3/29/07 Special Council Meeting

[OakParkSpartan]

Budget  is passed.

PD dept got most everything...compromised on a lot of stuff...only 3 FT dispatchers instead of 5. Division  Commanders  and Chief are staying  underpaid (there are something  like 20+  people making  more than them. And they give up a TON  of vacation days).

One commander woked 37 hours  over 48 hours while handling the  stabbings  on Oak Park Ave.   These guys deserve more money...They manage  people, and seem to do it well (based upon the results in the community).   They should  not be told "go back to being a  patrolman  if you want  the overtime". Bad, bad comment to make.

Public works will get one additional supervisor.  Currently there is only one  (Patrick Ryan,  the Director) supervising 25 works,  and also checking  their work, plus administering the Dept.  Apparently there are federal mandates that require a supervisor to be at certain incidents.   We'd have a tough time meeting  that requirement right now.   Why this was raised literally at the last hour is beyond  me.

The Housing Center is  approved  for 1/2  year, which is realistic given we are at the start of April.

The Community Outreach assistant  was retained.

I might have missed something...scoon, where were you!

[Curious George]

Any more hirees for the city?  What about the Senior Advocate?  FD budget, any new firefighters to be hired?  Do we have enough money in the city to pay for everything?  What happened to the proposed new firehouse on the north end? 

Curious minds want to know???

[OakParkSpartan]

1 hiree for  PW dept.  Senior  advocate is still here.  Nothing  new  for the FD, other  than the shared dispatcher.

We are sort of $90k  or  so in  the black, but several million in the red if we do not refinance a bond.  Ald. Chapman made this point towards the end of the meeting.

I'm not sure what the plans are for the new north end firehouse...it was not in the budget, but I think it is on the wishlist.

Lobby for it.

Cheers,
Brian

[Curious George]

Senior  advocate is still here

OPS, has anyone seen him lately?  What does he do and where does he do it?

[OakParkSpartan]

Senior  advocate is still here

OPS, has anyone seen him lately?  What does he do and where does he do it?

Hell if I know.  He advocates for Seniors 

I really don't know  much about the guy or what  he  does.

Cheers,
Brian

[Berwyn Patsy]

Think a lot of people are wondering why the tax payers of Berwyn are paying him.  We don't hear anything new happening for the seniors?  Is his job full /part time, wonder if he gets benefits?

[Northsider--NOT Northside 7]

Good question BP!

[Berwyn Patsy]

The funny part about this board that amazes me is, if a legitimate question comes to light and has some truth to it, everyone shuts up and the question is dropped.  We know everyone reads this board, but yet I guess some things really need to be kept quite for one reason or another!!   Just makes you wonder all the more.

[Count DMC]

I'm with you guys on this one, what does this senior advocate do? Is he just a political favor hiree, or does he have some sort of background with senior advocacy issues?
The more this mayor does things that are seemingly underhanded the more he appears like the old administration, one which he so ardently stated that he was nothing like.

[Berwyn Patsy]

One of my reliable sources, just told me Frank Paduch has an office in the community center on 16 street.  He is a part time employee at approximately 33 -35 thousand dollars, and now get this he is collecting FULL time benefits!!
No one is picking on the guy, we just want to know what he does for us, and does everyone in the city of Berwyn who works part time receive full time benefits?  That one really slays me, as you all already know!!!

[Cogito]

He is a part time employee at approximately 33 -35 thousand dollars, and now get this he is collecting FULL time benefits!!

He obviously advocates very well for himself. And no one knows what his duties or responsibilities entail?

[hounddog]

He is a part time employee at approximately 33 -35 thousand dollars, and now get this he is collecting FULL time benefits!!

He obviously advocates very well for himself. And no one knows what his duties or responsibilities entail?

maybe he is a grant writer. 

[Bonster]

The funny part about this board that amazes me is, if a legitimate question comes to light and has some truth to it, everyone shuts up and the question is dropped.  We know everyone reads this board, but yet I guess some things really need to be kept quite for one reason or another!!   Just makes you wonder all the more.

Key word: senior
I think most non-seniors not entirely informed don't pay as much attention to "senior" anything, other than that it sounds like some type of position a large city should have.  If it was "BPD Advocate," you bet your ass there'd be some steaming hot shit slung towards the fan. 

We could probably hire 10 new officers and no one would notice if they were paid as "senior advocates."

