Friends of Kim Stone

administrator

Kim is the experienced leader and strong advocate Highland Park needs as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic. She is committed to working to ensure that Highland Park remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family. An independent voice on the City Council, Kim listens carefully to all views and studies issues thoroughly in order to make decisions that enhance our community.

Kim has over 20 years of non-profit management and environmental experience. She currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists and on the Board of Directors of Community Partners for Affordable Housing. Kim graduated from Middlebury College and received Masters degrees in Population Planning and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. A third generation Highland Park resident, Kim loves being an involved member of the community. She lives in Highland Park with her husband and children.

Any communication via this site is the personal opinion of Councilwoman Kim Stone and is not necessarily the stated opinion of the City.

Arbor Day Celebration and Electric Vehicle Show

Kim Stone

Please join me at Go Green Highland Park’s 2024 Electric Vehicle showcase in conjunction with the City’s Arbor Day Celebration. The event will be held on April 27 from 9 to 11 am in the Ravinia Festival West Parking Lot at 301 Ravinia Park Road (off Green Bay Road). Whether you are in the market for a car, or are just curious about electric vehicles, this is a great opportunity to see various models in one place and to talk with their owners about the experience of driving an EV. Electric bicycles and chargers will also be on display. This is a free, in-person event.

ComEd EV Charger Incentive

Kim Stone

Electric Vehicles (EVs) save money in fuel and maintenance costs over the life of the car, but it can be challenging to cover the additional cost of a charger when purchasing your first EV. ComEd has recently launched a $5 million EV Charger and Installation Rebate Program, which allows qualifying participants to save between $2,500 and $3,750. Any Level 2 charger purchased by a ComEd customer on or after February 1, 2024 is eligible to apply for the rebate program. Compared to a wall outlet (which is a Level 1 charger), a Level 2 charger is able to fully charge an EV in 6-8 hours. Given that most people plug in overnight, Level 2 chargers work well for home use. If you have more than one electric vehicle, you don’t need a separate charger for each car. You can use the same charger for both, just not at the same time. When purchasing a charger, look for a UL certified model.

More information about ComEd’s new program, including the application for the rebate, can be found here.

International Dark Sky Week: April 2 – 8

Kim Stone

As I have learned more about the importance of dark skies, I remembered a high school project where we made telescopes out of broken light fixtures and tracked the locations of the stars. At the time, I was amazed to see how many stars were visible in the sky here in Highland Park.

Light pollution now obscures the view of the night sky, making it harder to see constellations and the Milky Way. Beyond the loss of seeing the night sky, light pollution negatively impacts human health, disrupts wildlife and wastes energy. Compared with suburbs to our south and west, Highland Park has relatively dark skies due, in part, to our location on Lake Michigan which doesn’t generate light pollution.
 
It’s easy to reduce light pollution at home and in your neighborhood. Some simple steps include shielding lights so that they point down, buying bulbs that are less intense and a lower kelvin rating (under 2700K for LEDs), and reducing the use of lights when they aren’t needed with a timer or a motion sensor. If you are purchasing new outdoor light fixtures, please make sure they are dark skies certified. More information from the International Dark Sky Association is here. You can watch a short presentation on the topic here, beginning about 15 minutes into the video.  

Trash Tips

Kim Stone

As of 2022, landfills in our area had a life expectancy of five years. In response, we must do whatever we can to reduce the amount of trash that we produce and send to the landfill. Highland Park’s waste collection program includes recycling, compost and trash carts, and it can be confusing. The recycling and compost carts have guidelines on their lids to help. Here are some common questions and mistakes to avoid:

Plastic bags – You may use plastic bags in the trash cart only. They are recyclable at drop off programs at most larger grocery and big box stores that have special bins for this purpose. Please do not put them in your recycle or compost cart. Plastic bags and plastic wrap can get tangled in the sorting equipment or can contaminate an entire truck load which may then have to be taken to the landfill. If you want to bag your recyclables, use paper bags only. For compost, you can bag in paper or purchase and use BPI certified compostable bags. 

What goes in the Compost Bin? If it grows, it goes. The yellow lidded cart gets collected year round, and you can use it for yard waste and food scraps. Leaves, sticks, fruit and vegetable peelings, moldy food, old pumpkins, meat and cheese scraps, bones, egg shells, greasy pizza boxes, coffee grounds, tea bags without a metal staple, paper napkins and paper towels can all go into this bin. These materials go to a commercial facility where they decompose into compost, a rich soil amendment that can be used on landscaped areas and farms to nourish plants. 

