Have Some! And a Welcome Note!

Have Some Cow pie!

For our faithful PRU readers who may want to take a break from the holiday madness, may we suggest some madness of a different sort? How about a COW meeting!

If you're up for some assorted madness, you can attend tonight's City Council COW meeting -- the agenda (.pdf) offers topics for discussion and action on subjects for every City Council committee!

The PRU Crew is very interested in hearing the discussions on a number of issues. We feel the pending agreement with Lutheran General Hospital, on the issue of the parking garage tax, should be of extreme interest to the people of Park Ridge. And we look forward to learning precisely what community health care services the City has been providing, in addition to ambulance and paramedic services, since the community groups listed on exhibit A (last page) of the supporting documents (.pdf) are not City-provided community health services. But the PRU Crew is mighty intrigued by the idea of being able to contract for the rescinding of tax ordinances and then earmarking payments to government for preferred program support!

We're also wondering about Lutheran General Hospital's ability to use the proposed agreement to help satisfy legal requirements for providing charity care.

The PRU Crew expects the Mayor and City Council will support the addition of "advice and consent of the City Council" when reviewing department head hiring, and express approval of the City Council, by vote, of severance payments. And we feel this is a cluster f%$# waiting to happen. If history provides any instruction and-or insight, it is likely this Mayor and City Council would have approved the extra severance payment made to the former Director of Economic Development, while voting against any extra severance payment to the former Director of Community Development. And their doing so would have been highly subjective and rife with personal sentiments. But hey, discrimination lawsuits are always interesting!

Finally, we expect the residents on Vine Ave., seeking reimbursement for engineering costs (.pdf), may want to be prepared to bend over and grab their ankles. But some of the residents on Bonita Drive may have better luck with the City Council, right after explaining what they are really after is enforcement of the current truck parking ordinance -- versus the inexplicably stupid cover memo (.pdf) which states, "There seems to be two groups of thought – one believes the restrictions on truck parking should be stronger and the other group believes they aren’t strong enough." Just more of the same nonsense of the continuing saga of Meatgate and one family's adventures in local government!


Welcome Note!

Today was the first day candidates for local office could submit their petitions for inclusion on the ballot for the upcoming spring elections.

We're told, as of noon today, current Aldermen Joseph Sweeney (1st ward) and Rich DiPietro (2nd ward) have submitted their petitions to the City Clerk for inclusion on the ballot.

We're also told relative newcomers to the fun that is local City of Park Ridge government, Franklin Ramirez (7th ward), Sal Raspanti (4th ward), and Dan Knight (5th ward), have also submitted their petitions to the City Clerk for inclusion on the ballot in the same aforementioned elections.

Welcome! The PRU Crew is very much looking forward to your campaigns!

City Council 11-3-10 video!

Some hair of the dog for your viewing displeasure!

City Council 10-18-2010 Video!

Another City Council clusterF --

A refresher on Roberts Rules of Order may be a good idea.

This would be as good a place to start as any -- Decorum in Debate

City Council 10-4-2010 Video!

Amazing men on their flying trapeze!

The Circus Is In Town!

AP Photo/KEYSTONE/Eddy Risch at http://animal.discovery.com/

The three-ring circus we fondly refer to as our City Council will be putting on another show tonight! Come one, come all -- watch as our Alderclowns, lead by our duly elected Ringmaster Schmidt, make a freak show of the democratic process! You'll be amazed and astounded by their depth-defying leaps in logic! You'll thrill to the sounds of Alderclown amendments and motions to defer! And you'll grip the edge of your seat as you witness Ringmaster Schmidt welcome ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages to the greatest veto show in town!

Interested and faithful PRU readers can check out the revised agenda (.pdf) for tonight's show! And for a sneak peek at Ringmaster Schmidt's act, you can read the following press release --

from: Dave Schmidt
to: presscontacts@electdaveschmidt.com
date: Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 2:31 PM
subject: Fwd: Mayoral veto of City Manager's contract

Pursuant to the powers vested in me by the City's Ordinance, I am vetoing the City Manager's employment contract which was approved by the City Council on September 20, 2010.

