Residents ask Blue Island to intervene in Forest View Mobile Home Park dispute

Joseph Cervantes, identifying himself as a resident of Ford View Mobile Home Park and interim secretary of the residents’ council, told the Blue Island City Council that park residents still seek “proper partnership and representation” as legal and management disputes continue.

Cervantes said residents were promised participation in court proceedings after a judge reportedly told the parties that residents should be included, but he said that follow-through stalled when the city attorney took a leave of absence. He identified the park owner in the transcript as Steven Duclat (also transcribed as Ducat) and said residents consider him negligent and unresponsive to problems at the park.

Cervantes listed specific concerns he said need city attention: unpaid water bills (he asked why the city allowed water bills to go unpaid for two years rather than seeking shutoff or other remedies), whether special-use permits are rechecked after property transfers, and the fairness of the property-appraisal process. He said some homes had been appraised in a range he described as about $25,000 to $80,000 and that those valuations do not reflect comparable local sales. Cervantes also said a buyer (referred to in the transcript as “Dr. Van’s group”) had prepared due diligence materials including a 154‑page environmental report but that, in his view, the seller had not yet submitted the required letter of intent to sell.

“We still seek the city to consider all the factors that are at play here,” Cervantes said, arguing that residents needed legal and municipal support to challenge what he described as mismanagement and criminal activity associated with the owner’s management company. He asked the council to help residents “fight against the slumlord” and to consider alternatives that would allow the community to remain intact rather than be replaced by other uses.

The mayor and council did not take a formal vote on the issue at this meeting but heard the resident’s testimony during the public-comment period and were asked to follow up with city staff. The record shows residents asked for clarifying information and legal partnership; council members did not commit to a specific course of action during the session.

Ending: The council received the testimony and moved on to other agenda business; Cervantes said he would continue to seek meetings with the city to resolve appraisals, permits and questions about unpaid utility accounts.