In an era of rampant voter apathy and the growing sense that special interests run the politicians who, in turn, run our government, today we recognize and thank the increasing number of activist citizens who have banded together primarily in neighborhood groups to educate themselves and get involved in the process of making public policy in our community.
Within just the past year alone several citizens groups have formed to oppose such diverse special interest initiatives as zoning variances for the Executive Office Plaza development, bringing a PADS homeless shelter to Park Ridge, the extension of Cumberland Avenue under the railroad tracks and, most recently, building a CenTrust Bank and/or CVS pharmacy on the old Napleton site.
In so doing, these activists have begun the process of re-claiming local government from those special interests which have turned it into a tool for concentrating and accumulating power and money in the hands of a select and privileged few – while foisting the costs of that government upon all of us. In return for such a noble effort, however, these public-spirited citizens have been criticized and even condemned by many of our local politicians – both those at City Hall and those in the various churches comprising the Park Ridge Ministerial Association – who see this activism as a clear threat to the power and influence they’ve enjoyed for so long.
That these “ordinary” citizens have stood their ground against such an onslaught is even more impressive and admirable. In fact, it is nothing less than extraordinary.
They are acting in the tradition of such grass roots activists as the “Sons of Liberty” who – under the leadership of Samuel Adams – were successful in undermining support for British rule and advancing the cause of American independence among colonists who were, as Sam’s cousin John Adams would later put it: “about one-third Tories (sympathetic to the Crown)…one-third timid, and one-third true blue.” Sam Adams recognized that the first step in overcoming the apathy and fear infecting many colonists was to cultivate “an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds,” which is exactly what our Park Ridge activists have done for those of us who don’t always pay enough attention to what goes on at City Hall, or at the respective headquarters of School Districts 64 and 207, and/or the Park District.
That is why we encourage and applaud these citizens in their efforts to return our local government to one that is truly of the People, by the People, for the People. And we hope that they also realize that each of their “neighborhood” interests forms a vital piece of the bigger and broader fabric that is the Park Ridge community as a whole.
11 comments so far
My thanks to you, Watchdog. Perhaps, enough of us watched the HBO series, “John Adams” recently to be jolted from our complacency. Just think of what we all could do today if we had to deal with life and death issues as the first patriots did.
The Cumberland Patriot
if not for these citizens’ groups, exec. office plaza would have had a much larger variance, the pads shelter would be at st. mary’s, mayor frimark already would have started spending money on his cumberland underpass, and napleton would be counting his money from centrust and/or cvs.
thanks, citizens.
Nice storyline today,’Dog. The residents should all be congratulated for their courage and their perseverence. Every one of these groups should take a look at the looming August 18 vote on the R-5 district because it affects them all. Imagine sitting in your house on the cusp of Uptown, looking out the window, and seeing a 4 or 5 story building across the street. Won’t happen? Think again. The R-5 is a bad idea and it is not right for our town. Contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel. Meanwhile, hopefully the ‘Dog will be able to provide some background info in the next week or so which will demonstrate just how critical this issue is to the the well-being of our community.
ANybody notice what the common denominator is for all of those projects (Other than they’re bad ideas)? All of them are/were supported by Howard Frimark, the same guy who would also have given Napleton almost two and a half million dollars of our money if GM hadn’t punched Napleton’s ticket before any fo the money could be paid out. With Frimark as mayor and a council majority of his stooges, we’ll need all the help and luck we can get.
I’ve heard R-5 hearings are coming up, and that it will permit taller buildings in a much larger area. It sounds like just another favor for developer Friends of Frimark, doesn’t it? But maybe Mr. Baldi can make another guest appearance from the Zoning Commission and tell us about how R-5 is a really wonderful thing that city staff came up with.
About 1966 a PR resident of about 13 years learned about a developer who proposed to build 4 10 story buildings In Uptown.
Unhappy about this action and leaning that only 2 of the city’s 14 aldermen opposed the development he along with a handful of other residents planned an oposition stragegy with 8000 signatures protesting it.
The council withdrew the plan but was up for reconsideration 2 months later.
A year later he formed his own political pary and by the 1967 aldermanic election was ready for the fight.
When the votes were tallied, the adermen elected who were opposed to the development numbered 11; those in favor, 4.
The man in question was the late Marty Butler who eventually became mayor in 1973.
