COW Clunkers!

The Obama Administration Rebate Plan looks like this --



The Alderman Frank Wsol Rebate Plan looks like this --



Hello everyone! We hope you've been staying cool during our recent heat wave!

We've been keeping up with the goings on and we've gotten a good laugh or two out of the things we've seen and heard taking place.

We're sure tonight's City Council COW will offer more entertainment. Come on out and enjoy the show!

The PRU Crew is especially looking forward to hearing 7th ward Ald. Frank assWsol justify giving taxpayer dollars away from an already bloody red City budget! We're wondering why this discussion for funding a subsidy program isn't taking place during a Finance and Budget Committee meeting, but logic hasn't ever stopped either Ald. assWsol or Public Works Committee Chairman, Ald. Don Bachtard, from moooooving forward with one of their schemes!

Another item on tonight's COW agenda includes a discussion of 3rd ward Alderman Don Bachtard's idea to add pit bull terriers to the City code which lists "prohibited animals" but, from what we read, new Police Chief Kaminski is coaxing Ald. Bachtard back onto the reservation.

Another sure bet highlight from tonight's COW will be 5th ward Benedict Alderman Robert Ryan's solution for unkempt properties -- if people won't mow their lawns before the weeds grow to 12 inches high, then dammit, reduce the height allowed by the City code! But whatever you do, do not discuss issues of enforcement of the existing City code!

We just love City government in action!

On The Loose!

Original from -- www.devilstowertradingpost.com

There's a Council meeting tonight! The agenda (.pdf) looks interesting, to say the least!

Finance & Budget Committee item c looks very interesting! Our sources inside the City tell us this little gem is the brainstorm of 7th Ward Alderman Frank assWsol.

Our sources have also told us, because Ald. assWsol hasn't provided any documentation for publication on the City's website, this will be a discussion about --

"-- rebates to owners of “existing” single family homes up to a maximum of a $2,500.00 rebate based on 25% of the actual cost of the verifiable construction of flood mitigation/prevention projects performed on a single-family residence, dating back to January 1, 2008. All new construction is required to meet all appropriate building codes and is specifically excluded from this program. The goal of the program is to provide Park Ridge homeowners of existing single family residences who have had flood mitigation/prevention construction work performed on their dwelling or those adopting such improvements an opportunity to address the new issue of “100 year flooding” rainfall that has become all too “normal.” Only existing single-family homes (and town homes) will be eligible whether owner occupied or not. Landlords may apply. Projects covered by the program will include improvements for: overhead sewers; backwater valves in basements or yards; lift stations in yards; glass block basement windows in cases where a home is subject to flooding through window wells; drain tile with sump pumps; backup battery sump pumps; emergency generators for flood control systems, “French drains” which can demonstrate their effectiveness at retaining significant rainwater that causes home flooding and sump pump connections to storm sewers. The type of projects not covered include maintenance items such as normal plumbing repairs, sump pump replacements, valve replacements, sewer clean-outs and repairs. Funding for this program will be from General Fund property tax reserves."

We are indebted to our brave source for this information. And, if Ald. assWsol gets his way, the entire City budget and Park Ridge taxpayers will be even further "indebted."

The current City budget is in the red by $2million and counting.

Last year's City budget was in the red by $2.5million.

Property taxes and fees have been raised.

City staff has been asked to take salary freezes.

The City Council increased funding for community groups beyond the original budget.

And Ald. assWsol wants to enact legislation to subsidize private home improvements, retroactive to January 1, 2008, before the City's consultants and Flooding Task Force determine any definitive causes of flooding and make recommendations for courses of action.

While the 5th Ward's Benedict Alderman Robert Ryan wants to make sure there is the likelihood of adding even more residential density to the Uptown area, and more housing units to the already depressed real estate housing market.

B.O.H.I.C.A!

No PRU recap tomorrow. We'll provide a post for any reader reports of the meeting.

The Joker Writes for Pioneer Press!

In today's edition of the Herald-Advocate we are treated to a view of the inner workings of what passes for the mind of the Herald-Advocate editor.

In the editorial, Referendum rules work against input on airport question, the PRU Crew came away feeling as if the editor simply could not bring himself to give Alderman Frank Wsooooolman (7th ward) and the majority of the city council a well deserved whack on their heads for approving a referendum question that essentially duplicates if not completely confuses the issue before voters on whether or not to build a new police station.

Instead of rightfully condemning Ald. Wsooooolman and the rest of the lapdog council for their display of "political showmanship" at the 11th hour, which can be deemed as equally responsible for shutting out the possibility of a referendum question about funding to fight O'Hare expansion, the editorial suggests that it is those opposed to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's sales tax increase who have somehow done a grave disservice to voters by proceeding to accumulate measurable voter reaction to Stroger's fiscal folly.

The PRU Crew feels that kind of thinking is evidence of mental retardation.

PRUdos to anyone that takes on one of Crook County's biggest idiots, Todd Stroger. PRUdos again to anyone who backs up their opposition to one of Crook County's biggest idiots with countable votes which will then provide voter-backed ammunition needed to undo Stroger's fiscal folly.

The Herald-Advocate editor blew it again -- just more noise from one of the local rags.

Council Recap!

Greetings, PRU readers! We've got a council meeting recap for you today -- it's not as full as we wanted it to be, but sometimes digging into background information isn't as easy as we would like it to be. And sometimes we come up empty too.

Without further ado, here's your council meeting recap!

Monday night's City Council meeting began with an attempt by the leader of the ORD-REST community group to provide a power point presentation.pdf (we assume it's the same one presented at the 12/13/08 Town Hall Meeting) to the assembled masses, but Ms. Christine Kutt-Zolt couldn't get cooperation from the technology gods. Instead Ms. Kutt-Zolt went ahead and verbally presented the case for ORD-REST and what they hope to do. Mayor Howard and some of his Alderdopes are looking to make ORD-REST a city sponsored task force, and no doubt shift the responsibility for dealing with the O'Hare issue away from themselves, the elected officials who dropped the ball on this for the last two years.

Our sources report the Council's eyes boggled as Ms. Kutt-Zolt began listing expenses for the proposed ORD-REST groups becoming a city task force -- the grand total being $300,000.00 to begin the effort to research whether or not there is anything that can be done to pursue some forms of relief from the O'Hare expansion.

The ORD-REST effort could include the hiring of many many consultants to research and advise on such things as the Environmental Impact Statement issued for the O'Hare Modernization Program, write federal legislation "to protect us and others" from airport problems, give ORD-REST a "seat at the ONCC table" -- which conveniently lets Mayor Howard and Alderdunce Don Bachtard (3rd ward) off the hook of accountability -- as well as suing the FAA on behalf of property owners in Park Ridge who believe their property value has diminished in light of the opening of the new 9L/27R O'Hare runway.

