The PRU Crew feels that's an excellent start to efforts long over-due.
The article goes on to report, "Perry Fisher, president of the Cultural Arts Council, said in a flyer circulated to fine arts members recently. “We are all interested in preserving, maintaining and enriching the arts in Park Ridge. Let’s put our nose to the grindstone, dissolve or hide our respective organizational hats, and work together to foster and nurture all the arts for our town."
The PRU Crew feels that middle phrase, "dissolve or hide our respective organizational hats," is more than a little odd. Have there been instances of artistic ego conflicts and infighting?
The article also reports, "The [cultural arts] council has served as an informal umbrella group and grant coordinator for such groups as the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, the Fine Arts Society, the Brickton Art Center, and the Historical Society."
Huh.
So in addition to the City's previous contributions to each of those individual organizations, the City also made contributions to the Park Ridge Cultural Arts Council, which then also made "grants" to those individual organizations?
Huh. Double dipping for your pleasure and double dipping for your fun. Emphasis on fun.
The article begins with, "The Board of Directors of the Park Ridge Teen Center will meet next week to discuss how -- or if -- the facility will continue to operate without financial support from the city of Park Ridge."
Bummer.
The PRU Crew hopes the Board of Directors of the Park Ridge Teen Center will be able to come up with a way to fund the facility so they can keep it open. After all, we would hate to see 7 out of 8 of the kids pictured in the article, who are reported as being residents of Chicago, not have a place to hang out and play video games.
As the article notes, "Charging teens a fee to use the center may also play into the discussion, she said. Use of the center is now free and teens do not need to be Park Ridge residents to drop in."
The PRU Crew has no opinion on whether or not the Park Ridge Park District chooses to change the names of its' buildings in an effort to better brand themselves.
However, we were pleased to read, "As for the Senior Center, [Executive Director Ray] Ochromowicz is hoping to encourage other uses of the building when the seniors are not there.
"If we want to expand the use of the building, perhaps the name of the building should be addressed as well," he said."
Hey there Big O, we may know of some Chicago teenagers looking for a place to hang out and play video games in the near future! Unless the Seniors take their Wii console and go home.
For our faithful PRU readers who have been paying attention, you know the article is about former Director of Community Preservation and Development, Ms. Carrie Davis.
And if you've been paying close attention, you know the article headline is not quite true. Because if you read the whole article, then you know, "As she was laid off the past summer Davis was paid $25,000 and agreed not to collect unemployment benefits, according to the separation agreement she entered into with City Manager Jim Hock.
Last month Mayor David Schmidt pointed out that the City Council should have voted on the $25,000 expenditure because it exceeded the $20,000 discretionary spending authority the city manager has. The council then rejected a motion to approve $5,000 of the total payment, rendering the separation agreement void, according to City Attorney Kathie Henn."
Is it possible to violate a separation agreement that has been voided by Council action?
Good old Action Ridge, where not all the action is all that good.
Dumbasses. We can't wait to see the legal bills for this stupidity.
October 7, 2010
Quick Hits and Questions!
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15 comments:
The Carrie Davis problem is exactly why government bodies are allowed to go into executive session.
It was totally stupid for our idiot Mayor to have a personnel issue like this discussed in open session.
Anonymous @ 2:01,
I kinda...sorta...have to agree with you. ...but only because of the *obvious* legal ramifications the attorneys in the crowd should have seen coming...and should have known could be the outcome of voiding the separation agreement.
I'm kinda, sorta wondering where some solid city attorney's advice was on the matter...
Bean:
It was totally stupid. Our idiot Mayor wanted to put on another political show for the masses, that's all.
Anonymous @ 2:20,
Well...our "idiot Mayor" was in plenty of "totally stupid" company this time around...
Just what I was thinking. Void the contract over $5000? Forget that he's Mayor. He's a lawyer!!! I would fire his ass if he was my lawyer.
Pru,
Interesting catch on the teen center. I read the story but didn't notice where most of the kids were from. Kids from Chicago regularly come to Park Ridge. I don't see why they shouldn't be welcomed to the teen center. I'm sure some of the businesses in town welcome their money no matter where they're from. Like Oberweiss and the Pickwick.
