Observations on 5/26/09 Council meeting

[OakParkSpartan]

Wow, what a change.

Very few questions.
No dissent.
Only a couple of "No" votes.
No disclosure of Brian Pabst's salary, job responsibility's or how he will be evaluated.  Not a peep.  Very District 201esque.
No explanation of what was being voted on.
Roughly a 35 minute meeting...the shortest I've ever attended.

If I ever wondered what a meeting of the Politburo was like, I think I have a good idea.

Regarding the city administrator.  What happened to the hiring freeze?  Not a peep out of Nona regarding where the money was coming from.  Not a peep out of Nona about the salary.  Not a peep out of anyone regarding the lack of a job description.  Funny how they all are ok with that now.

I'll have video in the coming days.

Goodnight comrades!

[Bonster]

Now, none of this could be questioned in open forum, as it was on the agenda, correct?

[Ted]

Roughly a 35 minute meeting...the shortest I've ever attended.

  City council meetings in the mid to late 1990s were also short and quick.  I do remember attending a city council meeting in the summer once around 1997 or 1998 where the meeting was only 10 minutes long.

  Ted

[JSlaught]

Wow, what a change.

Very few questions.
No dissent.
Only a couple of "No" votes.
No disclosure of Brian Pabst's salary, job responsibility's or how he will be evaluated.  Not a peep.  Very District 201esque.
No explanation of what was being voted on.
Roughly a 35 minute meeting...the shortest I've ever attended.

If I ever wondered what a meeting of the Politburo was like, I think I have a good idea.

Regarding the city administrator.  What happened to the hiring freeze?  Not a peep out of Nona regarding where the money was coming from.  Not a peep out of Nona about the salary.  Not a peep out of anyone regarding the lack of a job description.  Funny how they all are ok with that now.

I'll have video in the coming days.

Goodnight comrades!

Aren't all the above questions discussed at COW meetings? Seems to me it would be nice to have meetings go as smooth as you say. My understanding is Council Mtg is open to the public not a public meeting. So no reason to explain every move if they have agreed prior.

Lets not forget that they are still in the "Honeymoon mode" where love abounds.

p.s. I want a laptop

[OakParkSpartan]

I'm not sure if it was discussed at COW.

But there was no disclosure of any of those items at the public meeting.

[Good Time Charlie]

Lets not forget that they are still in the "Honeymoon mode" where love abounds.

p.s. I want a laptop

Like it did at the time of the first hires by the '05 Administration?  

http://www.berwyntalk.com/smf/index.php?topic=139.0

p.s. I want to know how much we're paying this Pabst fella.

[Berwyn Patsy]

This is how a CC meeting is supposed to unfold.
Items on the agenda are discussed in COW meetings.
Hopefully they are ironed out and upon voting the cc members
have either come to an agreement on casting a nay or yea.
That's what was the matter with OC's meetings.  No one
could work with him to agree on anything, either in COW or
on the floor.
Brian Pabst salary will be come public knowledge.  I believe once
a year the newspaper publishes city employees salaries.
Orlandtucky has got Berwyn's timing on CC meetings beat.  They
usually go about 12-20 minutes.
What was the vote on Laptops?  Who voted nay?
I think filming the meetings would be a good idea.  It's all going
to take a little time.  Have patience my friends.

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

I have a feeling we're going to be in a period of tax and spend mode for the next four years.  Laptops for the aldermen - maybe next they'll be getting a gas card for their PART-TIME job and of course most likely a pay increase.  I also can't wait to see Pabst's salary.  While our home values continue to plummet we will be expected to pay for it all - GREAT!

[Bonster]

Brian Pabst salary will be come public knowledge.  I believe once
a year the newspaper publishes city employees salaries.

We know what the salary will be, roughly.  What isn't known, even by those giving him the patronage position, is what his duties are - no wonder they couldn't post the position and even attempt to identify a better candidate.   Plus, the guy quit on us before.  

If the salary has gone up, could we have obtained someone more qualified?  We'll never know as long as this O'Connor-style cronyism continues in Berwyn. 

It's all going to take a little time.  Have patience my friends.

That's easy for you to say not having to live here.  You quit on Berwyn yourself.