[Northside7]

Surprize, surprize.  Mr. Paduch (the senior advocate) was an IVB campaign contributor.  Patsy, you are correct, his salary is in the mid 30's and gets benefits.  Him and the community outreach directors line items should have been removed.
Brian, by the way, I was at the meeting too and you are mistaken about the public works position.  It was eliminated, both of them.  Erickson and Phelan were the only two who had the balls to ask the tough questions.  They tried to cut.  Nona and Bobby were pathetic.  They sounded like fools.  The only real success was that the Berwyn Banner will no longer be produced on the taxpayer dollar although the fat man will work his way around that one.  Meanwhile, Jeanmarie Hajer will have more time to devote to community outreach items since she wont be writing the Banner anymore but she will still have her assistant.  Absolutely laughable.  Erickson and Phelan were the only two voting to eliminate that position.  Nona and Bobby tried to come across as being so slick.  They were complete fools.

[Terri]

Frank the Senior Advocate works full-time and taught at St. Rita.  I do know he is working on a senior housing study and obtained $40,000 from MacNeal to help fund the 2 transport vans.  He has coffee/meetings for seniors to meet our Senator and State Reps., sits on the board of the Berwyn-Cicero Council of Aging and two at MacNeal.  Frank also does hospital visits, sometimes the seniors are alone, no family in the area.  My neighbor had a problem with her brother who lives with elderly parents and she said he was very helpful.  

That's what I know about our Senior Advocate.  

Terri

[Bonster]

Well there ya go, Berwyn Patsy, you have your answers...people "in the know" have spoken.
Pick 'em.

[OakParkSpartan]

Terri,

I don't know anything about his duties, or the guys past.  But the question I keep coming back to is whether there are other social service agencies out there that perform these functions, and is this a function that city government should perform, given the state of our finances?

I don't know the answer. But after the brief review, I'm starting to lean towards "no". It's nice to have, but is it a duplication of effort and could a volunteer organization provide these services.

Quick search...No senior services in Oak Park, La Grange, Riverside, North Riverside, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Western Springs

Senior Services: Elmwood Park, Cicero, Melrose Park

Downers Grove provides a Senior Citizens guide, but from a quick run through, doesn't appear to actually provide the services directly.
Western Springs seems to refer people to local organizations. They do give some discounts to seniors.

Cheers,
Brian

[OakParkSpartan]

Surprize, surprize.  Mr. Paduch (the senior advocate) was an IVB campaign contributor.  Patsy, you are correct, his salary is in the mid 30's and gets benefits.  Him and the community outreach directors line items should have been removed.
Brian, by the way, I was at the meeting too and you are mistaken about the public works position.  It was eliminated, both of them.  Erickson and Phelan were the only two who had the balls to ask the tough questions.  They tried to cut.  Nona and Bobby were pathetic.  They sounded like fools.  The only real success was that the Berwyn Banner will no longer be produced on the taxpayer dollar although the fat man will work his way around that one.  Meanwhile, Jeanmarie Hajer will have more time to devote to community outreach items since she wont be writing the Banner anymore but she will still have her assistant.  Absolutely laughable.  Erickson and Phelan were the only two voting to eliminate that position.  Nona and Bobby tried to come across as being so slick.  They were complete fools.

I thought they agreed at the very end to keep one of the positions...My brain was bludgeoned pretty good by then.

There was also discussion about the Banner "raising" $6500 through advertising(?), and some of the aldermen questioned whether that fundraising was legal or not...who knows.

Cheers,
Brian

[Curious George]

The Berwyn Banner is a complete joke!  Let's face it, all it has done is replace the IVB newspaper (if you could call it that) and now trumpets the accomplishments of da mare and his cronies, yes his cronies.  Isn't it amazing how everything da mare had railed against in the past he is now doing?  Hiring more people during hiring freezes, giving assistants to people who have had their jobs created for them? 

Senior Advocate position is a joke too and we all know it!  Mid 30's for a pt position with ft benefits??? How crazy is that?  What happened to we need to scrutinize the bottom line?  Same goes for commissioners who get benefits, for what? A few meetings a year?

One other thing and sorry OPS for getting off track here, but I have heard from very good sources and my sources are very good, that certain city hall employees are in city hall at all hours of the night and on weekends. Hopefully, they are catching up on work that they couldn't finish during normal business hours.  Hopefully, they are not doing any kind of political work, or going thru personnel files in order to fire employees from previous regimes. 

But then again, I am sure they are doing their jobs, like good little soldiers.

[Terri]

Brian,

My guess is the Sr. Advocate was always the person who worked with our seniors and the Council on Aging.  The seniors were not pleased when the trips were taken away but remember the drug forfeiture monies were used for funding because it was illegal to do so.  Seniors like to have some attention, they will tell you they earned the right. LOL.  I am surprised other towns send their seniors to social agencies. 

@Curious,
The person who told you Frank the Sr. Advocate is pt has the wrong information, he works full-time.  Most management/salaried employees work far more than 40 hours per week.  If I have time, I can search the Government statistics. 

Terri