Not all that many years ago, when a new restaurant or store opened, it would stage a “grand opening” on its first day in business.  The recent trend, however, is that new businesses stage a “soft opening” days or weeks before the grand opening, often to work the kinks out or to build a customer base under the radar.

But it looks like the “soft opening” might be spreading to the local political realm, if the D-1 Statement of Organization of the “Larry Ryles for Mayor of Park Ridge” campaign committee that came over our transom earlier this week is any indication.  From the information on that statement, Ryles and campaign treasurer Paul Sheehan formed the Ryles-for-mayor committee on June 25th without even a whisper of publicity, much less any fanfare.  

So why would Ryles form a committee and file a D-1 without publicly announcing his candidacy?

The most likely answer is that he wants to begin raising campaign funds without attracting the attention and questions an announced candidate would receive.  An unannounced candidate can say, do, or not say or do a lot of the things that would draw much more scrutiny and speculation coming from a declared candidate.

But now that Ryles’ cover is blown, we look forward to his appearances at City Council meetings and hearing his views on City issues.  Presumably the local press will begin treating him as a candidate and do its collective best to inform the voters about his ideas, opinions and vision for our community. 

Ryles’ “soft” announcement contrasts sharply with then-Ald. Dave Schmidt’s announcement of his mayoral candidacy by press release on November 18, 2008, the same day he filed his D-1 statement; and with former mayor Howard Frimark’s announcement of his re-election bid on December 20, 2008, which was preceded 10 days earlier by an announcement of his upcoming announcement!

Four years before that, then-ald. Michael Tinaglia effectively “announced” his mayoral candidacy by means of a platoon of supporters clad in “Tinaglia for Mayor” t-shirts marching in the 2004 Memorial Day parade, while then-ald. Frimark announced his candidacy from the front of the Pickwick Theater while the theater’s marquee proclaimed his candidacy in lights.

Notwithstanding the oddity of his stealthiness, Ryles’ candidacy is a good thing because it ensures a contested race in the likely event Schmidt stands for re-election.  And we’re big fans of contested races, even on those occasions when our preferred candidates don’t prevail.  Whether Ryles’ early-but-“soft” declaration encourages additional challengers to Schmidt or pre-empts the field of potential challengers remains to be seen.

Also remaining to be seen is whether Ryles is the beneficiary of part or all of the $15,000 campaign fund bequeathed by the now-defunct Homeowners Party to the Citizens for Non-Partisan Local Elections, a political committee created by former First Ward HO alderman John English back in 2009.  

Ryles’ candidacy also adds the unusual element of a mayoral candidate who has never held elective office in the community, something that apparently has not occurred since before Marty Butler’s election in 1967.  Perhaps that will enable him to stress his military experience, or his post-military Kiwanis leadership, as his principal credentials.

In any event: Welcome, Mr. Ryles!  We look forward to hearing your goals, ideas and vision for Park Ridge between now and April 2013.

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