A Seat at the Table | 4

A promising anti-violence program comes to Aurora. Mary Ann makes moves to keep it from falling apart. DONATE: If you feel this podcast is worth your time, please consider donating $3. CONTACT: Send Willy an email at [email protected] Key figures in this episode: Jeff Signorelli (1984-2002): 18-year-old man from Aurora, IL. Recent graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School. Murdered on July 11, 2002. The case remains unsolved. Mary Ann Signorelli: Jeff's mother. Third-generation native of Aurora, IL. Has been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Did research on CeaseFire and explored avenues to bring it to Aurora. Al Signorelli: Jeff's father. Born and raised in Chicago. Long-time resident of Aurora, IL. Ran for the open seat of alderman-at-large on Aurora City Council in 2003. Has also been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Linda Chapa LaVia: Aurora's State Representative in the Illinois House from 2003-2019. Originally won this seat in a major upset over Republican Bob O'Connor. Helped get state funding for CeaseFire Aurora. Bob O'Connor: Long-time member of Aurora City Council. Ran against Linda Chapa LaVia for the open seat in the IL House in 2002. David Stover: Chief of the Aurora Police Department from 1991-1996, then Mayor of Aurora from 1997-2005. Born and raised in Aurora. Vietnam veteran. His father Herschel Stover had also been a long-time officer in the APD, and for several years in the 1960s was the department's only detective. Bill Catching: Former Beacon News reporter, covering the APD for many years. Later joined Mayor Stover's staff. Was on the steering committee for CeaseFire Aurora, representing Mayor Stover's office. Bill Lawler: Long-time officer in the Aurora Police Department who became the Chief of Police in 2002, a few weeks after Jeff's murder. Tom Weisner: Mayor of Aurora following David Stover, from 2007-2016. Died in 2018. Tio Hardiman: Executive Director of CeaseFire during the time of CeaseFire Aurora. Greg Anderson: Former APD officer, eventually served as deputy chief. Served as the APD representative on the CeaseFire Aurora steering committee. Joanne Furnas: Senior staff member at the Association of Individual Development. Supervised CeaseFire Aurora when AID became the host organization. Rod Blagojevich: Former governor of Illinois. Served as governor during the time that CeaseFire began operating in Illinois. Ameena Matthews: CeaseFire Violence Interrupter in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. Central figure in the documentary "The Interrupters." Weed & Seed: Crime prevention program that began in Aurora in 2002. Supported by Mayor Stover and the APD. Financed by the federal government, specifically the Department of Justice. God's Gym: Small non-profit organization that served as CeaseFire Aurora's first host organization in 2004. AID: Association for Individual Development. Long-established non-profit organization in Aurora whose primary mission was to support individuals with developmental, intellectual, physical, and mental health challenges. Became the host organization for CeaseFire Aurora after God's Gym dropped out of their agreement with CeaseFire. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Chapters: (00:00:00) Patreon / Previously (00:01:37) The Interrupters (00:09:28) Classic Aurora Blindspots (00:23:45) It's Time We Act Boldly (00:36:56) The Underdog (00:50:53) We Didn't Get Hugged After That (01:07:08) Minimum Qualifications (01:12:28) Credits