Letter: Causing more local division

keyboard, letter to the editor

To the Editor:

If there is one thing left most people agree upon that they do not like no matter what their political affiliation is that they do not want everything to be so politicized anymore. The national landscape has become toxic since the aftermath of the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Illinois state politics has witnessed many tough years. Yet the local political landscape is beginning to change, as well. Our local community festivals have seen a rise in more political candidates running for office along with many local parades that have more political candidates walking in them than not affiliated with politics. As I walk downtown Oswego each evening, I find myself navigating around many campaign signs on each corner and wonder who could read them all as they drove by.

What has become more dominating as of late is the rise of local PACs or Political Action Committees that are taking money from not only residents, but also businesses and other PACs that are not based in the local community.

These PACs have become centered around an ideology within a political party compared to the simple garden variety Republican or Democrat. What is even more striking is that the leadership of these PACs are not only involved with getting local candidates elected who they feel fits their narrative, but they are now showing up in our local chamber of commerce.

How do PACs or local political candidates become members of a chamber of commerce and what does that mean or say about our local business community going forward? It is hard to accept that every aspect of our society has become that politicized down to each local government taxing body, chamber of commerce and most local public events.

The many sweeping changes that the Supreme Court has made in recent weeks has pushed more decisions to be made back at the state level. That now creates a further importance on the local political landscape. I suspect that this activity will accelerate and cause more division within our neighborhoods than we have ever seen.

David Edelman

Oswego