I attended the meeting last night on the invitation from the Mayor. I listened carefully and took in the information. For the good of our community, I sincerely hope the Main Street Development works. However, after sleeping on the information I can not agree with the Board's initiative to issue municipal bonds for the development of apartments. Issuing bonds for a police station, library, or open lands is vastly different from issuing bonds for the development of a private apartments. If the developer believes there is a strong market for upscale apartments let him take the risk alone. Respectfully Mayor McLaughlin I can not support apartments and a bond issue to develop the Main Street Project.

As I have previously stated: The mayor is a gambling man. This is risk and speculative development. How long before this upscale developement funded by public monies has to turn to Section 8 to pay the debt? The market is not there Mr. Mayor! Let the developer take the financial risk.

The town governments seem to follow the "model" of the US government. Speak transparency but do not walk the talk. Give the public what they want to hear. Say what you want to get out in the press in front of the press but close the doors when you do not want the truth to be revealed.
The other side to this publication can be the need to be free to brainstorm in a safe environment and throw all creative ideas on the table in order to sort through things and design something new. All types of "out of context" statements could be printed in one of those type of sessions and then spun to a political viewpoint that would be counter productive and wasteful of tax dollars.
So I believe planning sessions can be held privately until a plan is settled on to be delivered to the public to vote or voice their opinions on and what I do feel is that the lack of people's active part in community is a worse than most mistakes in government made. They give up their rights. They set a poor example to their children of how to give up their freedom and let others do for you. That is the worse mistake anyone can make in life in general. People do not become smart consumers and they do not educate themselves enough to question, hand their money over to someone to make all the decisions for them. Think about this America. Is that what our country stands for? Get educated. Be responsible and accountable citizens. Be the solution provider. Take care of one another instead of government

Thanks Ben for sharing this with all of us.

This project becomes more of a farce everyday. Come on Dodge, put a stop to it. The residents are counting on you. This project has become completely unattractive and nonsensical - which is why you can't engage a developer. Please, do the right thing. Put the people before the politics and pull the plug.

Remember the Article VIII, Section 1, paragraph A of the Illinois Constitution reads:
Public funds, property or credit shall be used only
for public purposes.
The proposed $65 million bond issue seems to be unconstitutional. Public funds used for private project. This will end up in court very soon.

First, you must have realized by now that the SoouthtownStar is not an objective newspaper, but rather a mouthpiece for Orland Park officials. And the same pretty much apples to the Prairie.
Second, I wish newspapers had a macro on their computers that changed the words "issuing bonds" to BORROWING MONEY, because that's what it is.
This Metra Triangle deal has shady written all over it and now it seems that the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for this gamble. Articles like this really make me mad that voter turnout was so low.
And John Fotopolous makes an excellent point...I would really like to see someone dig into the constitutional legality of this stuff.

If this project had any possibility of being a financial success, the private sector would be all over it. Why is the village pushing this project in this economy? We fought for years to keep apartment buildings at a minimum on prime OP lands. We didn't want a town of transients. Now, it's all about keeping the 18-25 year olds from leaving OP? C'mon. Really. Wouldn't a big factory that pays living wages be better? If you want to help 18-25 year olds, create living wage jobs, not another monument to stupidity.

The act of issuing tax-free bonds for public purpose is constitutional, whether a private sector ultimately gains profit is irrelevant if the purpose and intention is a public one. In People ex rel. City of Urbana v. Paley (1977), 68 Ill. 2d 62, 368 N.E. 2d 915, justification of the bond issue was to promote the redevelopment of a downtown area. The Supreme Court stated that using City of Salem v. McMackin
(1972), 53 Ill. 2d 347, 364-65, 291 N.E. 2d 807, 817-18 and prevailing rule of law in other states that, it held the private benefites properly could be reaped from public funds, so long as the project's primary purpose was a public one. Sitmulation of commercial growth is public purpose. There is also no standing to bring a cause of action against Orland for future tax increases. Frothingham v. Mellon, 262 U.S. 447 (1923), that a taxpayer did not have standing to sue the federal goverment to prevent expenditures if her only injury is an anticipated increase in taxes.

Holy _ _ _ _!

Away for two weeks in California and sharing Orland hapenings with friends that see similarities between the goofiness of our mayor and officials here in Southern California.

Lack of common sense will be the downfall of Orland. Voters, comment generators, elected officials, taxpayers, and OTHERS please get some COMMON SENSE.

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It really is time for you people, especially Andrea, to step away from the computer. Its making you an angry woman. Studies show that fresh air and exercise help relieve stress and make you feel happier overall. Oh wait, you can jump on a trail, ride a bike, swim, or join a very cheap yoga class at our wonderful Parks and Rec here in Orland Park (thanks to our current mayor and trustees). Get out there and get active, it really will help your overall demeanor.You might actually realize how much Mayor Dan McLaughlin has done for you and your family!!

Grrrrrrr.........

Tom Cunningham
Really JSuzeh?????? Are you kidding me? This is your argument for this tragedy happening to the good people of Orland Park? You are blind then my dear! Dan's dream has been and remains our nightmare as I stated during the election in April.
Eminent domain by a municipality is nothing more than rape of someone elses property. Ask Dan Harris how he feels when he lost the Ace Hardware store? How many employees lost their jobs that day? How many employees lost their jobs and their family business over this mess? TO MANY!
Stop this non-sense now Orland Park. There is a meeting on Monday night, you should all be in attendance! We can stop this with our presence.
Ben, thank you for getting this out there in the public eye! It is your job to dig and this town does not want you in their kitchen(so to speak).
@ Andrea Do not let them get to you! It is their aim to get under your skin.
Remember folks, it was 61%(GOOD GUYS) to 39%(Village). We lost the battle but not the war yet!