We feel those efforts would be an exercise in futility. However, we strongly feel the City of Park Ridge should not even be thinking of using taxpayer money to fund lawsuits on behalf of some private property owners. We know there are those who will argue that the city has an interest in the value of that private property; however, we maintain that city funding of lawsuits that may or may not return monetary relief to private property owners, in the way of some settlement, is not the sort of interest the city should take in the issue and would not serve to protect the collective city interests.

Sources tell us that after the Alderdopes listened to the dulcet tones of the cash registers in their heads begin ringing, the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor, Rich DiPietro, suggested the issue be referred to committee and that the process of interviewing task force members, by the Mayor's Advisory board for recommendation for appointment by Mayor Howard be followed. And here PRU readers should note, bureaucracy has its advantages -- as every bureaurat comes to understand in time.

The City Council then moved on to discussion of how the City Council COW meetings are to be conducted. We are told the low light from this portion of the meeting was having to listen to 4th ward Alderman James Allspaghetti, in response to an amendment offered by 1st ward Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg that would have demanded a super majority vote of the council to limit debate, argue that debate should be allowed to be limited by a simple majority vote, and that he's never seen the limiting of debate "abused", and that he feels demanding that a super majority vote to limit debate of public business is not good government. For his part, Alderman Bachtard whined that "COW meetings should mirror City Council meetings" and that now there would be two sets of rules for different meetings. Schmidtzkrieg argued that COW meetings are supposed to be different from City Council meetings.

Initially a voice vote was taken on the amendment and it seemed to pass, with our sources telling us that Aldermen Bachtard, Allspaghetti, and Benedict Alderman Ryan voted no on the amendment that would have demanded a super majority vote to limit debate. But then, in what has become a sort of City Council tradition, confusion ensued and a roll call vote was requested -- a sort of City Council do-over. With the roll call vote, sources tell us the Unfriendly Ghost from the 6th ward, Tom Carey, seemed to change his vote to a no and then the amendment to demand a super majority to limit debate was defeated.

The Council also discussed the complaints they had received about the COW meeting location at the Public Works Service Center -- by consensus they have decided to hold COW meetings at City Hall.

The next item on the agenda was discussion of 7th ward Alderman Frank Wsooooolman's resolution to include a referendum on the April ballot asking voters something -- we still don't know exactly what -- about building a new Park Ridge police station. Alderman Wsooooolman said he was introducing this resolution because, until Monday morning when Joe Egan and his volunteers submitted 2800 plus signatures to the City Cluck for their referendum effort, it had seemed to him the citizen effort to get the referendum question on the ballot wasn't going to be successful, so he figured he would do it. Which leads us to wonder why, after learning Joe Egan and his volunteers were successful, Ald. Wsooooolman didn't pull his discussion item for a referendum resolution off the City Council agenda?

During the very lengthy and circular discussion of Wsooooolman's resolution the assembled masses were treated to another Ald. Allspaghetti dissertation on the ignorance of the citizens of Park Ridge, saying we are "uninformed." Allspaghetti's remarks elicited a pointed retort from Ald. Schmidtzkrieg who said "calling the populace uninformed is wrong." Then the Lord of the Manor, Ald. DiPietro, offered that Ald. Wsooooolman had come up with referendum language because at an earlier meeting Joe Egan had said that if the council didn't like his referendum wording they should come up with their own. Alderman Benedict Ryan said he though Ald. Wsooooolman's referendum "clarifies" the issue. The PRU Crew is wondering if Benedict Ryan needs a new pair of glasses because the final wording of the Council's referendum --

"In adopting a capital project to improve the administrative/public and police facilities, shall the city of Park Ridge require as a condition of issuing any bonds for such improvements that the total spent, absent interest and operational costs, be less than $16.5 million and the facilities be located at 505 Butler Place on land already owned by the city?"

-- seems to us to be anything but clear, or clarifying.

Ryan then attempted to amend the referendum by adding language that said approval of the referendum "will not cause an increase in taxes, fees, or service reductions as of 2008 levels."

The first portion of that language to get axed was the "as of 2008 levels" then, after City Manager Jim Hock said the language would tie the hands of the City Council while making budget decisions, the Council nixed the rest of Benedict Ryan's amendment.

The Unfriendly Ghost, Tom Carey, motioned to have the issue deferred for two weeks, but that motion failed.

We are told Alderman Wsooooolman then launched into some bellicose bellowing, to borrow a phrase, on how all the discussions about building a new police station and land needed for the project had taken place in open meetings.

Sometimes this really is like shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it?

Would anyone like to remind Ald. Wsooooolman about the discussions that have taken place behind closed doors about land purchases? Would anyone like to remind Ald. Wsooooolman about Mayor Howard's discussion and attempts to INCREASE THE PRICE THE CITY WOULD PAY for the property at 720 Garden Street, all of which took place behind closed doors? Would anyone like to remind Ald. Wsooooolman about Mayor Howard's attempts to get a deal for his friend and campaign contributor, Bill Napleton? Many many many of the discussions about the deals, plural, for Napleton's property have taken place behind closed doors.

The final vote on inclusion of the Council referendum on the April ballot was approved by a final vote of 5 (Wsol, DiPietro, Bach, Ryan, and Carey) to 2 (Schmidt and Allegretti).

The Council then moved on to discussion of Ald. Wsooooolman's next proposed referendum question -- whether the voters want the City to go to referendum whenever non-emergency debt is being considered. This item was referred for consideration to the Finance and Budget committee by a unanimous vote.

Next up, City Manager Jim Hock let everyone know that it's business as usual with ComEd. Hock reported that 80 homes were without power during the recent subzero temperatures, and that this outage was actually scheduled by ComEd. Hock also told the Council that another report received from ComEd said that an additional 1000 homes were without power, but that report turned out to be false. Unfortunately, the City had begun notifying residents before being able to confirm the validity of ComEd's report. Alderman Bachtard said it wouldn't do any good, but he wants to call ComEd on the carpet anyway. Sensational!

The assembled masses were then given a report by acting Chief of Police Tom Swoboda on his investigation into the Oberweis incident involving allegations officers had attempted to intimidate employees at the ice cream shop who were allowing police station referendum petition volunteers to collect voter signatures in the store. The result of Swoboda's investigation resulted in his finding that one employee received a telephone call from a woman claiming to be a Park Ridge police officer, who complained about the referendum effort. The PRU Crew is wondering if dollface has been smiling and dialing? Swoboda also said that one officer had been in the Oberweis store but nothing other than "small talk" took place. Swoboda then went on to complain bitterly about inaccurate information being released to "the press" and how that unsubstantiated information damages the reputation of the police department. Chiefy, the PRU Crew thinks you do a pretty damn good job in helping that effort along yourself.

Mayor Howard then took the opportunity to say, and we quote -- he was "incest" because of the incorrect and invalid accusations, and that "our police officers aren't types that bully people."

