Letters, letters and more letters: Fire "Protect the President's Career" District

Dear Mr. Hanania

I am a faithful reader of you blog. In regards to your recent article regarding the Orland Park Fire District charging for ambulance fees, I would like to respond, anonymously, of course.

The "whisper" behind these fees is that the President of the Board of Trustees [of the Orland Park Fire Protection District], Pat Maher, will be seeking a seat on the Cook COunty Board of Commissioners in the 2010 election.

As was stated in the Southtown/Star, "the fire district is not running short of funds but the new policy, which will bring in about $1 million a year, will help prevent future tax increases."

Mr. Maher will collect these ambulance fees, sit on them until he has a nice accumulation, then he will rebate them back to the taxpayers just in time so this "good deed" is fresh in the voters' minds when we go to the polls in 2010. A move right out of the playbook of Mayor Dan McLaughlin.

This should also answer the question you asked in your July 29, 2008 article titled "Campaign Disclosure Notes for Orland Park." Under article V -- Friends of Patrick M. Maher, you asked, "So why did he [Maher] create this campaign [fund] in March?

Now you know.

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Dear Anonymous.

Thank you for sharing your views and what you have heard. I think you hit the political nail on the head and I believe Maher is planning to run for higher office and Cook COunty Board -- which does nothing in Orland Park ala Elizabeth Gorman Doody -- is the perfect spot to grab. Gorman will probably retire, as she is worthless. Maher and McLaughlin are politically very close. They share friendship in a certain computer company involved in another legal mess.

And I hope voters are smart enough to see past Maher's scheme. I mean, McLaughlin raised taxes in Orland Park and built up a huge surplus that he "rebates" back to voters. Of course, this year he imposed a back-door property tax hike by only rebating a part of that promised rebate. He's keeping about 40 percent for the village and that is a 40 percent hike in property taxes.

Not that I can get McLaughlin or Maher to ever respond as they don't care. They share that imported 19th Ward Chicago arrogance that they can do whatever they want because the people they "govern" are too apathetic to bother protesting or asking questions, and most newspapers in this area don't write about controversy, especially when kissing ass is so much more lucrative.

Thanks for writing
Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com

Dear Ray

You wrote a while back that Orland Park Police Chief Timothy McCarthy would make a great candidate for mayor. Is there any truth to the rumors McLaughlin is retiring?

Thanks
a "Blue Heron"

Dear "Blue Heron"

Thanks for your letter. I am not sure. My sources in the village hall and in the police department tell me McCarthy wants to run for office and may run for mayor only if McLaughlin steps down. McCarthy would make a great elected official so I hope the rumors are true.

Thank you for writing.

You do more than the Village Clerk, his son and the mayor combined.

Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

You can email your comments to:

rayhanania@comcast.net

and I will keep your identities private and will not publish them if you request. Or, you can also send your letters to my PO Box at

Ray Hanania
PO Box 2127
Orland Park, IL., 60462

OR ... you can call me on my radio show every morning on WJJG 1530 AM Radio Monday thru Friday from 8 am until 9:30 am and share your thoughts anonymously also.

Let's put Orland Park back on the map of accountability.

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