As we told you before, Thomas Carey the Unfriendly Ghost of the 6th ward usually doesn't communicate with the living. So we were a little spooked to hear that he actually participated in the city council meeting Monday night. We feel that Mayor Frimystic must have called this spirit forth to do his earthly bidding.
As you may recall, Mayor Frimystic was very generous in making "offerings" to the Ghost of the 6th ward. Of the $7,025.00 in campaign contributions taken in by Mr. Carey, Mayor Frimystic contributed $3,127.73, or 45% of the total Mr. Carey received. (See document copies below)
And, as we said before, we expect Alderman Carey knows how to show his appreciation for Mayor Frimystic's generous support.
But we found it very curious that a guy like Thomas Carey, of whom we'd heard rumors of great family wealth, would need or want such a large contribution from Mayor Frimystic.
So we started digging.
Turns out, Thomas Carey does come from a very well-known and prosperous family. A very prosperous family. A very well-known family, if you know anything about the horse racing world.
Mr. Thomas Carey is formally known as Thomas F. Carey, III and hales from none other than the family that owns and controls Hawthorn Race Course. At one time in the not too distant past, Mr. Thomas F. Carey, III was in charge of running Hawthorn Race Course, but now Mr. Thomas F. Carey, III is working for an engineering firm, and we are told a Carey family cousin is now in charge of track operations.
Why would Mr. Thomas F. Carey, III leave the family business? We can't say whether or not he actually left or was asked to leave. But, it seems Mr. Carey got into a bit of legal trouble over his fiscal management during his tenure at the track and then Hawthorne Race Course, Inc. got sued by National Jockey Club, Inc.
The parties went to arbitration, and the arbitrator found in favor of the claimants, National Jockey Club. The arbitrator awarded the claimants what they were seeking, which had the effect of putting Hawthorn Race Course and Thomas F. Carey, III on the hook for $1,200,000.00 That's a lot of hay. (See copy of arbitration doc. pg. 1 below)
A final judgement of the arbitrator's award was entered in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County in September, 2005. The Court decreed the motion to confirm the award be granted in all respects to National Jockey Club; the counterclaim by Hawthorn Race Course was denied in all respects; and, the arbitrator's award was confirmed. (See copy of court cover doc. below)
Of course, an appeal was filed, and the Appellate Court of Illinois First Judicial District affirmed the lower Court's decision in August, 2007. (See copy of court cover doc. below)
Which brings us to today - the deadline for Mr. Carey to have his case heard before the Illinois Supreme Court. We believe the case has come to a sad end for Mr. Thomas F. Carey, III.
The financial troubles Mr. Carey has faced may be why he wasn't more monetarily generous than the $1,375.00 he loaned to his own campaign effort. It may also explain why Mayor Frimystic was so generous.
What we don't understand is why a guy with this kind of legal and financial axe hanging over his head would run for public office.
But we think we may know. We hear Mr. Carey, upon assuming the lofty office of 6th ward Alderman in Park Ridge, got busy smiling and dialing his way up the political food chain. Not on behalf of his 6th ward constituents. No. On behalf of his engineering firm.
If we could get agreement from the horse's mouth that going public, with the specifics of the information, would be confirmed, we'd tell you. But the call-recipient hasn't agreed. So we won't. And at this point the smiling and dialing remains only rumor.
Alderman Carey is certainly a guy down on his luck. But as the old saying goes, you make your own luck. And sometimes you get lucky enough to be elected to the office of Park Ridge Alderman with the generous support of the Mayor.
And sometimes you get lucky enough to have an Alderman "owe" you, isn't that right Mayor Frimystic?
If there's one piece of advice we could offer to Alderman Thomas Carey it is this: Mayor Frimystic is not your way into the light. Find your own path. We actually feel you may have it in you.
November 7, 2007
The Spirit of the 6th Ward!
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27 comments:
Once again I am relying on my memory, but didn't Frimark make a huge deal about his mayoral opponent paying a cash settlement of about $200,000 on a legal issue of some sort? As a matter of fact I remember him doing a multicolor mail piece complaining about it to the entirety of Park Ridge.
