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Winnetka, simplified.
With clarity, transparency, and a balanced point of view.

The new “Open Space District” isn’t just about the post office site. It heads to the Plan Commission in September — speak up at the next Village Council hearing, Tuesday, August 18, or write the Council.
What’s at stake, in plain English →
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Call to Action Your Investment August 13, 2026

Deadline: The WCC Annual Survey Closes Tomorrow

Ten minutes, one deadline. The Winnetka Caucus Council’s Annual Survey closes Friday, August 14 at midnight — and what you say by tomorrow becomes what candidates must answer for this fall.

WCC Annual Survey — closes Friday, August 14 at midnight

Neighbors — tomorrow, Friday, August 14 at midnight, the Winnetka Caucus Council’s Annual Survey closes. It takes about ten minutes, it is open to every resident, and it is the single most direct way to put your priorities in front of the people who will choose Winnetka’s next leaders. Take the WCC Annual Survey now →

Here is why those ten minutes matter: the Caucus Council uses the Annual Survey to write the platforms that guide every elected board in the village — and to shape the questions its slating committees put to candidates. Those interviews begin next week, and eight seats come through the caucus gate this cycle, from Village President to Park District Commissioners.

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What Winnetka Governance Is Costing You — Right Now
Your Money
What is governance costing your household?
$3–5K

Every year, stalled development on key Village parcels costs each Winnetka household an estimated $3,000–$5,000 in lost property tax revenue — revenue that would offset your levy. Plus $440 in new fees in 2026, and $20K per household if the $100M stormwater plan moves forward as proposed.

Explore Your Money →
Your Time
What has been taken away from you?
6,570

Days the Post Office site has been idle since 2007 — nearly 18 years. Plus 5+ years with Tower Road Pier closed and five straight Capital Improvement Plan deadlines missed. Plus the years Elder Lane Beach remained contaminated while the Village delayed testing.

Explore Your Time →
Your Investment
Is what you put in being protected and grown?
65

Just 65 residents decide who governs all 12,750 of us — that's how many attended the last Winnetka Caucus Council meeting, the body that sets the slate for every Village board. Reforms like online voting access and published candidate criteria are long overdue.

Explore Your Investment →

What's New— all OTW content, most recent first

Full Archive →
AUG 13 Call to Action Your Investment Deadline: The WCC Annual Survey Closes TomorrowAUG 7 Council Recap Your Investment Council Recap — August 4: A Gaga Pit Gets Three Hearings. The ‘Open Space District’ Gets Zero Words.AUG 6 Explainer Your Investment The TRUTH About the VC’s New “Open Space District”JUL 22 Council Recap Your Investment Council Recap — July 21: An ‘Open Space’ District That Runs Every Public Body’s Land Through Village HallJUL 22 Call to Action Your Money Your Investment 44 Years, Six Concepts, and the One Question the Village Never Asked JUL 13 Call to Action Your Time A Call to Action: The Post Office Site Survey JUL 10 Special Report Your Money A Longer, Less Predictable Path Through Village Hall JUN 29 Op-Ed Your Investment If Five Governments Could Once Solve a Flood, Why Can't Two Approve a Fence? JUN 10 Report Your Money Winnetka Finally Has a 20-Year Capital Plan. Now It Needs a Five-Year Promise. MAY 22 Special Dispatch Your Investment An Open Memo to the Winnetka Caucus Council MAY 18 Report Your Money The Budget Winnetka Bought — and the One It Didn't MAR 14 Overview Your Investment Think Big, Winnetka: Ten Issues That Will Shape the Village's Next 75 Years FEB 25 Survey Your Time What do YOU want for the Post Office site? JUL 31 Op-Ed Your Investment What's at Stake This Fall
The Most Important Thing You Can Do This Week
AUG
18
2026
⚡ Action Required — Attend This Meeting

Winnetka Village Council Meeting

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 · Winnetka Village Hall, Council Chambers (510 Green Bay Road) · 7:00 PM

The new “Open Space District” is moving fast — Plan Commission in September, back to Council in October, ahead of the October 15 WCC Town Hall. August 18 is the moment to tell trustees what you think before another restrictive ordinance is locked in. OTW’s plain-English explainer covers what the district does, what it’s based on, and what open space actually costs.