Friday, December 18, 2009

Kari Steele recommended by Sierra Club

We were recently sent this press release by local candidate for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), Kari Steele.

Note: her bio has added experience with the MWRD, as well as recent membership into the Sierra Club.
From: Jack Darin
To: Jack Darin
Sent: Thu, December 17, 2009 3:04:16 PM
Subject: Sierra Club Endorses Clean Water Champions For MWRD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Jack Darin (312) 251-1680x7

SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES “CLEAN WATER CHAMPIONS” FOR MWRD

Connor, Spyropoulos,and Steele Are The Best Picks To Protect Our Water For Dems

The Sierra Club today announced its endorsement of three candidates in the February 2nd Democratic Primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Sierra Club recommends Todd Connor, and Mariyana Spyropoulos, and Kari Steele to Democratic primary voters in Cook County. Sierra Club also has endorsed Nadine Bopp in the Green Party Primary.

“The safety and quality of our water supply will be on the ballot on February 2nd, and these are three candidates voters can trust to safeguard our Chicago River and Lake Michigan,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “Todd Connor, Mariyana Spyropoulos, and Kari Steele are each committed to clean water, and will be champions for the changes we need to make to protect public health and drinking water.”

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) provides wastewater treatment services for homes and businesses in the City of Chicago and Cook County. Historically, the MWRD has been a leader in pioneering clean water technologies that have been models for the world to follow. However, the MWRD has resisted calls to install “disinfection” equipment on its plants that discharge to the Chicago River system. Most wastewater plants in Illinois and America, including several operated in the northwest and southwest suburbs by the MWRD, disinfect their effluent before dumping it into rivers or streams. Disinfection kills potentially dangerous bacteria and pathogens present in sewage to protect people who may come into contact with the water while recreating.

“Todd Connor knows that MWRD can be doing more to protect the health of everyone using the Chicago River system, and he supports swift action to disinfect MWRD’s wastewater discharges into the waters people are using for many forms of recreation,” said Darin. "Todd has even launched a website advocating for this issue that can be found at www.cleanwaterchicago.org."

“As an MWRD Commissioner, Mariyana Spyropoulos puts the public’s interest in clean water first,” said Darin. “She is the only attorney on the board, and is fighting to protect homeowners from flooding through a new stormwater management ordinance. A new stormwater ordinance will not only help keep basements dry, but result in cleaner waterways. We need her continued leadership at MWRD to enact a strong stormwater ordinance.”

“Kari Steele is a chemist and committed environmentalist, and she would bring needed scientific expertise to the MWRD Board of Commissioners,” said Darin. “We all win when decisions about our water supply are informed by sound science, and that’s exactly what Kari Steele would do on the MWRD Board.”

“For Green Party voters, we are proud to recommend Nadine Bopp as a longstanding environmentalist who has bright ideas for the future of the MWRD, and as someone who will always put our water first,” said Darin.

The endorsed candidates are strong in their support for clean water, and confident the Sierra Club endorsement will help them win. Sierra Club will be working to assist the campaigns, educate area voters about the candidates’ strong support for clean water, and engage 12,000 Sierra Club members in Cook County in their campaigns.

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