Let's be honest: Most Chicagoland residents LOVE heavy snow

I was there at 14 during the 1967 snow fall when we didn't have snow blowers and everything was done with a shovel. And in 1979, when the snowfall became the momentum to push out the Chicago Democratic Machine -- briefly -- and make way for a so-called reformer who turned out to be worse than the Machine. And then there was blizzard of 1999, which was bad but never as memorable as 1967 or 1979.

In 1967, we had a Georgian home on Chicago's Southeast Side on south Luella Avenue. We had a sidewalk in the front and the back. The snow piles were huge. I think it happened on a Thursday just before the weekend. The cars were covered in snow along the curbs. Snow plows didn't come through at all for a day. They focused on the main streets. It was family fun.

Nowadays with more people living in the suburbs with long and wide driveways and suburban governments that have little talent and no budget visions, homeowners have to have a snow blower. I was lucky this year. I did buy a motorized snow blower with a tall blower. The scoop is 20 inches tall and 18 inches wide. It replaced the small Toro snow blower that I had for some 20 years and gave to friend. It stillw orks and it's perfect for small driveways and sidewalks.

When we looked out the window this morning, the snow was 18 inches against the glass front door. The drifts had piled the snow three feet against the garage. It was deep. And the driveway is some70 feet long and 15 feet wide, it was covered in two feet of snow.

But it only took two hours to clear the snow. The streets are still a mess. An Orland Park snow plow went by about three hours before barely clearing anything, just a fast zip through. The plow drivers can be great people or jerks, some pushing the snow in front of your driveway on purpose. Most I've talked to are good but this morning the driver took a turn right in front of the house and pushed a wall of snow in front of the end of my driveway.

No Problem. I have a new snow blower.

And it was fun. Slicing through 18 to 24 inches of snow a few inches at a time and shooting the snow onto the grass area.

Let's face it. We love snow. Otherwise, why would we be living in Chicago?

It was fun to watch the news reports pre-empt regular programming to report on the snow. The focus is always on Chicago where there are always problems. But it was nice to see so many people helping each other.

I have no videos or film of the 1967 snow fall. We had a Bell and Howell black and white 35 mm camera, but that was always seen as something you used in the summer for record fun, not work that is fun.

But we took some videos of this year's snow fall which was predicted late on Monday and filled the public with apprehension and fear. Woodfield Mall announced on Tuesday that it would shut down and the Orland Park Mall shut down, too. Nearly every school closed.

This year I experienced the first ever thunder-snow blizzard. Last month, we had thunder and lightning during the snow blizzard. We had the same thing last night. Thunder and lightening. I'd never seen that before in my life. Never heard of it until this year.

Fascinating. Fun. I hope though that everyone did well and that people managed to live through this. As much as it can be fun, a blizzard can also be dangerous. I hope everyone did well and had help from neighbors if they needed it.

-- Ray Hanania

I never ate at Fatburger because I don't like Kanye West

Kanye West was such an arrogant boor, so why should his hamburgers taste good?

You may not see the logic, but a guy who is so outrageous to steal the stage from a young woman winning her very first major music award, Taylor Swift, doesn't deserve to get my money.

Image via Wikipedia

Let's face it. No on said that Fatburger was a great place to eat. They said I should eat there because Kanye West owns it. Really? Well then, not going there because I don't like Kanye West is a justified reason.

Image via Wikipedia

I could never understand the concept. An expensive fat hamburger? Most hamburgers today are junk. I won't eat at McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy's. Why? Because they're not healthy. I definitely won't eat at White Castles and Taco Bell with their 30 percent meat and 70 percent junk filler in their tacos lost me at "hello."

And did he ever come out to Orland Park? Well, some might ask, why should he? Well, if he wanted my dollar, maybe he should have dropped on by. But that's the point, he just wants me dollar. It has nothing to do with great food. It's all about the money. And frankly, Kanye West is not the kind of guy I'd like to help get rich.

Unless, of course, he repents and suddenly turns in to a nice guy. Then maybe, maybe, I might want to help him.

-- Ray Hanania

Gorman slate leads off huge November election sweep

Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman's popularity continues to grow and she's not taking it lightly, backing slates of candidates for every office in Orland Park from village trustee to the Orland Fire Protection District.

