The year has ended but just as it was going into the history book, a couple of important stories closed out the year.
By a 4-2 vote, December 19, 2023, the Village of Plainfield voted to approve recreation cannabis businesses to operate in the village.
Voting against the measure, which has been debated many times over the past few years we’re trustees Cally Larson and Patricia Kalkanis. In favor of the proposal were trustees Margie Bounchi, Tom Ruane, Richard Kiefer, and Mayor John Argoudelis. Trustee Brian Wojowski was absent from the meeting and didn’t vote.
The approvals granted a new amendment to the village zoning ordinance officially permitting the legal sale of recreational weed and instituting an occupational tax of 3 percent on top of the state sales tax and Plainfield’s home rule sales tax.
Only two dispensary licenses will be allowed in Plainfield with one north of Lockport Street and the other south of Lockport Street. Each business must be 1,500 feet apart. Taxes will be implemented on July 1, 2024, and the village will receive proceeds the following October.
To gage the public’s input, the Village of Plainfield placed an advisory referendum on the April ballot asking voters if they wanted a recreational cannabis business in the community like Joliet, Bolingbrook and Shorewood already have.
Jake Melrose, planning director for Plainfield, said 1,558 people voted yes to allowing recreational cannabis to be sold in the village, compared to 1,527 who were against it.
“The referendum results represented 6.8 percent of the village’s population,” he said. “Second, the limited population that voted represents a small demographic segment.”
Melrose said Plainfield’s median age is 37 with more than 20,000 people between the ages of 21 to 59.
“New data from the Pew Research Center in 2022 shows 59 percent of the total adults surveyed believe recreational cannabis should be legal,” he added.
“From initial discussions with these dispensaries, it is staff’s understanding that one dispensary could represent a minimum of $300,000 in home rules sales tax,” he said.
Argoudelis said the estimated sales tax revenues to the village could surpass $1 million, which he said will go toward road improvements and other capital projects.
But Kalkanis, a criminal defense attorney said that she has seen the negative impact marijuana can have on people’s lives, saying she cannot believe the village would put money ahead of anything else when making such a monumental decision that could impact the community for a long time.
Larson said she does not want a negative connotation or stigma associated with the community by allowing recreational cannabis businesses to operate in Plainfield.
“I don’t have a problem with medical uses,” said Larson. “But when I look at it for recreational use, I ask what I want Plainfield to look like.”
While the approval of cannabis sales was huge news in the Village of Plainfield, other towns in Will County also had momentous moments in 2023.
In April, the City of Joliet elected Terry D’Arcy as the new mayor ousting Bob O’Dekirk from the top spot. D’Arcy was joined on the City Council by newcomers Cesar Cardenas who won the district 4 seat long held by Bettye Gavin, who did not seek re-election, and Suzanna Ibarra, who defeated Terry Morris to represent constituents in District 5.
In June 16-year-old Joliet native Joseph Awinongya Jr. won his fourth junior Olympic boxing championship and receives recognition from the City of Joliet. Early in December Awinongya Jr. learned that he will be going to the 2028 Olympics.
“I love boxing and I feel it is my opportunity to create a good future for myself,” he said.
The young man has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the Jesse White Athletic Achievement Award, U.S. President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence and National Hook Up for Black Woman Gold Star Community Service Youth Award.
In July, Will County officials and community celebrate the official opening of the new Will County Coroner’s facility at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 11,460-square-foot building will consolidate operations of the coroner’s office into one location by providing modern, efficient, and expanded operations at 16857 W. Laraway Road.
“This is a transformational space for our operations and I’m thankful that county leadership recognized the need for it,” said Will County Coroner Laurie Summers.
In September, Illinois became the first state in the nation to end cash bail. Illinois became the first state to fully abolish cash bail as the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act).
Also in September, Joliet Junior College Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary at the historic Rialto Square Theatre in downtown Joliet.
October, Joliet Township Supervisor Angel Contreras withdrew an application he had submitted to obtain an asylum grant from the State following decries and criticism from the public.
If the application was not withdrawn, Joliet Township would have received up to $8.6 million from the State of Illinois to handle the influx of illegal immigrants coming into the county, seeking asylum.
Also in October, Bill Murray, who starred in such beloved blockbusters as “Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters” and “Caddyshack,” became one of the three new majority owners of the Joliet Slammers Independent Frontier league baseball team.
November, the City of Joliet made history when it offered a first multi-year contract to a female City Manager. Helen Elizabeth Beatty will be paid $230,000 the first year with potential increases in the following years of her three-year contract.
During her career, Beatty worked with Chicago Mayors Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emmanuel, Lori Lightfoot, and Brandon Johnson. She served as deputy mayor of intergovernmental affairs and former deputy chief financial officer in the City of Chicago.
Also in December, groundbreaking was held for a new $185 million Hollywood Casino and Hotel complex with slot machines, table games along with restaurant, and entertainment space, including a convention center.
Joliet has had riverboat casinos for more than three decades, including Harrah’s casino, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment. The multi-million regional destinations will anchor RockRun Collection, a new super-regional commercial and residential development, conveniently located adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange in Joliet and projected to have 230,000 passing vehicles daily. These are just a few of the many stories from the year The Times is highlighting.
mmayer@thetimesweekly.com