Next up, City Manager Jim Hock proposed the City Council go into closed session to approve closed session minutes and als discuss acquisition of land. Ald. Wsooooolman earned his only PRUdo for the night by asking City Manager Hock if the land acquisition item had any relation to the Park Ridge Police Department? Mr. Hock reportedly replied, "Potentially." Ald. Wsooooolman, fully realizing the implications, then said "this is why residents don't trust us." Ald. Bachtard simply said "we can't afford land right now", but Ald. Allspaghetti said that discussion doesn't mean we have to buy it. The Council approved the closed session agenda item to review other closed session minutes but did not vote to discuss any land acquisition in closed session.

The Council then voted to form a task force to review the tree preservation ordinance, because you can't possibly have too many unelected, Mayoral appointed bodies making recommendations to elected officials on city policy.

Under the Council's agenda item for New Business, Ald. Bachtard again said he wanted a ComEd representative to come to Park Ridge. Sensational! Bachtard also went on to say he has received complaints about empty stores and city policies that "keep them empty" so he wants the Procedures and Regulations committee to review city ordinances governing local business matters. We can't wait for the recommendations from the Procedures and Regulations committee!

All together now --

Give us a "T",
give us an "A",
give us an "S",
give us a "K",
give us an "F",
give us an "O",
give us an "R",
give us a "C",
give us an "E"!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Sigmund Freud is considered the father of psychoanalysis -- a practice, in part, by which a person's ego is analyzed and motivations are discerned. According to Dr. Freud, the ego will pursue the attainment of something to compensate for something else felt to be missing.

Sigmund Freud assigned to women a desire for compensation, of what was "missing" from them, as penis-envy. The PRU Crew has never bought in to that psychobabble, because we feel very deeply that with what women do have, they can have as many penises as they want. We know this. We know this because offers have been made. And rejected -- even after major effort has been made to explain to them what they're missing. We can only conclude Dr. Freud is completely wrong on this women with penis-envy thing, because people do not reject offers for things they envy and supposedly want.

However, the PRU Crew isn't ready to summarily reject the entirety of Freud's theory of an ego's desire for compensation.

If we go looking for an example of Freud's theory in practice, close to home, we feel it can be found in 7th Ward Alderman Frank Wsol's police station referendum solution -- or Wsolution, as the PRU Crew is preferring to call it.

In an article in today's Journal and Topics, 'Wsol Pitches Idea For Police Referendum Wording', we read that Ald. Wsolution is quoted as saying, "I think I have a solution, and I'm going to be asking the City Manager to put this on the schedule for next Monday." Alderman Wsolution is pitching two referendum questions to the voters of Park Ridge --

1. -- "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/fees or service reductions as of 2008 levels (adjusted for inflation); 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."

2. -- "Shall the City of Park Ridge adopt a policy that all non-emergency debt and all non-emergency budget increases above the CPI-U (CPI-U decreases will not apply) shall require voter approval by referendum vote?"

The PRU Crew is wondering what Ald. Wsolution is trying to compensate for -- is this really the best he can do? The PRU Crew has to admit we aren't even sure of what a yes or no answer means for each of those questions, as one of our commenters pointed out yesterday.

We know there are those who feel the condition of the police station is fine and there is no need to address the shortcomings in the facility. The PRU Crew strongly disagrees with that position.

We know there are those who feel we can't afford the expense of an entirely new station. The PRU Crew feels that position has some merit, at this time. But the City of Park Ridge has mucked around about the police station for so long, under much better economic conditions, that we are beginning to feel we may never see a real solution to the problems of the police facility in our lifetime!

The PRU Crew is a fairly uncompromising bunch on nearly every issue. We tend to take a look at things and make a judgement about what we feel is the right course of action.

On the issue of our police facility we feel we could swallow some kind of compromise. We don't know exactly what that is, but we know that the current condition of the station is unacceptable.

We're hoping the politicians can stop their ego compensation games for a little while and get to work on a real solution. We've had just about all we can stand of their dicking around.

The 'Look! There Goes Elvis!' Chronicles and A Special Note!

Almost a year ago, we told PRU readers that Mayor Howard's method of operating includes creating distractions and pointing his finger in every direction other than back at himself. We called our post Look! There Goes Elvis! It seems clear to us that the buck may stop with Mayor Howard, then go right into his political war chest, but he'll take a pass on responsibility.

Chronicle #1 - Hound dogging the ZBA!

Today's Pub-dog article, Whom Do You Trust?, is about a Journal & Topics item reporting that Mayor Howard was keeping the Zoning Board of Appeals safe from First Ward Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg's diabolical influence. In typical Mayor Howard fashion, he blames an anonymous source for having tipped him to some Schmidtnanigans taking place behind the scenes at the ZBA. Except, it turns out the only behind the scenes -nanigans that have been taking place are of the Mayor Howard variety. After having contacted ZBA chairman Ann Tennes, privately, to "investigate" the alleged complaint, Tennes made the matter public at a June meeting of the board; recorded for posterity in the June ZBA minutes.pdf - pg. 9.

The PRU Crew seems to recall Mayor Howard saying that he doesn't "investigate" anything unless the City Council asks him to, which is why Mayor Howard said he didn't "investigate" who leaked information about former Chief of Police Jeff Caudill's separation agreement.

Chronicle #2 - Viva Bill Napleton!

As PRU readers know, one of the Crew's questionable hobbies is reading meeting minutes. And we thoroughly enjoyed the Sept. 4th minutes.pdf from the Public Safety Committee.

Even though discussion of a new police facility was a scheduled agenda item, Mayor Howard made sure to take advantage of the opportunity to speak ahead of schedule on behalf of a special 'Friend of Frimark', Mr. Bill Napleton.

Public Safety Committee chairman, Seventh Ward Alderman Frank Wsooooolman, has been working to make progress on the building of a new police station on a piece of property already owned by the City of Park Ridge, located adjacent to City Hall. While we take issue with some of the matters surrounding the building of a new police station, we give PRUdos to Ald. Wsooooolman for trying his level best to address one of our town's more difficult issues, especially at this time and in a strained atmosphere surrounding the department and the city budget.

The last thing Ald. Wsooooolman needs is a distracting Frimark fly in the ointment of serious city business. But as you know, you can always count on Mayor Howard to go to the mat on behalf of a pal. And if that means pulling the Public Safety Committee off task and in a different direction, then so be it.

Chronicle #3 - In The Preservation Ghetto!

For anyone who's lived in Park Ridge for more than a couple years, you would have to work diligently at remaining ignorant of CURRB spokesperson, former Fifth Ward Aldermanic candidate, and purple ribbon gadfly, Ms. Judy Barclay.

Ms. Barclay has plenty of faults her detractors can criticize, but nobody, and we mean NOBODY, can ever accuse Ms. Barclay of being anything less than the numero uno interested party in Park Ridge preservation. Ms. Barclay is a member of the Kalo Foundation, and the driving force behind the city's contemplation of a preservation ordinance.

So of course, Ms. Barclay was passed over by Mayor Howard in his selection of Preservation Task Force members -- all the gory details of which have been reported in the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate.

