I received the following email on September 25th. The note was in response to my September 24, 2012 blog post: Can’t seem to get the job done right! The email read:
To see the complete, full document, click the box on the lower right side of the document window. To move UP or DOWN use the SLIDER on the right.
“To let you know, placement of meeting videos is not a legal requirement.”
Really?
Do you really think insulting, off-putting (“provoking uneasiness, dislike, annoyance, or repugnance; disturbing or disagreeable”) put downs, (a remark designed to patronize and deflect criticism), are the way to win friends and influence people who write blogs about you?
It’s almost as if to say:
Yo Peon! We don’t have to legally do it, you know!
We’re doing you a favor!
A simple “We got the message. We’ll do better. Thanks!” would have done.
Who do you blame? Ms. Lucarz? No, this isn’t her writing style. Ms. Mountcastle; and/or the Board’s Attorney who regularly collaborate on letter writing?
That’s my bet!
Bloody Amateurs!
9 comments:
Maybe Ms. Mountcastle doesn't legally have to provide videos in a timely fashion but morally she most certainly should. All we hear about is what she doesn't have to do legally. Is this her standard for performance? I'll give you absolutely what I legally have to and not one inch more. I certainly don't think she would be elected with that as her platform. But to our dismay, she isn't elected. She's hired by our Park District Board. Perhaps they have a very low standard for hiring or evaluating the performance of their employees.
We have been having these types of difficulties for a very, very long time. The excuse appears to be that the out source company isn't performing well. How long does it take Ms. Mountcastle to evaluate and replace a company with terrible performance? I guess if you only care about what's legal and not what's morally proper, you just don't care. This is another failure in the performance of Ms. Mountcastle.
Even Bob Trinzi, who is constantly defending the Park District, stated on this blog, that if videos aren't up within three (3) days, there is definitely something wrong. Obviously, our Park District Board doesn't agree or they would do something about it. Don't you get it Bob? They legally don't have to perform in a manner that promotes transparency in government. Didn't Mayor Schmidt make that one of his major campaign issues? And he got elected by a large margin. But the Park District doesn't care about those issues, because Ms. Mountcastle doesn't legally have to abide by those standards. According to Ms. Mountcase, she legally doesn't have to.
Anonymous:
One of the first things I pushed for upon being elected to the PRRPD Board in 1997 was having the meetings videotaped. And I take some small measure of satisfaction that the PRRPD was the first public body in Park Ridge to do so, although not without some push-back from some of my fellow board members and staff.
Back then, however, the PRRPD did not have the technology to post the videos on-line, so one would have to go to the PRRPD office to view them.
I don't know what the problem could be, but the bottom line is that if the videos aren't posted in a timely fashion for whatever reason, transparency suffers - and the public is dis-served.
As for my "constantly defending the Park District," I call 'em as I see 'em. When I think the PRRPD is right, I'll defend it; and when I think it is wrong, I will criticize it...as I've done on multiple occasions in PublicWatchdog.org posts dating back to 10.16.07.
Bob Trinza, 10/4 3:52PM
Thanks Bob Trinza for your candid comments.
Ken Butterly stated in his September 14th post, that he had been waiting 200 days for the March Park Board video. This is unconscionable. There is absolutely no reason why this company should continue to provide terrible service and still be in the employ of the Park District. This lack of performance defies description. Why hasn't Ms. Mountcastle done something about it? Or is it, that the Park Board doesn't want the videos made public in a timely fashion, as there might be criticism from their citizens about the content? What other reason could there possibly be for the Park Board turning a blind eye to such startling poor performance on the part of Ms. Mountcastle? After all they are her boss. You figure it out. It doesn't take a rocket scientist.
Here's a novel idea: Get off your dead behind and show up at the meeting. That way you can not only hear every blessed word the moment it's spoken, you can make your inflammatory and inaccurate observations right to the Board and Ms. Mountcastle's face. Beats Dancing with the Stars any night!
Anon: October 5, 2012 12:46 PM,
Actually, I attended several Park Board meetings since spring!
Obviously, you weren’t there or you would have seen me tapping away; making notes on my laptop, or you would have seen me saying hello and shaking hands with some on the Board, their attorney, Ms. Lucarz and Ms. Mountcastle. Of course, since I knew who everyone was who attended those meetings, I am positive, you weren’t among us.
