THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
Letters To Our Editor
Always Following My Electorate's Wishes
Editor, Journal:
Mayor Frimark wrote a recent letter to the editor leveling a personal attack on me for disclosing to the press and the public certain matters being discussed by the city council in closed session. Among the charges made by the mayor was that I marched to the beat of my own drummer and did whatever I pleased, knowing that I was doing so at the taxpayers' expense. However, the mayor has it backwards, again.
I have been marching to the beat of the same drummer that the residents surrounding Executive Plaza marched to. Those residents opposed a zoning variance in favor of one of the mayor's political contributors, as did I. That is the same drummer followed by the residents who were opposed to the mayor's plan to build a Cumberland underpass and turn that street into a thoroughfare, and by residents opposed to the vote to give away their tax money to another contributor, Bill Napleton, and by the residents opposed to the expansion of high-rise condominium development into the neighborhoods, and by those residents who feel that their needs are being ignored because of the city government's almost myopic focus on Uptown Redevelopment at the expense of the rest of the city. That is our drummer.
And that is the same drummer whose beat is followed by the vast majority of residents who rightfully believe their government should be open, transparent and accountable to them, and that they are entitled to know what their elected officials are up to, especially when it involves spending millions upon millions of dollars of their money.
Again the mayor has it backwards. The mayor claims that discussing real estate transactions in closed session is for the benefit of the taxpayers, because it keeps the price the city might have to pay from increasing due to public disclosure.
But nothing could be further from the truth. According to the mayor, my disclosure of the discussion regarding purchasing the Napleton property for a police facility risked increasing the cost to the city if it decided to pursue that property. However, that is plainly untrue.
If the city is interested in a certain piece of property, and the "marketplace" finds out, the City can still buy the property at its fair market value. If the property owner decided to increase the asking price above and beyond the fair market value because of the city's interest, the city could simply invoke eminent domain, and the price it paid would be the lower amount. In other words, the mayor's charge that I was hurting the taxpayers by exposing closed session discussions rings hollow indeed.
In fact, it is actually the other way around. The first time I exposed a closed session discussion regarding the purchase of property for a police facility, the council was deliberating offering $200,000 more than the figure given by the city's appraiser, and the Mayor reportedly wanted to increase that offer even more.
To the extent my exposure of that closed session discussion led to the scuttling of that deal, the taxpayers were the obvious winners because I did.
The mayor says I will answer to my "electorate" for my actions. The point he is missing is that I already do. There are times when closed sessions are appropriate, but those instances are few, and the mayor and the city council have an obligation to minimize those occasions. I will continue to follow that philosophy unless and until my "electorate" tells me otherwise.
David Schmidt, 1st Ward Alderman, Park Ridge
Supports EJ&E Railroad Purchase, Reduced Traffic
Editor, Journal:
Efficient and reliable regional transportation is integral to our communities. Thousands of northwest Chicagoland residents depend on Metra everyday to get to work while millions of area merchants rely on rail traffic to deliver their goods. So, I support the proposed purchase of the EJ&E railroad by Canadian National. It will free up the rail lines throughout the Northwest suburbs and decrease rail congestion. Chicago is the transportation hub of North America and in order to remain so Canadian National must be allowed to expand and operate more efficiently.
Our economy would be irrevocably harmed if this purchase is not approved, rail traffic brings with it $2 billion in production and more than 17,000 jobs. It may be true that this rail traffic relief is only temporary and will expand in the coming years. With that in mind, we must plan today for increased rail traffic tomorrow by promoting smart growth and intelligent design. As your next state representative I will work with communities in my district to adjust to the inevitability of increased rail traffic by preparing today for the issues of tomorrow. We must be proactive in addressing the issues that come with expansion and growth.
Mark Walker, Candidate for State Rep., 66th District