Tom, sounds like 2013 campaign has already started. Count me in.

@Tom and John: My hope is that if you two decide to run again, you can get it together with the Orland GOP or we risk handing it to the incumbents again because of a crowded field. One can say the independents took it away from the FVOP or the other way around...it doesn't matter, the end result is the same. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone has a right to run, but for those that want the present board out, a crowded field is not a good strategy. The incumbents rode to victory last election only because they benefited from a divide and conquer strategy that, ironically, they had no part in devising.

I get it now...this isn't about Orland Park being a progressive, forward thinking place for you people. And it's not about a few guys who lost their jobs cutting keys. For you, it's about politics, sour grapes and some battle (not even sure what you're talking about). For me, it's about living in a really, nice community with low taxes as well. The mayor has made all this possible thus far. It sounds like you may be looking for a different type of community, more along the lines of Oak Forest or maybe even Crestwood. I'm hoping Orland will continue to be a place people want to continue to move into for many years to come. It's sad that the mom and pop stores had to go. But with Lowe's and Walmart's and Home Depot's out there, it would be inevitable that they retire anyway. But that's not the mayor's fault and it's a different conversation all together. Can we at least agree that Orland Plaza was a dump? I want to be proud of where I live. When you come into my town, I don't want to see runned-down, dirty, old buildings. I also am not interested in chronic painted windows advertising "popcorn for sale". You see, this isn't personal. It is just time for change and long-needed updating. I'm thankful that leadership in Orland Park is always thinking outside the box and really does care about Orland, just like Kadner said in this last week's article!! By the way, try not don't be so bitter! It's not healthy.

The issue in this column isn't so much what the plans are, just how the village chose to put the information out there, and what information was released. I'll have more on the plans themselves later this week. I agree that it isn't the mayor's or village government's fault when businesses close for financial reasons, but I'm not sure of an inevitability that privately-owned businesses would be closing with the presence at of big box stores. As for the Plaza, it is worth noting that nearly all the tenants we spoke with said they held off on making updates because of the uncertainty in the court case.

isn't it interesting, that when good citizens from a good community bicker about what's wrong or right for development, we forget about how OUR county is treating us. when enough people are urged to cry foul about some local issue, are the rest of us supposed to stop thinking about how what's happening at the county level? where's the transparency there? i wonder why home values(market or assessed) have dropped drastically, while real estate taxes haven't followed suit. why do business owners complain about how hard it is to own property when taxes are so steep? why do landlords seek higher rents these days? at the end of the month, homeowners would like to see some funds leftover for themselves. small business owners and landlords would like to cover their overhead and put a little coin in their pockets.
LG: Life's Good. i think not!
those of you who are dedicated to work, whether you agree or disagree, keep up the good work. to all others, be careful of the advice you take from someone else. you are then only as smart as that person.
a very wise person(thanks Dad!) once said to me that i shouldn't believe everything i read in the newspaper, see/hear on tv or rumors which are only hearsay. sometimes facts are skewed or embellished.
Oh, and Phil, the answer is: No, i don't have any more info than you or anyone else. my name is at the top here. you know it came from me. believe that.

Will things go totally dark, down the line, after the present unrest quells?

Hopefully, the people of your town will have a relentless press.

I say that as a resident of a neighboring midwest state, where I see the story as one having nationwide imapct. What is the role of government in private adventures? What is acceptable or unacceptable transparency.

Because I am trying to keep up with the Orland Park - Flaherty-Collins story, I would hope the city officials, down the line when success or failure is to be demonstrated, do not hide the entire story and truth under a hat.

One more intrusion into your town's affairs. An atta-boy.

For all the citizens strongly making a point that such a deviation from the town's normal practices should be put to a referendum. Ultimately, the people are the sovereign. Some state constitutions even explicitly say that. If your town trustees, (an interesting word, carrying fiduciary implications), were debating a library, traffic improvements, or other recognized government aspects, a referendum would not be needed.

If there were subsidization of restaurants or shops, where citizens could eat or examine wares conveniently in town to purchase or not, a Walmart say, it is a closer call and in your place I would favor a referendum since a Walmart can have a big impact on a community, its present businesses, and its character and ambiance.

But getting into the landlord business, without a referendum, brings one word to mind, "raw."

Flip side, if a referendum is held and the question prevails in citizen voting, then there will be unequivocal proof of support among community members, and critics would have less cause to object. Nothing but good would come from a referendum.

Mr. Dev... Thanks for your comment.

Hope this wakes up theVillage.

Andrea, did you read the Orland Prarie foday?

They print two long jetters from Gorman and the Mayor. Political expediency on their part?

Have you or others sent the Prarie a comment for publication? I'm sick of Gorman
and the Mayor getting this publicity. The Prarie's opinion poll shows how the people feel.

Is it time for the Patch to do a poll?

Bronze statue for the Mayor? I see a toilet bowl for the ROYAL FLUSH he is giving us.

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