There are several reasons for this action. The first reason involves the payment of approximately $8500 in deferred compensation in return for the City Manager opting out of the City's health and dental insurance plan. I have serious reservations about whether the payment complies with federal law. I have no reservations at all that the payment is inappropriate, even if technically legal.

When Mr. Hock was first hired in 2008, then-Mayor Frimark negotiated a cash payment of $7720 to Mr. Hock in return for his opting out of the insurance plan. In July 2009, one of the City's attorneys, Seyfarth Shaw, wrote a letter stating that such a payment likely violated Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, because it discriminated against lower-paid City employees who were not given the same option. The attorney's concern was that the payment could jeopardize the City's tax exempt status which could have adverse tax consequences for the City and its employees.

In the subsequent contract which I attempted to negotiate with Mr. Hock, Mr. Hock purported to remedy the tax issue by calling the payment "deferred compensation." Since the City Attorney who drafted the new contract apparently believed this would solve the tax problem, I agreed to the payment, but at a lower amount, approximately $3500. This Council subsequently voted to reject my recommendation, and then voted to actually increase the amount of the payment to $8500.

Upon further reflection, I am not convinced that using sleight of hand to call the payment "deferred compensation" would avoid running afoul of the IRS provision. However, I need not make that determination, because I am convinced that the payment is inappropriate since it discriminates against lower-paid City employees who have not been given the same option to receive deferred compensation in lieu of insurance coverage.

I fully understand that some will claim I am reneging on a promise made by Mayor Frimark to Mr. Hock. However, that contract provision was unfair from the outset, and it put the City's tax exempt status in jeopardy. It is my duty to make sure that error is not compounded. I can and must do what I believe is right, and approving this payment is not right.

A second and equally important reason exists for vetoing this contract. The citizens of Park Ridge have the right to a completely open and transparent government. However, the non-disparagement clause in the contract is the antithesis of transparency. The City Manager is the highest paid official in Park Ridge, earning almost nine times the combined salaries of the mayor and all seven aldermen. The taxpayers are paying his salary. He answers to them as much or more as he answers to the aldermen and me. As written, the clause would effectively prevent any elected official from explaining to the taxpayers why certain action regarding the City Manager was taken. I cannot condone such enforced secrecy against the citizens of Park Ridge.

Finally, the constructive discharge clause is also inappropriate. Mr. Hock's original contract contained no such provision, and I see no reason why it should be included now. In effect, the provision would tie the Council's hands if it decided that a salary reduction for the City Manager was necessary and/or appropriate, because it would trigger a potential severance payment which could cost the City up to $100,000 or more. It is simply unwise for such a new provision to be included in the contract.

I ask the Council to support my position and to come up with a contract which is in the taxpayers' best interests and which is fair to other City employees.

Enjoy the show!

We'll Loan You A Pair!

Gentlemen of the City Council of Park Ridge, your attention please!

Take which ever hand you may favor -- reach down the front of your pants -- feel around for a while. Notice anything missing?

That's right.

So the PRU Crew is willing to loan each of you a pair.

Each of you apparently needs a pair in order to be able to tell certain special interest groups something they may not be willing to hear -- "No."

"No" -- to the Park Ridge O'Hare Airport Commission whose membership is so delusional they seem to truly believe some lobbyist, no matter what level of funding provided, can succeed where history should have taught us more expensive legal arguments have failed.

"No" -- to the Park Ridge Teen Center because it's not the taxpayer's responsibility to entertain other people's ennui-riddled offspring. Ask the Teen Center to dip into their own reserves (.pdf).

"No" -- to the Park Ridge Fine Arts Society because it's not the taxpayer's responsibility to entertain anybody and because, again, they too can dip into their own reserves (.pdf).

