texas certainly likes it; gas prices went up sharply under his administration as well. But I guess President Obama could put a cap on gas prices. Can you imagine a president manipulating our country’s freedoms with such a radical experiment in socialism? By the way, it happened once in this country. Under Richard Nixon.

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Recently they took down five trees in our neighborhood with emerald ash borer disease. What does the village do with the trees that they take down?

You did not mention in which community you live. John Beckwith, superintendent of streets/forestry with the Villa Park Public Works Department, stated: “Emerald ash borer was found in Villa Park in 2011. It is likely that the beetle population had been established a few years before discovery. The Village of Villa Park continues to diagnose trees affected by the emerald ash borer (EAB), and to evaluate the severity and urgency of removal. Trees which are found to be infested will be scheduled for removal. The ash debris is removed by a contractor and chipped to less than 1 inch in two dimensions which will destroy any hidden EAB larvae. Check www.IllinoisEAB.com for more detailed information.” If you live in Lombard, sorry, we are unable to obtain an answer to your question because it is against village policy to acknowledge or respond to any item that is from an anonymous source. Anyone with questions regarding the village should contact the Lombard Village Hall at 630-620-5700 for assistance.—JAC

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This is Lombard calling in regard to some of the people who stand on all the corners up by Yorktown and by Roosevelt and Main Street, and I don’t understand why the Village of Lombard allows this to happen. Lombard’s becoming famous for several things; obviously it’s the home of lilacs, and also solicitors on the corner who make you feel bad because you don’t dig in your pocket and give them money. What gives them the right to stand on the corner and collect money and insist on money from me? It’s embarrassing to live in Lombard. I don’t know why we’re the only town around that has it because when you go to other communities there’s nobody on the corner soliciting money. In Lombard we allow it to happen. It makes no sense to me.

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Hey, Lombard. Congratulations. You figured how we used to do it in the 60s—filling in the cracks in the streets before winter and before it freezes and the water gets in there and makes the street buckle. That is fantastic.

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Politicians seem to be talking out both sides of their mouth, and here’s a case in point. I got a letter from a politician running for a state office, who actually stopped by to make a personal introduction. It was not a good time and I said as much. Later, said candidate sent a letter that started with, “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me when I knocked on your door.” Huh? After paragraphs of citing how the opposing candidate will be worse for our community and why this candidate will get the job done, the last paragraph reads, “Again, I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to speak,” and says I can make a phone call or visit a Web site to talk about important issues. We spoke, we didn’t speak. Covers all the angles, I guess.

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I saw the caller’s message about the police department in Lombard and I so have to agree with them. They are just not visible like they used to be and we do appreciate everything they do and we do respect every single one of them but we don’t see them very much. I walk early in the morning, about 5:30, and I cannot tell you how many times, I’d say nine out of 10 times, people don’t stop at the stop signs. They either roll by or some don’t stop at all. It’s very sad and it’s very scary because they don’t see me come past a bush. So, if the police department would just be more visible where people would stop at stop signs a little bit more, that would be greatly appreciated by Lombard.

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To the person who called in about placing ink on your hand so you can’t jump from polling place to polling place to vote, I have the solution to everything. I think voter fraud is a figment of the Republican’s imagination. Just check with all the states on how much voter fraud there has been in the last 10 years and you will be amazed.

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Lombard, to the person who says his or her mother is a teacher and only makes $50,000 a year, I think that is a very good salary for 10 months of work plus all the holidays they have off during the year.

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This is Villa Park calling. I’d like to call and really put in a thank you to the fire department official cleaning the street drainage sewer so it wouldn’t accumulate and cause a clog. I just thought it was a really neat thing to do because it was not his department and yet he went out of the way to clean it and get the water flowing into the storm sewers. His name is Mike Byron and I really take my hat off and give my kudos to this guy because that’s what a village employee should do—be taking care of the village and this guy really did take it upon himself to stop and pull over his fire department car and go over there and clear out the water. Villa Park really appreciates it.

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Hey, Lombard. I don’t understand why a sitting president can’t talk about the issues, has got to talk about “Romnesia,” Big Bird, horses and bayonets. Let’s talk about the issues. Let’s talk about the records. Gov. Romney—I don’t know if he can fix the economy or not, but President Obama, let’s talk about your record. Let’s talk about what you’re going to do for the next four years. You say that Gov. Romney doesn’t have a plan? I don’t think you have a plan, either. You say Gov. Romney doesn’t know enough about foreign policy? You apparently didn’t know enough about foreign policy, either. That’s why you put in Biden. Both men, why can’t you both talk about what is important to the American public?

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Hi, I’m a Republican. I voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Like many of you, I felt the country needed to go in a different direction. I voted for him because of all the promises that he made. Unfortunately, he’s apparently not kept very many of them. I’m voting for Mitt Romney because I think the country needs a different direction. What a lot of people don’t realize is, if President Obama gets back into office, these capital gains increases will affect me and anybody who has a small amount of stock in their portfolio, or any kind of stock that pays a dividend. That dividend will be taxed at a higher rate. The capital gains will be taxed at a higher rate.

