Palatine Mayor coming to Orland to talk about fighting rising county property taxes

Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins, who has been leading a high profile campaign to fight the repressive taxes by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, including discussions on possibly seceding from the county into neighboring counties, will be a guest speaker at a forum to be hosted soon in Orland Park by Radio Chicagoland (www.RadioChicagoland.com).

I just have to find a location to host the event, and will not only invite the public but also all of the candidates running for local office to stop in, say a few words, etc. I am hoping to find a location BEFORE the April 7 election.

Seceding from the county is a viable strategy to pressure Stroger and the worthless Cook County Board, to do something. Although it is tough to secede, the discussion alone has been picking up steam throughout the townships bordering Will and DuPage County.

Taxes in Cook County are oppressive, from Palatine through Orland Park and beyond. No community is exempt from the taxationw ithout representation.

We'll even invite County Board Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman, the controversy-plagued Republican county board member to speak, if she dares. She hasn't been very representative of the district and we hope she steps up to the plate.

If you have suggestions on a location for the Radio Chicagoland forum, please email me at rayhanania@comcast.net.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Orland Lions get their dander up over criticism of Orland Days Parade

I went to the Orland Days Parade this past week, but decided not to go to the Orland Days festival. The fact is the past three years of Orland Days have been a real disappointment. They just haven't been the same as they were in past years where the quality of the events seemed to far better. That doesn't mean the volunteers who work hard each year with no pay do not deserve credit for their efforts. But it does mean that something has been wrong and recognizing that wrong should be as important as patting yourself on the back.

So, I wrote about my feelings about Orland Days and the parade for the TribLocal, which has a popular segment called "Citizen Journalism." I expressed my admiration for the efforts of the Lions volunteers -- they are all volunteers, but also expressing my feelings that the quality just hasn't been the same.

Dave Neubauer, President of the Orland Park Lions Club which hosts and organizes the event, wasn't too happy about the criticism. They always love the praise but some just hate to be held to the standard of accountability.

But Neubauer made some good points. The volunteers worked hard to make the festival as good as it was. Maybe I will bring my family back to it next year -- we've attended everyone except this year, intentionally because last year's just wasn't that great at all. That's my opinion, but, it must be one shared by many Orland Park residents because I just didn't see that many at the Parade.

Now, the fact is I made some legitimate criticism that Neubauer either doesn't want to hear or he just doesn't agree with:

1 -- turnout at the parade was low. Why?

2 -- the past few years of Orland Days have been terrible, among the worst of any prior year.

3 -- It could have been a lot better.

4 -- With the economy tanking, it just didn't seem like a place where I wanted to spend my money.

I will say that Neubauer may be too sensitive to criticism, but he is a volunteer trying to do good. My suggestions to him include: doing a better job of public relations. Bring some volunteers in to help you do a better PR Campaign. Second, if this year was better than past years, you can't say it was the best and not acknowledge the poor performances of the past. Say that the past years haven't beebn the best but that the Lions are trying to do better. I think in fairness to Neubauer I should say he deserves applause and credit for doing what he can. At least he has his eyes on the priority, making it better and achieving the goals of the Lions organizations, which is one of the nation's best community service groups.

One of the things that everyone should keep in mind is is that good leaders are not people who pat themselves on the back. Good leaders are individuals like him who demonstrate that they are "accountable" to the publics they claim to serve by accepting both praise and criticism. Criticism is not destructive but rather a necessity to help make public good even better.

Dave Neubauer and the Lions Club deserve a lot of praise for what they have done for Orland Days ... I know they will make it better next year.

Ray Hanania
http://www.themediaoasis.com/