Judging from the articles and letters to the editor in this week’s local newspapers, as well as the comments on this site, the PADS shelter set to open in October at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church has become a hot topic in Park Ridge.  But this is an issue that deserves more light, not more heat; and for starters that light should shine squarely on the people who tried to fly this shelter into the basement of St. Mary’s under the radar.

Let’s start with the Park Ridge Ministerial Association, which suggests that its member churches actively shared information with and solicited opinions from their constituent congregations.  Since St. Mary’s gave “St. Mary’s Carousel of Learning” the boot last summer after more than 20 years on those premises, apparently to pave the way for the PADS shelter, how many of those churches devoted even one Sunday sermon to engaging their congregations in a meaningful discussion of homelessness, its effects on our community, and the “need” for a PADS shelter in Park Ridge? 

And if, as is now being reported, the City and several of its officials (including the mayor and the chief of police) were apprised of this PADS initiative months, if not years, ago, why wasn’t it placed on the agenda by the City Council for public discussion – such as when, for example, the Carousel whirled its way over to Park Ridge Presbyterian and the Council chamber was filled with neighbors raising their concerns about the effects of that move?  We also question why weren’t several alternative shelter sites publicly identified and publicly debated before St. Mary’s was chosen?

Of course, the Park Ridge Ministerial Association is not a governmental body, so it’s operations are not governed by laws like the Illinois Open Meetings Act (“IOMA”) that are designed to demand transparency and accountability from  our public officials.  But purely on the basis of ethics and morals – the very things invoked by the PADS shelter proponents/apologists against anyone who dares question their plans – don’t these churches, the clergy and boards that operate them, and our public officials all owe their members and the community as a whole far more transparency and accountability than they’ve shown so far?

Separation of church and state is a fundamental principal of this country.  But both of those institutions depend for their continuing vitality and credibility on fostering the more exemplary attitudes and behavior over the lesser – as in, for example, valuing the asking for permission before taking action above the asking for forgiveness after the deed is already done.

As we suggested in Wednesday’s article, we need a lot fewer dissembling politicians and a lot more straight-talking, public-spirited leaders.  And we need them every bit as much in our religious and social organizations as in our governmental ones.