Post material concepts and Items here and have a dialogue before someone executes the changes – collaboration.
LB – Tue 9/8/26 14:02 –
Some Changes to Consider
A few changes I think we should consider. Let me know what you think. I am also continuing to work on
FAQs that make sense and connect to information already on the website.
HOME PAGE
Add About to the hamburger menu. We already have About in the footer, so we’re not creating
another page, just making it discoverable. For someone arriving from Facebook, a QR code, a
forwarded text, etc. so they know who we are.
Change “real Council work” → “detailed Council work.” That also matches the wording you’ve
been using in the FAQ. It is harder to attack and doesn’t lose the point.
Rework “Residents can follow more Council discussions in one place.”You can still make the
argument, but I’d frame it as an opportunity rather than a guaranteed consequence:
A smaller Council could allow more Council discussion to take place together, rather
than across four committee meetings held at the same time.
That’s important because I don’t want someone to be able to say, “Where in the
referendum does it say the committees disappear?”
Make the blue ↑ button green.
ABOUT
Change:
“Elmhurst Reform is an effort to place a legally binding referendum on the April 6, 2027 consolidated election ballot asking Elmhurst voters whether the City Council should be reduced from 14 alderpersons to 7.” Then explain the statutory authority. That feels more precise and matches the “Get It on the Ballot” message.
Reorder to:
Overview — what you’re trying to put on the ballot and what it would change.
Why are we asking this question? — Elmhurst + local comparisons + your neutral rationale.
How does it get on the ballot? — binding referendum, statutory authority, 10% petition requirement.
CTA.
That makes the page human first and legal second. The legal information is important because it establishes that this isn’t an advisory poll.
Shorten the legal explanation. “Keep the statutory links, but replace the long quotation with:
This would be a binding referendum. Illinois law provides a process for voters to place certain municipal questions on the ballot by petition. For this question, the petition must be signed by at least 10% of the number of voters who voted in Elmhurst’s last mayoral election.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
What happens to the aldermanic seats in 2029.
The About page currently says:
“The mayor would remain separately elected but on the same ballot as the 7 aldermanic seats come the April 2029 consolidated election.”
Leave that sentence on the About page. Then, on the FAQ page, I would change a question currently on the FAQ some: What happens if the referendum passes?
“At the April 2029 consolidated election, all seven aldermanic seats would be elected, one from each ward. Aldermen elected in 2027 would serve two years rather than the normal four-year term. The mayor would also be elected separately in 2029.”
Later on you can add below it:
Would all seven alderpersons always be elected at the same time? That is where the staggered-term answer (eventually) goes.
IN DEPTH
Reorder:
Council or Committee, Who Makes the Decisions?
Is One Alderman Greater Than Two?
How a Council of 7 Could Get Things Done
Why Bigger May Not Be Better for City Councils
The progression becomes: how Elmhurst works now -> representation -> how seven could work ->outside research.
Differentiate #2 and #4 a little more:
Is One Alderman Greater Than Two? should focus on the representation tradeoff: two can mean more access; one can mean clearer responsibility.
Why Bigger May Not Be Better should focus more specifically on the research about council size and institutional structure. Shorten some of the overlapping Trounstine/accountability discussion. This is last because it makes more sense as corroboration after someone understands the Elmhurst argument.
Add a clarification near the beginning of How a Council of 7 Could Get Things Done:
The referendum would change the number of aldermen, not prescribe a new committee or meeting structure. The examples below illustrate ways a seven-member Council could organize its work.
Add a couple of FAQ links to In Depth where useful:
Committee/workload FAQ -> How a Council of 7 Could Get Things Done
Representation FAQ -> Is One Alderman Greater Than Two?