"No" -- to the Brickton Art Center who should not only be required to stay within the parameters of their own budget (.pdf), but should also consider charging entrance fees for their bi-monthly art exhibits, among other things.

"No" -- to the Park Ridge Historical Society for whom the most recent Federal Tax form 990 (.pdf) we can find is from 2004! WTF?

"No" -- to the Park Ridge Cultural Arts Council who seems to have bested the Park Ridge Historical Society on the Federal Tax form 990 front! Their most recent filing available for public review dates back to 2000! (.pdf).

"No" -- to Park Ridge Senior Services, a.k.a. the Park Ridge Senior Center, for the same reasons we cited above for the Park Ridge Teen Center! Taxpayers do not owe Senior citizens an entertainment center for their exclusive use simply because they've become citizens of a certain age -- Park Ridge Senior Services can dip into their own reserves (.pdf) if they choose not to up their program and membership fees. And do not for one minute suggest the funding of the Meals on Wheels program at the Senior Center comes close to what the general public believes it to be -- this is a local program which should be run exclusively through Lutheran General Hospital, as the law demands not-for-profit hospitals "dispense enough charity care" in order to maintain their tax exempt status.

"No" -- to the Kalo Foundation because until the City can get its own financial house in order, taxpayers should not be asked to fund still another art-history-hobby group whose own fund raising efforts (.pdf) appear to need much more dedicated effort.

"No" -- to Rainbow Hospice whose funding from the City of Park Ridge is largely symbolic, and who then reportedly uses some portion of that taxpayer provided funding for a sponsorship berth at the Taste of Park Ridge, Inc. for whom, incidentally, there are no published Federal Tax form 990s that we could find. And again we suggest Rainbow Hospice be asked to dip into their reserves (.pdf), while the City of Park Ridge is bleeding red ink.

So gentlemen of the Park Ridge City Council, hoist 'em up and just say "No!" until you can manage to get this city back on some kind of healthy financial footing. Grab your pair on loan and make the decision that contributions to community groups, which do not provide essential services to either the general public or individuals in need, are not the luxuries on which we can afford to spend seriously limited taxpayer dollars in the coming year.

But because the PRU Crew are not a pack of heartless bastards, contrary to what people may have heard, we are willing to carve out two exceptions during the coming fiscal year for two community groups engaged in charitable endeavors -- the Center of Concern (.pdf) and the Maine Center for mental health (.pdf).

However, we're as willing to tell the Center of Concern and the Maine Center to go take a flying leap along with every other privately operated, non-profit group if neither of them, along with every other privately operated community group, doesn't have enough respect for the taxpayers to publish their most recent Federal Tax form 990s or annual reports on their websites for public review, at a minimum! Nobody should have to search and dig for any of this information -- it should be offered freely and willingly to the general public who is providing some measure of funding for each of these efforts.

And the gentlemen on the Park Ridge City Council should demand nothing less on behalf of the taxpayers whom they are supposed to represent.

Finally! Budget Workshop and Council Meeting Videos!

-
Hallelujah!

We've placed the most recent video first, since last Monday night's City Council meeting contains the newest information and action in relation to the City budget -- the rest are posted in descending date order.

We strongly encourage those who've not listened to the audio tapes, or read the extremely scanty coverage in the local rags to give your time to viewing the meeting videos. As time allows, the PRU Crew will attempt to add indexing to the videos to give our faithful PRU readers an idea of what comes up for discussion throughout the meetings. But DO NOT FEEL YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR US! We will not mind at all if you all go whipping through these on your own! Really! We're o.k. with that!

All of what the City Council is doing is precisely what your government is supposed to debate and vote for or against on your behalf, presumably in representing your best interests.

How's that working for you so far?


City Council Meeting 4-5-2010



City Council Budget Workshop 3-31-2010



City Council Budget Workshop 3-29-2010



City Council Budget Workshop 3-27-2010

Cluster F#@%K! -- Addendum! and ***

As some of our faithful PRU readers may have noted a comment was left on our last post saying audio of the Saturday budget workshop is now available on the City website. How exciting!

