Dozens of parents flock to Tinley Park after expressing disappointment with Orland's Recreation Department's Halloween for Kids program

We went to the Tinley Park Recreation Department's Halloweeen Day for Children on Saturday. It was great. It had rooms of events, insects, creepy animals and a haunted house, plus all kinds of games.

But what was most surprising was that the fee imposed for the same event at Orland Park chased many Orland Park residents away. And they came to Tinley Park -- those that knew about Tinley's great and FREE annual program.

Orland Park's increased tax, and increased fees are turning resdents off. The Recreation Department was forced to increase fees on almost all of its programs and despite an effort by local media to cover the fee increases up, residents are up in arms and blaming Mayor Dan McLaughlin for his poor leadership that is politically motivated.(He's a Chicago Machine politician who has sold Orland Park's soul otu to the 19th Ward.)

You can't blame the Recreation Department in Orland Park for the punitive fee increases. You have to blame McLaughlin. And it was obvious many who fled to Tinley Park in the face of the event fees -- they said it cost as much as $12 to get in. Yikes! That's terrible. (Actually, it was $6 for residents and $11 for non-residents -- which doesn't seem like much until you add it to the heap of new taxes and fees being imposed by the village and Mayor Dan McLaughlin.)

They were all complaining and it didn't take much to hear it. They were telling everyone. This year, we chose Tinely's event for our child because we heard so many great things about it. Orland has a GREAT recreation program, ut the tax increases and the increased fees will certainly chase many orland Park homeowners to go elsewhere for their recreation programs.

In the end, increased fees don't bring in new revenues. They chase participants away and the total revenues generally remain the same.

Sad to see this happening to Orland Park.

-- Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com