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As a longtime golfer at Western Acres Golf Course, I’ve seen the highs and lows of that course over the years; more lows than highs for sure. However, after playing there regularly this past season, I feel I must bring to the attention of the Lombard Park District the vast improvements that have transpired in the last few years, with regard to the condition of the course. Considering the past few years of heavy rains, resulting in flooding of the course, and this past summer of extreme drought, as well as a limited budget, I am sure there is to work with, Kevin, the grounds superintendent, should be commended on how well he and his crew have maintained the course. Having played on a variety of public and semi-private courses in the area, this course ranks equal in condition currently to almost all the others, in my opinion. Imagine what could be done with more adequate funds and support from the district officers, as well as improvements in the clubhouse. Kevin, keep up the good work, and here’s hoping the district prioritizes Western Acres a bit more.

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Villa Park calling. I wonder who foots the bill when the president flies all over the country in Air Force One and other vehicles on his campaign. I certainly hope it’s not the taxpayers.

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Hello, Lombard. I really do think that going through the budget piece by piece, line by line, is a great thing our trustees are doing, but I think they’re micro-managing our staff. I think we have a wonderful, wonderful staff and a very smart and intelligent staff, and I think there could be better time spent on other issues with regard to flooding, road work and things other than little itemized paper clips and who’s got a telephone, this and that.

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The election is next week and you have to really ask yourself in what direction do you want this country to go. If you care about peace, environment, health care, education, woman rights, gay rights, Medicare and Social Security, then I think you should vote for Obama. If you care about the possibility for bad wars and even more tax breaks for the mega rich, then vote for Romney. In my opinion, it’s very simple.

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We just want to say kudos to the planning committee for the new Hammerschmidt playground and green space. We heard they’ve included some additional much needed parking. Way to go, committee. Thanks.

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Giving the super wealthy a 20 percent tax cut will not benefit the middle class as Gov. Romney claims. In fact, Fox News economist Ben Stein says the taxes needed to be increased for the super wealthy. I think Romney’s policies are a recipe for disaster in a recovering economy.

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Hi. I just wanted to know if you in Lombard know that Ken Loch is for sale, and it’s the last open space area in Lombard. Some of our trustees want to put apartment buildings on it. If you want to keep open space for our children and grandchildren, please call your trustee to ask him or her where he or she stands and express that you do want to keep it as open space. More apartments, more overcrowding in our schools—which means higher taxes again, plus more streets for public works to have to deal with. Please think of the environmental impact that would have. Please let your trustee know that you would like to keep open space in Lombard.

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Hi, I am calling to congratulate the Lombard Falcons 73-pound purple football team. They were undefeated 8-0 and did a great job. To all the players and the coaches, Well done. Thanks for a good season.

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Just reading the Oct. 17 issue of SPEAK OUT and ran across the call about the Republican Party calling in reference to an absentee ballot. That’s funny, because I received the same phone call on Oct. 20. Maybe if someone has caller ID and can identify who these people are, we can get to the bottom of this or let the police handle it.

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Hello. I noticed gas prices have dropped drastically in the last couple of weeks. I bet they go back up after the election.

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I’m sitting in front of my window looking out at Finley Road while I’m on the phone filling out a claim with my insurance company because my car was hit while parked on Edson. I cannot park on my street because the road is under construction. Oh, and there goes a car going the wrong way and there’s another car. Wait—a car is crossing over Wilson, the wrong way. It has no place to go, so it goes up on the newly cemented road and continues north. What do you think of that? Uh-oh, there goes another car going the wrong way.

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Hi. This is Lombard calling. I just got done reading the Lombardian Police Blotter and I have three words: Lock your car.

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Dan Cronin always ran on a platform of lowering taxes so now he’s finally going to cut the county budget $8 million. I say it’s long overdue, Mr. Cronin, and don’t stop there. Get the DuPage County Airport taxes out of my pocket. I shouldn’t be paying any taxes for its operation. The politicians and businessmen who use it, let them pay their own bill for their usage of flying planes. Get out of my pocket with those taxes.

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Lombard calling. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to the caller who brought up the subject I have the same concern about. It has to do with police squads not patrolling residential areas as they used to. The caller has lived here 30 years; I have lived here 61 years. As the caller said, for years we felt comfortable seeing a squad car cruise by every so often. Now the only police car I see is when one goes lickety-split on the way to another location. I bet this lack of patrolling has had an impact on the increase in crime in residential areas. Perhaps we need more officers in patrol cars and not so many police personnel at headquarters.

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Just as many people voted for Barack Obama because they wanted a change from what they feared would be four more years of the same, I, too, want a change from the last four years of leadership—or lack thereof—from an inexperienced president with whose agenda I strongly disagree. I don’t think Romney could be any worse.