As most of you know, the 3rd Ward's Constitutional UNscholar provides a lot of entertainment value for the PRU. If this clown didn't have a vote on the city council we'd be content to just point and laugh! But that 1/7th vote puts a bit of a damper on the comedy routine known as the Frimark administration.
Bachtard's first appearance on our blog was due to his taking part in telling the Park Ridge police department that he, along with 4th Ward Alderman Jim Allspaghetti, does not appreciate full enforcement of the Zero Tolerance law by police in Park Ridge.
At a later date, Bachtard went on to let everyone know how courageous he is for becoming an alderman on the Park Ridge city council, which inspired us to write an Ode to Alderman Dreadbach.
Bachtard continued to provide comedic value when he infamously rebuked Bill Napelton, telling Napleton he had no intention of every spending his own money at Napleton Cadillac ever again, right before he voted to give Napleton $2.4 million dollars of our money.
And who could forget Bachtard's self-described "sensationalist approach...to have a discussion on the elimination of the Tree Preservation Ordinance...His intent was to capture the attention of the community and it did just that (.pdf)", because as we all know, if there's anything the residents of Park Ridge need it's a "sensationalist approach" to public policy, and representatives who "capture the attention of the community" by making false statements about their intentions.
Given Bachtard's track record, it came as no surprise to the PRU Crew when we read that Bachtard again used a sensationalist approach in addressing the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) by suggesting that Park Ridge may be better off rejoining the Suburban O'Hare Commission (SOC). In a report in one of the local rags, Bachtard said, "I don't personally believe SOC is going to do us any good," he said, explaining that he believed the city's past involvement was a "miserable failure" which cost the city millions of dollars, largely in legal fees." The report states Bachtard's sensationalist approach was "intended to put pressure on the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration to share "accurate" information with communities surrounding O'Hare." Because as we all know, a heaping helping of hollow sensationalism is exactly what's needed when attempting to address serious issues of public policy.
So we have to ask, if Bachtard admittedly uses "sensationalist approaches" to serious discussions of important public policy issues and problems, what do you suppose he's using in his approach to political issues?
December 15, 2008
Bachtard Strikes Again! And Again! And Again!
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29 comments:
What does Bach use in his approach to political issues?
Good Lawd...who can say?
Maybe he didn't read the survey results that said the citizens believe a major issue is a lack of open government...or maybe he wasn't paying attention at the strategic planning meeting when this issue was discussed...or maybe he missed reports on PR receiving a "Worsty" award for trying to hold an "invitation only" "public" meeting at the Country Club...or maybe he talked to 30 people in the 3rd ward who told him PR government is "open enough"...or maybe he forgot about aldermen meeting privately with developers who were/are trying to get variances for their projects...or maybe he forgot about the closed sessions where Howard was trying to get the city to increase the appraised value on a property before buying it...or maybe he forgot he voted to try to keep the police department audit results "secret" from PR residents...or maybe he forgot about his role in the behind the scenes monkey business that allowed Howard to "spring" a condemnation on Schmidt with the support of 5 aldermen and the city Clerk...or maybe he's just one of the dumbest numbskulls ever to warm a seat in city council chambers...
I got a good laugh reading his endorsement of Frimark. It reads like a 12 yr. old wrote it and he's mad so he's gonna take his bat and ball and go home! Give me a break. I'm so sick of being embarrassed by politicians.
B.O.H.I.C.A.!
"I'm so sick of being embarrassed by politicians"
Anonymous December 15, 2008 2:01 PM, you took the words right out of my mouth!
anon 2:01 and 2:59:
I am wondering if either of you live in the third ward. If you do then you have the opportunity to end the "embarrassment". After all, last time he won by a whopping 835 votes, which was ALL the votes becuase he was the only one running.
Anonymous 12/15 at 3:27,
I understand what you are saying about Bach being uncontested, but I don't believe being elected in a contested election means a representative is going to be any good. Look what we got for a Governer!
I also think that a representative can be good even if he was elected in an uncontested election. I think Alderman Schmidt is a fine example of somebody doing a good job.
Bach was Howie's pick for the third ward and I'm not surprised nobody ran against him. And still Bach didn't get all the votes cast by the third ward. He just got the votes of people who bothered to cast them in the alderman race where he had no opponent.
To your statement about the embarrassment Bach is for the thrid ward. Sad as it is to say, Bach is an embarrassment to the entire town not just the third ward. Bach is supposed to be all of our representative at the Noise Committee and I am embarrassed by what I read of his statement and the SOC threat. I'm glad he's not my alderman though mine still is not good, but I am still embarrassed by Bach as a representative of Park Ridge.
anon 4:33:
I agree with you completely. Just because an alderman did or did not have an opponent does not indicate what kind of job they are capable of or, in the end, actually do.
