Our Work

What is it? In the 2024 Presidential election this November, Niles voters were also asked if they wanted to divide the village into voting districts. We urged voters to reject the referendum. And we won. 

What were the results of the vote? Niles overwhelmingly rejected the referendum. Over 2/3 of voters, about 70% voted "no." 

Why did Niles United take that stance? Here is our official statement on the referendum.

Niles United urges residents to VOTE ‘NO’ on the Niles Representative District Referendum 

1. IT WOULD BRING VILLAGE WORK TO A HALT

It’s already hard to find people willing to run for office. With small districts, it’s inevitable that an election will leave a district without any candidates and without any representation. Because of a previous Makula referendum, the mayor cannot appoint vacant trustee positions. The village would be left without enough trustees to pass even the most necessary business like a budget or paying bills.

2. IT WEAKENS THE POWER OF YOUR VOTE

Right now you vote for the six most qualified people to serve the entire community. If the referendum passes, you will have no say over 5 of the trustees, an 83% reduction of your voting power. Right now, candidates have to convince all of us that they’re the right choice for the whole community. Under the new system, they only have to convince their friends and neighbors. Right now we vote every two years on the leadership of our village. Under the new system, you will have to wait 6 years to have any say at all.

3. NILES IS ALREADY TOO DIVIDED

Niles residents vote in separate elections for village, library, and park district boards. They must also look up their specific location to find out which Elementary, High School, and Township districts they vote in. Dividing us even further is confusing, complicated, and unnecessary.

4. IT'S EXPENSIVE AND THE FUNDS DON'T GO BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY

Most people want their tax dollars to go back into the community through services like snow removal, the senior center, and road repairs.  But this referendum is estimated to cost $750,000 a year in administrative costs without any benefit to residents.

5. NILES IS TOO SMALL TO BE DIVIDED

While ward systems might make sense in larger communities where there are vast differences between neighborhoods, it just doesn’t make sense in a community as small as ours. Voter turnout reached a record high in the last election, but still only 3,496 votes were cast. If the turnout stays the same and voters are equally distributed across districts, just 292 votes would win an election.

6. ALWAYS VOTE 'NO' ON JOE

Joe Makula and the other sponsors of this referendum showed their true colors when they took over our library and nearly destroyed it. Voters rejected Joe and his friends in the last election and that’s exactly what we need to do this time. Joe didn’t lose because there’s something wrong with our system. He lost because the vast majority of us know he’s bad for ALL OF NILES.

What is it? In April 2021, four anti-library trustees (Carolyn Drblik, Suzanne Schoenfeldt, Joe Makula, and Olivia Hanusiak) were elected to the board. They immediately began tearing down this vital community resource. 

• They made massive cuts to the library's funding. 

• They fired or pushed out staff that have worked there for decades. 

• They enacted a hiring freeze that left the library dangerously understaffed and unable to provide it's usual programming and services.

• They spent over $137,000 on unnecessary legal fees as they cut library programs and services. 

• They hired their unqualified friend as a contractor at $200/hour. 

• They refused to pay bills. The lawyer for one company had to come to a public board meeting to threaten legal action. 

• They refused to compromise to fill a vacant trustee position. The state of Illinois was forced to intervene, passing two laws and finally swearing in Umair Qadeer to fill the vacant seat. 

• And so much more....

What happened? In the next election, four pro-library candidates (Becky Keane, Roberto Botello, Jason Trunco, and Umair Qadeer) won all four open seats on the board of trustees by wide margins. 

What did Niles United do? Niles United didn't exist yet, but many of our members first got involved in local politics because of the library issue. Volunteers made public comments at almost every board meeting for two years, we helped organize a massive protest against the spending cuts, we helped push for the legislation to end deadlock on the board, and we went door-to-door talking to voters about the library. 

What is it? The Village of Niles passed an ordinance limiting public assemblies of over 50 people. The new requirements of a permit and insurance made events like the one's in support of our library, the annual Niles Rainbow Walk, and other peaceful demonstrations nearly impossible. 

What happened? The Mayor and Village Trustees met with representatives of the ACLU to make significant changes to the ordiance. 

What did Niles United do? Niles United encouraged residents to call or write to Village Trustees, the Mayor, and other local officials with their concerns about the ordinance. 

What is it? Our partner, Niles Pride, organized and hosted the first ever Pride event in Niles. Now it is an annual community event bringing people together to celebrate our diversity and freedom. 

What did Niles United do? Niles United helped plan and promote the Rainbow Walk, reaching out to local politicians, businesses, and community groups.