And of course, Mayor Howard pointed his finger at Deputy City Manager, Julianna Maller, for having left Barclay's name off the list. But the PRU Crew is pretty sure Ms. Maller's memo to the Procedures and Regulations Committee.pdf is accurate -- that memo bluntly states that Mayor Howard selected the members of the task force, and if you're aware of the (pre)dispositions of some of the names on that list, you're having a good laugh right about now...and the PRU Crew's laughing with you.

A Special Note --

Today's Journal and Topics is reporting that First Ward Alderman Dave Schmidt is considering running for Mayor.

The PRU Crew says...

THANK GOD! GO FOR IT!

It's For Your Own Good!

Last November we discussed the issue of Red Light cameras being installed at "dangerous intersections" throughout Park Ridge. Alderman Don Bachtard (3rd ward) was reportedly prompted into action on this idea because "a driver running through a red light broadsided the son of one of his constituents at Oakton and Greenwood Avenue."

We criticized the idea as being more about revenue generation for municipalities and less about safety than either elected officials or the red light camera companies are willing to admit. But Ald. Bachtard has pushed the idea forward.

We respect Ald. Bachtard's professed concerns for safety. We expected that after his remarks about safety, and his push for two red light camera companies to conduct studies at various intersections around Park Ridge, we would be able to read about the studies and learn about the anticipated reduction in accident rates at those dangerous intersections, especially the intersection where the son of one of his constituents was broadsided; Oakton and Greenwood Ave.

But so far, we haven't been able to find much in the way of discussion of a hoped for increase in safety or estimated reduction in accident rates at the intersections only one of the two red light camera companies studied and recommended for camera installation. Neither the July 17, 2008 Public Safety Committee meeting minutes, nor the documents available on the city web site for the upcoming Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, August 7, 2008 talk about such issues as estimates for reducing accident rates at intersections with red light cameras. And the two companies that conducted the studies did not recommend that cameras be installed at the intersection of Oakton and Greeenwood; the intersection where the T-bone accident happened that has spurred Ald. Bachtard on in his quest to install red light cameras in Park Ridge.

However, we were able to read, in a Herald-Advocate report on the issue, about the maximum amount of fines allowed ($100), the fact that the city can keep a percentage (how much?) of the fine, the monthly maintenance fee charged for each camera ($1500), and that there is also a processing fee (how much?) charged for each violation.

But in a report in the Journal & Topics on this subject, Alderman Frank Wsooooolman (7th ward) did manage to work in a quotable sound bite on the subject of safety and "minimizing the number of accidents". After all, the Wsooooolman is the Public Safety Committee chairman.

Addendum: Freewheeling April 15, 2008 -- reader recommended links on red light cameras.

A Comment In The Spotlight!

On June 5, 2008 8:36 PM

Anonymous said...

"PRU, enjoy the weekend. Police Department members won't since many of them will be thinking about yesterday:

Members of the police department were told (and told and told and emailed and encouraged and informed and advised, etc) that Terry Ekls and his associates would be available at 5pm on both Tuesday, June 3rd and Wednesday, June 4th to listen to any department members who wished to voice concerns of any kind for the investigation/audit. The PD members were told that Ekl and his staff would stay as long as it took to ensure all voices could be heard. These two dates were to cover all four patrol shifts since 6pm is the end of the day shift tour and the start of the evening shift tour.

So when at least five department members went to speak with Ekl and his people after the previous shift's end and the oncoming shift's 6pm roll call, there was no one to be found. Where did they go? Ekl was tracked down climbing into his vehicle in the parking lot. He was leaving at 6:30 pm. He was confronted by several of those who wished to speak with him. He said he was done. He said he thought no one wanted to talk to him, so he sent his people home. No, no, no, we have people who want to speak to you! Who need to speak to you! Who have important things to say! Come back in. Please! You're just here in the parking lot. Let's walk right back inside. Your staff must have cell phones, right? Call them and have them turn around and come back. You're being paid $75,000 to conduct an investigation but you're only staying an hour and a half? (and you were late after 5pm.) You didn't check with a supervisor to see if maybe there was an emergency call that tied everyone up so that was the reason no one just walked into your conference room? You didn't know shift change was at 6pm? That's why 5pm was the set time! You just decided, I'm outta here?

He handed out a fistfull of business cards to pass around. Just have everyone call me. I gotta go! Bye!

Low bid. This is what you get. And the truth is what you'll be missing...."

Alderman Wsol, you are the chairman of the Public Safety committee. This police department investigation was your idea. While you allegedly had another firm for your first choice to do this investigation, you went along with the first choice recommendation of your two fellow City Council subcommittee members, Mayor Howard Frimark and Alderman Jim Allegretti, in selecting the firm of Ekl Williams to do this investigation.

Alderman Wsol, you were the point-man who insisted that the City Council defer consideration on former Chief Caudill's amended separation agreement, to ensure his full cooperation with the Ekl Williams investigation of the police department; even though that assurance was already part of the separation agreement you previously agreed to in full. Will you be relying on the word of Ekl Williams in assessing the former police chief's level of cooperation? Will you be relying on the word of Ekl Williams in assessing the level of cooperation Mr. Ekl, himself, demanded from the police department in his meetings with City staff (.pdf)?

Alderman Wsol, did you see to it that there were provisions in the agreement between the City and Ekl Williams to ensure that Ekl Williams would fully cooperate with members of the police department in this investigation? Is there any potential for deferred or withheld compensation to Ekl Williams for their failure to cooperate in this investigation? Whose word will you rely on in assessing the level of cooperation and effort made in this investigation by Ekl Williams?

Alderman Wsol, what are you going to do about this?

Mayor Howard and Alderman Allegretti, Ekl Williams was each of your first choices for the investigation of the police department. What are you going to do about this?

Remember folks, there are two sides to every story. The PRU Crew can't wait to hear this one.

Council Capers Recap!

Again, we thank our PRU readers for being patient while we organize our sources.

At last night's City Council meeting, our illustrious representatives again voted to go into closed session to discuss the acquisition of property for a new police station. Our sources tell us Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st Ward) reminded the Council that they had not yet decided the key issues of size and expense for such a project. Ald. Schmidtzkrieg further stated that they cannot discuss the acquisition of property without deciding those issues, in open session.

The 4th Ward's representative, Alderman Allspaghetti, then asked Schmidtzkrieg if he would "respect" the vote of the Council to go into closed session or if he would disclose what was discussed. Schmidtzkrieg responded that he "didn't know what [he] would do", but he would abide by the rules of the Illinois Open Meetings Act and that he was prepared to be "condemned" again for his actions.

Then Alderman Frank Wsooooolman (7th Ward) offered that his intention in asking for this closed session was in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act which allows public bodies to discuss "strategy for obtaining real estate", and that this was a protection of the taxpayers from those who may try to "manipulate" the market. What Ald. Wsooooolman doesn't seem to realize is that public bodies have the right to condemn property and pay fair market value for it, should anyone attempt to "manipulate" the market. What Ald. Wsooooolman also doesn't seem to realize is that the issues of size and expense for a police station should be determined before the Council engages in their "strategery" on land acquisition.

