City of Zion, IL

Saw in the news today the tragedy in Zion. Two little girls brutally murdered in the woods. I know this strange little town, represented them at the agency I worked at in Chicago.

I coached the smalltown school teacher come part-time mayor on presenting and Q&A. He is, of course, rising admirably to the occasion. I kind of knew he would. He’s one of those people you get a feeling about – a true believer whose resolve cannot be dampened, a smart man who really could make the big dream happen. Someone who could be as easily seen reading a children’s story as he could be giving a moving civic address.

What a town to try to rescue, though. The highly religious, working class community is something of a haven for trash. Home to a closed nuclear power plant (with plenty of live rods laying around just between two public beaches), at least two landfills and several trash processing plants of various types, the city literally stinks. Even the championship golf course is built on a landfill – and smells a bit like grazing pastures in the hot sun. Their downtown has been decimated by the same prevailing trends that decimated most small towns’ main streets. And, profoundly sick people flock to the cancer institute in their borders.

It is not a heartening place and yet it is impossible not to get caught up in the promise of it. Back in 2001 or so, we managed a kick-off event for the mayor’s new economic development campaign. Fascinating, right? A bunch of PowerPoints and developers show-boating.

Nearly 300 people attended, standing room only – and, there were a number of standing ovations during the mayor’s very moving speech (um, ok, that was self serving). From the campy (a Bee’s on parade exhibit downtown) to the truly successful (new downtown streetscapes, housing developments, businesses), the mayor and his city have honestly achieved economic development by little other than sheer force of will.

They talk about themselves as a city on the hill – a community different from their neighbors. And, really, turning off the highway, just past the XXX dancers and the XXX video, toward the nuclear power museum or the local landfill, you wouldn’t expect to find people so passionate about making the place they live, a place they’d love to live. When everyone else would move away, these people are digging in. Quite an interesting place.

Comments

[Alison]

Wish you could come help revitalize our downtown. They've been trying here for years with very little to show for it.

Seems that this is at the heart of the issue: how do you draw people away from the strip malls and national restaurant chains on one side of town to the locally owned eateries, bars and shops downtown?

[jen]

Sounds like Columbus. We got the landfill-turned-golf course, infamous murderers, Frank Rd stinkhole, street crime and road rage . . .
Then's there's the mayor who never gives up, always wanting a better lifestyle for his constituants. It's a "wanna be" city that gets people excited to go shopping at the mall. I'm eager to move away but some people stay and try to make their "city" a better place.
Where ya been? Chillin' in your hottub?

[shima]

First to comment hells yeah