Today we offer three vignettes for this week’s Park Ridge Journal that illustrate the kind of cluelessness that causes local governments to make bad decisions which end up costing the taxpayers bundles of cash and/or a lot of wasted effort.

The New O’Hare Runway: Let’s start with our fearless leader, Mayor Howard “Let’s Make A Deal” Frimark, who – as quoted in today’s Park Ridge Journal (“Heads Up,” November 26) – proclaims that “[w]e’re getting killed” on the south end of Park Ridge with airplane noise from the new northern east-west runway at O’Hare.  So Frimark and Third Ward Alderpuppet Don Bach headed over to a meeting of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (“ONCC”) to complain. 

But where has Frimark been for the past four years while this new runway was being planned and built?  Why wasn’t he showing up at ONCC meetings then, or calling Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky then, or contacting the FAA then, or even talking to his diminutive Chicago counterpart, Richie Daley, about the problems the new runway would cause for Park Ridge?

Like with so many other City matters, Frimark couldn’t be bothered with such trivial pursuits.  He was too busy cutting the size of the City Council, getting a majority of his alderpuppets elected, cutting sweetheart deals for buddies like Norwood Builders and Bill Napleton, and trying to build a big new police station that we can’t afford.  

Which is why Frimark, after being asleep at the wheel for the past four years, now finds himself with the Hobson’s Choice of trying to help the residents on the south end of town by returning more flights to runway 22 Right, the noise from which has plagued those Park Ridge residents on the north end of town.  And which also explains why a clueless Frimark may be setting up his own little civil war.

District 64 Bond Refunding: Elementary School Dist. 64 is refunding Emerson construction bonds from 1997 in order to reduce the interest rate for the remaining term of the bonds.  As reported in the Journal article (“Dist. 64 Bond Refunding May Save Taxpayers A Buck”), the annual savings to the average taxpayer from this refunding will be $1.00 per year.

We’re happy about anything that will save the taxpayers money, even a little bit.  But given the District’s inept financial management over the past decade, we think the taxpayers deserve a little more candor and respect than what was offered by School Board president and long-time board member Sue Runyon: “This seems meaningless, but it represents our commitment to manage our spending and give back to our taxpayers whenever we can.”

No, Sue, you can’t manage your spending, which is why the District spent most of the past six years trying to stay out of the Illinois State Board of Education’s financial dog house; and why, since it passed the tax increase referendum last year, has cluelessly gone back to its free-spending ways while failing to distinguish itself academically when compared to many other districts, including some that spend less per pupil. 

And for those of us who have seen the Dist. 64 portion of our tax bills soar by hundreds of dollars, that $1 refund sure seems like chump change – and we’re the chumps.

Col. Mustard In The Restaurant With The Big Screen TV: A contributor to the Journal’s “Speak Out” column laments how “no one comes to Park Ridge to spend money” because the City is “restricting businesses from succeeding.”  According to this speaker, the lack of “TVs, pool tables or the like” is why “so many restaurants go out of business here so quickly.”

We always thought what kept restaurants in business was good food and good service in an attractive setting at a fair price.  That formula seems to have worked quite well, thank you, for places like Zia’s, Don Juan’s and Nonno Pino’s right next door in Edison Park.

We do agree, however, with the writer’s contention that “[o]ur property taxes are out of hand, our streets are not repaired, and our fees and permit costs are ridiculous.”  But we think the answer is less wasteful spending and better overall financial management by the City, not the addition of TVs, pool tables and arcade games to mediocre restaurants.