I have to admit to finding something ironic (or perhaps the right word is tragic) about what on the one hand appears to be very passionate criticism of how the alderman perform and on the other hand a very small number of people (me included) actually being willing to run - even with the opportunity to make $100.00 per month!!!!!
Last election 3 or 7 were uncontested. If I am not mistaken in the election prior to that when 7 of the then 14 aldermen were up for election it was 4 of 7 uncontested.
So when I read the two posts about Bach being an embarassment I inquried about if they were from his ward. I hope that someone from the third ward who feels that they can do a better job and is willing to make the time committment decides to run as I do in my own fourth ward.
I would also hope that Alderman Dave is having conversations with potential alderman candidates. If he wins and the 7 alderman remain the same over his entire term that is going to be a freakin' mess!!
Hey, we're all kollich eddicated here. Bag the Bachtard and switch to more erudite insults, such as, "the latest Bacchanalia in the papers was too good to miss." Or, on a pop-cultured note, how about Bach to the Future? (And it's spelled Pottersville, doncha know.) While we're at it, where is Don'tCarey? or is that CouldCareyless? But seriously, the part of the letter I loved best was when he wrote, presumably with a straight face, that the only infrastructure problem residents care about is getting our much-needed new police station. PRU and P'DOG must have plotzed at that one! People will be pulling themselves out of potholes to get to the voting booth, I'll wager. (Not really wager, after all, this isn't Rosemont or DesPlaines!)
So what is the process for running anyway?
Now we have a bigger fish to fry.
The new runway 9L/27R and the hundreds of planes is brought with it.
Roosevelt school( no sound proofing and the fed is broke) is right in the path
and so is MS. At least MS has the
sound proofing but what good is that!
Crap can and will drop from these planes like fuel, crap, parts or even a few nuts or bolts here and there.
This is the new cause at 505 and lets watch as the FAA thumbs their noise and nose at us!!
anon at 5:38
And why weren't you concerned about the planes passing over Maine East, which they have done (without dropping nuts and bolts, luggage, or crap) for the last 30 or so years?
Are you only concerned about elementary school kids? Or just the kids in your part of town?
And what about all the poor sick people at Luthern General? No care at all for all the surgical complications including "trauma from falling aircraft debris?" Or "blue ice chunk" syndrome?
Fact is, the planes have gotten quieter. Most of the louder, older, less fuel efficient planes are parked in the desert. So now everyone who has been living in a cave for the last 10 years, who did not know that an airport is located just west of us, and did not know that the airport was being expanded is up in arms. And using kids as a shield. I bet the sirens on the fire trucks and ambulances from Cumberland and Devon are louder that airplanes passing overhead.
And there is more pollution from the thousands upon thousands of cars and trucks on the Kennedy, Tri-State, Devon, Touhy, Northwest Highway, than there is from the airplanes passing 2500 feet over Park Ridge.
The airport never said they would only use the new "all weather" runway only in bad weather. They said that they would use the runway to reduce delays in bad weather. The built a control tower just for this runway. They are going to use it from 6 am to 10pm everyday that the wind lets them.
We here on the north-west side are getting use to the quiet.
You south-siders will get used the planes.
Its too bad Howard was ignoring the problem and did not even think of trying to do some public relations ahead of the runway opening. Of course he was do busy revising Bach's endorsement letter to give a crap about residents fears of falling crap.
Not to "pick nits" but I would invite you to stand at the corner of Talcott and Belle Plaine (or in the middle of the MS football field if you like) and watch the planes and tell me that they are flying at 2500 ft. If they were at 2500 ft it would go a long way to resolving the problem.
I am not going to pick nits off anybody. I will say, it is awfully hard to judge how far an object is away up in the air. I just read an example regarding the recent full moon. The moon is the closest to the earth right now and the full moon was something light 14% brighter than average. THe article explained that the rising moon seems larger, but it is an optical illustion. If you take something, like a pencil eraser and hold it up to the rising "large" moon and later on the same night, hold it up to the "smaller" moon higher in the sky, you will see that the moon remains the same size. So back to the point, I can't prove by looking at the planes that they are at 2500 feet, nor can you prove that they are lower. But I do know that the planes follow a glide slope that is constant, that leads them to the precise landing threshhold on the runway. I also know, by looking at a map, that the new runway is further west than the older runway down the Kennedy. So the planes flying over the south part of Park Ridge are slightly lower than the planes flying to the new runway, glide slopes being glide slopes, (and all other things being equal). You can probably read all about glide slopes on the FAA web site.
