It's A Major Award!

Pioneer Wins 37 in IPA Contest

"Pioneer Press took home 15 first place honors in the Illinois Press Association contest, announced Friday."

The Park Ridge Herald-Advocate was voted best fish wrap.

Have an indescribably beautiful weekend, and don't shoot your eye out!

Out of the Closet!

One of Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC principal investors has finally come out of the closet! John Chipman, former resident and Park Ridge alderman, is finally Living Out Loud! Mr. Chipman has proudly declared to the world his orientation as an investor in a Letter to the editor :: Park Ridge Herald-Advocate.

After three years of being a closeted investor, Mr. Chipman was outted by the city's disclosure of onwership.pdf requirement. We wonder why it took so long! We're sure Mr. Chipman feels relieved to be able to finally speak openly about who and what he is.

Mr. John Chipman is now a man on a mission! Not only is he telling everyone who will listen about his pride in being an openly invested principal in Norwood's EOP project, he is also encouraging the community to embrace what he and his fellow investors are offering - a condominium project that exceeds the zoning code for density and height, and offers almost nothing in the way of real amenities to the rest of the community.

Of course, we all understand that while the community is being asked to embrace this project, Mr. Chipman and his fellow similarily oriented investors will be hoping to embrace bigger profits.

Doping the Demographics

The district 64 board and administration are supposed to plan for the future while attending to the present. We have mixed opinions on how well or poorly they have met those goals.

We do feel their efforts to see into the future through the use of a demographer is not the worst expenditure of public money on a consultant that we have ever seen. The information is valuable for planning purposes, and we are also impressed with the accuracy of the projections the district's demographer has provided.

Enrollment Expected To Level At 4,500

"Enrollment in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 will remain generally stable for the next decade, but will rise very slightly annually to a level of nearly 4,500 by 2015.

Projections are based on estimates of fertility rates for a specified period of years and turnover of existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge through 2015."

Let's repeat that - "projections are based on estimates of fertility rates for a specified period of years and turnover in existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge through 2015." One more time - "existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge."

What happens to those school district projections when a city government begins giving developers approval for variances beyond the zoning code for density and height for new multi-unit condominium projects? Will the relatively predictable turnover of existing housing units accelerate? How quickly? What will the effect be?

Didn't anybody tell district 64 and their demographer about the city's big plans for big multi-unit condo developments?

Not exactly the intergovernmental cooperation the community may have hoped for.

Hey, district 64, we hope you've kept that demographer's phone number handy.

Who You Gonna Call?

Allegedly, the residents of Park Ridge's 6th ward are being represented by Alderman Thomas Carey. We haven't seen much evidence of that, but we have no reason to doubt the Cook County Clerk's vote totals. We do believe Alderman Thomas Carey does exist.

However, residents of the 6th ward had ample reason to question Alderman Carey's existence when they tried to get his phone number from directory assistance so they could ask him for help and guidance after the August Act of God. Those residents found that Alderman Carey's phone number was unlisted. And it remains unlisted.

The city's web site does list a phone number for Alderman Carey, but residents without electrical power couldn't access the city's web site to get it, and residents without computer internet access still can't.

Alderman Carey, if you did not intend to make yourself available to your constituents by the usual means, what motivated you to seek public office, besides Mayor Frimark's enthu$ia$tic $upport?

Over $3,000.00 of enthu$ia$tic $upport. That's ten times the amount the mayor gave to the Park Ridge-Niles Citizens for Strong Schools committee, and almost half of your campaign's total reported expenditures.

We expect you have shown the mayor your appreciation for his generous support.

Road Trip!

Frimark Will Lead Team To D.C. In Search Of Cash

Mayor Howard Frimark will lead a team on a trip to Washington, D.C., in October seeking federal money for several projects.

"We're following up on a list we've submitted over the last two years," he explained. He, Director of Economic Development Kim Uhlig, and City Manager Tim Schuenke plan the trip for Oct. 2-3.

The team hopes to meet with U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) as well as U.S. senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin.

We've heard that the wheels of government turn slowly, and now we know why - "following up" takes two years.

We could have loaned the mayor our map of Chicago so he could have found these three elected officials' local offices some time during the last two years, but...

You see folks, it's like this...

A headline that reads "Frimark Will Lead Team to Chicago In Search of Cash" just doesn't have that same adventurous ring! Particularly when a significant portion of the Park Ridge population makes the same trip every day of the work week.

Hey Howard, you might want to go low key when you ask Schakowsky for money for Park Ridge. She may remember you used her to smear your opponent during your mayoral campaign, because your opponent received a modest campaign contribution from her - the same amount you received this past March from Jack Owens, Norwood's former variance czar. You wouldn't want Schakowsky to think you are some kind of ass, since now it is you who is asking her for money.

Flat-out!

Iraq Ridge?

U.S. soldiers walk through an electrical substation in the Ghazaliyah area of Baghdad.

By John Moore, Getty Images

Problematic power grid plagues Iraqis - USATODAY.com

No, not really - Park Ridge residents and businesses aren't suffering infrastructure mismanagement to the same degree as Iraqis. But shouldn't the residents and businesses in Park Ridge have more to look forward to than just another city-arranged bitch session?

Customers have the right to demand service from utility companies, and elected officials have the ability to help them do that.

There are utility company customers who do understand what good service is:

"When my phone system was destroyed by that flood, I thought I would be out of business for days if not weeks. Instead, Allied Tele-Com came to my rescue and had me up and running twelve hours later. Now that's what I call service!"Allegretti & Associates Mr James L. Allegretti, Attorney at Law - Welcome to Allied Tele-Com

Now that Mr. James L. Allegretti, Attorney at Law also carries the title and authority of Park Ridge Alderman, maybe he can make an effort to see to it residents of Park Ridge can some day also proclaim, "Now that's what I call service!"