Two-steppin' Blue-footed Boobie!

John Sill - freelance artist and bird illustrator

From the Journal & Topics online, we read an unattributed article titled "Committee To Review Caudill Agreement." What caught the PRU Crews attention were a few lines in the piece indicating what can only be described as a lack of transparency and cooperation on the part of city government; specifically, acting City Manager, Julianna Maller. The article states:

1) "The revised agreement was not provided to the media."

2) "The Journal & Topics Newspapers was told to file a Freedom of Information Act request for access."

3) "Maller would not speak to a Journal & Topics Newspapers reporter regarding the issue; choosing to respond only to written questions."

4) "...but she did not indicate if that was at Caudill's original rate of pay or at the increased rate."

5) "She also did not answer a question asking if the three additional months of settlement would be adjusted to reflect only the first 4% increase."

The Illinois Attorney General's website says, “…it is declared to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government […] Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest.” (5 ILCS 140/1)".

And, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) "...is intended to open the government to all citizens by guaranteeing access to governmental records in whatever form they are maintained. The Act maintains a clear preference for access to public documents while still protecting legitimate governmental interests and the privacy rights of individual citizens."

Before PRU readers jump to any conclusions about their right to access public information -- a task the press often undertakes on the public's behalf -- the PRU Crew feels the need to translate the above into what government officials understand the FOIA to mean; that is, "As government officials, we can delay and deter access to information by requiring anyone seeking information to jump through hoops."

So while you may think that FOIA is for the purpose of ensuring that "access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest”, what you really should understand is that, before completing your duties as citizens in an open and free democracy, government officials will expect nothing less than an Olga Korbut performance on paper from you.

And, even when government officials snootily demand that all questions must be submitted in writing, you shouldn't expect those written questions to be answered either.

Hammer Time Howard!

Our sources have reported back to us the entertaining show Hammer Time Howard put on for all to see at last night's City Council meeting.

As some of you may have noticed, last night's City Council agenda was nearly devoid of any actual city business. But that doesn't mean that our fine Mayor didn't have his own political business to attend to and, as many of you know, Mayor Howard never misses an opportunity to use city resources for his own political purposes.

After the City Council recognized three brave citizens for helping to save the life of a local woman whose home had been engulfed by fire, then anticlimactically voted to name Ms. Julianna Maller City Manager pro-tempore, Hammer Time Howard's song and dance routine began!

First came the approval of the "separation agreement" with Chief of Police, Jeff Caudill. Alderman Wsooooolman (7th Ward) asked the City Attorney for clarification of any potential conflict regarding the agreement's language concerning the mutual "non-disparagement" clause and the requirement that Caudill cooperate fully with the police department audit.

The City Attorney assured all present that, if the city chooses to disclose the results of the audit to the public, the information could be "managed" in a way that doesn't violate the mutually agreed to terms that the city and Caudill not talk bad about each other.

Alderman Schmidtzkrieg (1st Ward) then asked if the Mayor would be seeking input from the members of the public who were present for the meeting. Not surprisingly, the Mayor said he would not be asking members of the public to participate in the discussion.

Then Alderman Schmidtzkrieg took the opportunity to express his "grave concerns" about the disclosure of the terms of the separation agreement. Schmidtzkrieg noted that a close friend of the Mayor, someone to whom Frimark had given a substantial campaign contribution, had been revealing information to members of the public prior to the City Council's having been informed of the agreement. Alderman Schmidtzkrieg noted that retired police officer, Robert Kristie had been discussing the agreement in public. Schmidtzkrieg then said that the leak of this information was a very serious matter and that since Mayor Howard is a close friend of Robert Kristie, who we reported to you yesterday was overheard discussing the terms of the agreement at a Maine South event, would the Mayor please investigate the source of the leak and ask his friend where he received the information? Schmidtzkrieg indicated that the Mayor should investigate who leaked this information to Mr. Kristie and report back to the council at their next meeting. The Mayor made no comment.

The PRU Crew predicts the Mayor's "investigation" of who leaked the information to Robert Kristie will be as fruitful as O.J. Simpson's efforts to track down his ex-wife's murderer.

The City Council then voted unanimously to accept the separation agreement between Chief of Police, Jeff Caudill, and the city.

Next on the agenda was Mayor Howard's prepared statement on "council decorum". Frimark began by accusing "an elected official" of disclosing confidential information to the press and public that may place the taxpayers of Park Ridge at a disadvantage. He went on to accuse the "elected official" of "laying waste" to the trust of the public. Mayor Howard concluded his rambling and repetitive remarks by saying that he, Mayor Howard Frimark, City Clerk Betty Henneman, Aldermen DiPietro, Bach, Allegretti, Ryan and Carey have all attached their names to the condemnation of the "elected official's" actions.

That Wsooooolman, what a trouble maker!

Alderman Schmidtzkrieg then asked City Attorney, Everett "Buzz" Hill, if the Mayor's remarks and the attachment of the names of 7 of the city's elected officials to the "condemnation" constitutes a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act (IOMA), since the matter had not been discussed and decided upon at a public meeting prior to the final offering of the public "condemnation".

The City Attorney is reported to have swallowed his tongue. The only response the City Attorney could provide at that moment was to offer that "it depends upon how it was done". Alderman Schmidtzkrieg offered that the City Attorney could look into the details of IOMA and get back to the Council on the issue at a later date.

With Hammer Time Howard's song and dance routine having come to an end, the City Council moved rapidly through the rest of the empty agenda.

A few issues came up under "new business", and in a future PRU posting we will have PRUdos to give to IUOE Local 150 and, believe it or not, Benedict Alderman Ryan.

Break it down!