And I have stood at Maine East, and at Luthern General, and Golf Mill, and the Rosemont Target. I know the planes are higher at Golf Mill and much much lower at Target. How high, who knows. But I would bet a dozen Krispy Kream donuts that all of the planes are on the glide slope. (Oops, KK in Rosemont is gone!)
The definitive Bach is the goof who railed against Napleton for disrespecting the City Council and the people of Park Ridge, smugly told Napleton that he (Bach) would not buy another Cadillac from him, but then turned around and voted to give Napleton $400,000 of our money to clean the pollution on his site, and up to $2,000,000 of our sales tax dollars if his dealership had stayed in Park Ridge.
So whether he's a dope, or whether he's a lackey for Frimark, or whether he doesn't give a damn about the taxpayers, doesn't matter. The sad fact is that he is willing to treat our money like it's Monopoly money. And any one of you folks in the 3rd Ward who voted for him in an uncontested election that he could have won with just his own vote deserve to be represented by him.
anon 2:48:
I understand your frustration but your last paragraph confuses me.
Is your point that somehow those who voted for him should have known he was going to do the things you and others have written about? Unless I am mistaken, this is his first term as alderman. Is it not true that the two who preceeded him (Jones and Bateman - I am sorry I may be wrong on the names) retired. I don't know what platform he ran on but I can guarantee it did not reference giving money to Napleton.
Are you saying that those who voted for him should have not voted on principle because it was an uncontested race? Is your point that someone else in the third point should have run to make it a contested race?
What exactly is your point?
Reggie---you are totally off base. we HAVE HAD planes here on the SW end of town for a long time. It's just that now they are flying DIRECTLY OVER our homes now. Since the planes are in "landing" mode--they have their landing lights on. Those lights shine INTO MY LIVING ROOM window. It is like a spotlight. the planes are very very low.
You seem quite bitter and angry about residents of PR overall. Please move on. We need positive people who will ACT and not BITCH.
Step up and work towards a better goal instead of adding to the negativity cesspool.
Assume EVERYTHING the FAA tells you about flight paths is a lie.
Because, it is.
John J. Tormey III, Esq.
Quiet Rockland
Rockland County, NY
http://www.bobbysturgell.org
Mouse at 7:35
The only negative that I routinely point out is the utter failures of leadership demonstrated by Howie. Otherwise, I try to dispell the false information posted on this board.
You say the planes are "very, very low"; I point out that there are electronics in each plane that keeps them on a glide slope that brings them into the landing threshhold of the runway. If you want to see "very, very low" planes, I suggest that you go to the Horizon or Target in Rosemont.
I understand that you are still in shock over the change in flight patterns and runway use. But all YOUR complaining about lights in YOUR livingroom will not result in any ACTION by anyone, especially the FAA. Howard may "act" to try to close the barn door, but the horses are long out of the barn; Elvis has left the building; stick a fork in the issue. Do you really think there is any action that can be taken to get the airport to say "The $250 million we spend on the runway was wrong and we are not going to use it anymore, except when the weather is bad."?
I also pointed out the NIMBY aspects of the change in flight patterns. You on the south side were not concerned when the flights were over our houses in the northwest side. Now that you can see the landing lights, the world is ending, our kids (at Roosevelt and Maine South, instead of Franklin and Maine East) are imperiled, our property values are ruined. But, in relative terms, based on the already depressed market, property values in the Manor should be up. No negativety here, just the facts.
If you have a plan, I would be happy to help, as long as the plan does not include moving your air traffic back to using the Rosemont runway for landings. Just like you (except without your bitterness), not in my back yard.
As far as proposing action, may I suggest you look into getting curtins or blinds for your living room?
Reggie:
I am not disagreeing with most of your post but again I have to take issue with the way you brush off how low the planes are.
I could care less if they have electronics that bring them in on a glide pattern. You seem to use that statement to minimize my concerns or make them seem unjustified.
In a previous post you used the figure of 2500 ft. Again I would invite you to go to the fields on main south grounds by Talcott and Dee Rd.
By the way I have seen the planes fly over Allstate Arena. Of course they are low!!! The runway is about 1/2 (or less) mile accross the highway. So what you are saying is that I should be happy about my situation because at least they are not as bad as Target or Allstate Arena???? That is crazy!!!
Well if all we disagree about is "How low is low?", I need not try to explain further. As I noted in a post above, it is difficult to judge how high, or low a plane is flying. You believe that they are low. I cannot question that belief, only try to explain that they are right where they should be to make a safe landing at the airport.
And I understand your reaction to change, especially when the city government did so little to try to prepare for the day the runway opened. There is more noise, more lights, and more planes in a regular pattern over a different section of town.
