April 24, 2008

Bananas!



In today's Herald-Advocate we read:

City manager choice due May 5

April 24, 2008

By JENNIFER JOHNSON

Park Ridge Mayor Howard Frimark said he will recommend the man he would like to see hired as the new city manager at the City Council's next regular meeting on May 5.

The City Council has been meeting in closed session to determine which of two candidates should be hired by the city, but has been unable to reach a consensus. The council met in closed session twice on Monday, but left both meetings without taking any action. No further meetings are scheduled.

Frimark said he has begun working with the city attorney on a contract for the individual he plans to recommend to the City Council.

The city has been without a city manager since Feb. 29. Deputy City Manager Juliana Maller has assumed the role of acting city manager during that time.


In the article above we have underlined "but has been unable to reach a consensus." We wanted to draw the attention of PRU readers to that phrase. Our sources tell us that phrase is not true. What the council has been unable to do is get Frimark to agree to their consensus. And as usual, we expect Frimark to proceed in his own best interest.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear Howie is backing the candidate with less experience who coincidentally, is the son of one of his insurance clients in Park Ridge (and possibly a fellow PRCC member). Any truth to these rumors?

I would hate to think Howie would place his personal business interests over those of the city.

Again.

Doesn't he know that all the closed meetings minutes eventually have to be release to the public?

Anonymous said...

Geez...this is SUCH an easy decision. Why is it taking so long?!!!!!
Pick the one who made the most campaign contributions to Howie and his puppets, and get it overwith.
DUH

Anonymous said...

Howard doesn't have to "agree with the Council's consensus"...he can put forward the candidate of his choice. The Council will then, collectively and individually, have to decide whether or not to defy him publicly by voting to either give or withhold their "consent"...we'll then see who the real puppets are...

Should be very entertaining to watch.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 10:11:

I hear the same thing and that the candidate in question would be joining our fine city from his current position in Glenview.

Anonymous said...

Is there ever anything that gets done in this town that isn't a mess and full of backscratching???? Every single time I turn around I'm reading about another controversey or conflict our Mayor has with Council members!!!! This is ridiculous!!!!

Anonymous said...

Seems like even the council agrees that they're both qualified candidates.

Who cares if the mayor favors one that they don't?

Anonymous said...

To Private Citizen,

I guess we are reading things differently because it sounds to me like the council doesn't agree that both candidates are qualified or not equally qualified.

To tell you the truth, I do care about what the council thinks and I think no one person should be able to dictate how things turn out. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that is not the democracy I learned was good for us.

KaiserSosay said...

Private Citizen:

If HOward is favoring a candidate who has relatives who have done business with Howard, or are close friends, then it seems to me their is little objectivity in how this candidate was reviewed.

This is just another example of Howard using his position to make life better for Howard, or Friends of Frimark.

Little consideration of if it is best for the 37,000 residents of Park Ridge.


We are getting frimarked again....

..and it's going to happen all over again when the City hires a new / permanent Police Chief.

Anonymous said...

As yes the Des Plaines deputy chief who:

1) has denied she is interested in the job
2) is the wife of a big FOF supporter

Can't wait to read all about it!

BOHICA!

Anonymous said...

You folks are just so negative...

I'm sure it's just happy circumstance that Howard finds people with ties to himself as being the best qualified for the positions he wants to fill...

All these happy circumstances should just be accepted and remain unquestioned...clearly, Howard has a giant happy circumstance horseshoe up his bum...

To the poster who commented upon Howard's on-going problems with the City Council...

Let's see now...Howard didn't get along and agree with the last Council...but that was because they were all dirty democrats...I guess the ones who weren't democrats were just dirty...? Now Howard isn't getting along and agreeing with this Council either...sort of makes you wonder what kind of "dirty" this Council could be...?

I suppose it would be just too negative to take a closer look at the single common denominator between the two...

Anonymous said...

Ekl...you got all this?
Just want to make sure. We KNOW you are reading!

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

Actually, not today or not from the office, uncloaked.

Anonymous said...

We've got a mayor who spent almost $13,000 to get elected to an alderman job paying $1,200/yr, and who then collected approx. $90,000 - and spent over $80,000 of it - to get elected to the $12,000/yr mayor's job.

So ask yourselves: Is Frimark's ego so big that he needed to feed it by getting elected mayor regardless of the cost? Or was the whole point of his getting elected to do all that "backscratching", whatever that entails, that we're seeing being done by him or with his approval?

And then remember how he personally ran the cut-the-Council referendum; helped engineer the election of his own majority of aldermen; pushed for those 8 extra "variance" condo units at Exec. Office Plaza for his campaign contributors (Adreani and Norwood Builders); pushed for the $2.4 million for his campaign contributor Napleton; wants a new, higher appraisal for the Garden St. ins. agency for a new police station; pushed for Ekl-Williams as the police dept. auditor.

Anonymous said...

If Frimark is going to do whatever the hell he wants why do we have aldermen at all? Frimark just wants rubber stamps so he can have control but if anything goes wrong then he can blame the aldermen.

Anonymous said...

Change gears here -
Just received my " Thank you letter"
from Bill Napleton.

I find it very interesting to see that he is putting the blame on GM.

Citing the following:

" We regret to report as a part
of GM's nationwide dealership
consoldidation, Napleton
Cadillac/Pointiac/Buick will
close on May 2nd, 2008."

Baloney!!!!!!!!!!!!Bill!!

Who's really buying the land ?

Thank you too!!

Anonymous said...

Is Howard related to the Stroger clan?





A.J.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:57, you've just written the Gettysburg Address of Howard Analyses. Perfection!

Anon 7:18, you've given me, a dirty D, my best (hell, my only!) laugh of the day.

Thanks, guys!

Anonymous said...

no, he's not related to Stroger.
but they use the same business plan.

Anonymous said...

What about the extention of the use of the veterans funds - cut up and used like a slush fund ?

What about Howard Frimark and his state used funds for his city pet projects ?

Those also involved are:

- Rosemary M.

- Dan K.

Let's wait and see know that the Tribune has agreed to start their investigation.

Maybe the FBI and US Atty's office will sit up and take notice after they complete their leg work.

Observation and objectivity!

Better get yourself a burn barrel Howie......where oh where did those funds come from and go to....

Thank you.