from: allposters.co.uk
Greetings PRU readers! We hope many of you were able to take advantage of a long weekend. We enjoyed having an extra day off, but we're diving back into the local pool of politics and policy today!
Our fist item for you to note today is that we've added some Election Season Links to the right, under our blog archives list. There you will be able to click and visit the sites promoting various candidates for various offices up for election this coming April. And, if and when the competing slates of candidates for the Park Board get something together, we'll post that link too.
Our second item for you today is a notice we received via email about a press conference today --
Press ConferenceWe earlier told you about the local ORD-REST.com group taking on the issue of O'Hare expansion, and we posted a guest comment from one of the organizers. There now appears to be another group also working on fighting O'Hare expansion -- Stop-OMP.org
Chicago City Hall
Feb 17th
11am
2nd
Floor
The city manager Mr. Jim Johnson of Bensenville just called my home and invited any concerned Park Ridge residents down to Chicago's city hall located at 121 N. LaSalle Street - 2nd floor press room.
It appears that the city of Bensenville who is ahead of the game to a point will kick off " Runway To Nowhere " tomorrow with all of the key media outlets that have been alerted/invited.
I plan to attend myself with our city of Park Ridge map - outlined with the 9L/27R cutting across the city's air cap along with the other two air routes from the NE to the SW.
Maybe some of our leadership will too be there!
See you there tomorrow.....strength in numbers!!
Thanks
The PRU Crew's original opinion on the issue of O'Hare expansion hasn't changed. But we wish our friends and neighbors good luck as they pursue this issue and seek some form of relief. We'll keep watching.
Our final item -- last night the City Council had another regular meeting scheduled. The PRU Crew was decidedly on break and when we kick back and put our feet up we're fully committed to the effort. Anyone interested in reporting anything of interest from the meeting should feel free to do so here.
16 comments:
What the hell is going on with the police department, I.E. the Grand Jury.
Re last night's meeting...
Paging Naomi de Plume!
Thanks for the election links PRU. I see that Schmidt has his issues page going, but Frimark doesn't know what the issues are yet? I guess Frimark is waiting for his survey results before he talks about anyting going on in Park Ridge?
I did not know the General Caucus had a website! Thank you PRU.
I wish they would put up the applications the candidates filled out. I would LOVE to read those!
Blueberry, don't hold your breath. As far as the caucus is concerned they've told everyone all everyone should need to know about the school board candidates. They've said who they've endorsed.
I would like to know which if any of the school board candidates support eliminating the middle school honor rolls.
I read in the paper about the idea of eliminating recognizing honor roll studednts and finding alternative means of student recognition is being considered. I wonder what alternative means of student recognition they are talking about.
Maybe I am old fashioned but I always thought school was about learning and trying to get good grades and that being recognized for academics was what it was all about.
Anon@10:28 --
The Crew read the article in the Journal & Topics too.
We were glad to see at least two of the current District 64 board members opposed the idea.
Your question about the candidates' positions on the topic is a good one.
I agree with Blueberry Buckle - you need to laugh so you won't cry. Too bad the Caucus successfully deterred anybody else from running for the D-64 board, thereby giving the Caucus a 4-3 majority for the next four years.
Looks like another 4 years of higher taxes, more spending and mediocre performance.
When are the people of Park Ridge going to wise up and realize that the Caucus has turned the entire District mediocre?
Council meeting last night was another short one - consent agenda items - only discussion was about Ryan's proposed zoning change for the Napleton property at Meacham and Northwest Highway. Several residents support the change from B-1 to R-3 or R-4. Napleton's attorney was present and said that Napleton was not in favor of any zoning change, that it would diminish the value of his property. Council voted to refer the proposed change to P & Z for a recommendation. Meeting adjourned.
For those interested - I did attend the press conference today downtown at Chicago's city hall.
For more feedback I would ask that information sent - be posted here in this forum.
Note: A crack in the dike is the arrest of fmr chief of staff to Blago - Mr. Harris who also was the director of the OMP !!
Its starting to fall apart for the " pay to play" good old boys network.
The city of Bensenville and its leadership should be commended for their fight against the OMP!
Casting a wider net as they say!!
Thank you.
I thought Rosemarie Andolino was the OMP director.
