Preckwinkle lives up to her promise

I wasn't convinced but she did it, pushing through the continued repeal of the remaining portion of the Todd Stroger 1 Percent Sales Tax that was led originally by Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman. Gorman persistently pushed the repeal and Preckwinkle made it a part of her campaign platform.

It's a little surprising Not surprising was the hemming and hawing from several pro-tax commissioners like Deborah Sims.

But the tax was rolled backed 1/2 percent before the election, thanks to Gorman's persistence. And now it's rolled back another 1/4 percent, leaving 1/4 percent remaining to be phased out by 2013. That isn't soon enough, but what choice to taxpayers have in Cook County?

The tax was doing great damage to the county and it is unnecessary. The County should trim back waste -- starting with Sims. But voters in her district want to be taxed out of existence so the county is stuck with her for four more years.

The rollback will SAVE taxpayers $180 million a year, a small amount to makeup for county officials who can easily trim back waste. Gorman had several budgetary savings proposals that Preckwinkle had killed -- not that Preckwinkle is against eliminating waste. It might just be she doesn't want to be one-upped by Gorman.

-- Ray Hanania

Village police should crack down on these independent snow plow trucks

A red truck just got through plowing the driveways of several homes on Kingston Avenue at Windsor Drive and piled the snow in the middle of the street against the Northwest corner of one of the homes it plowed. The pile of snow is blocking half of Kingston. You might think that people living on that street would be upset that their neighbors had their driveways plowed and let the hawker pile the snow in the street.

That's as bad as people snow blowing their driveways but instead of blowing the snow onto their grass areas, they blow the snow (and even shovel the snow) in to the street.

Why not make it dangerous for drivers?

I called the Public Works Department but they said I should get the driver's license plate number and call the police. His plates were covered up with snow, maybe. And the telephone number on the side of the red pickup truck (708-577-1200) doesn't ring to anyone. It says that I have to try calling again.

If people don't monitor these things, I guess it's impossible for the village and the police to do anything about it too.

-- Ray Hanania

District 135 Schools to close Thursday too because of blizzard

This is an AlertNow message from Orland School District 135. Please make note of this important update:

For Thursday, February 3rd, all schools will be closed due to the continued hazardous conditions and expected extreme cold temperatures. All after-school and evening activities are also cancelled for Thursday.

We have made this decision now in order to provide families with as much time as possible to make any needed arrangements. Staff members - please stay tuned for a separate AlertNow notice.

Please visit the website at www.orland135.org for further updates.

A list of ideas for indoor activities to enjoy during these conditions can be found on our website.

Thank you for your cooperation as we work together as partners for the safety of our community.

(Note: District 135 schools closed on Wednesday also)

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Mayor McLaughlin issues Code Red on blizzard

Mayor McLaughlin Delivers Message Via Code Red System

This is Mayor Dan McLaughlin with an important message from the Village of Orland Park.

As you know, this was an historic snow event and snow is expected to continue through this afternoon followed by high winds blowing snow and severely dropping temperatures.

Despite some roads being cleared, some roads may not be passable and travel remains dangerous throughout the area.

Please stay off the streets, if at all possible.

Many roads continue to be challenging for plows to keep clear due to drifting snow from high winds.

Will-Cook Road, south of 159th Street, remains closed but should be clear this afternoon.

108th Avenue, from 167th Street to 179th Street, remains closed as well as 104th Avenue from 159th Street to 179th Street.

Village emergency operations will continue for the next several days.

Keeping main roads open and passable is our first priority.

Please remove all parked cars from village streets so that plows can continue to clear the snow.

And, as always, please call 9-1-1 for any emergency.

We appreciate your cooperation and patience.

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.

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