Guest Essay!

For how many pieces of silver?

Open Letter To District 207 School Board

February 25, 2010

The price you pay for the life you choose.

Near the end of Godfather III Michael Corleone is confronted by his young nephew, Vincent. The nephew wishes to take over the crime “family business.” The Don does not wish to do so, but realizes that he is no longer physically capable of leading. Ultimately he chooses to relinquish control of the “family.”

There is one line in that scene that has stayed with my all these years. It is when Michael Corleone says to Vincent: “You must give up my daughter. That’s the price you pay for the life you choose.”

Of all the lines in that movie, it is for me, the most significant.

“That’s the price you pay for the life you choose.” Can you imagine how simpler life would be if we would always adopt that concept as our own.

I’ve been reading a great deal lately about the “plight” of School District 207’s teachers and administrators. What is their dilemma? In a nutshell, this school district has run into a financial brick wall, and its board and management have chosen to bite the bullet now, rather than to allow the district to enter into an ever tightening financial spiral. Clichés aside, this district is in deep financial trouble.

The teacher’s union members are currently three years into a five-year contract. At this time, they are demanding that the district and taxpayers honor that commitment, no matter what.

Reading the comment sections of our local newspapers and blog sites one gets a clear picture of the twisted logic employed by the union rank-and-file and the teacherphiles who support them. They refuse to believe that there is no “rainy day fund” money for their use. They know that the taxpayers who pay their salary are hurting financially, and that there is little likelihood that this situation will change any time soon. We have a contract – pay us, they demand. Well I have a different idea.

To the board, I say - if our arrogant teachers union will not come to the table to protect their own, or the children they serve, and tax strapped families that pay their salaries, let them go. Maybe you will not be able to do so this year or maybe not even next year. But when the current contract ends, the teachers union must be made to understand: “That’s the price you pay for the life you choose.”

Obviously, the highly paid teachers of this district do not know how good they have it.

Kenneth Butterly, Taxpayer

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Couch!

Because if the Park Ridge O'Hare Airport Commission gets what will be asked for (.pdf) at the next City Council meeting, we're gonna need a lot more spare change!

We understand most of our faithful PRU readers have been paying attention to the Mayor, City Council, and the City Budget problems.

We thought our faithful PRU readers may want to see an example of how Mayors, City Councils, and City Budgets can get into hot water when certain interest groups can't see the forest for the trees.

Holy wow! $500,000? Do they make couches that big?

Freewheeling -- 2/24/10!

At Monday night's City Council meeting, there were a number of interesting discussions. The PRU Crew feels anyone interested in highlighting any of the low lights from the meeting should feel free to do so here.

For our part, we found the discussion about reinstating the position of City Treasurer to be extremely entertaining. The City Cluck, Betty Henneman, never fails to provide a laugh on the rare occasions she decides to open her mouth.

But 3rd ward Aldermoron Bachtard was his usual idiot self as well and we laaaaauuuuughed! Did Ald. Bachtard really say he thinks "another set of eyes" watching the City budget could be "a benefit?" Why yes, yes he did. Someone should ask Ald. Bachtard if maybe 7 more "sets of eyes" could be "a benefit?" But we're told Ald. Bachtard previously said in a letter published in the local rags a few years ago that he didn't feel there are enough "quality individuals" in Park Ridge to accomplish such a task. And that opinion would seem to make populating a Finance Commission a rather difficult task, no? Or, has Ald. Bachtard changed his mind about the "quality individuals" who populate Park Ridge? Or maybe Ald. Bachtard only feels there aren't enough "quality individuals" worthy of holding elected office and having an actual vote on public policy issues and the City budget?

Today's Pub-dog post deftly addresses the comedic musings the 5th ward's Benedict Ald. Ryan offered at Monday night's meeting. We hate to break the bad news to Benedict Ald. Ryan, but not everyone moves to Park Ridge for the schools -- the Park Ridge population with school-age kids remains a distinct minority. The Park Ridge population apparently has enough "quality individuals" to offer financial advice to the School District 64 Board though. And it would also appear the Park Ridge population has enough "quality individuals" to actually vote yes to increasing their own property taxes in support of School District 64. We're guessing Benedict Ald. Ryan forgot that part of the financial equation.

For his part, Mayor Schmidtzkrieg didn't seem to grasp the idea that he and the Council are the representatives of the people and are the very same people who are supposed to be "the people's eyes and ears for financial matters." Mayor Schmidtzkrieg also seems unaware that former City Treasurer Brauweiler wasn't much of a set of "eyes and ears" -- at least not when it came to protecting the $650,000.00 Peotone investment. How many relief sewers or sewer liners could that have purchased? How many sidewalk squares could that have paid to replace? How many trees for reforestation could that have paid to plant? The list of possibilities is endless really. Heckuva job, Brauwy!

Mayor Schmidtzkrieg seems to be reaching through the dark -- or taking highly questionable advice from somewhere -- in looking for ways to get the City Council to do their jobs. If the City Council won't listen to him, or the City Manager, or the former City Finance Director, then by God, they'll have to listen to a newly appointed or elected City Treasurer, right? Place your bets ladies and gentlemen...

All in, as we said in our Monday post -- on the Finance and Budget front, business as usual at 505 Butler Pl.

It's Only Moola!

Another Monday -- another COW!

Tonight's City Council COW agenda (.pdf) covers business of the Procedures and Regulations, and Finance and Budget committees. And as usual, we expect a good time to be had by all!