Below are the bios for the three candidates in the April 5 consolidated elections backed by Gorman  for Village Trustees called Fiscal Voices for Orland. They are Steve Williams, John Brudnak and Molly McAvoy Flynn.

Already, Williams has both a facebook campaign page up along with campaign ads running on Facebook reaching out to Orland area voters.

Click here for Steven's Facebook Page. He's also running Facebook Ads promoting his candidacy and his slate.

Click here for his web site.

Here are the bios for the three candidates:

John M. Brudnak

Age 49

Married 19 years to Debbie.  3 kids, Peter 16, junior at Carl Sandburg HS, 

Anna 14, freshman at Carl Sandburg HS, Andrew 12, 7th grade at Orland Junior 

High.

Employed at Central Steel and Wire Co., Chicago, Il for the past 24 years. 

Outside Sales Representative

Education:

BA from St. Mary's College, Winona, MN in 1983 with a Major in Business 

Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a Minor in History

Presently, I am an elected Board Member for Orland School District 135 and 

hold the office of Vice President. I have also held the position of 

Secretary before being Vice President.

President for the Orland Music Parents-West

Local involvement:

Head Football coach for the Orland Park Pioneer program and Manager for the 

Orland Youth Association Baseball program.

Steven Williams Profile

Steve was born and raised in New Madrid County Missouri and graduated from New Madrid County Central High School in 1983. He attended college for a year and then worked in his parents’ small businesses as well as a local factory before joining the U.S. Air Force in May of 1985.

In the Air Force, he served as a Law Enforcement Specialist (Police Officer) at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX for 2 years before earning a coveted position in the San Antonio Armed Forces Police Detachment (AFPD) in the San Antonio Police Department. During his two years at AFPD, he was responsible for relationships with 26 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies as well as investigating over 100 deserter incidents per year.

After being honorably discharged from the military in 1989, he entered the University of Memphis and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree of Finance in 1992 while working full-time for the Germantown, TN Police Department as a dispatcher/jailer.

After graduation, Steve entered the audit profession holding several Operational and Information Technology (IT) Audit positions with the Audit Bureau of Circulations in Schaumburg, IL, Federal Express in Memphis, TN, Ameritech in Hoffman Estates, IL, and CCC Information Services in Chicago, IL. While in these positions, he distinguished himself in utilizing IT systems to drive out process inefficiency and waste during process re-engineering engagements. The relationships he developed while conducting audits within the IT organization at Ameritech, led to his recruitment into that organization in 1999 as a project/release manager.

While working full-time in the Internal Audit and IT organizations at Ameritech, Steve attended Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, earning a Master of Business Administration degree in Technology Strategy, Management, and Entrepreneurship in 2001.

For the last 11 years, Steve has held positions of increasing responsibility in Project Management, Supply/Demand Management, Vendor Management, Finance/Budget Management, Strategic Sourcing, Real Estate, and Metrics/Reporting within the IT organizations of Ameritech/SBC Communications and CNA Insurance. While in these positions, he has led numerous process improvement initiatives saving those organizations millions of dollars per year.

Today, Steve is a Director in the IT Business Management Office at CNA Insurance leading the Metrics, Reporting, and Analytics group and is a key leader in planning and managing the organization’s $350 million budget.

Steve, his wife Andrea, and son Jack moved to Orland Park in 2006. Andrea earned Bachelors and Masters degrees from Northern Illinois University and is a stay at home mom after holding positions in audit and product management. Jack is currently in kindergarten at Centennial School and is actively involved in sports within OYA.  The family supports numerous charities including Toybox Connection, The Julian Center, Orland Township Food Pantry, St. Barbara Food Pantry, Susan G. Komen For the Cure, Dress for Success, and Literacy Volunteers of America. Steve is also an avid mountain biker and member of the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers, a non-profit advocacy and education organization.

Molly McAvoy Flynn

Education: 

Masters in Business Administration & Finance - Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL, June 2000

Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Cum Laude- Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL,  May 1991

Certified Public Accountant, May 1991

Married to Michael, mother of five young children, Morgan-8, Casey-7, Megan-5, Michael-3, and Caroline-2. The three oldest attend St. Michael's and Michael-3 attends preschool at Sandbox.