And the entire PRU Crew is willing to bet their briefs that the property discussed in closed session last night was the now shuttered Napleton Cadillac dealership, a prime piece of private commercial property on two main drags. Mr. Bill Napleton, a very special Friend of Frimark, is no doubt grinning from ear to ear about this real estate flip. Why work selling cars when you can "manipulate" local government into a deal that may provide you with a windfall of as much as $5 million? The PRU Crew has suspected for a while now that Bill Napleton never had any intention of maintaining a Cadillac dealership in Park Ridge, and the more we watch this deal evolve, the more convinced we become.

Also at the City Council meeting last night, Adrienne Timm of St. Paul of the Cross read a statement saying that the Park Ridge Ministerial Association and St. Paul of the Cross "continue to be sensitive" to the concerns of the community and will now seek to open a PADS homeless shelter at St. Paul of the Cross this coming October, instead of at St. Mary's Episcopal church. Ms. Timm was standing in for Father Carl Morello, who was presiding over SPC's eighth grade graduation festivities and waxing pastor-al about taking the "higher road" in life.

Apparently Father Morello's "higher road" doesn't include telling his congregation about things like the proposed PADS shelter coming to St. Paul of the Cross even while waxing pastor-al about the PADS program this past Sunday. While leaving out details from one's discussion of a topic isn't the same thing as telling a lie, and while telling a lie isn't one of the "Seven Deadly Sins", failing to mention key details probably is considered bad behavior.

But maybe Father Morello was so proud of his sermon last Sunday that he simply forgot to mention the new location of the proposed PADS homeless shelter. By the way, Padre, pride is one of the "Seven Deadlies." But you already know that, right?

After the PRMA--St. Paul of the Cross announcement, Cumberland Avenue resident Mr. Chris Harris addressed the Council to ask about the funds requested from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's office. Mr. Harris also asked "who will benefit" from the "Cumberland Avenue Connector Project". Mr. Harris noted that the request for funds also included that the project "proposes to increase speed" in order to move traffic through Park Ridge faster. He went on to say that Park Ridge is primarily a residential community that already gets more than its fair share of truck and cut-through traffic. Mr. Harris concluded his remarks by asking, "How does this (the proposed Cumberland extension) benefit residents and businesses in Park Ridge?" The PRU Crew feels that is an excellent question, Mr. Harris. We can't wait to hear what the pols' answer is.

Finally, Mayor Howard's rubber stamps on the Council took the opportunity to stick it to former Chief of Police, Jeff Caudill. As we told you yesterday, the Council was supposed to "approve payment to former Police Chief Caudill." Instead, in a vote of 4 to 2 (Bach, Allegretti, Carey and Wsol to Schmidt and DiPietro -- Ryan missed another meeting) the Council chose to hold the payment over the head of the former Chief of Police to ensure his "full cooperation" in the Ekl Williams investigation of the Park Ridge police department; even though the original separation agreement calls for Mr. Caudill to do exactly that. We're not sure about PRU readers, but the Crew feels that this dangling carrot bears the faint aroma of a bribe. More bluntly stated, it now appears as if Caudill's "cooperation" will be measured by the pleasure or displeasure of Council members and the Mayor in reaction to whatever information Caudill gives to Ekl Williams. And the delayed consideration of agreeing to the payment may reflect that pleasure or displeasure.

And we can't get past the Council's double-dealing on the terms of the agreement. If waiting until after the investigation to agree to a complete severance package for Caudill, to ensure his cooperation, is now so important, why wasn't it important before? Before the investigation began? Before "progress" reports had been received?

And finally, how the hell do you screw over a 30+ year employee like this? By nearly all accounts, Caudill served this community well. And we have yet to hear any substantive grounds for why the Mayor and his rubber stamps pushed for Caudill to resign.

We guess this is what passes for "doing business" in Park Ridge.

Buckle up, Park Ridgians! Remember to keep your hands and feet inside the hand basket, and try to enjoy the ride.

PRUdos to the Wsolman!

In a piece of City Council action that received little fanfare or attention, the 7th Ward's Alderman Frank Wsoooool man managed to get his ubiquitously ass-covering Council peers to agree to place a referendum question on the November election ballot asking voters to decide whether or not they want to stagger the election terms for Park Ridge aldermen.

Journal & Topics: Referendum to Decide On Staggered Terms

However, we do suspect that the unanimous support of the Council was given in part because it may be that some of these Aldermen believe they are guaranteed to serve the full 4-year terms to which they were elected.

It seems to us that Ald. Wsol understands not only the importance of Council experience, but also the greater importance of ensuring the election process allows the citizens of Park Ridge to benefit from that experience.

We hope that any opinion received from the State's Attorney General will allow for the staggered elections to begin in 2009. But even if that doesn't happen, we offer our PRUdos to the 7th Ward's Wsoooool man for taking the long view on the best interests of Park Ridge voters.

And we hope the voters of Park Ridge take advantage of this opportunity.

This Will Only Hurt A Little Bit!

In today's Journal & Topics we read:



Not that Lutheran General Hospital should be able to dictate tax policy in the City, but we are in agreement with Mayor Howard's statement that LGH has been a "good partner" to the City.

We are also pleased with the modest reduction of 1.4% in the property tax increase. But we note that an increase is still an increase, and we were much more taken with the bold proposal of Alderman Wsooooolman (7th Ward) when he suggested that the City eliminiate the property tax increase.

Our PRUdos to Alderman Schmidtzkrieg (1st Ward) for attempting to give attention to our infrastructure needs, which is what we believe to be one of the most basic purposes of government.

Unfortunately there are still those in City government who just don't get it.

As reported in the second news item linked above, "Ald. Robert Ryan (5th) disagreed with removing the Vision 2025 study characterizing it as "the most important part of our budget." Ryan said, "Planning dollars are cheap dollars. It allows us to get organized. I really don't think we can afford to be short-sighted."

That's right, people. The 5th Ward's Benedict Alderman Ryan believes some goofy "Vision 2025 study" is the "most important part of our budget." It seems that Benedict Alderman Ryan will leave no "expert" unconsulted and no consultant unpaid.

Where's a brick wall when your head needs one...

Boxed-In Bob.

At last Monday's City Council meeting, Aldermen voted to move forward with a Request for Proposal (.pdf) for an "audit" of the Park Ridge Police Department. "Audit" is the preferred term being used by city insiders to describe what is, in fact, supposed to be an independently conducted investigation into purported problems with our police department.

There is a ton of back-story to each of the items on the audit list. But because these matters involve personnel below the level of Department head, and because the PRU Crew would like to see this investigation conducted with something resembling integrity (though we aren't holding our breath), we are only going to discuss list item "g" at this time.

