Low vote turnout in 5th District foreboding for Orland Park?

The low voter turnout in the 5th Congressional District was really shocking. Literally, 10 percent of the registered voters in the district turned out to vote this past week on Tuesday March 3 to select a candidate to lead their parties in the April 7 election for congress.

Some might say the primary election is always low and the April 7 election will have a higher voter turnout. The voters are merely waiting to let the Democrats, Republicans and Independents fight it out amongst themselves first. And, they will then go to the polls April 7 to select from that final round.

If that is true, it only shows how naive voters really are. The primary election pretty much sealed the fate on that district. Fortunately, Cook County Board Mike Quigley, who won the Democratic nomination, will almost certainly become the congressman in the seat once held by Rahm Emanuel, a very controversial former congressman who is now President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff.

What does it mean for Orland Park. This week, candidates in the village elections and township elections will be able to start putting up their campaign election signs.

The key contests are between Village President (Mayor) Dan McLaughlin and his slate versus Gerald Maher and his slate, and on the Township level between Township Supervisor Robert Maher and his slate and his challenger Paul O'Grady and his slate. And, there is an important contest to fill one trustee seat on the Orland Park Fire District. There are four candidates and one known name, Cindy Katsenes along with a young candidate Chris Ciciora.

In the past, Orland's mayoral contests have drawn strong voter participation, more than 10,000 voters (our town only edged towards 60,000 population this past year so that's a great turnout). Will it last? It takes community interest in the issues, not the fluff, and it takes money to reach the voters.

I'll get into all three elections in the coming weeks.

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Race is on iTunes as to who is more popular: Chris Ciciora or Cindy Nelson Katsenes

I was able to interview two of the candidates running in the Orland Park Fire Protection District Race, a race that involves a taxing body that has been extremely taxing over the past year and under the leadership of a nepotistic politician.

The two candidates were on my radio Show, "Radio Chicagoland" on WJJG 1530 AM Tuesday Feb. 3, 2009 (www.RadioChicagoland.com), separately.

I podcast major interviews and I noticed this morning that the race is on to see whose podcast gets more listeners. They've raced up the charts and are neck and neck, which only goes to show you that sometimes local issuesa are far more interesting than the more explosive national and international issues.

The podcasts are available through several podcasting sites like iTunes, Podcast Pickle and others, and combined, the two have already broken through records in terms of downloads.

You can hear the podcast off the RadioC hicagoland web site (we have a green virtual iPod player on the web site and you can scroll through the podcasts to find either and then just click to listen, or go to the Radio Chicagoland iPod blog archive.)

Here are the links:

8:05 Cris Ciciora, candidate for Orland Park Fire Protection District Trustee (Listen to Podcast?)

8:45 Cindy Nelson Katsenes, candidate for Orland Park Fire Protection District Trustee (Listen to Podcast?)

I'm not sure if the skyrocketing hits represent votes or not but clearly these two guests have a HUGE following and will make an interesting race April 7.

Hopefully, one of them can help put a spotlight on the excessive taxation of the Fire Protection District and put an end to what Katsenes points out is excessive legal spending which averaged about $80,000 during ewach year from 2001 to 2006 but that skyrocketed to more than $300,000 in the years since.

No wonder the Fire Protection District chief Patrick Maher, the son of Orland Park Village Clerk David Maher, has ordered that fire department ambulances charge victims upfront instead of billing their insurance.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com