Research workspace
THE LOCAL CONVERSATION

What towns are talking about.

Follow the questions brought to the microphone. Explore the views expressed in local public meetings, with the original recording behind every passage.

Jan 1, 2025 — Oct 26, 20265 townsSource coverage How we count
THE QUESTION · ALL TOWNS · 2025–2026

Invest in stormwater infrastructure or flood protection?

For: invest in protection. Against: oppose investment. Mixed views and neutral remarks stay separate. These are views expressed at meetings, not a poll of residents.

Passages are reviewed, source-linked excerpts. Several can come from the same speaker; these counts do not represent unique people.

12meetings with reviewed passages
29reviewed passages
100%support among 4 passages taking a side
38fully analyzed meetings in this view
01 / PLACE TO PLACE

Where views stand

Across: support among passages taking a side. Up: passages taking a side. Select a town to explore its record.

More opposition More support

Each passage is a reviewed excerpt. A speaker may contribute several passages. Fainter dots have fewer than 10 passages or fewer than 2 meetings. Towns are not ranked.

02 / OVER TIME

How often it comes up

Share of fully analyzed meetings with a source-checked passage about this question, by quarter. All towns · 2025–2026.

Question discussed

A gap means no fully analyzed meetings. Zero means no source-checked passage for this question was retained. The latest quarter may be incomplete.

4For
0Against
0Mixed
25Neutral

These counts describe reviewed passages and may include repeat speakers. Mixed and neutral positions are excluded from the support percentage.

03 / HEAR THE RECORD

The passages behind the picture

Open the original recording at the passage. Positions refer to the specific question above; questions, procedural votes and general sentiment are treated separately.

Wilmette

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 25:05–25:13
Wilmette

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 45:29–45:40
Wilmette

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 46:59–47:07
Wilmette

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 16:58–17:14
Winnetka

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 1:35:40–1:35:45
Wilmette

Neutral / question
Discussion of this question without an explicit position for or against.

Role unconfirmed · Model-checked · speaker unresolved 1:38:23–1:38:38

Showing 6 of 29 reviewed passages. Partial transcripts can contribute passages, but not whole-meeting trend counts.

04 / SOURCE COVERAGE

Five towns. Different records.

Coverage is checked against official archives. An available recording is not necessarily a complete transcript or completed analysis.

Park Ridge

Transcription needed

0 fully analyzed / 44 recordings in the selected period.

Recording inventory is source metadata, not a claim of complete transcript coverage. Split recordings remain grouped; all parts are needed for complete coverage.

Official archive

Wilmette

Partial coverage

7 fully analyzed / 36 recordings in the selected period.

Recording inventory is source metadata, not a claim of complete transcript coverage. Split recordings remain grouped; all parts are needed for complete coverage.

Official archive

Winnetka

Partial coverage

14 fully analyzed / 57 recordings in the selected period.

Recording inventory is source metadata, not a claim of complete transcript coverage.

Official archive

Glencoe

Partial coverage

17 fully analyzed / 22 recordings in the selected period.

Recording inventory is source metadata, not a claim of complete transcript coverage.

Official archive

Kenilworth

Recording source needed

0 fully analyzed / 0 recordings in the selected period.

Official agendas and minutes are available. No public board recording archive has been verified; transcript coverage is unavailable.

Official archive
How we read and count the record

Words in context

Each position is tied to an explicit policy question and a timestamp in a public meeting. Support, opposition, mixed views and neutral remarks stay separate. A routine vote or a negative-sounding word does not establish a position.

Passages and speakers

Passage mode counts distinct reviewed excerpts, including passages whose speaker is unresolved. The same speaker can contribute several passages. Speaker mode counts one attributed appearance per meeting and question; conflicting positions remain mixed. Neither mode counts unique residents across meetings.

Coverage and review

Only fully analyzed, complete transcripts enter the quarterly denominator. Source captions and automated analysis can contain errors. Review labels describe how a passage was checked; links let you inspect the original. Model checks review captions, not audio accuracy or speaker identity. Source check: Oct 26, 2026.