So we visited the City website. Yes! The audio for the Saturday budget workshop is available on the City website, if you can find it! The search will go something like this:

-- Go to the City home page
-- Click on the menu item Calendar and Agendas (left side of your screen)
-- Click on Look Up Past Events
-- Scroll down to the line item and click on 3/27/20108:30 a.m. City Council Budget Workshop
And voila! You'll see "Video Recording of this Meeting: (will be available when processing is complete on YouTube)" and below that two possibilities for listening to the audio recording of the Saturday budget workshop.

But should you not be able to find the correct web page for the Saturday budget workshop audio recording, and should you find yourself equally or more interested in Monday night's 3/29/20107 p.m. Special City Council Meeting & Budget Workshop***, you can click on that line item and -- voila! You can still listen to the audio recording OF THE SATURDAY BUDGET WORKSHOP! -- because, as of our last check at 10 a.m. today, it's posted under the Monday City Council meeting too!

And at this point, the PRU Crew doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

We suppose we should take some twisted measure of sickening comfort in reading on the City website that --

4/1/20107 p.m. CANC Special City Council Meeting & Budget Workshop: This event has been cancelled.

4/3/20108 a.m. CANC Special City Council Meeting & Budget Workshop: This event has been cancelled.


Addendum --

The audio file for last night's meeting can be heard here: 3/31/20107 p.m. City Council Budget Workshop

*** -- the correct audio tape is now available.

Our Briefs Runneth Over!

1. -- H.S. District 207 Board Meeting tonight!

The agenda for tonight's meeting is here (.pdf). Older minutes for District 207 Board meetings are here. We posted an open letter to the District Board here.

And unfortunately, after tonight's meeting, many of our younger, energetic, non-tenured teachers may find themselves here.


2. -- City Council Meeting tonight!

The agenda (.pdf) for tonight's meeting looks fairly full -- we expect the real meat and potatoes of Council discussion will take place behind closed doors, as the City Manager has two line items asking the Council to adjourn to Executive Session. We also expect that, given the thinking caps worn by a super majority of the Aldermorons, Executive Session won't be any more enlightening than open sessions. But the Aldermorons won't be as subject to public embarrassment and ridicule.


3. -- Videos and Documents!

The PRU Crew finds Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's promotion of his campaign web site very entertaining. We aren't eager to promote any politician's personal web site, but in this instance we're making an exception.

The budget documents provided to the City Council for the workshop are available for viewing on Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's campaign web site here. The City of Park Ridge web site also contains a 2010/2011 budget message document (.pdf) for public review.

As usual, faithful PRU readers can view the videos from the City Council Budget workshop at the Melidosian Motionbox web site -- here's the link to all the budget discussion videos. There are only 3 videos and each are well worth your time.


4. -- Master Blaster!

A member of the Park Ridge O'Hare Airport Commission sent out the following email and a faithful PRU reader was kind enough to forward a copy to us --


Dear Neighbor,

As you are a neighbor and resident of the City of Park Ridge, it is important that you carve out a little time to make your voice heard.

On Monday March 1, 2010, the O’Hare Airport Commission will be making their recommendations to the Park Ridge City Council. The Commission is FIRST ON THE AGENDA and the O’Hare Commission report should be finished within an hour. The meeting begins at 7:30 PM.

The Mayor and Aldermen need to hear from YOU that you want action !
Our elected officials need to support solutions for relief from the airport expansion.

There has been much discussion over the past few weeks ways to resolve out of control growth at O’Hare. Reports made by the City Council members have been inaccurate and presumptuous. The O’Hare Commission will be making a series of recommendations that are solid and viable to work toward resolution. These recommendations are based on FACT, not politically motivated conjecture.

Time is of the essence.
THE MAYOR and CITY COUNCIL MUST HEAR YOUR VOICE AND YOUR DEMAND THAT THEY SUPPORT THESE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS –
AND THEY MUST HEAR THIS FROM YOU ON MONDAY, MARCH 1ST.

