By The Rules!

According to the rules, the Mayor votes to break a tie or when a super majority is needed to pass some item of council business. Rules are rules. Even in Park Ridge, Mayor Howard sometimes decides to follow the rules -- and Mayor Howard has cast tie-breaking votes at council meetings.

Like the time Mayor Howard cast the tie-breaking vote that would have given his friend and campaign contributor, Bill Napleton of Napleton Cadillac, $2,000,000.00 in tax benefits and an additional payment of $400,000.00 to clean up any contamination of the old Napleton Cadillac dealership.

Mayors casting tie-breaking votes happens in many other towns too. Mayor Howard's good buddy, Mayor Tony Arredia (R-We got the casino license!) of Des Plaines, has cast tie-breaking votes too. And at least one resident of Des Plaines was inspired to thank Mayor Arredia for his tie-breaking vote in the Journal and Topics' Speak Out! section:

Thanks mayor for tie-breaking vote

Mayor breaks 4-4 tie in favor of 1% property tax levy for 2009. Congratulations to Mayor Tony Arredia for breaking this most contested vote in the city council in all these weeks of discussion. I'm sure he was under a lot of pressure to do otherwise. My hat goes off to you mayor for siding with all of the taxpaying citizens of Des Plaines. Frank from Des Plaines.

We wonder if anyone besides Bill Napeton thanked Howard Frimark for his tie-breaking vote.

The PRU Crew is also wondering if the City Council, busy changing the way city business is discussed and managed, would consider changing the rules for when tie-votes need to be broken.

We feel the taxpayers of Park Ridge would have a better chance if the City Council were to consider the following option --

D'oh!

Every other month, the residents of Park Ridge receive a copy of the city's newsletter: the Spokesman, and the October issues have arrived!

As usual, this month's Spokesman includes a message from the Mayor. You must know how much we love that!

As usual, this mayoral installment is a gem! Should you be one of the tortured few who has been paying attention to the history and background of all that is contained in the Mayor's address, you should be particularly amused!

Back in September we told you about the Mayor's Road Trip! In this month's issue of the Spokesman, the mayor explains that he, along with the City Manager (Tim Schuenke) and Director of Economic Development (Kim Uhlig) are traveling to Washington, D.C. so they can "confer with our Federal Legislators on their turf". That sounds so tough and romantic, doesn't it? Like three young and idealistic friends off to the big city to try to get into show business - hoping for their big break!

Except "the turf" of those Federal Legislators is right back here in Illinois, where all three of those legislators have offices, and one of those legislators, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, has an office right here in Park Ridge.

You see, Federal Legislators go to Washington, D.C. to conduct the business (we use the term loosely) of government. They go to Washington, D.C. to work, and spar, and jockey and joust, and debate issues with each other on behalf of our nation, but also and often more importantly on behalf of their constituents back home living on their turf...on their home turf. If there is one thing Federal Legislators understand, it's where they come from.

Instead of just telling our Federal Legislators there in Washington, D.C. about what is wanted back here in Park Ridge, the Mayor, City Manager, and Economic Development Director could have asked all of our Federal Legislators to actually spend some time here when they were in town, hearing and seeing for themselves what is wanted here, for the the people of Park Ridge. The Mayor, City Manager and Economic Development Director could have taken our Federal Legislators on a guided tour of Park Ridge to see and be seen, here, in Park Ridge. Federal Legislators live for those kinds of "I feel your pain" photo ops! Just like the one Mayor Tony Arredia of Des Plaines conducted for Dick Durbin when he was in town a couple of weeks ago.

And let's not forget that Federal Legislator, Barack Obama, is conducting a presidential primary campaign. Surely he would "feel our pain" if he were to be invited back to his home turf to do so.

The Mayor could also have asked another of those Federal Legislators, Jan Schakowsky, to stop by his home for a quick cup of coffee last weekend; Schakowsky was literally up the block from the Mayor's home, here, in Park Ridge on Saturday working on behalf of two local Park Ridge residents who are candidates for office. And here's another free clue just for Mayor Frimark; he could have looked like a confident, bridge-building, 'I can work with anyone to advocate for the good of Park Ridge' kind of Mayor.

But then, there's not much that is tough and romantic in a story about coffee and conversation. You won't get any press coverage out of that either.

Still, we hope the Mayor's trip brings home more than just the bills to Park Ridge taxpayers for the costs of hotel accommodations, transportation, and meals.