There are enough legitimately paranoia-inducing cabals out there that we don't need to fret about the Caucus. I am remaining anon. for reasons akin to PRU's, but I say from personal experience that these are the facts, Jack:
1)more than 20 local organizations, churches, schools and clubs sent delegates to the 207 and 64 Caucus. Any group of 10 people or more that is an organization convened regularly for any civic purpose (not just a one-time meet-up to pack the caucus) is welcome to send delegates. You have to fill out contact info as School Board is a "real" election, but your group doesn't have to be a 40l(c)(3) or any such formality to qualify.
2) the delegates and alternates(two each) of the 20+ groups made literally dozens and dozens of phone calls over a period of weeks and months to friends, neighbors, acquaintances, etc. they thought would make good candidates. Some of you may have been approached; if you are smart and meddlesome and I knew you, I probably asked you to run myself! There was no vetting of who was asked by any in-group nor any effort to control who was or wasn't asked to run.
3) It was very, very hard to get even a handful of possible candidates to agree to run. Not surprising; it's a lot of work, a lot of unappreciated work, and a lot of arithmetic, late hours, etc. with no perks. Very glamorous. Not like being an alderman!
4) Of those candidates who did agree to run and make brief presentations to the Caucus, by-laws of the caucus (which are open to change by delegate vote) limit endorsements to a few candidates of those who did run. Only those the majority of the delegates from from all these unconnected organizations voted for were endorsed. For a group to have a vote, attendance by a delegate from that group at both presentation meetings was mandatory, so no group could vote having heard only some of the candidates. And remember, unendorsed candidates are still free to run. Those who don't want to take the caucus's recommendation are free to vote for whomever they like better. Again, hardly a cabal, conspiracy, etc. Next time, the caucus will include a number of new organizations, with new delegates and alternates, to help make the endorsements. Your organization can be among them. If you don't think the candidates are top-drawer, recruit some or, better yet, run yourself. bottom line and once again, for the record: There. Is. No. Caucus. Conspiracy.
Honest!
P.S. I believe there is a forum for candidates on March 17 at the South Park Fieldhouse. You can most likely ask about the middle school honor roll and meet the candidates then.
Thanks, PRU, for providing this forum.
Anonymous 2-17 @5:17 pm
Rosemarie Andolino is the current executive director of the OMP. John Harris was the first manager of the OMP when Daley announced the expansion plan in 2001. He served as the first deputy commissioner of Chicago's Department of Aviation until 2004 after which time he became Daley's budget director. He was in charge of contracts and runway expansion and was the city's go to man in its effort to expand O'Hare. Harris is also known in aviation circles as the "Meigs Field Butcher" because he supervised the midnight demolition of Meigs in March of 2003. He was present when the bulldozers carved their X's on the runway.
PR does not need to caucus. Anyone who wants to run for the 64 or 207 board should gather the necessary signatures, submit them according to the rules and be placed on the ballot. Period. We do not need the caucus to tell us who can run and who we should vote for. I don't care how many organizations you say you represent. What makes the caucus think it has the right to this kind of control over a public school board.
Anon at 11:01
I think you are missing the value of one of the main functions of the caucus-- they try to find people to run for the school board, not to promote some agenda, but because it is extremely difficult to find people WILLING to run. I think if there was no caucus, there might not be enough people to run for the positions. They simply aren't beating down the doors. I confess to being somewhat mystified by the resentment and mistrust that I keep hearing about the caucus, and its endorsed candidates. Maybe there was some grave misdeed that occurred in the past under this arrangement-- if so, could someone please provide some specifics about that? But my impression about the caucus now is that it serves a valuable purpose, and I do not know of some underlying motive that is being served by it. Again, I am open to hearing specifics about this arrangment that make it so awful, but as things stand now, all I see are the benefits.
I believe the caucus is an issue because of the very process you just spelled out. The caucus decides who runs. You find the people to run, you interview the people to run and then you decide who is on the caucus ticket. You then campaign for the caucus ticket. Anyone you reject you give the impression that they should not run because the caucus is not endorsing them-no caucus machine behind them. Granted some one foiled the status quo in the last election. But you have rejected good people in the past years. Again, anyone wanting to run-get the signatures and follow election rules to get yourself on the ballot.
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