Can we do anything about it? I don't think so. But if you figure out a way that has a snowball's chance, let me know.
Boy it never it never ends. even after 53 years people are still up in arms about airplanes.
even those who moved here long after the airport was established.
Anon@339:
I dont know if Reggie is really brushing off "how low" the planes are by your house, but I can tell you this:
Reggie was a little off on the 2500ft mark but see the links below and you can figure how high they are if you know how far from the end of the runway your house is. Also from the links you can see that the glide slope is almost the exact same for both SW approach (22R and L) as it is for the new W approach (27R). (and the field elevation is exactly the same for all 3)
So really all this means is that if you can measure an equidistant point from the end of the respective runway, the planes are approx. the same height at that point as they would be from the same distance off the other runway.
So, you wanna know how high they are near Dee and Talcott? Answer is: approximately the same height as they have been for years at Oakton and Riverside.
Ever been to the driving range at Oakton? I have. Yes...they are low. But seeing that I live only a few blocks away from the driving range, I KNOW how low they are. Day in, Day out.
So tell me again how this sudden outrage is NOT a NIMBY situation?
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0812/00166R27R.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0812/00166R22R.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0812/00166RY22L.PDF
Anon 12:53am:
Who the hell ever said that NIMBY was not a part of this??? Certainly not me!!!! If and when I ever decide to sell my house, I can just picture the real estate agent shouting at perspective buyers with a bull horn about how lovely my back yard is.
Perhaps when that happens I could invite Reggie over and we could discuss how "it is difficult to judge how high, or low a plane is flying. You believe that they are low". WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!!!!
Who the hell knows if we can do anything about it. Like most, I understand that the chances are remote. But this attitude that we are somehow being unreasonable with our concerns or that somehow we are wrong for raising our voices with concerns is absolutely wrong.
Even if the runway pattern remains exactly the same as it is today, at least this makes people look at their elected officials and their past performance. Participation in the process, even when the chance of success is remote, brings with a hell of a lot of benefits.
I guess we would've KNOWN more about planes flying over our homes SO LOW if we belonged to the suburban association that Howie removed us from.
Reggie--chill out. We've had planes on this end of town for many many years. We have tolerated them. We knew they were here. But adding a SECOND pattern so that there are now TWO lines of planes flying over at once (go look if you don't believe me) is really unacceptable.
I know you like to rant and rant by your regular LONG posts, but use your energy elsewhere. Your bitterness shines through.
No bitterness here (except, in regard to the lack of leadership from Howard). I appreciate the correction as to the altitude. From the links, the planes are at 2,200 ft 4.6 nautical miles from the runway. And they get lower as they get closer to the runway. (Duh)
We drove around town before we moved here so we knew about the airport and the planes flying over. It was no suprise that expansion resulted in more flights.
FYI, (briefly) if TWO are unacceptable, heads up. The OHare plan is to build another runway between the two east west runways on the north side of the airport. All three will be used for landings at the same time. So if you don't like TWO, you are really not going to like THREE.
Anon@914
"...somehow we are wrong for raising our voices with concerns is absolutely wrong."
BTW Your attitude that we are wrong that you are wrong is wrong...your turn.=)
But seriously, the attitude that they are now/new concerns is really only now they are YOUR concerns...
"...Now we have a bigger fish to fry.
The new runway 9L/27R and the hundreds of planes is brought with it...Crap can and will drop from these planes like fuel, crap, parts or even a few nuts or bolts here and there...This is the new cause at 505..."
Its the "now" and "new" that are wrong.
Go ahead and voice your concerns. I understand and support that. You are right that the house sale scenario is much less desirable than before but let's not drag out the "safety of the children" and (not that this was you) high impact crash zones...
We can push for soundproofing for the affected schools (as well as neighborhoods) that dont have it and do what else we can with the situation, but I dont think it is going away anytime soon.
But I get the feeling that some people are under the delusion that if we make a big enough fuss that the runway will be abandoned or relegated to some "emergency" use...let's be realistic and try to make it as tolerable there as it has become for many of us on the North side...
when did they start building the new runway? where was our cartoon mayor back then? was he meeting with daley? was he meeting with the faa? was he meeting with schakowsky? was he looking at the noise contour maps? did he have any idea what was going on?
guess not.
wait til the build the other 2 runways!!!!!!!
Its going to be like living next to an active duty AF base with all the
planes landing/taking off.
Just remember to duck......when they come in low.
I think Howie was away when they recently cut the ribbon for the new runway.
Maybe he was down at in Fla.
Where did they say anything about other runways being built?
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