The PRU Crew expects to have a very good time listening to the mental and verbal contortions of Procedures and Regulations chairman, 4th ward Ald. James Allspaghetti, explain his on-going concern over the super majority voting requirement he originally voted to approve.

Also on the agenda for approval is the Special Events application process. Mayor Schmidtzkrieg made the original call for review (.pdf) of Special Event costs, but then did an about-face on the issue by inexplicably pushing to keep review of Special Event applications a City staff function. We're wondering how the Mayor expects to be able to review costs for Special Events without reviewing which Special Events applications are being made, prior to the event being held and the City incurring costs. Inquiring minds are just dying to know!

Also on the Procedures and Regulations agenda is an item (.pdf) apparently inspired by concerns from the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor, Ald. Rich DiPietro -- Modification to the 3P Manual regarding the City Attorney . Has an Alderdunce been attempting to use the City Attorney as a personal secretary?

On the Finance and Budget front, we expect business as usual -- meaning, a lot of yakking, hot air exhalation, and self aggrandizement on the part of the Alderdunces.

And we're really really really looking forward to hearing how the reinstatement of the position of a City Treasurer would have saved us all from the current budget fiasco -- notwithstanding the performance of the last City Treasurer and his role in the loss of $650,000.00 thrown down the Peotone airport hole. For a refresher on the topic, you can read the Peotone report here and some of former City Treasurer Carl Brauweiler's comments on the matter on page 7.

Gut Checking -- Thoughts

Happy Friday, faithful PRU readers. We hope you've had a productive week.

We put up our usual Monday post and then reviewed the Melidosian Motionbox magic on Tuesday -- and we observe a respectable number of you are finding your way to the videos without having your hands held. Excellent.

As most of you know, our standing blog rule for everybody is "no libel -- no bullshit." For the Crew both portions of the rule are of particular importance. And we are always gut checking to try to make sure what we offer here for public consumption isn't bullshit.

Aside from the City business material covered at Monday night's City Council meeting, we were very interested in the Aldermen's reply to the Mayor's address.

Our first reaction and instinct was to correct the factual error concerning the statement -- "On May 9, 2007, this City Council enacted the first major rewrite of our city's Zoning Ordinance in over 30 years." This Council wasn't installed into office until May 21, 2007 (.pdf), so any attempt to take credit or blame for having "enacted the first major rewrite of our city's Zoning Ordinance in over 30 years" is factually false. Hell, other than the parts of the zoning code placed directly under the noses of these Alderdopes at any given time over the last 3+ years, the Crew is willing to bet a super majority of these Aldermen have never read the zoning code, nor the municipal code.

Our second reaction and instinct was to discuss the seven paragraph introduction in the Aldermen's response and talk about what unmentioned connection there is from the second paragraph to the third, and what any of that has to do with the current City budget dilemma. Our opinion is, whomever may have been the primary author -- and we believe the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor did not compose this piece alone -- was attempting to buck up the members of the City Council and dubiously highlight items of interest, calling them accomplishments, when they simply are not.

We wondered about the unanimity of the piece and the possibility of IOMA violations, but we don't discount the hub and spoke method of communication among elected officials -- we trust we don't have to explain that to the majority of our educated PRU readership.

Our third reaction and instinct was to do exactly what the Pub-dogs did in their Wednesday post -- address the vacuous, hollow, and meaningless platitudes of the piece. And we expected to have fun pointing out the hypocrisy and irony of one of 3rd ward Alderman Bachtard's quotes in one of the local rags -- "It's my personal opinion that politicking at City Council meetings and in those chambers is a no-no." Is that right, Bachtard? So how do you justify lending your name and support to an Aldermoron response of the same nature?

We were all set to go -- then PRU.ADMIN called bullshit and our internal battle began. And as always, PRU.ADMIN decides the final outcome.

Stepping back and taking a look at the Aldermoron's response -- it was a very politically astute maneuver. And an exceptionally smart way to nullify Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's attempt to differentiate himself from the rest of the City Council by repeatedly offering agreement with the Mayor, while at the very same time denigrating Schmidtzkrieg's more aggressively negative style through a starkly contrasting and seemingly positive approach.

The Aldermoron's unanimous response is the first of many salvos and shots over Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's bow, which are to come as segments of the Park Ridge political population get ready to launch campaigns for the next round of Council elections.

Of course, it was nothing more than a very political attack on Mayor Schmidtkrieg. The response was designed more for the purpose of weakening the Mayor, so any potential Council candidate he may choose to support won't have much of a mayoral coattail to ride, than it was to address any real issues concerning the City budget. But the response was exceptional in its' subtlety. And effective. How effective remains to be seen.

Enjoy a thoughtful and relaxing weekend.

Monday Two-fer!

#1 -- Monday Meeting Menu!

6:15 p.m. Liquor License Review Board -- We have to give the mystery Tinley Park restaurant owner creds for seemingly asking for permission instead of forgiveness!

7:00 p.m. Dee Rd. Sidewalk Project / Public Information Meeting -- Walk if you got 'em! It's for the children!

7:30 p.m. City Council Meeting -- Promises to be another exciting evening! We can't wait for report item a under City Council!





#2 -- Can You Spot the Difference?

As of noon today, the revised draft minutes (.pdf) for the 2/3/10 City Council meeting don't quite match the content of the video from that meeting, which we posted here. The minutes never really do -- but some omissions are glaring!

Play Your Cards Right!

Queen of Hearts by Abigail Kamelhair

Have a good weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day!