Page 12 - May 2018 FOP Magazine

Financial Secretary’s Report
Do you know where you’re registered to vote?
Welcome to May. I hope it is warmer when you are reading this than when I am writing this article. It has been a chilly year so far.
A Grievance Committee was held on April 18; we had a smaller agenda but all that was discussed was still important. The committee decided to go forward with three, withdraw four and defer one. For all those who are on the list waiting for arbi- tration, we are doing our best to proceed forward with every one of your grievances.
I would like to give you a quick reminder: Make sure your vot- er’s card reflects the correct voting address. Last year, the “mo- tor voter” law was passed, stating that any eligible citizen who visits the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Secretary of State’s office or several other state agencies would automatically be registered to vote unless they opt out of the program.
In the last election, an officer went to his normal polling place to vote and was told that he was in the wrong place. It turns out that when he had gone to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew his license, they had updated his registered address to match the address on his license, which was his work address. As you know, Illinois state law allows us to register our vehicles and our driver’s licenses at our work addresses. It took the offi-
cer a long time that day to straighten it out enough to be able to vote.
So if you have visited the DMV in the recent past, check with the Board of Elections to make sure that your address on your voter’s registration was not changed to the address on your li- cense if you have it registered to the station.
And speaking of voting, make sure you register to vote if you have not done so already. One of the most influential things you can do is to cast a vote. If we all register to vote, we can show the politicians that continue to harass us that we are a power to be reckoned with and will not tolerate the slander that has been leveled against us to boost their own political careers.
Finally, as I rode down to the St. Jude’s Parade on Sunday, I grew a little sad thinking about not only all of the officers who fell in the line of duty, but of the officer who used to ride with me on many of the first Sundays in May. Dave Grubisic was a good officer, a good man and a good father, and it was always a pleas- ant trip to a solemn occasion with Dave on board. It has been a few years since he passed, but remembering his humor and outlook on life brings me contentment during troubled times.
Finally, remember that the FOP picnic will be held on July 10 (a Tuesday) at Gaelic Park. See you there! d
MICHAEL GARZA
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2018