Carroll Appreciates Orland Youth Association Endorsement

ORLAND PARK, IL – The Orland Youth Association Boys Program has
endorsed Mike Carroll, Sandra Kulak, Laura Berry and Michael Maratea for the
Orland District 135 School Board.

“I received a number of phone calls and emails from OYA parents who received the organization’s post regarding the cancellation of the inter-governmental agreement between District 135 and the Village of Orland Park,” said Carroll, a local attorney with offices in Orland Park and Lockport.

In its statement to parents, the association wrote, “…the termination of the intergovernmental agreement created significant additional administration cost for the OYA and also resulted in a deterioration of field conditions for our teams. The field quality on the District 135 fields is of particular concern because it effects (sic) the quality of our games.”

The OYA Boys Board notice further stated, “Local elections are being held on April 9, and early voting began yesterday, to elect a new District 135 School Board. The candidates Mike Carroll, Mike Maratea, Laura Berry and Sandy Kulak have committed to restoring the intergovernmental agreement, which would be a very positive step for the OYA and the boys we serve. Please consider this issue as you head to the election booth.”

The cancellation of the agreement took place on June 22, 2010 with the district assuming staffing, scheduling and maintenance of the outdoor facilities that were previously handled by the village’s Parks Department.

It was later discovered that the school district fields were reserved from March 9 through July 9 under the name “District 135 Baseball” despite the district not having a baseball team. Local media reports revealed that the fields were being used by a travel baseball team coached by another school board member.

“The incumbents voted for District 135 to take on the additional cost of field maintenance, paying thousands of dollars to accommodate a board member’s child’s team,” Carroll said, asking, “Is that being fiscally responsible?”

Scheduling the fields through the school district and sidestepping the village saved the travel baseball team more than $1200 in non-resident fees for the use of the fields.

“It was then Board President Tom Cunningham who sent a letter to the village manager cancelling the agreement between the school district and the village and Mrs. Gentile also voted to end the agreement,” Carroll said. “And, at the recent candidates’ forum, the incumbents said the fields are well maintained. Apparently, the OYA Boys Board differs with the incumbents’ assessment of the field conditions,” he added.

Tom Cunningham is seeking re-election to the Orland District 135 School Board and is simultaneously running for a seat on the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees. Carroll filed an objection to Cunningham seeking seats on both boards, a violation of state statute, but Carroll’s objection was overruled by Cunningham’s supporters on the school board.

“The inter-governmental agreement greatly concerns the four of us,” Carroll said, referring to himself, Kulak, Berry and Maratea. “We’re also very concerned with the incumbents voting to raise residents’ taxes with more than $50 million in the bank, the costly litigation they’ve brought to the district and the general decorum at board meetings,” Carroll said.

“We are grateful for the OYA Boys’ Board endorsement and, if elected, we look forward to restoring the positive relationship between the school district and the village,” Carroll said.

“Once again, the incumbents’ actions have affected the children of Orland Park,” Carroll said. He added, “This time it’s not in the classroom but on the ballfields where our kids are forced to play on subpar fields because the professionals from the village’s Parks Department were no longer allowed to maintain the baseball fields so school board members’ non-resident travel teams could use them.”

The full endorsement from the Orland Youth Association Boys Organization can be seen at www.oyaboys.org.