​Democracy shouldn’t be an endurance sport. Yet, for two months in a row, the Crystal Lake Park Board moved “Public Comment” to the very end of their agenda.​

This is more than a procedural tweak; it is a tactical retreat from accountability.

This “vote first, listen later” approach effectively silenced parents, seniors and working residents who could not stay until 10 p.m. on a weeknight just to have their three minutes at the mic. If a board is confident in its stewardship, it should welcome public input before the ink is dry, not bury it at the bottom of the night.​

Furthermore, as the board searches for a new executive director, this pattern of silencing voices is a massive red flag. We need a leader with the backbone to prioritize public access, like the West Beach storage recently stripped from the budget, over private optics.​

The board reversed the public comments change after public outrage. But let’s remind this board that they serve the taxpayers, not the other way around. Public parks belong to the public, and our voices shouldn’t be an afterthought.

Bruce Mazurkiewicz

Crystal Lake