As has previously been reported in this blog, its editor was a member of a committee of Sixth Ward residents who, in June 2012, screened four candidates for mayoral appointment to fill that ward’s aldermanic seat when Tom Bernick abandoned ship after little more than the first year of his four-year term.
Based on the committee’s recommendation, Mayor Dave Schmidt nominated Marc Mazzuca, whose appointment was unanimously approved by the City Council.
We welcomed Mazzuca to the Council in our 06.23.12 post, and early on he displayed some of the qualities we expected him to bring to the Council. But he soon became a poster child for aldermanic schizophrenia, painstakingly drilling down into some fiscal issues while totally and inexplicably ignoring other ones.
One night he would argue interminably for saving $20,000 by benchmarking city manager compensation against the federal government’s civil service pay scale, then turn around and rubber-stamp hundreds of thousands of dollars of police station “improvements” after a Q & A of Chief Kaminski so soft it would have made a marshmallow blush. He has repeatedly voted for across-the-board, non-merit based pay increases for union and non-union employees alike without even any attempt at an economic or public policy justification.
Consequently, we couldn’t endorse his election in April, although he nevertheless won a four-year term by a margin of 20 votes. But since that time, sad to say, he has done little to cause us to question our lack of an endorsement.
This past Monday night’s City Council COW meeting was a case in point.
Mazzuca joined Alds. Joe Sweeney (1st) and Jim Smith (3rd) in another attempt to give away a used City SUV (reportedly worth at least $3,000) to Maine Township government, reportedly because that governmental unit doesn’t want to reduce its operating fund balance from $1 million to $997,000 for the benefit of its own Maine Twp. Emergency Management Program (“MTEMP”). Although that giveaway was defeated a couple of weeks ago during the previous COW meeting, Sweeney resurrected it with a motion for reconsideration – which he could bring because he was absent for the previous COW vote.
We encourage you to actually watch Monday night’s debate on the issue, which begins at 1:39:14 of the City’s meeting video. But for those who want the Reader’s Digest version, we’ll try to accommodate you.
Alds. Dan Knight (5th) and Marty Maloney (7th), both of whom had voted “no” two weeks ago, noted how giving away Park Ridge tax dollars to another taxing body is bad policy and bad precedent, with Maloney correctly pointing out that several areas of Park Ridge aren’t even in Maine Twp. Ald. Roger Shubert (4th), who had voted for the giveaway two weeks ago, voiced similar concerns in announcing that he was changing his vote to “no” after additional deliberation.
With previous “no” voter Ald. Nick Milissis (2nd) absent, another 3 to 3 tie prevented the giveaway from once again getting out of the COW.
But Mazzuca’s and Sweeney’s arguments in support of the giveaway – wrong at best, disturbing at worst – should be studied as an object lesson in what having virtually no sense whatsoever of the legal and practical division between separate governmental taxing bodies sounds like.
Mazzuca began his defense of the giveaway by asserting that “[t]here’s still a taxpayer that is going to benefit” from the City’s donation of the SUV to Maine Twp. – presumably meaning that Maine Twp. will use the vehicle for the benefit of at least some Park Ridge taxpayers. Such an absurd argument, however, could effectively justify the City’s giving the $3,000 SUV (or $30,000, or $300,000, for that matter) to any other governmental unit to which any Park Ridge taxpayers also pay property taxes, be it the Park District, School Districts 64 and 207, the Water Reclamation District, the Mosquito Abatement District, or Cook County itself.
While some savvy marketer might brand that as “Local Governments Without Borders,” all it does is make it even tougher for taxpayers funding multiple governmental units to track how their money is being spent and to hold any particular unit of government accountable for that spending.
Mazzuca then went further afield when he attempted to demean the issue and the applicable public policy by minimizing its cost, t.v. infomercial-style, to the average taxpayer: “It’s not nickels, it’s not dimes, it’s not even pennies,” he insisted.
No, alderman, it’s $3,000 – enough money to cover at least one of the arbitrary, non-performance based raises you irresponsibly voted to hand out to various City employees this year.
