Resident urges Waukegan aldermen to prioritize staffing, community policing and clearer committee communication

During the July 7 meeting of the Waukegan Government Operations and Oversight Committee, resident Rayon Edwards used the public‑comment period to press aldermen on committee transparency, police priorities and elected officials’ responsiveness.

“ I wanna ask this counsel as we move forward. When we change these committees assignments, I think it is very imperative that we let the community know who's in charge of what because I didn't know none of this,” Edwards said, urging clearer public notice of committee assignments. He criticized what he described as a police focus on vehicles rather than staffing: “we buy more vehicles for what, y'all? … Instead of finding cars to chase us, get more people to protect us. I think that's a better investment.”

Edwards also urged more community policing and summer bike patrols as opportunities for engagement, and faulted elected officials for not visibly listening to public commenters. “It's disrespectful as hell, and we sick of it,” he said, later adding that he expects a large voter turnout and that he was speaking on July 7.

These remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; committee members did not provide a formal response during the record beyond later proceeding to agenda business. Edwards’s comments raise constituent concerns about policing priorities and transparency of committee assignments.