Why is Taste of Park Ridge NFP (“Taste, Inc.”) so secretive that it doesn’t post any of its financial information on its fancy website, or have its IRS Form 990s on GuideStar? Frankly, we have no idea.
And because, so far, we’ve been spectacularly unsuccessful in finding out anything about Taste, Inc.’s operations over the past year, we are asking you, our readers, to consider helping us with some of our sleuthing.
The following people are current members of the board of directors for Taste, Inc.:
President: Dave Iglow, Pines Mens Wear of Park Ridge
Vice Pres./Sec’y: Albert Galus, Academic Tutoring Centers
Treasurer: Jim Bruno, Chase Bank
Director: Dean Patras, Broadway Livery Service
Director: Sandy Svizzero, Pathway Bank & Trust Co.
Director: Barb Tyksinski, All on the Road Catering
Director: John Warnimont, Activision Electric
In addition to the foregoing individuals, the following people are members of the Taste (the event) Committee:
Bob Hanson, Park Ridge Police Dept.
Jackie Mathews, Rainbow Hospice
Mel P. Thillens, Thillens Service Corporation
Kim Uhlig, Director of Economic Development, City of Park Ridge
If you know any of these people, please ask them: “Why all the secrecy?” Or “Why doesn’t Taste, Inc. make its books and financial records public?” Or “What is the Taste ‘Community Cares’ Fund, and why isn’t it explained on the website?”
Maybe these Taste folks will be more comfortable answering such questions posed by people they know rather than by one of the “evil blogs” (to quote former Mayor Howard P. Frimark, who coincidentally was mayor when Taste, the event, went private); and then you, in turn, can share the answers with us and the rest of the community.
Because as the Taste keeps getting bigger and (we assume) more profitable, all the secrecy surrounding Taste (the event) and Taste, Inc. makes us even more suspicious – especially when there is the appearance of close and strong ties between Taste/Taste, Inc. and City government.
After all, this is the State of Illinois, and Park Ridge is located within the un-friendly confines of Crook County. Need we say more?