But Mazzuca’s dumbest argument was his grand finale: that with the City looking to renegotiate its Uptown TIF-related revenue-sharing agreements with other local governmental units (i.e., School Districts 64 and 207, and the Park District), denying Maine Twp. a free $3,000 SUV would be “a bloody flag” that would discourage those three governmental units from doing any kind of a deal with the City on the TIF.
If any reader can even begin to understand that bizarre linkage, please feel free to explain it to us.
But leave it to Sweeney to make even Mazzuca’s ridiculous arguments seem sublime.
After reciting all the things MTEMP allegedly “gives” to Park Ridge – 25 to 30 CERT bags valued at $100 each, CERT training, volunteers directing traffic during flooding, providing a light tower at Taste of Park Ridge, etc. – Sweeney displayed his ignorance (or his duplicity?) about MTEMP when he proclaimed: “I’m not talking Maine Twp, I’m talking the Emergency Management Group”
As if MTEMP is an independent organization rather than a branch of Maine Twp. government funded with $100,000 of Maine Twp. taxpayers’ money, a/k/a, our money.
That launched Knight.
“[MTEMP] didn’t give the City of Park Ridge anything,” he replied sharply. “They gave it to us by expending taxpayer money.”
Knight then recalled MTEMP’s director’s appearance at the last COW meeting, where he referred to MTEMP as “his” organization.
“It’s not his organization, it’s the people’s organization. And they don’t give us things, they tax us so that they can buy stuff, and then they give it to us.”
“You tell me how that makes sense.”
BAM!
To read or post comments, click on title.
11 comments so far
Salute to Ald. Knight for saying the things that need to be said. He gets it, as do Alds. Maloney and Shubert.
Sweeney, Smith and Mazzuca. Meh.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Policy and principles are the name of the game. Apparently Mazzuca’s come with a price tag. Sweeney’s? Lost in the funhouse. Smiths? Who knows?
What really got me was the same alderman who drills down on some financial issues, or can analyze one issue down to a “nats ass” who said at the end of his comments, after claiming this is insignificant, that he never wanted to take this vote again, or it was so small it is a waste of time, or something like that (paraphrase). huh? one minute you overanalyze this, the next you waste of time that?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Kind of schizophrenic. Or duplicitous.
That would be… gnats ass.
It’s kooky, huh?
It so doesn’t make sense that it is hard to believe that anybody with an ounce of sense doesn’t see it that way. Are Sweeney, Smith and Mazzuca really that dumb, or are other factors at work here?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Other than Sweeney being in love with all things public safety and Smith’s “thinking” seemingly affected by sunspot activity and subtle shifts in the earth’s magnetic field, we’re not sure.
The most striking indictment on Mazzuca’s comments is how he went on how he “understands” the dissent. He “understands” everyone (EVEN IN HIS WARD) in Park Ridge isn’t in Maine Township. He “understands” the principles of different taxing bodies.
So I guess he’s admitting to purposefully making a bad decision for the taxpayers of Park Ridge.
Alderman Sweeney- Please check your property tax bill….you do pay Maine Township out of your tax dollars. I’ll say you probably even pay too much for what you get out of it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Let’s not go down that slippery slope of “you probably even pay too much for what you get out of it,” because by that standard anybody who has paid taxes allocated to fire protection (for example) but has never used fire fighting or ambulance service arguably has “overpaid” – which is as wrong a view on one side of that coin as Sweeney’s is on the other side.
This appears to be just another attempt by the Maine Twp. cabal to insinuate itself into communities where its services aren’t actually needed in order to ingratiate itself and extract concessions and/or exert influence (see, e.g., the Maine Twp. beer tent at TOPR, CERT bags “valued at $100,” etc.)
Re: the comment just above from Anon. at 9:42 a.m.: It seemed to me that the comment “you probably pay too much for what you get out of” the Maine Twp. share of your property taxes related to the redundancy of Maine Twp. as a level of government.
Nobody should argue that fire protection has to be funded — you never know when you’ll need it — but if anyone out there would defend Maine Twp. as a necessary level of government, I’d like to know their rationale.
EDITOR’S NOTE: That’s the problem with all these layers of government in Illinois – overlapping/redundant responsibilities, waste, dueling authority, etc.
