Mennonite church accusing Cicero of delaying expansion; and an interesting upcoming inspection

Outside of their well-known anti-war activism, Mennonites generally aren't known for making waves.

But if you push people hard enough, eventually they have no choice but to push back, as the Chicago Tribune reported last week:

After what it says were two years of fruitlessly waiting for Cicero to act on its building application, a growing Mennonite church has put aside its traditional reputation for peace and filed a federal lawsuit accusing the town of violating its religious rights.

Sonido De Alabanza, Spanish for "Sound of Praise," has occupied a two-story former American Legion Hall at 5510 W. 25th St. for about 13 years. Nearly 1,000 people now attend Sunday services, said Pastor Esdras Ferreras, and the Hispanic congregation needs more space.

More on the pastor later...

The story continues:

So in December 2006, Sonido purchased a corner lot and two vacant buildings 400 feet to the west that it planned to convert into a 1,580-seat auditorium, bookstore, classroom and nursery space. Ferreras said town officials said beforehand that a church would be permitted there under zoning laws.

But the church says it encountered only delays and obstacles over the next two years, culminating, according to the lawsuit, in August, when a town secretary allegedly told the church that the procedures city officials had asked it to follow were incorrect.

Sonido is paying $35,000 in property taxes while the buildings remain vacant. The church's lawsuit alleges that one Cicero official vowed not to allow a house of worship in the one of the buildings, and another told Sonido, according to the Tribune, "Cicero doesn't want churches to expand and remove property from the tax rolls."

What follows is a Marathon Pundit exclusive.

In a letter dated February 24, Cicero Building Commissioner Frank R. Zolp informs Pastor Ferreras that town officials will inspect his home soon "because of a complaint our office has received."

Could this be, to use one of my favorite words when describing Chicago area politics, "a coincidence?"

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