January 7, 2010

Chumbolones And Billboards, Baby!


Available from -- Carnival source.com

Chumbolone! The Urban Dictionary defines the word as --

1. chumbolone

idiot, stupid - Popularized by Chicago newspaper columnist John Kass after first hearing the word spoken in testimony by mob messenger boy Anthony "Twan" Doyle during a 2007 federal trial. While working for the mob, Doyle got himself hired into the Chicago Police Department evidence department in order to remove or destroy DNA and other evidence of mob homicides.

Actual example: "I gave him lip service," Doyle said. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I don't wanna look like a chumbolone, an idiot, stupid," Doyle said from the witness stand.

Wise guys count on the majority of people to be chumbolones, idiots, stupid -- it makes getting what they're after a lot easier.

And chumbolones are exactly what the
wise guy billboard brigade -- 4th ward Ald. Jim Allspaghetti, local attorney Frank DiFranco, and Generation Group agent Joseph Loss -- seem to think Park Ridge is full of; nothing but chumbolones.

Chumbolones are the kind of people who put on cheap carnival dollar-sign glasses when reading
fliers, like the one distributed at Frank DiFranco's Morningfields Market, and believe it.

Chumbolones are the kind of people who believe the only way for the City of Park Ridge to get back to a healthy financial position is to sell-out the character of our community over the next 20 years for a quick $400,000 down and another $200,000 in installments -- chumbolones believe in a quick fix that isn't.

Chumbolones are the kind of people who think wise guys like Joseph Loss of Generation Group, Inc. are just entrepreneurial businessmen with nothing to hide and who didn't look for a way to avoid the City's disclosure demands for applicants seeking special consideration for zoning changes.

Chumbolones are the kind of people who feel if something doesn't happen on their property, their block, or in their ward then it doesn't affect them.

Chumbolones are the kind of people who believe every deal is on the up-n-up because this is Park Ridge, not Chicago, and the volunteers on the City Council always look out for their best interests.

The PRU Crew doesn't believe for a minute that the whole of Park Ridge is full of chumbolones. But we're not too sure that holds true for the whole of the City Council.


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone needs to pick up the phone and call Des Plaines...the same thing was done in DP -- the billboard companies offered large sums of money in exchange of placing billboards in town. A couple of things worth nothing:

1. If the billboards are not put on City property -- there are no lease fees or anything of that nature to receive in the City coffers. Only the property owners would receive the rent payments.

2. The peititioner will not put up the billboards, but sell the right to a billboard company.

3. That billboard company will then sue the City challenging the exorbant permit fees originally agreed to and anything else that needs to be paid.

4. Plus they're ugly as all get out. See the board at Touhy and River by Tiffany's restaurant. wait till the lighting goes up...even better.

Very short sighted of the City of PR to go down this road...

Anonymous said...

Gee you are right now that I think about it!! That corner would be very picturesque without that billboard! The gas station. Parking lot. The on ramp. The quaint bridge over head. Lovely spot for a PICNIC!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:11

That location is in Des Plaines and your sarcasm about the location is right. Taking down that billboard wouldn't make the spot much better.

Des Plaines enforcing property maintenance could though. Besides, the property owner where the billboard is located must have some income from the billboard to fix up his property, wouldn't you think?

Maybe because Des Plaines didn't care enough about visual pollution is why they said yes to billboards in the first place and maybe that's why they let some properties in their town look the way they look.

Anonymous said...

Oh my god!!!!! You are freakin kidding me!!! First the issue at the corner is the billboard. Now it is that the BAD ole' city of Des Plaines is not requiring the area to be kept up. The issue is that you have a corner with a gas station, a b-grade diner, some old office complexes and an express way. Do you want people backed up in traffic due to construction to contemplate the sheer beauty of the gas station? The truth is that a billboard fits in perfectly!!!The corner is what it is and, billboard or no billboard, it is not pretty.

Anonymous said...

By the way, I love the "their town" comment. Next time you have friends visiting "your town", take them to the corner of Touhy and Greenwood. Let them gaze at the beauty of a gas station, a b-grade fast food resturant and a dry cleaner (empty space next door). The only difference versus the corner you entioned is more houses and less espress way.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:39

You maybe should cut back on your caffeine. You seem very agitated and over excitable.

Des Plaines is not the town I live in so it is not my town. It is the town of the people of Des Plaines so it is their town. I don't understand why you seem to think it is an offense to say that.

The billboard only makes the area near Touhy and River look worse but I guess that is o.k. with you since the crappiness of the area even without a billboard does not seem to bother you. You seem to be saying if an area is kind of crappy looking then more crappy looking things in the area don't matter.

Not every busy intersection in PR is picturesque but just because it is not does not mean it is o.k. to add things that could make it look crappy.

You don't have to agree with my opinion but my opinion is billboards are ugly and add more ugly to wherever they are.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, how do people get so off topic as it relates to the post?

Will this proposal benefit the community as a whole, or only a few? Is there actual proof of that this propsed benefit will actually surface (as there seems to be plenty of proof to suggest that it won't) or do we just take "some guys" word for it? Finally do any of these proponets actually believe that the residents of Park Ridge wouldn't be asking any questions?

Anonymous said...

I think the Pru is right and the billboard proponents think the residents of Park Ridge are chumbolones who wouldn't ask any questions.

Anonymous said...

If you set aside Allegretti as the ringleader, the two next biggest chumbalones on the Council are Ryan and Wsol, because they gave Allegretti his 3-2 majority making the City of Park Ridge be the zoning amendment applicant instead of Generation Group.

Don't think they teach chumbalone in British primary school, so Ryan might have just been acting stupid again. But it's not to tough to figure out where Wsol learned about the world of chumbalones.

Unless DiPietro or Sweeney folds, the billboards won't get a supermajority. With the billboards targeted for DiPietro's ward, he probably doesn't have the stones to support it even if he knows a chumbalone when he sees one.

If this craters, I wonder if Allegretti will have the nuggets to propose getting rid of the supermajority vote?

Anonymous said...

In Britain, they learn to be silly asses, not chumbolones.
I think the Council should be subjected to a Clockwork Orange treatment: Be forced to watch the footage of Bedford Falls vs. Pottersville all night, or until Johnny's comes back to Touhy and Greenwood!

Anonymous said...

January 7, 2010 2:45 PM

I thought Allegretti wanted to delay the vote on the billboard issue because he wanted to change the super majority formula before they vote on billboards.

Didn't he even say the whole reason he voted for the super majority was that he thought it wouldn't be required for the vote on billboards?

I'm sure I remember hearing he wanted to bring the super majority back to the council first.

Anonymous said...

I believe you heard correctly.

Having said that, anyone believe that this is really all about getting money for the City?

Father McKenzie said...

30 pieces of silver for our favorite aldermen.

Anonymous said...

What we really need are less business', lower taxes and more services.