Mayor Craig Announces Retirement from FAA

On this blog, Hanover Park's Village President (and HP Progress candidate) Rod Craig announced that he will retire from his full time job at the Federal Aviation Administration and focus full time on the issues facing Hanover Park.  You can read the entire article here: Reflections on a Career.

Church Deacon Fought the Good Fight

We want to pass along this article from the Herald about Gary Johnson.  Gary was the treasurer of Hanover Park Progress and a founding member.  We are greatly saddened by the loss of this dear friend and community volunteer.  There are few like Gary.

Church deacon 'fought the good fight'
By Kimberly Pohl | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 12/31/2008 12:04 AM

Pastor Matthew Black references a favorite Scripture when remembering his longtime friend and colleague Gary Johnson.

"'I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,'" said Black, reciting 2 Timothy 4:7. "That was him all the way. He finished everything he started."

Johnson, a deacon at the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Hanover Park, died early Christmas Eve. He was 68.

Family believe a hip injury he sustained in September on a missionary trip caused a blood clot, triggering a heart attack on Dec. 23. Loved ones were at the hospital singing hymns to Johnson, who woke up from his coma and lifted his hands seconds before he passed away.

The Kansas native and longtime Hanover Park resident worked as a financial consultant and used his background to assist members of his church, where he also served as treasurer and taught Sunday school.

"He helped many families get out of debt and helped us be wise enough with our finances that we bought land to hopefully build new facilities," said Black.

Always one to volunteer, Johnson used to host a local TV show as part of the village's community relations committee.

Johnson was also treasurer of the Hanover Park Progress Party, formed in July by a small group of residents to fight what they call a "culture of no."

"He felt much of the leadership was never in agreement on a number of issues," said Black. "He thought the party would strive for compromise to move forward."

Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig said Johnson was a grounded, widely respected man.

"He didn't want to run for office, but still wanted to contribute," said Craig. "He always found the time to reach out to his neighbors."

In the fall, Johnson and his wife Judy celebrated their 46th anniversary on a church mission trip in Zumarraga, Spain, where they helped convert a 300-year-old Basque farmhouse to a Christian camp and conference center.

He's also survived by children Jim Johnson and Lisa Antonucci and seven grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tabernacle Baptist Church Library Fund. Call (847) 882-5580 for further information.

Happy Holidays

The members and candidates of Hanover Park wish everyone a happy and blessed holiday season.

Making Public Safety Our Priority

We watned to pass along this article that was posted to Mayor Craig's blog. The members of Hanover Park Progress support the Leadership Team and Mayor Craig's effort to reach out to community leaders, support our police department, and promote public safety.  We invite all residents of Hanover Park to work with us as we make Progress a reality for our hometown.

Advisory Group Formed to Combat Rise in Violence in Hanover Park

Postage for Progress

The candidates and volunteers for Hanover Park Progress continue to work and plan for the April 2009 election, but we need your help.

Even though we are using email, the Web, and talking directly to Hanover Park residents, one of the best ways to reach all of the voters in Hanover Park is through the US mail.  This may seem like an old fashioned tool in this age of technology, but this is a very important way to get our message into the hands of the people of Hanover Park and to get them to visit our Web site to learn more.

As you can imagine, sending out a mailing to the thousands of voters in our town costs thousands of dollars.  You can make our election mailing possible by pledging to support the cost of postage to your fellow residents.  If each of us volunteers to support 10, 20, or 30 people, this will not be a heavy burden for us individually, but it will pay big returns in getting our message out to our neighbors.

What can you pledge?

10 residents @ $.42 = $4.20
20 residents @ $.42 = $8.40
30 residents @ $.42 = $12.60
40 residents @ $.42 = $16.80
50 residents @ $.42 = $21.00
100 residents @ $.42 = $42.00
200 residents @ $.42 = $84.00

We are working to run an efficient and effective campaign, but we can't do it without your help.  Getting our message out to the people of Hanover Park is a vital piece to victory in April. 

Donate online: 
http://www.hanoverparkprogress.com/contribute/index.cfm?Fuseaction=contribute