Our City Council is set to meet again tonight at City Hall -- the agenda (.pdf) contains a number of items we hope our faithful PRU readers will be paying attention to.
Under the City Managers report, the following agenda item appears -- Adjourn to Closed Session to discuss the acquisition of property, pursuant to Chapter 5, Act 120, Section 2(c)(5) of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, which allows an exception to the required openness of the open meetings act, explaining public bodies may choose to go into closed session to discuss "(5) The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired."
The behind-closed-doors discussion, inspired by the request of the 5th ward's Benedict Alderman Ryan, will be about whether or not the City should purchase the property known as the Fairview parking lot. The PRU Crew knows the property as the Scharringhausen parking lot, which the owner recently placed on the market for the tidy sum of $724,000. The lucky listing agent is the infamous Owen J. Hayes, II who was officially reprimanded by the State of Illinois for his conduct in trying to sell 515 Busse Hwy. to the City of Park Ridge for use as a new police station, without disclosing his ownership interest in the property. Mr. Hayes, II was also lucky enough to hold the position of treasurer for Benedict Ald. Ryan's aldermanic campaign, a factual tidbit Benedict Ald. Ryan apparently felt he didn't need to disclose at an open meeting.
Mr. Hayes, II has an uncanny tendency to be found in the middle of many local real estate deals. The PRU Crew is beginning to think of Mr. Hayes, II as being a real lucky Pierre --
Under reports of Boards and Commissions we find two items of interest --
O’Hare Airport Commission – Ald. Bach
a. Discussion of independent telephone conversations of the Council with Steve Tauber
b. Discussion of hiring legal counsel regarding O’Hare
Can you say plausible deniability? We knew you could. And plausible deniability is the only reason we can figure the CAL law firm would be too demure for public discussion of litigation strategy but not object to private discussions with individual Aldermorons who then publicly discuss litigation strategy per the private one-on-one discussions held with the CAL law firm -- any misunderstandings, miscommunications, or misstatements by the Aldermorons can be denied by the CAL law firm.
Or maybe the CAL law firm just really really really likes to play the telephone game, a.k.a. Chinese whispers to the Brits!
Under Standing Committees, which should not be confused with understanding committees, the following appears under Procedures and Regulations --
b. Move the City Council approve a Resolution providing for and requiring the submission of a non-binding advisory public question concerning whether the City of Park Ridge shall support the efforts to stop the expansion of O’Hare Airport to appear on the ballot of the electors of such city at the Consolidated Election to be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010
We hope the City Hall air conditioner is working, since we expect a lot of hot air will be produced during this particular discussion!
Enjoy the show!
June 21, 2010
Another Turkey Trot Tonight!
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8 comments:
LOL. PRU, good analogy! Maybe the law firm does like playing telephone!
Anon 2:57,
Playing games is what they all do better then anything else.
After decades of fighting the airport and throwing money away on it they want to start a new game.
At least this time they are talking about a referendum for residents to vote on.
The city laid off our public safety and public works employees. Voted to keep giving moeny to community groups including the O'hare group and now is going to talk about buying property and hiring more lawyers for the O'hare fight. The city must be full of clinically insane people. I don't know what happens to people when they get elected but it is as if they all go crazy.
Anon@3:36 --
It's known as "OPM addiction" -- an addiction to spending Other People's Money.
See Park Board Oakton vote for most recent example of same.
PRU, I don't know what it is but it's crazy!! Do they put something in the water at City Hall?? It's all crazy!!
Anon@3:47 --
Not according to the very shiny brochure for the Annual Water Quality Report recently mailed out by the City of Park Ridge.
Will the city mgr. still have his job after tonight?
Anon@6:42 --
We expect he will, unless you've been told something different.
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