The full report will be presented by OAC Chairman, Jennifer Perry, at the City Council meeting. Please come (and bring a neighbor!) to hear the plea for support from our City leaders. It is their responsibility to PROTECT THE RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY – these recommendations will allow them to do just that. To review the report in advance of the meeting, please go to: http://www.parkridge.us/events/event.asp?EVENT_ID=1794&F_DATE=3%2F1%2F2010 and click on Cover & Documentation - O'Hare Airport Commission Report. This will allow you to understand the overview that will be presented and the goals and recommendations by the commission.

So far – the City of Park Ridge is DOING NOTHING to resolve the issues.

AND IN CASE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE ISSUES ARE – HERE’S A SHORT LIST:
· O’Hare manages approximately 2200 flights daily today.
· Construction of any southern runways will not give us relief. They will only allow for MORE flights to be managed.
· There are no flight caps at O’Hare meaning that the number of DAILY, could increase to over 5000 with the airport expansion
· Park Ridge gets no financial benefit from airport operations.
· Park Ridge is NOT part of the “economic engine that is produced by O’Hare”.
· Park Ridge has virtually no hotel, industrial, transportation or other business that is driven by O’Hare.
· A minimum of 68% of all flights in and out of O’Hare will travel over Park Ridge air space
· This equals a MINIMUM of 1600+ flights daily over Park Ridge air space
· Prior to the opening of the north runway, south Park Ridge experienced about 200 flights daily on the Higgins runway.
· Another 400+ flights daily will use the yet to be built Granville Runway over the south end of town.
· The construction and use of the Granville Runway will NOT decrease use on the new North runway (9L/27R). They will use both.
· The two northwest runways will be decommissioned; the traffic from those runways will be diverted to the two northeast runways, 9L/27R and the Granville runway
· When the build out of the OMP is completed, air traffic paths will increase on the north/northwest side of Park Ridge significantly.
· Park Ridge OVERALL real estate values were estimated to drop by 27% in the Environmental Impact Study of the O’Hare Modernization Plan. This number was exclusive of any economic downturn

These are FACTS. Not propaganda. Not spin. Fact. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? It is. Fact is that over the next five years, the essence of our community will be altered forever. But, you can make a difference by asking your local elected officials to help support a solution.

Many people in this community have been heard saying, “… there’s nothing we can do…”.
THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
If you think there is nothing we can do, think again -. In other cities near airports across the country, communities like ours have been able to get a variety of concessions that seriously improved the quality of life under the flight paths. These solutions have included:
· Modification to flight paths
· Use of new technology to alleviate noise
· Mandatory No Fly Zones (near schools)
· Mandatory Fly Quiet Programs
· Increased Sound Insulation Requirements
· And more…

The OAC has identified a number of action items that can move us toward solution.
Your voice is critical in making sure our City Council know your thoughts.

SO:
Make the City Council meeting this Monday.
Make attending the meeting a PRIORITY.
If you can absolutely not make this meeting, take three minutes and write a note to your Alderman and Mayor Schmidt. Tell them that you hate how the airport expansion has impacted our town and that you want them to support potential solutions environmentally, politically, and legally. They NEED to hear that the city NEEDS to address this growing problem. Without hearing from you, they will not be able to support working toward resolution.

To identify your Ward and Alderman, consult the Ward maps which can be found at: https://www.parkridge.us/assets/city-ward-street-schools-pub-fac-pkg.pdf

Mayor and Alderman addresses are:
Mayor David Schmidt - 847/430-3165; dschmidt@parkridge.us
First WardJoseph F. Sweeney -847/823-5552; jfsweeney1stward@sbcglobal.net
Second WardRichard A. DiPietro - 847/698-2471; richd@crosstechinc.com
Third WardDonald Bach - 847/698-3654; docboc7957@ameritech.net
Fourth WardJames Allegretti – 847/825-8080; jallegretti@sbcglobal.net
Fifth WardRobert Ryan - 847/692-7328; bibandrobert@comcast.net
Sixth WardThomas Carey- 847/975-9474; carey407@comcast.net
Seventh WardFrank Wsol - 847/823-6247; frankwsol@juno.com
Your letter could read something like this: (feel free to cut and paste):