So now his boy is hit with a $1,200,000 penalty and he gives him a substantial campaign contribution. What a two faced swine this Mayor is.
holy wow.
I think someone has some explaining to do.
Mr. Carey, care to comment?
sha-zam!
Perhaps the rumors of Off Track Betting is actually on the horizon for the Higgins Corridor? Who best to be alderman of the 6th ward then someone with racetrack experience!
Howard and his friends play hardball in a softball town. For the last 200 years or so, our system of representative democracy has generally rewarded the best tactician/toughest fighter. Unless someone is willing to fight fire with fire, get down in the gutter and play his game, he's likely to be Mayor until he decides it's time to quit.
From HORSE SENSE....
Very easy to jump to conclusions here... especially when catering to a crowd of readers predisposed to think that everything these guys (or at least the guys the author doesn't like) do is somehow slimy, illegal or unethical. I understand that. Politicians have done very little to demonstrate otherwise.
But it strikes me as a little unfair to present this case as evidence that the alderman is somehow compromised without even bothering to discuss the nature of the complaint against the racecourse that he was operating.
No one expects that everything written here must be fair. The authors are entitled to be as fair or unfair as they want. I am fine with that. They're not journalists and thus aren't obligated to hold what they write to any journalistic standard. So using facts selectively, using twisted logic and printing rumors and speculation is completely within thier rights.
But the fact is... businesses get sued. Competitors in every industry use the courts to gain a business advantage. Sometimes their claims have merit, other times they don't. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Hawthorne has sued its competition for damages, and won.
It wouldn't surprise me if I learned that many people here work or run companies that have been sued. Should I draw the same conclusions about you as you do for the alderman?
If someone is going after the guy criminally, fine. So be it. That's different.
If someone names Tom Carey specifically as a defendant in a case, sure, that's worth more scrutiny and as a public official that comes with the job.
But to hang him out to dry on a civil matter against a company he helped run, without even going in to the details seems like a false start.
I've never met the guy. And, I don't have a horse in this race, really.
This kind of debate and discussion, while entertaining, very well written and clever, does not serve to raise the level of debate about holding elected officials accountable. It only serves to relegate serious matters to cartoonish levels. Maybe that's how we cope. So, keep up the good work.
In my opinion - you cannot run a business like Tom's family has for all of those years and not be subjtect to pot shots!
As for Tom - we have found him to honest, forthright, concrete, genuine and most of all a family man all the way.
For those in the 6th who were being lead by a gutless wonder who could not operate a row boat in a mud puddle - I think we did great last election cycle.
Just think you could have a statue of Rex Parker with the dems all bowing down each morning as we say thank you to the voters again.
The office arm of the dems'/ gov - Blago is based in the 7th ward - not the 6th - get it right.
WoW this is just like HS!!
Whats' next....taxes, taxes,
who can help us pay more taxes.
I'm so glad that the HYP factor
( Harvard, Yale & Princeton )
is here to guide us all.
I don't think this is an issue of if Tom Carey is a Republican or a Democrat, or if people like him or not.
I read those court sheets and the one from the Arbitration Award looks very serious in what it says about the Presidents causing the illegal expenses to me. I also think it doesn't just look like pot shots getting thrown at some business when that business has lost their case before 3 different courts.
I don't know what to think about Tom Carey and his being fit to be the Alderman. I do think I would rather know about things like this about my elected representative than not know. It tells me about his experience with managing financial things and the taxes citizens pay need to be managed properly.
Anonymous 10:58,
Yes you are right businesses get sued all the time and no one who works for a company should be held responsible for those actions if they are not involved. But this is far from the case. Did you read the case document? In case you missed it “The President has caused such expenditures, unapproved, to occur to the extent of $1.2 million in 2003.” Tom Carey was the “President”. It goes on to demand “refund of the unauthorized expenses”. That would also be Tom Carey, President.