Previously ran for State Rep & want to get involved in local politics for the interest of my children and for the everyday person who needs a voice to be heard, especially in the struggling fiscal arena.

end

Gorman on the saving homes along 143rd street

Dear Editor:
Over the past several years, my office has been working hard to save the homes along 143rd Street in Orland
Park by facilitating negotiations between the Forest Preserve District and the Village of Orland Park. It is my pleasure to announce that the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners has voted unanimously to allow a permanent easement of 17 feet for a span of 1000 feet on the north side of 143rd Street.

Through this agreement, the Village of Orland Park will generously deed almost 14 acres of land to the Forest
Preserve District which includes 10.9 acres of wetlands near 135th and Wolf Rd. and an additional 3 acre parcel across the street from the wetlands. At the same time, outstanding litigation between the Forest Preserve District and Standard Bank & Trust has been settled resulting in the Forest Preserve purchasing approximately 52 acres of land adjacent to the land being deeded by Orland Park. The net result is that the Forest Preserve District will be adding nearly 60 acres to its holdings and the homes along 143rd Street will be saved while providing a safer roadway.

I am very grateful to the staff of the Forest Preserve District, Friends of the Forest Preserve and other
environmental groups, Gallagher & Henry and my staff for the endless hours that we worked with Village Manager, Paul Grimes, and Planning Director, Bob Sullivan of Orland Park, to negotiate and finalize this important agreement to improve the quality of people’s lives in our community.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman
Cook County Commissioner, 17th District

Commissioner Liz Gorman announces agreement between the Village of Orland Park and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County allowing for the widening of 143rd Street west of LaGrange Road

Commissioner Liz Gorman announces agreement between the Village of

Orland Park and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County

allowing for the widening of 143^rd Street west of LaGrange Road

Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman today announced that the Board of The Forest Preserve District of Cook County have given final approval for an agreement with the Village of Orland Park which will allow the widening of 143^rd Street.  The Forest Preserve will allow a permanent easement of 17 feet for a span of 1000 feet on the north side of  143^rd Street [approximately 1.5 acres] to Orland Park. 

This clears the way for 143^rd Street to be widened to five lanes – 2 in each direction with a left turn center lane from LaGrange Road to Wolf Road.  The Village will deed almost 14 acres to the Forest Preserve District:  10.9 acres of wetland near Wolf Road and 135^th Street; and a 3-acre parcel across the street from the wetlands.  At the same time, outstanding litigation between the Forest Preserve and Standard Bank and Trust has been settled resulting in the Forest Preserve purchasing approximately 52 acres of land adjacent to the land being deeded to the Forest Preserve from Orland Park.  The end result is that the Forest Preserve District will add almost 60 acres to its holdings.

Commissioner Gorman said “this is a win-win situation for all concerned.  The Forest Preserve District will increase its holdings with quality lands and the public will be able to travel a safer roadway along 143^rd Street.

“This widening project is saving the homes on the south side of 143^rd Street, as well as improving the quality of people’s  lives who both live and travel in the area.  It has been a priority since being elected Commissioner.  I am thrilled and forever grateful to the staff of the Forest Preserve District, Gallagher & Henry and my staff for the endless hours that we worked with Village Manager, Paul Grimes, and Planning Director, Bob Sullivan of Orland Park, to negotiate and finalize this important agreement.

“This is a fine example of what can be accomplished when governmental and civic organizations, such as the Friends of the Forest Preserve and other environmental groups, work together to the benefit of the common good.”

Orland Park resident Paul Cervenka challenges the taxing Orland Fire Protection District

Orland Park resident Paul Cervenka challenges the taxing Orland Fire Protection District


Video from the Orland Park Patch, credit Jesse Marx

For more information, check out this story: Orland Park taxes increase dramatically. The Orland Fire Protection District is one of the government bodies responsible. Click to read the story?

And this one, Time to ELiminate the Orland Fire Protection District (Nov. 2009). Click to read the story?

Can Maher survive the Fire Protection District race? Can taxpayers?

Can Maher survive the Fire Protection District race? Can taxpayers?

By Ray Hanania

Pat Maher’s miserable performance in the November 5 elections for Cook County Commissioner against incumbent Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman raises questions as to whether he can survive a challenge in the April 5, 2011 elections.