Last week an article in the Journal & Topics reported, Council Requests Bids for Police Investigation. In that article it is noted that, "The land purchase item spurred some discussion among council members. Ald Don Bach (3d) said, 'I don't see how this is going to make the police department better.' Ald. Robert Ryan (5th) also questioned the land purchase activity listing. 'I do not see where (the listing) fits in here,' he said. 'I think it should be struck'."

We can't explain Ald. DreadBach's opposition, but we do view him as generally dim-witted and uninformed. But Benedict Alderman Ryan won't be getting a pass from the Crew, because we believe we know exactly why he wanted the item "struck" from the list.

As many regular PRU readers may remember, Park Ridge almost had a new police station back in 2004. We posted a link to PublicWatchdog.org for their article: The Park Ridge Police Station That Almost Was.

In the Pub-dogs piece we are told about a local realtor who tried to make a quick buck off the backs of his friends and neighbors, Park Ridge taxpayers. He got caught and was eventually disciplined for his "dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public" by the State of Illinois' Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

That local realtor is Owen J. Hayes, II who was also the treasurer for Benedict Ald. Ryan’s 5th Ward campaign. Mr. Hayes has also been one of Mayor Howard's campaign contributors.

As we said, we believe we know exactly why Benedict Ald. Ryan wanted the item struck from the investigation list. We believe Benedict Ald. Ryan was trying to cover up for his buddy, or at the least, not allow the subject of his campaign treasurer's unethical conduct to be raised anew. Alderman Wsooooolman boxed Ryan into a corner by responding, "If there is nothing there, what are we afraid of?" Again, Prudos to Ald. Wsooooolman for being unafraid to confront the truth.

Benedict Alderman Ryan also wasn't keen on the idea of citizen input. Is he ever?

Whatever the investigation produces, we hope it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And we hope the powers that be at 505 Butler Place are willing to tell that truth to the Park Ridge public. Really, we can handle it.

Pothole Fishing!

An article in last week's Journal & Topics reports that Alderman Wsooooolman (7th ward) brought up the issue of the terrible condition of Cumberland Ave. in Park Ridge. Wsooooolman noted, "The residents are tired of hearing 'It's a state route, we have to wait for Springfield.' We have to do something; the people are begging for it."

Why would the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee bring up this issue? Because he is doing exactly the job he should be doing; looking out for the safety and welfare of the residents of Park Ridge. Our PRU Crew kudos -- or, as we like to call them, PRUdos -- to the Wsooooolman.

An ABC News/Good Morning America consumer report recently noted that Potholes Cost Drivers Millions in Car Repairs. And that's not all that's at stake in dealing with the issue of potholes. The same report goes on to note that, "New York City settled a case for more than $1 million with a woman who claimed permanent injuries after her car hit a gaping pothole in Brooklyn. And the state of California paid $1 million to the family of a San Francisco motorcyclist who died after hitting a pothole."

The Journal article goes on to report that, "Ald. Robert Ryan (5th) pushed for the city to fix the roadways.

"I think this is something that we're going to have to address long term," he said. "The state does not have the money."

Oddly enough, the State has had money over the past 6 years to award contracts to Benedict Alderman Ryan's architectural and engineering firm, HDR; a whopping $9,770,988 to HDR's architectural division, and $55,432,694 to HDR's engineering division. If you check the State's Open Book website, you can type in the search term "HDR". What you will see is a list of State contracts that have been awarded to Ryan's architectural and engineering firm along with the political campaign contributions HDR has made; a total of $117,790 to a wide variety of Illinois candidates and committees since 2000. All of that adds up to some serious "ROI".

In the Journal article Ald. Don DreadBach is quoted as saying, "I don't know if the citizens of Park Ridge are going to accept a tax hike to fix what they already pay taxes to do" ..."We need to shame our state representatives to do something to help us."

The PRU Crew's got a better idea! Disguise our state representatives as reporters, then maybe Mayor Howard will drive them around town so they'll see for themselves how bad the streets are. Then, because we know how much our city officials love a road trip, and Ald. DreadBach is just oozing persuasive diplomacy, send Ald. DreadBach to Springfield to lobby our state reps for funding for street repairs. Then Benedict Alderman Ryan's firm can lobby for the contract to do the engineering work.

And everybody's happy.

Shell Game.

In today's edition of the Herald-Advocate we read about a New site for police station is under consideration. The article reports that nobody is willing to say which property is being looked at.

Of course, you know the PRU Crew is willing to say which property is being looked at. It's the American Insurance building on Garden St. City staff made a low-ball offer that was rejected by the owner, but that doesn't mean a deal is dead. The owner is said to be getting his own appraisal done, and the back-and-forth on dollars will probably continue.

The article goes on to report that Ald. Frank Wsooooolman (7th Ward) has asked that the city council review the "action plan" passed by the council last April; an "action plan" that Ald. Wsooooolman voted in favor of - Council Minutes 4-2-07 minutes-pdf.

The article notes that a list of preferred properties was included for consideration in the "action plan". But, in our reading of the Police Station Resolution-pdf we must have missed the specific list discussed in the article.

City officials are sure hot to trot for building a new police station in Target Area 4. We hear some interesting things about why that may be so. Do you think any elected officials or their spouses may have any interest in property in Target Area 4? Inquiring minds want to know!

While the city council, the Mayor, and city staff again take up the yackety yack about building a new police station, the city continues to sit on two properties it owns and on which a new police station could be built, 1) the old public works service center at Greenwood & Elm, and 2) the house on Courtland adjacent to the City Hall parking lot, which was specificially purchased as a site for a new police station.

And our cops continue to sit in a 9000 square foot shithole, while the politicians continue to dick around playing the property purchase shell game they love so much.

Worse Than Kool-aid!

The games have begun! In today's issue of the Journal & Topics, we read two interesting items. The first is an article about the amazing disappearing council agenda item regarding council decorum:


click on above photo for larger view

It seems the city council has more than one whiny cry baby occupying a seat. It appears the 5th Ward's Benedict-Alderman Ryan went running to the Mayor to wail about a personal email from the 1st Ward's Alderman Schmidtzkrieg that he didn't like, and the Mayor was willing to place the item on the city council agenda for public discussion. We understand that Benedict-Alderman Ryan isn't used to being strongly challenged either publicly or privately, but we had no idea he was such a remarkable cry baby.

According to Mayor Fri-nocchio, he pulled the item from the council agenda because he was afraid the meeting would last too long. Since that entire city council meeting was about 30 minutes in length, we feel Mayor Fri-nocchio must have pulled the agenda item for other reasons. And we are digging in to find out why.

The second item of interest is a letter from 1st Ward resident Dave Kemerer:


click on above photo for larger view

Mr. Kemerer accuses Alderman Schmidtzkrieg of having a "penchant for loose rhetoric." It appears to us that Mr. Kemerer has a penchant for "loose truths." As an attorney, Mr. Kemerer should know better than to declare something unconstitutional before a court has declared something unconstitutional. But we feel the crux of the matter for Mr. Kemerer is not necessarily the truth involved with the constitutionality of a recall ordinance as much as it may be his desire to spin the message and provide his pals with cover.

