Thursday, May 2, 2013
Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek noted disagreements with fellow board members over the last two years, but also acknowledged the board’s ability to come together.
Glenn Michalek and Martin McGill served as Orland Fire Protection District board trustees for the last time on April 23. Both were presented with “appreciation of service” awards at the meeting, and spoke highly of district staff and firefighters. “I want to thank you for letting me be a part of your family these years,” McGill said. “The administrative staff was always there when I needed you.” McGill also thanked the Orland Fire chiefs for keeping the district “headed in the right direction” and offered “best wishes” to the remaining trustees. Michalek, a former firefighter, also thanked chiefs, administrative staff and firefighters, noting “firefighters have always been close to my heart.” “Board, I won’t say never, but we don’t see eye…
Friday, April 5, 2013
Five hopefuls campaigning for a seat on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees share their views on how best to face the district’s issues.
The following question was asked of all the candidates running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in our Patch questionnaire. Answers are listed in the order they were received. What are the biggest challenges facing the district? How do you propose to solve them? John Brudnak One of the biggest challenges in the OFPD has been the fluctuation of the staffing levels. Our hiring classes have been very large and spread over a long period of time resulting in larger numbers of personnel retiring and hiring at or near the same time. A more consistent process would be to replace an employee as they leave and not have to wait for the next hiring class. As commissioner, I have helped improve the testing process so that it …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Five people running for seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees share their opinions on how to establish a budget that allows firefighters to work effectively, while not overburdening taxpayers.
The following question was asked of all the candidates running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in our Patch questionnaire. Answers are listed in the order they were received. How do you propose keeping a tighter budget that lessens the burden on taxpayers, while giving staff the tools to do their job, especially with Orland’s aging population? John Brudnak I believe the current board has enacted some measures to control escalating costs, however, I believe my past experience would be valuable to the Board of Trustees and the taxpayers for fiscal responsibility. All taxing bodies face tough times with the state of the economy, but that does not mean that more cannot be done. We have to justify our current costs …
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Patch's guide to the 2013 Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees race, where five candidates are going after two open seats.
Two current trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District are seeking re-election against three other candidates on April 9. Incumbent trustees Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek are campaigning for another term against challengers John Brudnak, Jayne Schirmacher and Larry Moran. Early voting begins March 25. Election Day is April 9. When we get closer to the days when you can cast a ballot, we'll post links to biographical and issue-based information about the trustee candidates. Recent articles relevant to the Orland Fire Protection District: Join Patch! Create a free user account and join the discussion about the future of the area. You'll be subscribed to the free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts. Orland Park / Palos / Tinley …
Monday, March 4, 2013
Martin McGill is running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? There still is some unfinished business I think we can do. My main reason is I am 100 percent against privatization of ambulances and 110 percent against closing any of the fire stations. We have resources that we haven’t started to tap into. One is the training facility. We’ve talked about setting up EMS classes with other departments and districts and it hasn’t developed the way I’d like to see it. We have one of the better maintenance facilities and we could take revenue in from that by taking work from other fire districts and departments instead of them sending out to others contractors. Thee board has talked about cutting money and only way to do so is to cut firehouses. We’re not paying taxes for fly by …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A new insurance provider was taken on during Tuesday night’s meeting.
Firefighter salaries were discussed during an all-closed session meeting of the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees, but no decisions were made on hiring additional firefighters. The district’s proposed 2012 budget is required by law to be available for public perusal on Nov. 11. While there may be money budgeted for new hires, it doesn’t guarantee that firefighters will be added to the district, said trustee Chris Evoy. “We still don’t know yet,” Evoy said about the possibility of adding firefighters. “The number hasn’t been decided upon. We’re really trying to crunch the numbers on it, where we want to have it come out as the best financial decision for the district.” Trustees Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek also noted …
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9788 W 151st St, Orland Park, IL
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Thursday, October 20, 2011
Board president attributes increase of about $6,000 in the 2012 proposed budget over 2011 to one-time required costs.
The last of three budget workshops held with Orland Fire Protection District personnel and board trustees concluded with positivity from both sides of the table. Board president James Hickey said he was pleased with process, where fire district department managers spoke directly to trustees on why and for what exactly they were asking for funding. “They’ve all done a great job in cutting unnecessary costs,” Hickey said. “Everybody’s looking at every penny because we don’t want to lay anybody off. Next week we go over salaries, and we’re hoping to keep it under $29 million (for the total budget). And we want to budget in there if we will hire anyone new or not.” A lengthy closed session meeting will be held during the Oct. 25 board meeting…
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A split vote takes out a flu shot program, while one of the 11 candidates hired before the new board took over asks for a hiring list freeze.
Orland Fire Protection District trustees were split two votes in favor and two votes against continuing to pay for flu shots for firefighters, and without a majority in favor from the five-person board the motion was rejected. Board president James Hickey and treasurer Chris Evoy voted against the flu shots, while trustees Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek voted in favor of continuing the program. Trustee Blair Rhode was absent. The flu shot program costs about $3,000 total for each firefighter to receive a shot, though in past years the shots have been offered, about a third of firefighters took advantage, said Orland Fire Lt. Mark Duke during Tuesday night’s board meeting. Evoy said taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for flu shots, while …
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Board president James Hickey defended his upcoming campaign fundraiser, saying contributors would not be shown favor for vending contracts with the district.
An Orland Fire Protection District board member and a union official weighed in during Tuesday’s meeting on the controversial release last week of the district’s 2010 payroll. Board president James Hickey said he released the list of wages and benefits for the sake of “research” and so the board would consider the numbers before hiring any new firefighters, including the 11 who were put on hold in May after their hirings were approved before new trustees joined the board. “Our firemen have earned every penny that they make,” Hickey read from a prepared statement. “But the reality of the situation is (that) times are tough and we cannot afford to pay them as much as I personally would like them to make. "All government bodies are re-…
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Orland Fire Protection District Firehouse One and Administration Center
9788 W 151st St, Orland Park, IL
/articles/trustee-union-official-respond-to-orland-fire-salaries-release
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
One trustee made a last-ditch effort to stop the latest staffing analysis, even though the board president says it's nearly completed.
Orland Fire Protection District trustees are pressing ahead with the first district-wide staffing analysis in five years, against the last minute entreaty of one of its own members. Following a board of trustees meeting on Tuesday, board president James Hickey said that the latest study is only weeks from completion and that he expects board members to vote at their July 26 meeting on whether to move ahead with the hiring of 11 new firefighters. Earlier this month, the board hired Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA), led by former Orland Fire Chief Robert Buhs, to investigate whether these hires would save more money than they cost in the long-run. During Tuesday’s meeting, trustee Martin McGill reminded his fellow board members that …
41.61587
-87.857929
Orland Fire Protection District Firehouse One and Administration Center
9788 W 151st St, Orland Park, IL
/articles/fire-district-plans-on-deciding-next-month-on-hiring-new-firefighters-retiring-bonds
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Joe Swanson
3:45 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
It was way over due that these two should go. Every time it came to raising a already high budget they did. The new Trustees along with the three remaining can now make more progress with cleaning up Maher's mess. more ›