[OakParkSpartan]

This is how a CC meeting is supposed to unfold.
Items on the agenda are discussed in COW meetings.
Hopefully they are ironed out and upon voting the cc members
have either come to an agreement on casting a nay or yea.
That's what was the matter with OC's meetings.  No one
could work with him to agree on anything, either in COW or
on the floor.
Brian Pabst salary will be come public knowledge.  I believe once
a year the newspaper publishes city employees salaries.
Orlandtucky has got Berwyn's timing on CC meetings beat.  They
usually go about 12-20 minutes.
What was the vote on Laptops?  Who voted nay?
I think filming the meetings would be a good idea.  It's all going
to take a little time.  Have patience my friends.

If the information was available, I'd have no complaint.  I don't believe that FOIA's need to be filed for every action that city government takes.  I'd like open government (and OC was not perfect in that regards).

Why no questions from Nona about how to pay for this position?

[Bonster]

Why no questions from Nona about how to pay for this position?

"I shall do his bidding,
Obey him without question."

[markweiner]

Patsy:

The community should know what is going on at a public meeting. Just because the Alderpeople and Mayor know what is going on, does not mean the public should be left in the dark.

So we have to wait until all the salaries are published before we find out what Mr. Pabst is making?

You have changed Patsy.  You didn't trust the last administration at all, but now, you
trust everything and everyone.

Interesting.

[JSlaught]

Mr. Bonster,
Please explain to me why you consider Pabst a patronage hire. He did not work for Lovero before, during, or after the election and gave no money to the campaign. You state he quit us before. Before what? He was the candidate chosen by CC during OC's administration for City Manager. The fact is that meetings between OC and Pabst went south and Pabst realized he couldn't work with the man (sounds familiar doesn't it?). So as I see it the candidate that was picked for the position "Before" has been awarded the position now. Patronage hire? I don't think so.

[JSlaught]

Mrs. Northsider,
You really do need to get a grip and try to understand what is going on. The elimination of 5 true patonage hires, Suchi, JeanMarie, Reinhart, Mercado, and Segal (which equate to $300,000
+ with benefits) saves us money after hiring Pabst. How Pabst is paid is a no brainer, we save money and get someone qualified for the position.

[OakParkSpartan]

Who was Mercado?  Was he the blight supervisor?  What was his connection to OC?

Did OC make any hires which you people don't consider patronage?

[Ana]

Wow, what a change.

Very few questions.
No dissent.
Only a couple of "No" votes.
No disclosure of Brian Pabst's salary, job responsibility's or how he will be evaluated.  Not a peep.  Very District 201esque.
No explanation of what was being voted on.
Roughly a 35 minute meeting...the shortest I've ever attended.

If I ever wondered what a meeting of the Politburo was like, I think I have a good idea.

Regarding the city administrator.  What happened to the hiring freeze?  Not a peep out of Nona regarding where the money was coming from.  Not a peep out of Nona about the salary.  Not a peep out of anyone regarding the lack of a job description.  Funny how they all are ok with that now.

I'll have video in the coming days.

Goodnight comrades!

Ah, back to the Schaunessy days, good or bad, hmmm.  Or you can attend the Oak Park meetings for some action, I hear they are a bit feisty.

[Ana]

I'm not sure if it was discussed at COW.

But there was no disclosure of any of those items at the public meeting.

but still questions can be asked by the public, right?

Couldn't someone in the audience ask these questions?  How much are we paying him and where is the money coming from?

[JSlaught]

Oak Park Spartan,
You People?
To answer your last question, Yes.  Kushner 

[Ana]

any word on the Berwyn Housing Center?  and were there many people in the audience?

[Bonster]

The fact is that meetings between OC and Pabst went south and Pabst realized he couldn't work with the man (sounds familiar doesn't it?).

And you know this how?  Hearsay?

He quit on us, plain and simple.  Said NOTHING about being unable to work for Mike.

There's no job description (Lovero figuring this out on the fly), the position was taken off the ordinance,
and no posting to find a more qualified candidate was made.................. = patronage hire. 



BTW, Nona said we needed an efficiency expert to examine whether such a position is necessary...apparently she's OK with the patronage hire now, eh?