This means that Alderman Carey was personally responsible and he lost, I repeat, lost the case. That is he has to refund the $1.2 million dollars he “authorized without approval”. But that’s not the best part. The best part is (here comes the joke) he is one of three, that’s thirty-three and a third percent, of this city’s Finance & Budget Committee. How special.
Ah, thank you, Anon 11:24 - it wouldn't seem like a real Park Ridge political debate without somebody throwing in the red herring Dem v. Repub issue.
I don't know Carey, either, and I don't care whether he eats ketchup on his hot dogs or sneaks cigaretters in his basement. I also don't see a direct connection between a $1.2 mil private business problem and his role as an alderman.
BUT anybody who thinks that Park Ridge is somehow immune to the kind of graft and corruption that surrounds us (Chicago, Cook County, Niles and Rosemont, for starters) is drinking too much Kool-Aid.
The kinky Owen Hayes III almost-deal on that Busse Hwy. property back in 2004 was supported by at least seven of the 14 aldermen at that time, and a lot of P.R. RE has changed hands since then in and around Uptown and the three main "corridors" - NW Hwy, Busse and Higgins.
Anybody taking bets on where HOward's new cop shop is going now that the D-64 ESC looks like it's off the table?
The talk about the local office holders in our town and the next election makes me feel that maybe we should all look deep within ourselves to come up with people who are willing to give of themselves without having an agenda.
People who feel that maybe they have been blessed by having to raise their families in Park Ridge.
People who want to give back to a community that has afforded them the opportunity to live in such a great town as Park Ridge.
We should look at current Community Leaders and evaluate their effort on behalf of those who have elected them.
We should look at the pool of Volunteers who help keep towns like ours the target of young families looking for a place to start their lives.
A Solid Slate of people willing to give of themselves for their neighbors other than trying to better themselves is what we should be looking to accomplish as a community.
This is my hope and I hope it is yours
I do not know all of you who appear to maybe know each other and I think that's a good thing.
I am just a "regular guy" who got turned on to this blog and publicwatchdog.org by someone I consider knowledgeable about PR goings on. I am glad he pointed these two sites out to me and likewise I have done the same with many of my PR friends and aquaintances.
It will be about time if the PR citizenry wake up to the b.s. going on all around them at the time of the next election. I sure do hope this and the other site can sustain themselves because they seem to be providing an important outlet for facts, fiction and opinion not being covered by the local "rags".
BTW, while I am mostly aligned with Horse Sense on this, the original post sure does give one something to think about. So think people... think!
You're pretty good at getting hold of public documents and you seem to have at least one or two pretty good sources within the city. Do everybody in PR a favor and put up a post about the fishy Owen Hayes deal.
The citizens should all know the dirty particulars of that smelly transaction. Some big time fiduciary betrayals.
And guess who ended up with office space in that same property after the deal went bad...
Hint:Insurance sales.
Insider,
The PRU Crew isn't any better at ferreting out public documents than anybody else would be if they took the time and knew how and where to look, but thanks all the same.
Yes, we've been asked several times about the Owen Hayes - 515 Busse Hwy - Police Station deal that didn't get done.
We've got some feelers out, we've gotten a hold of a few public documents, and we will either discuss it here or point PRU readers in the right direction.
Thanks,
The PRU Crew
Living here within the 6th ward has been very interesting to say the least.
First - we had an alderman who DID NOTHING.
Second - we had an alderman who only cared about his resume and working from his home - all illegal.
Note: I wonder if he claimed all that income ????with the IRS.
Let's see - maybe he can turn himself in at 219 S.Dearborn street.
Next we had the Dems support him with a good size amount to handle three mailers to the house.
Next we had Sen. Kowtoski intervine and support the looser - with funding.
Next we had a smear campaign against Carey.
So now it continues with the smearing and the attempts to tear at the fabric of this country - our right to select a candidate and elect him/her.
So - its sour grapes and a huge ax to grind as we see it.
I see it as being better off.
There are no rewards in being if office - accept if you plan to line your pockets like Ex Gov. Ryan.
Say - what ever happened to the large amount of funds that went to the O'hare Expansion cmte?
