I encourage you to vote no tomorrow on the proposition to create the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority. Here are my areas of contention that have not been adequately addressed in recent weeks: just one out of the three counties within the authority could control all decisions concerning the other counties; property deemed “necessary” can be taken by eminent domain; water resources deemed “necessary” can be unfairly exported away to other communities; some communities within the authority, such as Belvidere or Harvard, can continue extracting as much water as they want from the same watershed while DeKalb and Sycamore could be blocked; and the boundaries are gerrymandered in such a way that the fastest growing communities in McHenry, Kane, and Winnebago counties would be exempt – even if they fall within the watershed that is supposed to be protected, while areas within the proposed authority, yet not on top of the same watershed, would be regulated. Even if DeKalb is not your permanent residence, your vote may determine the fate of this authority. It wouldn’t be fair to approve an authority that you may never have to live with. My family owns property within the proposed authority and I am asking you to vote no.

Aaron M. Funfsinn

Senior, political science