An Open Letter to Fellow Park Ridge Taxpayers

by: Mac Mc Lendon, Park Ridge Senior Services, Inc.

69 Years ago, I enlisted in the US Army and during the 5 years of active service found a “HOME AWAY FROM HOME”, the USO.

Today, having been retired from business since 1991, I have a new “HOME AWAY FROM HOME”, the Park Ridge Senior Center.

Not all Park Ridge seniors – male and female – may be aware that OUR Center offers more than 140 different scheduled programs in areas of: RECREATION, CONTINUING EDUCATION, CULTURAL EXPEERIENCES, HEALTH AND FITNESS, NEW FRIENDS, SOCIAL SERVICES, and most important, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.

Our Center operates 7 days a week as a drop-in facility for its approximate 1,000 active members and has monthly contacts with roughly 4,300 Seniors, members and non-members.

I wish to invite all Seniors and “Furure-Seniors” to DROP IN and visit.  Learn FIRST HAND why today’s members feel so strongly that their “QUALITY OF LIFE” is helped by membership in the Senior Center – their new “HOME AWAY FROM HOME”.

Time to make them an offer they can’t refuse….

It’s been almost two months since I last blogged.  I’ve been waiting to see how the Park Ridge Senior Center / Park Ridge Park District  contract negotiations would play out.  I must say that it appears that things are not going well.

A couple nights ago, Park Ridge Senior Services, the organization representing  Senior Center members, voted on the Park District’s latest unvetted proposal.  Apparently, based on what I’ve heard through the senior grape vine, the Park District made an offer to the Senior Services Board that proved to be  so unacceptable not one member could vote yes for it.  That’s got to be one exceptionally crummy offer.  I’ve met some of these Board seniors over the last couple months and they’re not the unbending type.

The current contract has a little over a month until it expires and the expensive consequences of the failed process play out.   As I understand it, should the contract be allowed to expire (terminate), the Park District could be on the hook for up to mid-six-figures in reimbursement dollars.

Fact: These Seven Park District  Board Members and One Administrator say they want a deal.  

Click on a name to send e-mail to your elected representative.

Mr. Obrien	Mr. Biagi	Mr. Herman	Mr. Vile
Mr. Brandt	Mr. Maloney	Ms. Wynn- Ryan	Mr.  Ochromowicz

Is this possibly the Board or top Administrators attitude toward Senior Center Members?

Facebook: Ray Ochromowicz

“Life is too short to stress yourself with people who don’t even deserve to be an issue in your life…:)”

Fact: Majority of Senior Center Members do not have deep pockets.  If they were rich, they would probably be living somewhere else; maybe in a real “north shore community” I would think.

Fact: The Seniors say they want a deal they can afford. 

Park District. Perhaps it’s time to employ the Corleone approach to positive contract negotiations.  Perhaps it’s  time to make the Senior Center Representatives an offer that is both good and reasonable enough.  It’s time to make the the Seniors an offer they can’t refuse.  Look at my last blog post guys.  I’m almost sure they’ll accept the reasonable offer printed there.

Lastly, when all is said and done, should this new contract be signed, the tax-paying Seniors will have a Happy Holiday.  The non-senior tax payers will once again be off the hook for thousands of dollars, and Park District leaders will be able to paraphrase Marlon Brando’s famous line: “Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as gift” in this holiday season.

I am only speaking for myself here, but  I think something is starting to smell at the Park District , and it’s not decomposing foliage.