Dear Mayor Schmidt/Alderman_______:
I am writing to you today to express my concern over the City of Park Ridge’s position on finding resolution for the problems we are experiencing as a result of O’Hare Expansion. My concerns include safety, noise pollution, air pollution, disruption of education in our classrooms, night time noise and my inability to enjoy my property. I would like to make it clear that I would like you to stand up for me and my neighbors. I support the recommendations of the O’Hare Commission and request that you approve these efforts and move to action IMMEDIATELY. Make room in our City budget to address this problem in ways that will fully explore our constitutional, environmental and legal rights.

Sincerely,
Name
Address

In closing, I will encourage you to forward this message to your friends, neighbors, parents from school/church/
community groups/merchants/work
and encourage them to do the same:

1. Attend the meeting Monday March 1st at 7:30 PM.
2. Email the Alderman and remind them that this is a serious problem that will continue – 10, 20, 30 years into the future – altering the fabric of our community forever.
3. PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
4. The time to act is now… or forever hold your peace.

I look forward to seeing you at the City Council meeting this Monday evening.

Sincerely,

Christine Kutt
200 Belleplaine Avenue
Park Ridge IL
Tele: 847-571-1010
Email: christinekutt@gmail.com

And we offer a bit of free advice to Ms. Kutt -- too many words! Way way too many words! We won't even begin to address the lack of cites and substantive support for the statements made in the email, but good luck. Water from rocks -- blood from turnips -- but we won't be surprised if certain Aldermorons attempt to perform some kind of financial miracle! Or claim to have located a really really really big couch!


5. -- Finally, our usual nod to the Pub-dogs!

City Budget Requires Will To Say "No!" -- all in, a pretty good write-up! We wish they would have asked 3rd ward Ald. Bachtard the obvious question, "If the cuts proposed by City Manager Jim Hock are the wrong cuts, what are the right cuts?"

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.

Moooooommy, he's being a big meanie!

We have to laugh.

If you've taken the time to review the videos from Monday night's COW meeting, you undoubtedly saw 5th ward Benedict Alderman Ryan respond to Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's State of the City address during the new business portion of the agenda.

If you haven't, or don't want to sit through the whole second video, you can use this link to review only Benedict Alderman Ryan's cry baby response.

Benedict Alderman Ryan's entire whine can be summed up thusly -- "Whaaaaa, don't make us feel bad! Whaaaaa, don't ask us to do anything! Whaaaaa, tell us what to do!"
Typical.

The PRU Crew has witnessed Benedict Ryan ask for direction so many times we sincerely wonder if this guy has ever had an original thought in his whole life! What really makes us laugh is that Mayor Schmidtzkrieg has given the Council direction -- specifically on water rates! But apparently Benedict Ryan didn't get the directions to the direction! We also wonder who dresses Benedict Ryan every morning.

Democracy paging Benedict Ryan! Democracy paging Benedict Ryan!

Figuring out what to cut, what to raise, and what to do to manage the City budget IS THE FIRST AND MOST BASIC JOB OF ELECTED OFFICIALS! But we have to assume Benedict Ryan didn't get "the memo" on that either so he doesn't know what his job is! Are there such things as public policy garanimals for Aldermorons? Benedict Ryan could sure use the easy-to-match directions!

Other elected officials, specifically the 3rd ward's Ald. Bachtard and the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor, also whined their responses to the address in an online article in the Herald-Advocate -- with Bachtard under the particular delusion that criticism of aldermanic action and inaction is "politicking." We don't call him Ald. Bachtard for no reason!

Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's State of the City address may have been lacking in some areas, but the Crew thought the overall message was spot on. And the City Council provided more evidence at Monday night's meeting as to exactly what Mayor Schmidtzkrieg was addressing as this Council's failure to act in the best interests of the taxpayers of Park Ridge.

Below are the videos from Monday's COW. The first video begins with a discussion of the water fund rates -- how do you feel these idiots performed?

video #00000.MTS PRCOW 2/8/10



video #00001.MTS PRCOW 2/8/10



For a more expansive editorial on Benedict Ryan's whine, hop on over to the Pub-dog's website.

General Reaction is WTF! -- COW Recap

from: dan-dare.org - SouthParkWallpaper

Good morning PRU readers! Our sources are reporting in and letting us know there was quite a show to be seen at last night's City Council COW! We're working on a recap for your reading pleasure. In the meantime, feel free to add your own observations here.

Long Recap!

Our sources are unanimous in reporting that at last night’s City Council COW they couldn’t hear sh*t! The acoustics in the room are anything but audience-friendly.

Our sources also tell us the council began by discussing the mechanics of how the meeting was to be conducted, as if they had never been in attendance at a committee of the whole meeting, ever, anywhere, at any time.

Despite being blind, the Aldermice forged on.

Alderman Frank Wsooolman (7th ward) commented on whether or not the City should take a look at the local building codes in relation to the O’Hare expansion. The PRU Crew believes Ald. Wsooolman is referring to a sound insulation ordinance.pdf, like the one recently passed by Arlington Heights. The PRU Crew has been wondering when somebody would notice this issue.

In our research of the O’Hare Modernization Program, we have found that it seems unlikely any home built or added on-to after September 2005 will qualify for sound insulation funds through the ONCC. This information is contained in the ONCC's Resolution 2007-5.pdf. It also seems that Alderman Don Bachtard (3rd ward) and Mayor Howard missed the ONCC meeting where this bit of news was discussed, voted on, and adopted by the ONCC membership. And of course, Alderman Bachtard hasn’t reported on this to the Park Ridge City Council.

Alderman Wsooolman was also concerned about the City of Park Ridge’s position on the Olympic games. The 2nd ward’s Lord of the Manor, Ald. Rich DiPietro, said that an individual had written about the Olympics, but that he expected that if the council were to take a position he hoped they would discuss it. The PRU Crew feels that joke kind of tells itself, doesn’t it?

Next, City Manager James Hock let everyone know that the Park Ridge Public Library has a policy that does not allow soliciting within 50 feet of their front door. It seems clear to the PRU Crew that the City Manager hasn’t familiarized himself with the Park Ridge municipal codes just yet, especially regarding the ordinance that covers soliciting (Article 14, Chapter 20.pdf). We have no explanation for City Attorney Buzz Hill’s idiotic agreement on this topic, or why none of the other Aldermen questioned the City Manager's and City Attorney's statements.

Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st ward – Mayoral candidate) did ask where this policy is written and by what authority the library could act to determine such a policy. As we understand it, those questions were never properly answered, though the Lord of the Manor did say the policy was established when citizens were collecting signatures for the library referendum in days gone by.

The City Manager also assured everyone the Acting Chief of Police Tom Swoboda had sent a memo to all police department employees explaining that citizens have a right to petition their government. Acting Chief Swoboda also promised he will investigate this matter thoroughly.

There was no agenda line item for the COW meeting that allowed for citizen comment but at this point in the meeting Ald. Wsooolman said as the Public Safety chairman he would make sure citizens had a chance to comment.

The Aldermen went on to discuss, at great length, the City’s tree preservation ordinance and the forming of a task force to look into changing the ordinance. So all you George Washington wannabes step up and volunteer for the City Council’s latest task force opportunity.

The council also discussed an emergency purchase for more salt. We hear the 6th ward’s Unfriendly Ghost, Tom Carey, took the opportunity to try to scare Alderman Schmidtzkrieg, after he asked why the Public Works department was again running out of salt after the City faced this same problem last year. The Unfriendly Ghost took great exception to the idea that Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim was being accused of poor management. We are told the Unfriendly Ghost made a big show of thanking Director Zingsheim and his staff for their excellent work, noting that while driving back from Greenbay one evening, the Unfriendly Ghost encountered all kinds of terrible road conditions until he got to Park Ridge.

