(Bite-sized items of local interest)
- Who’s His Daddy? A letter to the editor in last week’s Herald-Advocate by Park Ridge resident Gary M. Zimmerman applauding the Park Ridge City Council for its vote to give the developers of Executive Office Plaza (“EOP”) 8 condo units more than what the zoning ordinance allows in return for some phantom “senior housing” can be judged on its own merits. But in the interest of full disclosure, we note that Mr. Zimmerman is a little more “invested” in that plan than the average citizen. He not only serves as member of City’s Zoning Board of Appeals but he also served as a member of the Ad Hoc Zoning Ordinance Committee which drafted the new zoning ordinance from which the EOP developers successfully obtained their variance.
Oh yeah…and Zimmerman was also the Campaign Manager for 5th Ward Alderman and lead EOP cheerleader Robert Ryan. But you knew that, right?
- Those Lazy, Hayes-ey, Crazy Days of Autumn. Last week’s edition of the H-A also carried a story about the State of Illinois professional disciplinary action taken against Park Ridge insider Owen Hayes II (“Real estate agent reprimanded for misleading city during purchase,” November 22). As reported here back on November 15 (“515 Busse Hwy – The Park Ridge Police Station That Almost Was”), Hayes was reprimanded for trying to sell a commercial building on Busse Hwy. to the City back in 2004 (for a tidy $200,000 profit) without telling the City that he was not just the broker for the property but was also its owner.
The H-A reports that 5th Ward Ald. Robert Ryan called Hayes “a good man…[who’s] done a lot for our community.” Fair enough, but we’re surprised Ryan had no explanation why this “good man” didn’t disclose that he was the building’s owner; especially when at that very same time he was holding not one but two public positions: as a member (and past-chairman) of the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and as a member of the City’s Farmer’s Market committee – of which he remains chairman today. Irrespective of his professional duties as a licensed real estate broker, we believe that Hayes’ positions of public trust back then demanded a lot more candor than he displayed.
We also wonder if Ald. Ryan’s comments would be so generous if Hayes were not the Treasurer and other half – with Gary Zimmerman – of his “Friends for Robert Ryan [PDF]” aldermanic campaign team that raised almost $8,000 to get him elected last April?
- Who Ever Said He Was? Last week’s editions of both local newspapers carried a letter from 1st Ward Ald. Dave Schmidt [PDF]denying that he is planning to run for mayor, presumably against incumbent Howard Frimark. Schmidt’s letter made a number of insightful and spot-on comments about Park Ridge and its government, so it had value separate and apart from its primary purpose. We also understand that the rumors of Schmidt’s mayoral ambitions have increased exponentially since he aggressively took up the cause against the EOP variance and proposed a City ordinance that would permit the recall of sitting elected City Council members.
We’ve heard no little amount of speculation about from where those rumors of “Schmidt for Mayor” are emanating. But gee, who could ever think that someone who just became alderman would already be considering running for mayor against a guy who…hmmmmmm…began running for mayor as soon as he became alderman? Never mind.
- Hello, Kalo! Last week’s edition of the H-A reports that the Kalo Foundation is coming to the City for a $5,000 handout to fund an exhibit and program at the Park Ridge Library on painter Albert Krehbiel in May, 2008. Even though we realize that $5,000 is little more than a speck of sand on the City’s $50 Million-plus budget, we question the wisdom of adding yet another giveaway of taxpayer dollars to yet another private entity.
Actually, we have no opinion on how worthy the Foundation’s goals might be. We also don’t know the state of the Foundation’s finances because they are not disclosed on its website (www.kalofoundation.org), or how active and successful it has been at fundraising. We also wonder why, if the program and exhibit are so important and so worthwhile, the Foundation can’t sell 500 tickets at $10 each, or do a typical artsy-smartsy wine and cheese “benefactors” reception, and pick up the five grand the old fashioned way: By earning it.
As a policy matter we question the advisability of any local governmental body tossing tax dollars at private special interests, however altruistic their purpose might be – especially to fund something as temporary and insubstantial as a program or exhibit when the Foundation’s first order of business should be its more substantial and permanent goal of acquiring and renovating the Kalo House.
Government funding of a special interest becomes even more problematic, however, when the special interest has familial or other significant connections to people in that governmental unit which could make the process susceptible to undue influence. The Kalo Foundation has those connections through Board of Directors members Nancy Frimark (wife of Mayor Howard Frimark); Sharon Curcio (former Economic Development Corporation executive director who served with former EDC chairman Howard Frimark); and, most significantly, political consultant Linda Szczepanski, whose relationship to not only Mayor Frimark but also to Frimark cronies Ald. Jim Allegretti (4th Ward) and Ald. Thomas Carey (6th Ward) are so substantial that we will be featuring them on our very next installment of PublicWatchdog.
Instead of the City giving the Kalo Foundation tax dollars, we encourage our readers who think the Krehbiel exhibit and program are worthwhile to visit the Foundation’s website and start buying up those Kalo Coffee Cups and “Orange Umbrella” prints. Or see if you know any of the Foundation’s directors and write them a good-sized check – so that the Foundation doesn’t need to put the arm on our often far-too-compliant local governments.
10 comments so far
Why does everything in town involve the same bunch of people? I feel like I just got in an accident in a small southern town and the police officer on the scene is the cousin of the Sheriff who’s the brother of the judge who’s the uncle of the tow truck driver.
So few people pay attention to local government, and the established local press is so inept at investigative reporting, that anyone looking for “opportunities” realizes what easy pickings local government provides. And then they tell their friends and it becomes their private club.
So long as there’s money to be made off the ignorance of the taxpayers and their elected officials, there will be opportunists who – as the late Paul Powell used to say – “can smell the meat a-cookin'” and aren’t too shy to help themselves.
I know about Hayes, but who is this Zimmerman guy? Is he the lawyer friend of Frimark?
One of the Kalo Foundations goals is to purchase the property to preserve it.
the Kalo Foundation was in the process of purchasing the property when the elderly owner died and the son took possession. The son, now the current owner of the property knows they want it and is asking over a million for it, ?(so I have heard).
It is going to take more than raising just this 5,000 to reach their goals.
Anonymous on 12.03.07 at 2:42 pm:
We are aware of the Kalo Foundations goal of purchasing the property. We don’t see, however, how that goal or the bargaining posture of the current owner gives any more merit to the City giving away tax dollars so that the Foundation can put on a show at the Library.
If the Foundation isn’t going to be able to buy the property, does it have a Plan B?
It is going to take more than raising just this 5,000 to reach their goals.
Good point about a “Plan B.” IF they can’t even raise $5 grand, they probably have next to nothing saved up for acquisition costs. Watch them ask the city to buy that place and pay to renovate and maintain it.
I believe that is what should happen, if there is community support for a Kalo Shop museum.
How are you suggesting “community support” be measured?
I’m uncertain of all the ways such a “measure” could be gotten. Maybe somebody should ask Linda Ski-pants about how to do that, after all she’s on the Kalo Foundation Board and is supposed to be a p.r. guru… If she isn’t doing the community p.r. for Kalo, then why is she on that board?
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