Anon@4:02 --
If we gave the impression we don't feel teens from outside of Park Ridge are welcome, we're sorry.
What we did want people to notice and consider is the fact that, in a story about the woeful financial concerns for the Teen Center, 7 out of 8 of the kids in the story were from outside the community whose taxpayers have been and were asked again to fund the Teen Center.
We also wanted to again highlight the fact that what the Teen Center essentially provides is recreation, despite any claims by certain letter to the editor writers attempting to equate that recreation to other social services, and as some sort of necessary sanctuary from a plague of social ills.
Pru,
Thank you for your comment. I think we can agree our town should be a welcoming place for everyone.
Anon@4:33 --
Smooth as buttah. PRUdos.
But we're sure you know precisely where we draw the lines.
PRU,
I know I do!
I was hoping your "Quick Hits and Questions" would have addressed what seems to be the out of control situation at the Youth Campus.
After a time where incidents at the Campus seemed to be in decline, the serious incidents that now seem to appear in the paper each week are only the tip of the iceberg, with each of these incidents requiring one or more squad car to address the situation.
Knowing people who live close the Campus, I hear first-hand stories of girls roaming the Country Club, hanging out in yards using alcohol or drugs, and committing acts of vandalism. Residents are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation. It reminds me of how people who live in gang infested areas must feel.
Now, some may scoff and say, "Oh... poor rich people by the Country Club." I don't live near there, and could not ever afford to. If kids from either Maine South or Maine East were engaging in the same activities near those schools, you can bet that there would be a more widespread outcry.
It's a problem that needs to be solved once and for all. Maybe it's time for the Campus to either be closed or put to another use. Surely there are children that could be served who are neither violent, nor destructive.
Anon@8:45 --
If it's any small comfort, but we expect it won't be, the uptick in blotter reported incidents didn't go unnoticed by the Crew.
We are just at a loss to explain it or ask anything more incisive than simply why?
Drug and alcohol abuse, coupled with acts of vandalism or worse, would not elicit scoffing from us, no matter where they happened.
We will admit, we wondered if the uptick in public reports was the beginning effort in an attempt by some to close the Youth Campus and-or put it to another use.
And now we're suspicious -- which is not to say we are suspicious of you and your comment. But if the number of incidents are merely being reported now, but have occurred all along, then your reaction and suggestions are precisely what those who would hope to close the Youth Campus want to hear as a reaction.
Too bad we cut funding to programs that help teens (duh, teen center).
I also have noticed roving gangs of seniors. Drinking, using drugs, spaypainting their signs/symbols (Scripted AARP) on garages, and having sex all over town.
That must because of the reduced staff and hours at the Senior Center.
Thanks Mayor Dave.
I wondered the same thing, only my first thought was that the long drought in incidents being reported was to protect the Campus from criticism. You are right: skepticism should run both ways. Please note that one of my suggestions was that the Campus be used for children who are not violent or destructive, which would not involve closing it down.
Lots of things happen in Park Ridge, however, that never make it to the "Police Blotter," the most egregious example being when the shot was fired into a home a few years back and the residents had to call the newspapers themselves because it was not being reported.
A few years back (2003-2004?), the police were all over our neighborhood one night with a dog searching for someone. The next day, our neighbor found a bag in his backyard with a gun inside. NEVER made the "Police Blotter." Can't have people thinking there's trouble in Mayberry.
Don't live near the Youth Campus and have no 'dog in the fight.' Do worry that continued problems there will further erode property values in that traditionally affluent area, thereby decreasing the overall appeal of the entire city. The number of incidents reported over the years are all available through a FOIA request, and could either prove or disprove your theory about an agenda in the reporting.
Maybe one of our fine local newspapers could take some time off from reporting each week on "bashes of the rich and want to be famous," and conduct some actual investigative reporting.
It does seem that police reporting is scant. I remember thinking when the discussion was taking place about the police lay-offs, if all the cops do around here is what is in the police blotter, we have too many. I would believe that many items are dropped from the report.
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