Perhaps it’s wrong to complain or wonder why in recent times there hasn’t been as many people like Butler and others who fought a lot of this stuff in the past since I’ve only begun going to councill meetings this year and don’t have any desire to go into politics but still I must wonder why some of what’s going on now didn’t happen sooner since we knew for several years if not longer this was comming?
Maybe we would of had a more reasonable development Uptown along NW Hwy and not such a large one because of the increased traffic it will probably bring.
MikeTouhy:
Marty Butler was a great guy and he did a great job with the Homeowners Party, but he started to lose his grip on the Party when he succeeded Bob Kustra as State Senator in 1991 and began spending a lot of time down in Springfield. By the time he died in 1998 our Party had pretty much become a collection of complacent do nothings who probably didn’t even know what Marty Butler stood for.
By that time, the Party’s aldermanic candidates were being picked not because they shared Marty’s vision but because they were somebody’s friend. The ward caucus system had pretty much fallen apart. In the 1st ward, for example, the Party’s candidates were supposedly being picked from the cast of the Field School Variety Show for a good 10 years, and the same thing was being said in the 4th ward about the Washington School “Playmakers” influence. But because of the Homeowners name and a good-sized war chest, these candidates continued to get elected, usually without opposition.
Ron Wietecha, despite running unopposed three straight times, was a poor excuse for a mayor. He preferred to spend most of his time and effort on fighting O’Hare Airport. When he did turn his attention to local issues, he was arrogant and dictatorial. But because the aldermen were so weak, none of them would challenge what Ron was doing.
By the last city election (April 2003) before Ron resigned, the Party’s candidates not only lost in the 1st ward (Anita Rifkind), 4th ward (Brian Kidd), 5th ward (Steve Huening), 6th ward (Vince Fontana) and 7th ward (Steve Henley), but they came in last in any ward where there was more than one opponent. The only two Homeowners candidates to win that year were Rich DiPietro (2nd ward), who beat an unknown candidate by only 21 votes, and Andrea Bateman (3rd ward), who ran unopposed.
Homeowners Party member Howard Frimark was denied the 4th ward Homeowners’ caucus endorsement, but he ran anyway and got most of the traditional Homeowners’ vote over endorsed candidate Brian Kidd.
That’s the last election the Party actually fielded candidates in, and I haven’t been involved with the Party since. But I’ve heard that they’re still sitting on about $20,000 that could be used to back one or more candidates. I think Roger Crawford is still the chairman and John Heerman is still treasurer.
I can’t remeber after all these years why Bulter had decided to become a senator especially since we was like the 1st Mayor Daley of Chicago being PR mayor the longest and being 74 when he died which means he was 67 when he left his mayoral position, most people of that age probably wouldn’t of made such a dramatic change at that age.
So the Homeowners Party (the mopey one, not Marty Butler’s version) isn’t dead but is just sleeping – with $20,000 under the mattress. Hmmmmmm. Wonder what Crawford and Heerman are planning to do with all that cash after they’ve sat out the last two elections?
Another thing I should mentioned is it’s interesting that there was no one who tried to run for mayor when Witecha was in office.
Now I was growing uo durring the years Bulter was mayor but if anyone have ever visted the PR Historical Society or even the city hall and notice the prevous 5 mayors before Butler, all were only were in for 1 term and looking through old papers I found out most of them decided that 1 term was enough.
But because of this and not realy looking through papers the years when Butler was mayor, which the exception of his 1st term, it suprised me there were no chalengers for Witecha.
I know I’m talking and 18 years period 1973-1991 when Butler was in but still it’s quite interesting.
MikeTouhy:
If you look back during the time of Wietecha’s reign, you will find that almost all of the aldermanic races were also uncontested because the Homeowners Party had a stranglehold on City government.
The tide turned against Wietecha and the Homeowners for good with the solid defeat of the Library referendum in Nov. 2002, for which Wietecha and most of the Homeowner Party aldermen urged a “yes” vote. That helped the voters start to see what kind of empty shell the Homeowners Party had become.
The Library vote led to the shellacking Homeowners Party candidates took in the April 2003 aldermanic elections. By then, even Wietecha could see the handwriting on the wall – which is why he ran off to Barrington in September 2003.
Had he stayed and stood for re-election in 2005, he would have had one or more challengers. And he would have lost.
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