Problem is; not many non-serving people, that is, people not on the Board or PRPD employees required by the Park District to show up to those meetings, come to those meetings. Lately, two or three audience members, one being the Press; seems to be a big turn-out. No one to blame but ourselves for that! But you wouldn’t have know that Anon 12:46, since you were never there!
So, let me make a suggestion to you. Maybe you should show up at the Board Meetings I attend, so you can accurately assess my observations. Now do send me a little note telling me you’re coming. I would hate like heck to miss you in the crowd; than I can shake your hand too.
As to my need to “hear every blessed word” as it is spoken, let me suggest, it is not I who needs to “hear every blessed word” but all citizens affected by Board actions, since Park Ridge Park Board Meeting Minutes do not always do justice to meeting activities. My need; is to ensure my notes and observations are accurate prior to their use.
Finally, I think you’re wrong. Dancing with the Stars, as bad as it is, beats listening to boring Park Board Meeting dribble any night, except of course, when the subject’s the Senior Center issue!
Anon 10/5 12:46
Why should I have to sit through an entire, boring Park Board meeting, when I'm only interested in one subject. Everybody in town is talking about the Park Board spending millions and millions of their tax dollars on a water park (WITHOUT A REFERENDUM) and the Youth Campus. You really now how to throw our money around.
You have no excuse for not putting the videos up on time, so you attack the citizens to get off their butts and go to your meeting. Pretty sad commentary. No excuse, so turn it around and viciously attack the citizens. Just what kind of board have we elected??
Glad you and at least one of your readers admits to being one-issue citizens. You only care about the Senior Center; he/she only cares about Centennial Pool. (Guess he/she hates older and infirm seniors because a key feature of the new pool will be zero-depth access so everybody can safely get in and out, without using a ladder.) Park District commissioners don't have the luxury of only caring about one issue; they have to be concerned with every issue, every time. Gee, lucky to be you, you cafeteria citizen! And by the way, it's "drivel," not "dribble." We'll leave that to you.
Anon: October 6, 2012 9:40 PM,
The issue, is placing the Park Ridge Park District Board Meeting videos up on their website in a timely manner. The Park District has been placing these videos up for public review for several years; a precedent has been set. Every citizen, no matter their interest, has a right to expect that service. If, as Ms. Mountcastle states, it only takes two weeks to get the job done, why wasn’t the job done?
I have been attending Board Meetings (School & Park District) for over 10 years. To date, I’ve sat through over 130 mostly boring meetings. So much of the “action” takes place in closed session. I can understand why many of my fellow citizens don’t go. However, boring meetings is not an excuse for a high rate of non-attendance, a problem experienced by most Park or School Districts.
If you want to know what’s going on, and how you are being represented, you have three choices:
Meeting Minutes, videos or placing your butt on a front-row seat. Meeting Minutes are not always “complete” representations. Videos can be edited, delayed or unavailable due to “technical difficulties”. Meeting attendance plus good note-taking assures the citizen of the best information over time.
Park Ridge Park District’s Board needs to get the July 10, 2012 meeting up on its site soon; technical difficulties notwithstanding!
Anon: October 7, 2012 10:31 AM,
I fail to see the problem with any citizen being a “one-issue citizen”. Your chastising, “Anon: 10/5 12:46”, was not only uncalled for, but your reason was inaccurate. Clearly, Anon: 10/5 12:46 wrote about two issues: tax-funded water park and the Youth Campus.
Your “(Guess he/she hates older and infirm seniors because a key feature of the new pool will be zero-depth access so everybody can safely get in and out, without using a ladder.)” is, your guess. Even if the Board is planning a “new pool” with “zero-depth access”, that doesn’t mean a water park is a good thing for the community as a whole, nor is it the subject of this discussion.
You stated that Park District Commissioners “don’t have the luxury of only caring about one issue; they have to be concerned with every issue, every time”. Poor babies! I fail to see what their personal choice has to do with any of this. Mr. Biagi, Ms. Wynn-Ryan, Mr. Hunst, Mr. Thillens, Mr.’Brien, Mr. Brandt and Mr. Vile are all “adults”; and all volunteered for the assignment. They all knew the job description when they came begging for the job! Any or all of them can, if the burden is too great; resign. Trust me; there are others in this town capable and willing to do the job!
Finally, you are absolutely right. It should have read “drivel”. Thank you!
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