It appears to us that Mr. Kemerer isn't any better with numbers than he is with his treatment of the truth. The final vote to approve the density variance for Norwood's condominium project was 4 to 3. Schmidtzkrieg was joined in voting "no" by Aldermen Wsooooolman and DreadBach. So, in fact, "the rest of the council" did not "conclude" that the density variance was justified.

Mr. Kemerer also seems extremely concerned that Alderman Schmidtzkrieg may run for mayor - something Schmidtzkrieg himself has said he is not doing, much to the PRU Crew's disappointment.

We wonder what Mr. Kemerer is "running" for?

In any case, what is going on here is that the Usual Suspects Club is cranking up the smear and spin machine. It's of vital importance that a representative with populist appeal gets knocked down and dragged around so that the politically connected can have their way with public policy.

It's nothing more than absolute bullshit.

It Ain't Over Til...

As we expected, last night the city council voted 4 (Allspaghetti, Benedict Ryan, Lord of the Manor and Carey the Unfriendly Ghost) to 3 (Schmidtzkrieg, Wsoooool man, DreadBach) in favor of giving Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC the density variance for the 8 additional condo units.

Again, it was Aldermen Schmidt and Wsol who led the effort to not only keep the development within the parameters of the new and more lenient zoning code, but also tighten up the language on the ordinance regarding the "senior housing" component and ensure that the city not get handed the final bill for the water retention.

The language in the ordinance remains full of loopholes "big enough to drive a condo through", largely due to the parliamentary maneuverings of the Lord of the Manor and the stupidity of his fellow Aldermorons.

There were 13 comments from the gallery; 4 of those comments were in support of the project. Again, Carla Owen addressed the council and "updated" the petitions she and her Berry Pky. neighbors have been collecting in opposition to the code variances for the Norwood project. Those petition signers now number around 500.

To no avail.

The preferences and will of the majority of residents in the immediate area of Executive Office Plaza and throughout the city have been ignored.

Get used to it.

A Real Miracle!

Penn & Teller are known for their outrageous blending of comedy and magic, that often skewers the genre of traditional magic and debunks all manner of nonsense peddlers - they call that nonsense "bullshit".

Let's give a big warm welcome to Park Ridge's version of Penn & Teller: Aldermen Schmidt and Wsol!

At last night's city council meeting, a motion was made to again defer the matter of Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC PUD.

Aldermen Schmidt (1st ward) and Wsol (7th ward) skewered what Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC and Presbyterian Homes tried to offer the council as covenants to ensure that the Executive Office Plaza (EOP) development meet the "senior housing" promises made to the Park Ridge community in exchange for Norwood's requested density variance and R-5 zoning designation.

Ald. Schmidt noted that the new ordinance covenants as written introduced the entirely new legal ideas of Federal regulations on senior housing, and an "out-clause" for Presbyterian Homes into the discussion, and that the council had never debated these issues. He took care to also note that the ordinance covenants as written would allow Norwood to reduce the number of senior housing units from 50 to 40.

Ald. Wsol then took note of the fact that the ordinance as written did not seem to require that Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC pay for the balance of the estimated $2million cost for the water retention improvements to the site; only that the "applicant will participate" in the cost of the project. Neri builders, who is developing townhouses (without variances to the zoning code) on another portion of EOP, has agreed to a cost-share of between $300k - $400k. Ald. Wsol wants a guaranty that the balance of the estimated cost will be the responsibility of Norwood Builders, and that the city will not have to "incur indebtedness" for this part of the project, since the city has not budgeted anything toward the water retention improvements.

Ald. Wsol went on to "echo Ald. Schmidt's senior housing concerns" saying it seemed possible that within a time frame of 18 months, there could be "zero senior housing units" in the development under the ordinance covenants as written.

Both Alderman Schmidt and Wsol appear to have been able to debunk the magical effect of the illusion of senior housing amenities on hell-bent council members willing to accept anything as fact in their eternal quest to aid and abet developers who come to Park Ridge. Neither Ald. Schmidt or Wsol went so far as to call the senior housing convenants "bullshit", but if they had, we'd agree with them.

City attorney, Buzz Hill, commented that the language of the ordinance should be clarified, and that any diminished services to seniors would have to be by the consent of the city council to an application made by Norwood. Gee! What are the odds of that happening?

For his part, Ald. Robert Ryan (5th ward) said he didn't have any problems with the covenants as written and that he believed Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC had "come back [to the council] in the spirit" of what had been asked of them. Okay. We guess he felt he had to say something!

Finally, the city council voted 5 to 2 to once again defer consideration of the project, with Aldermen Schmidt (1st ward), DiPietro (2nd ward), Bach (3rd ward), Carey (6th ward), and Wsol (7th ward) voting "yes" to defer, and Aldermen Allegretti (4th ward) and Ryan (5th ward) voting "no".

A city council demanding an "iron-clad" agreement that a developer deliver what they have promised to the people of Park Ridge. It's a miracle!

A Space Odyssey.

Last evening's city council meeting was nothing if not a resounding display of how tightly sealed the pod bay doors have been shut in the minds of some council members on the condo project commonly known as Executive Office Plaza (EOP).

Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st ward) made a determined effort to see to it the interests of Park Ridge residents were addressed; particularly residents living in the neighboring 5th ward. After all, somebody has to represent the folks in the 5th ward. Benedict-Alderman, Robert Ryan, sure isn't doing that even when he does manage to make it to a meeting!

Alderman Schmidtzkrieg attempted to amend the zoning map ordinance by offering his fellow council members a motion and opportunity to consider the more transitional and less dense R-4 zoning district.

5th ward residents Carla Owen and CURRB's Judy Barclay both spoke, and urged the city council to give thoughtful consideration to discussion of the R-4 amendment as well as the precedent-setting nature of the decisions before them.

Then, in case anyone was lost, 1st ward resident Dave Kemerer informed those in attendance that they are not living in Colonial Williamsburg, and that there is nothing so unique about Park Ridge that it must be preserved. Don't tell the Pickwick owners he said that, their feelings might get hurt.

Mr. Kemerer also questioned the wisdom of a "stable housing base", opining that we need to add more housing units in order to produce more tax revenues to off-set the costs of increased services, implicitly suggesting that the taxes from those new units will pay for services not only for their own residents but also for the rest of Park Ridge. Mr. Kemerer offered this suggestion without any supporting data. Mr. Kemerer also insisted it was unfair to make a motion for a less dense R-4 district "at the 23rd hour" after having "led the developer way down the road".

We're not sure what roads Mr. Kemerer travels, but we are sure he's lost the map for this trip. Mr. Kemerer, we'd like to suggest that just this once you pull over and ask somebody for directions.