Who voted on that ?
anonymous 9:01
"I see it as being better off." Perhaps you are right and perhaps that is the saddest part to this.
I believe the City of Park Ridge has over 37,000 residents. That would equate to well over 5000 per ward. Granted some are kids or people otherwise not eligible to serve, But I find it hard to believe that Frimark could not have found a more upright individual to replace Parker.
Do you know Tom Carey personally? How do you know he is not an upright individual? When was the last time that you sat down and had a conversation with him and told him your concerns?
Anonymous 3:08
The lawsuit and decision speaks for itself. I don’t know Carey personally. I don’t know George Ryan or Rod Blagoevich personally either.
Not to mention that anyone who would align themselves with Howard Frimark requires one to question his motivation and trustworthiness.
You have a guy that is taking time away time from his personal life, his job and his family to try to help and make a difference in his community and you have an issue with him and you don't even know him! If you think that you could do a better job maybe you should have run for alderman of the 6th Ward. I have met with Tom Carey on several issues and I have found him to be nothing but eager to help and open to suggestions.
Maybe if you are so concerned about what happened at his previous job 5 years ago you should call him and ask instead of stirring up negativity. There is always two sides to every story. Many times the picture isn't always black and white
Anonymous 4:54
Where to start?
1. In regards to the relevance of “his previous job 5 years ago”. Yes it is a valid question today because the case was final yesterday and it’s not like it was a speeding ticket. It was a penalty of $1.2 million because “The President has caused such expenditures, unapproved, to occur” and he serving on the Finance & Budget Committee.
2. As far as “There is always two sides to every story. Many times the picture isn't always black and white.” Yes you are right. That is why they have judges and juries. Guess what? In case you can’t guess look at the court record provided above.
3. Next “you don't even know him!” How do you know I don’t know him? I’m sure he’s a swell guy. I even bet he throws a great July fourth barbeque. Who cares?
4. Then you say “You have a guy that is taking time away time from his personal life”. What a crock. He knew the time commitment when he signed up to run. If he didn’t then he should have stayed out of it. Also, as far as his race, he could have run against Parker and beat him even if they still had fourteen aldermen. But he stood with Frimark to cut the council in half and double the alderman workload. You don’t get a pass for doing a bad job or from scrutiny because you are giving up your time.
5. Finally, “you should call him and ask instead of stirring up negativity”. I think that serves very little purpose. The court document and its conclusion is a public record. If there is something incorrectly stated in it he should make a public statement to that effect. I encourage you to advise him to do so, since you do seem to know him.
Again, there are two sides to every story. You are wrong. Enough said.
Yes, there are two sides to every story. This story has been told by the complaining party and the defending party and has been heard by an arbitrator, a circuit court judge, and an appellate court panel of three judges.
Sounds to me like Mr. Carey has had a lot of opportunity to tell his side of the story. It also sounds to me like every time he has told his side of the story the decision hasn't been in his favor.
But you can go ahead and keep saying that anyone who might believe Mr. Carey should be closely watch or that he isn't the great guy that the Mayor or you say he is, is just plain wrong. Wrong along with the complaining party, the arbitrator, the circuit court judge and the three appellate court judges.
Too bad Mr. Carey didn't have a chance to just sit down and have a conversation with all those judges.
I agree with Anonymous.
No, I agree with Anonymous.
No, me. No, me.
Ladies, ladies... take it ouside will you?
Or at least get some imagination and choose a name so we can tell one Anonymous from the other. Geez.
Carey's better that Rex Parker for the people of the 6th...but then again, a brick of cheese could serve the people better than Rex Parker.
Repeat after me...
Cukoo!...Cukoo!...Cukoo!
Keep your eye on the south end effort
and see who pops up. Bottom line here is - the Dems!! Yes Sen. Dan Kotowski and his hitmen/crew.
I would'nt put it past the wantabbe mayor - friel to be behind this action from the alleyway.
Talk about a hidden agenda!! Oh yes and how much did the city accept from Gov. Blago! its like the outfit when you borrow - juice - they will want their cut/share/piece of the pie....
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