08/15/2026
From our President:
This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with accountability. What truly undermines public trust is a State’s Attorney attacking first responders for defending one of our own while refusing to acknowledge her own documented failures.
If citizens could charge elected officials with misconduct in office for wasting taxpayer money, disregarding evidence and pursuing baseless appeals, the States Attorney might want to be far more careful throwing that accusation at our members. Maybe spend more time explaining why actual criminal prosecutions have collapsed under her leadership while she wasted public resources pursuing frivolous charges against one of ours.
The Alderman’s censure is not punishment for asking questions. It is accountability for spending years asking the same questions while ignoring every answer.
Alderman Savidge has received staffing studies, response data, budget presentations, operational reports and testimony from firefighters, department leadership and residents. Yet no amount of information ever seems sufficient because “asking questions” has become his excuse for avoiding action.
Representing taxpayers also means protecting them when they call 911—not simply protecting the bottom line. Refusing to invest in adequate staffing and emergency services does not make him a watchdog. It makes him an obstacle.
Keep asking questions—but stop pretending the answers have not already been provided.
“If you’re a threat to our organization or our members, we’re going to address it,” a firefighter said after the vote by his international union. The two censured officials defended their choices.
