The mayor of Justice may have moved from Poland to the U.S. 50 years ago, but his homeland remains close to his heart.
And the nation of Poland is proud of one of its native sons, bestowing upon him one of its highest honors.
“I’d like to say I was awarded the Gold Medal of Achievement by the President of the Republic of Poland,” Kris Wasowicz said during the March 10 meeting of the village board.
“Why don’t you tell us what the award was for?” Trustee Melanie Kuban asked.
The mayor explained that it was in recognition of his years of work with social organizations for Polish Americans.
“I think we should all stand and clap for him,” Kuban said.
And those in attendance, including elected officials, did just that.
After the meeting, Wasowicz said he felt honored to receive the gold medal of achievement.
“I was always involved with the highlanders organizations, the Polish clubs, with the organizations that do social work. Somebody snitched on me,” he said with a laugh.
President Andrzej Duda was in America to attend a recent speech to Congress by President Trump “and he came to Chicago to visit Polish organizations,” Wasowicz said. “I was notified to make an appearance and to get the medal.”
The medal was presented to him on March 2 at the Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave, Chicago.
Duda spoke at the event. He was in town for Pulaski Day celebrations held on March 3.
“This is the second medal I’ve received (from Poland). The first was from the Polish Ministry of Forestry for keeping the Polish hunting traditions because I am the vice president of the Polish Hunting and Shooting Club,” Wasowicz said.
Chicago and the suburbs have the largest population of Polish people outside Poland, he noted.
In other business, Trustee Fran Mills said vehicle stickers go on sale May 1 and must be displayed by July 1.
A village-wide garage sale will be held May 16 through May 18. Permits will be available at the village hall starting May 1. Permits are free of charge, Mills said.
The village’s annual scholarship program is for Justice residents who are high school seniors and college students. Applications are available on the village’s website starting April 1 and due April 30.
A home occupation business license was approved for American Bulldog Construction, LLC, operating out of 7530 Garden Lane.
The board unanimously approved applying to Cook County for community development block grants. Most communities do, but there’s no guarantee they will receive funding from the county.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 24 at the village hall.
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