More detail on Paper – if it’s clean and dry, please recycle it. Wet, dirty or greasy paper and cardboard goes into the compost. Napkins and paper towels are compostable, but not recyclable. 

Recycling and Compost are Included in Highland Park’s trash program. Highland Park has negotiated a waste hauling agreement that is designed to incentivize reduction of landfill waste. Our landfills are rapidly filling up, and are expected to have less than 5 years remaining. We all pay a monthly fee for waste hauling, which includes both recycling and compost pick up. For trash, you can choose to pay by the can or for pick up either weekly or twice a week. With the addition of the compost cart, you may be putting less into the trash. If that is the case, you may want to reevaluate your options. You might save money going to the pay by the can program, or going from twice to once per week. There is also an option to pay for a larger cart for once a week pick up, which saves money over the twice a week program. 

Electronic Waste can be collected curbside or dropped off. You may put one large or several small electronic items at the curb on your first trash pick up day of any month. Household electronics can also be dropped off at the City’s recycling center, 1180 Half Day Road, from 7 am – 1 pm any Tuesday or the first Saturday of the month. Details are here.

HP Recycling Center at 1180 Half Day Road is open from 7 am – 1 pm every Tuesday and the first Saturday of the month, and accepts electronic waste, styrofoam, textiles and paired shoes for recycling. Details are here.

If you have a bulky item under 50 pounds, you can place it next to your trash cart for pick up on your regular trash collection day. Please donate anything usable to a local charity. 

Primary Election Voting Info

Kim Stone

Early Voting begins countywide on Monday, March 4, 2024. The nearest Early Voting Site for most Highland Park voters is the Wayfarer Theater, 1850 Second Street, Suite 106 in Highland Park.

Early voting at the Wayfarer Theater is available at the following times:
Monday, March 4 through Friday, March 8 from 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday, March 9 from 9 am – 2 pm
Sunday, March 10 from 10 am – 4 pm
Monday, March 11 – Friday, March 15 from 9 am – 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17 from 9 am – 4 pm
Monday, March 18 from 9 am – 7 pm

Click here for more information. The Highland Park Public Library, Country Club and Police Station are no longer being used for Early Voting. You may vote at any early voting site in Lake County during Early Voting, but must go to your assigned polling place on Election Day, March 19, 2024. Some polling places have moved, so please verify your polling place before going to vote.

Statement Regarding Liquor Licenses

Kim Stone

February 12, 2024:

This is a policy decision we are making today. It should be made based on the merits and rationale of the policy and not based on a single situation or person.

As your city council, our votes should always be in the best interests of the residents of HP. I believe that our existing liquor law helps to ensure that Councilmembers act in the best interests of our residents.

There are conflicts of interest that stem from holding a liquor license and selling, manufacturing and distributing alcohol. One could vote against businesses that might compete with theirs or in favor only if they sell their product.

After our last meeting, where the majority of Councilmembers voted to provide a well-established restaurant group with a sizable grant, residents reached out to me with concern and discomfort about potential conflicts of interest from the council. Residents were concerned that a Councilmember who makes and distributes beer voted to give money to a business that he might sell beer to in the future. On the flip side, suppose a Councilmember didn’t want to award the grant to the restaurant group but would like to do business with them in the future, the Councilmember could feel pressured to vote to award the grant. That presents a conflict of interest.

Businesses who have received or could receive incentives from the City might feel pressure to do business with elected officials because of the influence they hold.

Also at our last meeting, the council voted to ban certain unregulated THC and Kratom products. A Councilmember who sells and profits from these substances could be voting in the interest of their own business rather than in the best interests of residents. In another example, a Councilmember’s business is involved in a lawsuit with another entity in the community. Any participation in policymaking that would impact the other entity is problematic. Yet, at our last meeting, this situation occurred. 

While these are examples of things that actually happened at our most recent meeting, they could apply to any liquor license holder in the City serving as an elected official. Our current law helps us to avoid these conflicts of interest. That is why the majority of municipalities in our region prohibit people who hold liquor licenses from holding elected office.

Just because the law was passed years ago doesn’t make it antiquated. I believe that it helps us to serve our residents and I will vote to retain the current law.

ComEd rebates

Kim Stone

As the days get shorter, it’s a good time to think about ways in which you can make your home more comfortable in the winter. ComEd has rebates to help — you can get money back if you purchase certain energy efficient appliances and programmable thermostats. Details are here.