You Can't Handle the Truth!

During one of those classic Hollywood moments in the 1992 film 'A Few Good Men', Actor Jack Nicholson in the character of Colonel Jessep treats viewers to a passionately patriotic speech worthy of Oliver North. Of course, viewers already know Jessep is a bad guy, and his impassioned pontification reeks of ego-maniacal madness.

It is with tremendous pleasure that we now assure the City Council and Mayor Howard Frimark that Park Ridge is not Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There is no wall or fence to be patrolled. Park Ridge residents are not Cuba's "Frontier Brigade". You can tell us the truth about what you're doing. We can handle it.

And you can stop conducting so much of the public's business behind closed doors.

Since the current council members took their seats on May 21, 2007, they have had 17 meetings; including one oddly titled "Special Meeting" (Nov. 14, 2007); which does not appear to have been a "Special Meeting of the City Council", but nevertheless was a closed session.

The council's very first full working meeting on June 4, 2007 included a closed session to discuss the acquisition of property. When Mayor Howard was asked by a resident what was the "business of the closed session meeting regarding acquisition of property. Mayor Frimark stated no further information could be released at this time." Correction, Mayor Howard, but you could release "further information." The law does not demand that you keep information secret from the public. It is your choice to do so.

There have been 18 items scheduled for closed session discussion; 9 of which have been listed as "discipline, performance or dismissal of a specific employee" or as a "personnel matter". We strongly agree that those items covering the discipline, performance, or dismissal of a specific employee and personnel matters are best discussed privately; providing staff with some measure of employment "due process", especially where discipline and dismissal may be concerned.

However, the rest of the items scheduled to be closed from public view now appear to possibly have been abuses of the closed session exceptions allowed under the law, at least according to press reports (press report 1, press report 2, press report 3) and quotes attributed to Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st ward).

Again, a big high-five to Alderman Schmidtzkrieg from the PRU Crew. And a warning too; we hear Mayor Howard is trying to sick his lackeys on you for the purpose of "ripping your eyes out of your head and pissing in your dead skull" (-Jessep; 'A Few Good Men'), which may take the more literal form of some Frimark-orchestrated theater during a council meeting.

We sure hope somebody can read the law - the Illinois Open Meetings Act - to Mayor Howard and explain that the release of "confidential" information about public business conducted in secret is not against the law, and in fact the law does not allow for any form of sanction against those who do.

In short: "the people have a right to be informed."

We think the people can handle the truth.