Norwood's attorney offered that the motion before the council was not proper. He was roundly ignored. Norwood's attorney then went on to say that the R-4 zoning district "doesn't advance the development potential of the site". That's lawyer talk for "doesn't provide my clients with the potential level of profits they want."

Resident Herb Zuegel then addressed the council in support of Norwood's plan. Mr. Zuegel must have forgotten to print out a copy of his recent email on the subject so he could have read it to the city council. Mr. Zuegel's remarks before the council were far less strident and lacked his email's wildly speculative questions about the motivations of CURRB's Judy Barclay and others opposed to the density and height variances for Norwood's condominium project. Tsk tsk, Mr. Zuegel. CURRB and Judy Barclay have been opposed to a number of questionable zoning variances for the last 12 years. It is silly to now speculate that CURRB's or Ms. Barclay's motivations have anything to do with her having lost the election to Benedict-Alderman Ryan.

Schmidtzkrieg's R-4 zoning district amendment lost by a 4 (Allspaghetti, Lord of the Manor, Benedict-Alderman, Carey the unfriendly Ghost) to 2 (Schmidtzkrieg, Wsoooool man) vote.

Alderman Wsoooool man did make note of the fact that Guido Neri, a developer and resident of Park Ridge, had a project to build 25 townhomes on an adjacent parcel approved as planned.

Shortly thereafter, the city council voted 5 to 1 (Schmidtzkrieg) to adopt the R-5 zoning map amendment.

The next item on the agenda was final consideration of the ordinance to allow Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC project to be approved. An ordinance for this type of a project is referred to as a PUD (Planned Unit Development). We think this one should be referred to as a DUD!

Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC again insisted they have made every effort to adjust their condominium plan, and that they are "amenable to further discussions" on the issue of senior housing. No one has reported they saw any of Norwood's people with their fingers crossed behind their backs. Still we are pleased to hear the Lord of the Manor motioned to defer consideration of final ordinance approval until such time as a covenant, ensuring that senior housing be maintained on the site, is written into the final ordinance. What a concept! Get it in writing first!

Additionally, the Lord of the Manor had an enumerated list of conditions that would have to be met prior to the council's final consideration of the ordinance on October 15th; one significant item was the inclusion of an on-site Registered Nurse to provide consultation and care for those living in the senior housing units.

We still object, we strenuously object, to the characterization of the 50 senior housing units as senior housing units. What Norwood and Presbyterian Homes is offering the Park Ridge community is nothing more than age-restricted condominium units with a sprinkle of ordinary services offered by most insurance providers, local libraries, community centers, park districts and churches.

In response to the Lord of the Manor's motion to defer final consideration, most of those in attendance became aware that Alderman Allspaghetti's personal power grid had shut down, and his internal digital clock was flashing 12:00. Alderman Allspaghetti urged the council not to defer final consideration of the DUD since the matter had "already been deferred for a year". Alderman Schmidtzkrieg helped Alderman Allspaghetti reset his clock to the correct time by reminding him that the matter had only come before the council last August...not quite two months ago.

Benedict-Alderman Ryan, described by Herb Zuegel in his email as having "done his homework" on the Norwood - Presbyterian Homes project, said he "won't dictate the need for an on-site Registered Nurse; he doesn't know enough about it". Between his absences and incomplete homework, we fear we will have to give Benedict-Alderman Ryan a first quarter failing grade in Alderman 101!

We thought we heard that the Ghost of the 6th ward was present in the room, but we can't be sure. He made no attempt to communicate with the living.

And with that the pod bay doors opened and the motion to defer final consideration was voted upon.

Can you guess the outcome?

Caution! Genius at Work!

Gary Larson; The Far Side


























More Aldermoron gems from the city planning meeting!

On Committee Meeting Structure -

"Ald. Allegretti said he currently finds it very difficult being unable to discuss issues with other members prior to the meeting, and when they do meet, they are not ready because they are not properly informed. Ald. Wsol concurred. He believes the opportunity to learn something new from another committee member is lost."

Is there something difficult about discussing city business at open meetings in front of the public? What information is shared between aldermen privately that better prepares them for the meeting? What "something new" can be learned privately but not publicly between committee members? What aren't they ready for at public meetings? Debate? Disagreement?

Come on aldermorons, you were not elected to represent the people of Park Ridge from behind a curtain, and engage in insider trading on information.

While "Ald. Ryan believes the current arrangement is ineffective."

Here's a hint Alderman Ryan, show up for the meetings and you may find them more effective! With or without "experts" to hide your decision-making behind.

A Target-Rich Environment!

There is no end to the amusement provided by politicians. We find the fun reaches a zenith when they get together in the same room!


We read today that the Park Ridge city council held a planning meeting-pdf. back in June. They got together in the same room to do it. We are amused! Even if we had to wait three months for the city clerk to prepare and post the draft minutes.


The very first order of business was to break for dinner. You can't have your representatives starving while they plan the city's destiny.

We read that Alderman DiPietro discussed his desire to move forward on Norwood's Executive Plaza plan.

The Lord of the Manor is nothing if not a quick study in buzzword bingo lingo! Still we remain pleased that, despite his desire to move forward, he's kept the interests of the Park Ridge serf-izens in mind.


Mayor Hozo Frimark is always a source of amusement! We read that Mayor Hozo wants to form a "Citizens Advisory Task Force to help promote the new Police Station."










We hope he's just clowning around. We would hate to think Mayor Hozo is recommending that the city council use a group of serf-izens as a propoganda vehicle for moving forward on the building of a new police station. Mayor Hozo "explained it would assist by informing the community of the Council’s message and plan", but we feel he must have been joking. Surely Mayor Hozo understands it is the responsibility of elected officials to inform the community of their message and plan, even if he doesn't understand the expressly written purpose of a citizen's advisory task force is to inform the council on issues in the community.

Alderman Wsoooool man offered that he's "inclined to protect the little guy", notwithstanding his voting record.











Alderman Wsoooool man believes that the serf-izens of Park Ridge need to understand what the police are asked to do, while the police need to "develop a positive relationship" with Park Ridge serf-izens. The Wsoooool man goes on to suggest that Park Ridge serf-izens should be treated with respect by the Park Ridge police. Mind you, this is only a suggestion.


To accomplish the fulfillment of these needs and suggestions, Alderman Wsoooool man offered another suggestion - a sign design contest to promote involvement.


We speculate that the sign design contest was too complicated to implement, so the city administration decided to hand out an assortment of trinkets to serf-izens who stop by the Coffee with the Cops booth that we mentioned here.

Nothing helps a serf-izen to "Focus on the Vision" - the city administration's plan for promoting a more positive relationship between Park Ridge serf-izens and the police - like a shiny new keychain.

We would like to suggest that the next time our politicians gather to plan the city's destiny that the caterer be asked to include an assortment of herbal supplements.

Maybe if they ingest some fish oil, the serf-izens of Park Ridge would be saved from suggestions for political snake oil.