Above & Below / Benjamin Franklin’s name most certainly stands high to recognize one of the greatest Americans. Street signs in Naperville pay tribute to local and national historic figures. Check out Washington, Jackson, Jefferson, Van Buren and Stenger, too.
Mindful that this week includes the 319th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birthday, Jan. 17, thoughts race to his many inventions, discoveries and quotations.
‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’—Benjamin Franklin
Thanks to Franklin, you might say technology has advanced so citizens can watch live and archived local government meetings. Consider the enlightenment that comes from choices to watch local school board meetings, Naperville City Council, Planning & Zoning meetings, Naperville Park District Board meetings and so much more streaming live.
Thanks for paying attention to all governing bodies in a timely fashion—and, of course, thanks for reading PN here, there and throughout the world. Curiosity is the best!
‘Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.’ —Ben Franklin
Celebrate Ben Franklin’s wit & wisdom daily
Born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Mass., Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of 17 children. In 1730, he married Deborah Read and they had three children. By the end of his active life on April 17, 1790, Franklin had become one of the most famous of America’s founders and today his many practical inventions continue to be celebrated around the world.
More than other years, perhaps take a moment to recognize Franklin as an avid supporter of public safety and public health that followed a collective focus on fire prevention and establishment of a fire department in Philadelphia.
Franklin also was known for helping to establish the nation’s first public hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, where he contributed to medical discoveries, including support of smallpox inoculation in the 1730s via a process known as variolation, accompanied by risks. While the process typically would cause a mild form of the illness, it was known to produce lifelong immunity.
Some processes have changed only slightly even as technology advances.
“The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” written in 1868 notes that Franklin’s support of inoculation through variolation was inspired in large part by the death of his 4-year-old son, Francis, following his infection with smallpox. That’s a whole other story.
Since 1980, the smallpox virus that was highly contagious, disfiguring, and often deadly (and traced back more than 12,000 years), has been eradicated.
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia worth the visit
Franklin’s wit, wisdom and sage advice are legendary. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia remains one of the most educational and memorable places for our children when they were young.
Living in New Jersey at the time, Philadelphia with its rich history was a great place to visit. That’s where we learned that the earliest fire laws dealt with fighting fires rather than preventing them. The brilliance of Franklin’s statesmanship was on display where costumed guides explained the importance of brick walls and other building materials to prevent fires. Franklin’s colonial newspapers featured advice about fire prevention. Let PN follow his great example.
What’s more, Franklin is credited for establishing a fire department for Philadelphia, at a time when the birthplace of America also became known as the most advanced city in the 13 colonies.
‘There never was a good war nor a bad peace.’ —Ben Franklin
We surround ourselves with Ben Franklin quotes and similar journals in our workplace to remind us to compare and analyze modern methods with the basic advice and common sense Franklin espoused in the 18th century. As we embrace our own curiosity in this fast-paced world, we often ask, “What would Ben do?”
Making better decisions, pro & con / What would Ben Franklin do?
“…My way is to divide half a sheet of paper by a line into two columns; writing over the one Pro and over the other Con. Then during three or four days’ consideration, I put down under the different heads short hints of the different motives, that at different times occur to me, for or against the measure.
“When I have thus got them altogether in one view, I endeavor to estimate their respective weights; and where I find two, one on each side, that seem equal, I strike them both out.
“If I judge some two reasons con equal to some three reasons pro, I strike out five; and thus proceeding, I find where the balance lies; and if after a day or two of further consideration, nothing new that is of importance occurs on either side, I come to a determination accordingly…” –Benjamin Franklin

Never ever a self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ben Franklin can be credited for his never-ending curiosity and communication skills while improving the world in countless practical ways via a city hospital, electricity, fire departments, higher education, postal service, public libraries, weather forecasts and vaccinations.

As a prolific inventor, Franklin never patented a single innovation, considering his inventions (bifocal lenses, Franklin stove, lightning rod, to name three) as gifts to the public. You could say his aversion to patents embraced the concept of “open source.”
At age 81, Franklin was the oldest person to sign the Constitution, known also to be the only person to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Reports say that on Sept. 17, 1787, aging Franklin needed assistance and cried as he penned his name to what has remained the fundamental law of the land.
‘Well done is better than well said.’ —Ben Franklin

Thanks to technology, city meetings are online
Thanks to technology, the City of Naperville broadcasts public E-meetings such as City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, Transportation Advisory Board and workshops for public viewing and streaming on electronic devices live and saves them in an archive for future viewing at any time around the clock.
Click here for E-Events & Archives of City Council Meetings, Etc.
Next up, City Council meets virtually at 7PM Tues., Jan. 21, 2025. As the City heads into its Consolidated Election season, the community is encouraged to watch and learn. All residents are welcome to address the City Council for three minutes or less. Sign up to speak, too. Important items are on the agenda. Thanks for paying attention.
The following evening beginning at 7PM Wed., Jan. 22, 2025, the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission also meets and can be watched online among e-events. (Click here to watch the Jan. 15, 2025, NPZ meeting, only about 48 minutes.)
Note, letters to the City Council and/or Planning and Zoning Commission related to agenda items also are welcome prior to every meeting if received by 5PM the day of the meeting. Letters will be read during the meeting by City staff.

Thanks for reading PN. Thanks, too, for watching and becoming familiar with your elected officials. The 2025 Consolidated Election is Tues., April 1.
Editor’s Note / PN’s publisher has been recognizing the anniversary of Ben Franklin’s birthday annually since her daughter was born in March 1979. Back then, Franklin still was credited with the invention of the rocking chair, a staple for mothers, and we were grateful. More recently, historians have traced the origin of the rocking chair to earlier in the 18th century when Franklin would have been a young child. No matter. Tracing the twists and turns of truth over the centuries, it is a fact that a rocking chair always has come in handy at our house and Franklin continues to come to mind.
‘There have been as many great souls unknown to fame as any of the most famous.’ —Ben Franklin