the fight for incorporation 1939 - 1952
Discussions about a portion of
Lisle Township incorporating began in 1939 when an editorial was printed in the
Lisle Advertiser by its publisher, Charles Rice. In his editorial, Rice
asked readers to consider whether or not the town would be better off if it
were to incorporate. Residents of the town wanted to have their own government
that represented their beliefs, but feared that if they incorporated Lisle
would lose its rural feel that residents have become accustomed to. At the time there were two organizations that
took on the issue of incorporation, the Lisle Improvement Club and the Lisle
Civic Association. Incorporation became an increasingly talked about topic, but
discussion were sparse during the war years.
The work of the Lisle Improvement Club group began in the early 1940s, if not sooner, and continued until it was joined by the Lisle Civic Association in 1950. The two groups worked to educate the community of the pros and cons of incorporation. Emil Sundburg, chairman of the civic group’s incorporation committee listed sewage disposal, police protection, street maintenance, and flooding by the east branch of the DuPage River as the community’s chief problems. Although they were separate groups, their goals and identified problems were almost identical. The Lisle Improvement Club identified what needed to be done to fix the community, while the Lisle Civic Association approached it from the angle of identifying what the main problems were in the community. One issue that appeared time and time again, that both groups unquestionably supported, was the desire to have a full-time police department. The town had very few problems, but this was one of the greatest promises incorporation would bring true.
The work of the Lisle Improvement Club group began in the early 1940s, if not sooner, and continued until it was joined by the Lisle Civic Association in 1950. The two groups worked to educate the community of the pros and cons of incorporation. Emil Sundburg, chairman of the civic group’s incorporation committee listed sewage disposal, police protection, street maintenance, and flooding by the east branch of the DuPage River as the community’s chief problems. Although they were separate groups, their goals and identified problems were almost identical. The Lisle Improvement Club identified what needed to be done to fix the community, while the Lisle Civic Association approached it from the angle of identifying what the main problems were in the community. One issue that appeared time and time again, that both groups unquestionably supported, was the desire to have a full-time police department. The town had very few problems, but this was one of the greatest promises incorporation would bring true.