The council also discussed some poor bastard’s efforts to get the hell out of Dodge, a.k.a. de-annexing approximately 40% of his property from the City of Park Ridge and being allowed to be annexed into the City of Chicago. For the time being, it looks like the poor bastard will remain in the warm bosom of Park Ridge.

One of the lengthier discussions during the COW was between the Aldermen and representatives from Shell Oil Co. seeking to limit Shell’s liability for ground water contamination from 2500 feet to 350 feet surrounding 900 Talcott Rd. The PRU Crew thinks this sounds like a really great deal – for Shell Oil Co. Our sources have reported to us that Shell has hired consultants to do “modeling” of the site, which we believe does not involve stiletto heels and a cat-walk. The ground water and soil have been tested and the modeling seems to indicate 350 feet is protection enough for the citizens of Park Ridge in the surrounding area.

Let’s see now, where else have we seen modeling done that said certain types of contamination would not be spread beyond the modeling contour? That’s right PRU readers! The O’Hare Modernization Program's Noise Contour map! All you 5th warders just hush up now! The modeling said you wouldn’t be contaminated with jet noise!

Next, Ald. Wsooolman raised the issue of the South Park Merchants request that the City look into purchasing a property near Brophy and Devon for parking – the approximate price for the property is $895,000.00. And the PRU Crew remains convinced that, while tax revenue can come up short, there is never a shortage of people who want to spend other people’s money.

The Public Works portion of the meeting ended around 9:45 pm and they took a break.

Next up, the Public Safety portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussions of traffic and selective enforcement on Cumberland Avenue. Ald. Bachtard let everyone know that we have to be nice to Jewel Food stores or they may pick up their produce and go home. Mayor Howard promised to sit down and discuss the issue of truck traffic with Jewel – no, not the corporate offices, the Jewel store manager, because in the words of one of our sources, Mayor Howard thinks big! The PRU Crew is wondering why Mayor Howard would pick up the phone to talk to the corporate officers for Oberweis but not for Jewel Foods. Anybody care to take a guess?

The council then moved on to discuss the RFQ for the police station. The council seemed to conclude that they need to hire a consultant to write the RFQ that will be used to hire a consultant for consulting on a new police station.

We have received an abundance of priceless quotes uttered during this portion of the evening, such as –

Ald. Ryan on referendum – “The City doesn’t have to go to referendum. The system is not set up for the City to have to go to referendum.”

Ald. DiPietro on referendum – “The residents have typically lead the drives for referendum, like the library referendum and the council reduction. The only referendum the council put on the ballot was the one asking to stagger aldermanic terms, because that one was so non-controversial.”

Ald. Wsol to Mayor Howard who was yelling at an audience member to sit down – “I am the chairman of this committee and I am ruling you out of order.”

But there is no doubt in our minds that this one wins first place!




Everybody get that? Do not quote Mayor Howard on anything he doesn’t exactly say! Our thanks to a PRU reader for this submission.

Finally under New Business, Alderman Wsooolman let everyone know he plans to introduce a resolution of his own for a referendum on a new police station. Why now Alderman Wsooolman?

Addendum --

Alderman Wsooolman's proposed referendum language is --

"In adopting a capital project to improve the administrative, public, and police facilities at 505 Butler Place, shall the City of Park Ridge require as conditions of issuing any bonds for such improvements that the annual bond payment will not cause an increase in City taxes, or fees, or service reductions as of 2008 levels? The total spent, absent interest and operational costs will not exceed $16.5million. The facility improvement will not require new land purchases and the facility improvements will, where economically appropriate, include green engineering for the purpose of lowering on-going operational costs."

You can view Wsooolman's offer by watching the video below!