Lifted from salon.com/story
For those of you paying attention to City Council antics, you'll want to stock-up on some good old fashioned lubrication in preparation for the screwing you're likely to get this week from your representatives -- we use the term really really really loosely.
Tonight's City Council COW agenda (.pdf) is set to cover topics under Public Safety, Public Works and Procedures and Regulations.
Topics to be covered under Procedures and Regulations look to be particularly entertaining.
Once again it appears the 4th ward's Alderman James Allspaghetti has taken some liberty in clarifying the cover memorandum submitted for public review by the City Attorney -- Here's a link to the original cover memorandum and here's a link to the revised cover memorandum regarding Supermajority voting to override denials by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The revised language reads --Alderman Allegretti states that this change is only directed at the ordinance adopted November 16, 2009, which he believes misstated the intent of the Council by requiring 6 votes instead of 5 votes as intended.Our faithful PRU readers can review the videos of the November 16, 2009 meeting here -- the subject of supermajority voting is covered in videos #3, #4, and #5. So how about it PRU readers, do you think after talking the issue of supermajority voting to death, to borrow a phrase Ald. Allspaghetti so often likes to use, can any of the Aldermorons claim to not have been clear on what they were voting for or against?
And as everyone should understand by now, the only reason this issue has come up again is because Ald. Allspaghetti is doing his incompetent best to see to it Park Ridge has the privilege of billboards being erected within our borders. And in light of the legal cites and legal history surrounding the issues of billboards, zoning and fees -- the only question remaining is what exactly is in this for Aldermoron Allspaghetti, personally, because this guy has never worked this hard for any other single piece of City legislation in his entire term in office.
Also under Procedures and Regulations is a cover memorandum (.pdf) from City Manager Jim Hock discussing the District 207 Board of Education's proposal to add nominal interest to the deferred TIF payment from the City of Park Ridge -- and as we bantered back and forth in the comments on this post, it does indeed appear the discussion between the City Manager and the Board was, in fact, interesting.
Hopefully, the videos from tonight's meeting will be available for review at some point in the future!
18 comments:
PRU:
Two points:
1. The fact that you can so casually refer to "the videos from tonight's meeting" when a year ago we had none is a tribute to George Kirkland and Charles Melidosian, who have voluntarily undertaken the thankless task of attending all of these meetings and running the equipment while not looking for the "volunteer" spotlight or applause. THANKS, GUYS!
2. Allegretti truly has "never worked this hard for any other single piece of City legislation in his entire term in office." And I don't recall his law office-mate Frank DiFranco ever showing up for any other single piece of City legislation but the billboards, either. The same goes for DiFranco's law partner, Jeff Wilson.
Curious, ain't it?
Anon@3:02 --
As to your first point, it was the Crew's intention to embarrass the snot out of both Charlie and George by heaping praise on them last Friday -- but we trust all may understand why we chose to post a guest essay instead.
Charlie and George are on our list for public embarrassment through heaps of praise this coming Friday.
It's nothing less than they both have coming.
Allegretti could be the slimiest little scum whose ever been on the council.
4:13 PM
He may be, but he also just might be more heavy handed/inept than some other, slicker aldermen now or previously on the Council.
Anonymous @ 4:13,
Oh...I don't know...it's possible Allspags IS the "littlest" "slimiest scum"...but in terms of "slimiest scum"...HOward Frimark might be the odds on favorite for the title of "slimiest scum" ever to be on the clowncil...
...slimiest birds of a feather an all that...
Look on the bright side everyone, our City flag is going to be flown at half staff in solidarity with the people in Poland and their recent loss. It's very important we recognize the citizens of Poland here in Park Ridge because of all the Polish citizens who live here in Park Ridge. Thank you Mr. Mayor. I had always thought once you immigrate to the USA and become a citizen here that your allegiance should be to the USA but maybe I'm wrong about that.