But the bigger question is, can Orland Township voters survive another term with Maher as president of the Orland Fire Protection District?

The district spends money like it is going out of style. Maher’s lies about cutting taxes were exposed during his failed campaign for the county board. The Maher Orland Fire Protection District has one of the highest budgets in the state, spending more than $25 million a year.

For what?

The answer is simple, to get Maher elected to higher public office. After all, he is a relative of the powerful (thought the election suggested powerless) Hynes clan and he and his supporters (not many apparently) believe that higher office is an entitlement.

So, can Maher win office in Orland Township, even as an incumbent whose father is the Village Clerk of Orland Park?

Maher lost to Gorman in a stunning landslide defeat in the 17^th District, the bulk of which is based in Orland Township. Maher won only 34,686 votes (36.02 percent) while Gorman won 56,423 votes (58.59 percent).

Click here to view the complete results posted by the Cook County Clerk.

That wiped-him-out-pattern followed Maher through the district in the townships.

There were 30,213 votes cast in Orland Township alone, and Gorman’s victory was even stronger. Her percentage victory in Orland Township beat the landslide victory she won in the entire district. In fact, Gorman won more votes that Mayor Dan McLaughlin has won in past elections and McLaughlin is very popular.

In Orland Township, Maher won only 11,165 votes (34.92 percent) and Gorman won 19,048 votes (59.52 percent)

There are rumors Gorman may run for mayor in two years – she could hold both jobs as county commissioner and mayor. Peter Silvestri is both the mayor of Elmwood Park and a cook county commissioner. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gorman runs a full slate of candidates in both the village trustee races and also in the Orland Fire Protection District. A Gorman-backed slate would be formidable.

Maher barely won three of 85 Orland Township precincts, and that’s not good for someone who is the president of a Township wide office that few people understand, the Orland Fire Protection District.

Maher won the 69^th Precinct, the 17^th Precinct and the 3^rd precinct, all by insignificant, single digit numbers. (Must be 19^th Ward havens.)

Maher lives in the 62^nd Precinct, according to the Cook County Board of Elections precinct finder for his home address. Even his neighbors didn’t like him as a candidate. Gorman took that precinct 215 to Maher’s 154 votes.

I am not sure Maher is re-electable.

But you can be sure that to protect his job, in an all out “who cares about the taxpayers” fight for his life, Maher will use the resources of the Orland Fire Protection District to make himself look good in political and township mailings.

He will spend taxpayer money like there is no tomorrow. You watch.

But that’s always been Maher’s problem. He has these loser consultants around him who view elections on the basis of money – their money – and can’t figure out how to convince voters Maher is redeemable. That’s probably a good thing for voters.

With the crew Maher is hanging around with, he’ll probably lose a re-election bid meaning the spot is open to someone else who wants to put the best interests of the taxpayers ahead of their own entitlement-driven political privileged life.

Hurting Maher even more is the fact that property tax bills in Orland Township have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent; the Orland Chamber of Commerce says the tax rate only went up 17 percent. Yikes! But the actual impact on homeowners was dramatic and property taxes doubled in some cases.

Do Orland Township voters want to elect a guy to township office who spends taxpayer money like there is no tomorrow?

All of the traditional campaign strategies will actually work against Maher. Every time he sends out the information less Orland Fire Protection District newsletter, voters will be asking themselves, how much did this cost me?

Orland Fire Protection District watchdog Paul Cervenka is carefully monitoring spending and he says the spending is outrageous. He filed a complaint against Maher’s use of the District’s newsletter to promote his candidacy. Although the complaint was dismissed, the concerns are priority one for Orland voters and taxpayers.

Cervenka wrote me after a recent Orland Fire Protection District meeting, “our fire district spent 2 million dollars in 10 minutes. Perhaps a new record! Post card mailing announcing a new web site for $6000. Contract for renewal for Newsmakers Inc. for additional services for work on public service announcements another $3000, among others.”

That’s not the actions of a public official who cares about the taxpayers at all.

Of course, when this blog reported that Maher’s pals and Battalion chiefs were using district vehicles, paid for and maintained by taxpayers, to do personal business, Maher shrugged it off. That’s where he lost me and I bet where he continues to lose the voters, too.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com