According to the website of the “Township Officials of Illinois” – yet another one of those fluff-and-stroke self-promotional organizations that the world would be better off without:
“By law, Illinois townships are charged with three basic functions: 1) general assistance for the indigent; 2) the assessment of real property for the basis of local taxation; and 3) maintenance of all roads and bridges outside federal, state, and other local jurisdiction.”
And:
“Beyond the three mandated services, Township Government provides other vital services to the people next door. This may include senior citizens programs, youth programs, assistance to the disabled, parks and recreational facilities, health services and cemetery maintenance. In this regard, township government serves its neighbors from the cradle to the grave.”
Wasn’t mayor schmidt the one who endorsed “Mazzuca the bazooka?”
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re unaware of the mayor endorsing any aldermanic candidates in this last election, but if you have any authority for your suggestion please provide it.
Outside of providing general assistance funding to those really need it, you can blow up the rest of tonships. Unlike in other counties, Cook County township assessors do not actually assess properties. They are just sub offices…which also are at the County Courthouses. Make each unicorporated area incorporate and end townships. That will end these ESDA groups and their fascination with cars with flashing lights, safety vests and light wands.
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can’t “[m]ake each unincorporated area incorporate”; and, as we previously discussed in our 08.02.13 post, many of these unincorporated areas are not ones existing municipalities want.
Editor- Unfortunately, you are incorrect about your last comment “unincorporated areas are not ones existing municipalities want.”
The Demcoratic Mayors of Des Plaines and Niles both are trying to open the door to incorporating these areas: http://www.journal-topics.com/news/article_d235b14c-1005-11e3-8770-001a4bcf6878.html
Przybylo and Bogusz were both supported by the Democratic Party in their Mayoral election. This includes Rep. Moylan, Senator Dan and Jan Schakowsky. Is this why Jan got involved in the Park Ridge Mayoral race? Why else would a Mayor incorporate an area with no code enforcement, flooding problems and low property values?
Let’s not forget our history of Mayor Przbylo. He was DEM Committeeman for a decade in Maine Township. This effort to incorporate the unincorporated is a serious one by the democratic machine. I know this site tries to stay away from party politics, but they are absolutely tied in to the drive to incorporate.
Saying no to incorporating Maine Township may be the most important legacy that Mayor Schmidt would leave to Park Ridge.
EDITOR’S NOTE: But neither Schmidt nor the Village of Glenview president are biting on that deal.
And we noted in our post on the subject that it’s a Democratic-driven boondoggle because the Democrat-controlled County can’t/won’t do its job when it comes to providing services to those unincorporated areas – but also won’t surcharge those areas to pay for the extra services the County has to provide to them because they are unincorporated.
Whether or not you believe the equipment kits provided to CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team)are worth $100 or not, CERT itself remains the best example of citizens providing services that are important without having to pay public employees to do them. If you don’t value public safety, this probably won’t ring your chimes, but trained CERT volunteers have been there when ComEd and City workers were busy elsewhere, and have provided real service, including preventing life endangerment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We value public safety as much as reasonable people should, but claiming that CERT volunteers are “the best example of citizens providing services that are important without having to pay public employees to do them” is a dis-service to all the elected and appointed public officials who serve on the school boards, the Park Board, and all the other various boards and commissions that make our self-governance possible. And that also includes the Mayor and City Council members who, although paid a modest stipend, are ridiculously underpaid for the service and responsibility they have undertaken.
PD:
Again you change your tune depending on what the issue is. Many times on this very blog posters have pointed out how little elected officials are paid and your answer has essentially been they choose to run and if they do not like it get out of the way and let someone else fill the chair.
Now when it serves your purpose you point out how “ridiculously underpaid” the are.
Thanks for the laughs this holiday weekend!!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Apparently the ability to hold two opposed ideas in your mind at the same time is too challenging for you.
We’ve criticized the likes of former alderman Jim Allegretti, who first sought appointment to the Council and then ran for election knowing full well that the job paid, but then regularly beefed about it even though he was probably overpaid at $100/month. Of the seven current aldermen, we figure 5 of them are underpaid – with 2-3 of those “ridiculously underpaid,” as is the mayor. Yet NONE of them have pulled an Allegretti and beefed about the pay.
You’re welcome, although we suspect your thought process provides you with a constant source of mirth.
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