Gee, I had no idea Glenn Beck followed this blog!! 5:29....I am no doing flips over the Mayors performance at this point, but if this is the best you have in terms of criticism you are completely missing the boat. I am not of Polish heritage, but I have no problem at all with someone lowering the flag to half mast in recognition of their recent tragedy. This action is certainly not unheard of related to heads of state from other countries.
5:29, you're assuming that all the Polish people in Park Ridge are American citizens. Maybe their illegals here just to earn money they can ship back home, like the Mexican illegals who work for peanuts but send half the bag back to Mexico.
Way to go, mayor Schmidt. Put the P.R. flags at half mast to make Polish illegals happy.
Anonymous @ 5:47,
It's more a sentiment akin to the expressions of Lou Dobbs than Glen Beck... Beck is just a flippin' fruit cake...
The issue of flag lowering and "solidarity" in expressing sympathy isn't, ultimately, a very big deal to me really...but I personally DO have a problem with Mayor DipSchmidt calling for this in his official capacity...employing the official symbol of Park Ridge in doing so on behalf of a segment of the population which one might presume is living here, instead of there, for some reason...and I do NOT care how cozy Mayor DipSchmidt is with Anya Dudzyck and the local Polish art community...but it did strike me as remarkably stupid in its politically pandering nature...
...then again..."half staff" is often used euphemistically in place of words like "flaccid"...
...so maybe Mayor DipSchmidt didn't have anything more "vigorous" to discuss in a press release today...
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ok...I knew about the "Mexican issue", but now it is the Polish people as well??? Just so I can keep up, who exactly is it OK for me to like??? I mean there are many, many polish people who came here legally, just like my ancestors. What about the Germans? Irish? Swedish? This is exactly the kind of crap that is wrong on all levels. Pandering? Pandering for what? What exactly is he going to get from this lady you say he is pandering to?
You say it is more like Dobbs, and I see what you mean, but it also has Beck all over it. Come up with a theory with no facts and just run with it. There will be enough people who are stupid or racist or both to give you all the ratings you need!!!
Anonymous @ 8:05,
You are in luck! There's this thing...the US Constitution...and in it is this other thing...the First Amendment...and that thing says you getsta hang with any homies, legal or illegal, you like...so have at it.
However, my "thing" is that the people of Park Ridge are no more beholden to show deference/sympathy/solidarity or anything else (through the employment of an official symbol) to the head of state from another country...based, largely it seems to me, on some erroneous (?) presumption that, because of ANCESTRY, some allegiance, solidarity, whatthehellever is "owed" to [that] segment of the population, OFFICIALLY.
A politician who chooses to do so does so for only one reason...PANDERING, which can bring as little as that segment of the populations' "liking" him for it...and do NOT exclude the idea that contributions "follow" where "liking" might begin and/or end... It's been know to happen.
Now go sit yourself down, stuff a pierogi in your pie hole and don't be a schmuck...er, make that...Członek.
5:29 here...
I think Schmidts half staff city flag idea is stupid. I'm sick of how every ethnic minority expects to be catered to. We should all consider ourselves Americans first but there are too many people who come here and try to make everyone else cater to their ethnic sensibilities. If you can't find a way to fit in without demanding everyone give you some special recognition about where you came from then maybe you should go back to where you came from. See ya!
I guess Park Ridge doesn't have enough Haitians or Chileans to show respect to and mourn the recent tragedies in those countries.
It looks like the practice of holding an official period of mourning for tragedies comes down to a numbers game in the population.
LOL. Some of you will fight about anything.
I think Schmidt should consider keeping the flag at half mast to mourn the tragedy of this council and the idiots on it.
Pru, thanks for putting this out there and reminding us to pay attention again. Our commissions jobs are being hijacked for special intersts by some pipsqueak power mongers. That's the real tragedy here.
Anon@10:06 --
You're welcome, and thank you for getting back to the topic at hand.
This entire section of the PRU blog should be reprinted and distributed to every voter in the city 3 months before all of these aldermorons come up for election. We need new blood. ANY new blood! Preferably homeowners who are not on the take or have business with the city or with companies trying to do business here!
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