Tuesday, October 21, 2014

D86 Update: HHSTA Contract Approved After Way Too Much Drama

Last night the D86 BOE voted 4-3 to approve the new teachers' contract. This morning, a website called The D86 Report posted an update of the meeting. We are posting a link to this update because we couldn't agree more with The D86 Report's description of the circus that we witnessed last night. The only good news is that the contract was approved. Everything else about the meeting stinks.

http://thed86report.tumblr.com/post/100579159719/d86-report-d-is-for-drama
(be sure to click on the image.....)

2 comments:

jay_wick said...

The little video interludes over at the D86 Report are cute but please understand this is no laughing matter.

The "architect" of the strategy to fire-up the anti-tax types was CLEARLY Edward Corcoran. When he realized that it was all but certain that the contract would be ratified (largely because Cassini was informed that he had a legal obligation to vote in favor of accepting the contract that he had negotiated...) Ed Corcoran dreamed up this ridiculous pretense of tabling the vote "until the board can get all the details out to the public". In watching school boards, park districts and village / suburban public safety agreement for more than 20 years I have NEVER encountered either side take their negotiated labor agreement to a public forum prior to ratification. We do not live in an Athenian direct democracy, we have elected officials that are SUPPOSED to work towards fair agreements. By attempting to make this look like an effort at "openness" Ed Corcoran tried to wear the mantle of good government -- MAKE NO MISTAKE: ED CORCORAN DOES NOT STAND FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT!

Ed Corcoran is schemer. He denigrates the selfless actions of other volunteers that serve on elected boards and indiscriminately tears down the value of all public employees, yet in open session makes every effort to "seem normal" and even does have knowledge that is occasionally useful -- last night when Manley did not want to pay the consultants the district used to draw up plans for concession stands because no competitive bids were received that were under budget Ed Corcoran did explain that the architects have be paid based on the work they did, regardless of how the project goes.

The real issue is that Ed Corcoran relishes his role as a behind-the-scenes kingmaker. He has been instrumental in financing the opposition to condominiums in downtown Clarendon Hills, he breathes down the neck of the Park District Board and the Village Board goading them into dismissing his little band of anti-tax kooks while plotting draconian revenge.

While the rest of the D86 high school BOE was ready to "just put this behind us" it was Ed Corcoran clinging to the bitter-ender tactics of delay that we have seen paralyze the US Senate under the iron fist of Harry Reid.

Look past Ed Corcoran's success in building up and selling off a Thai refuse firm and his often mentioned self-congratulatory Northwestern Civil Engineering degree and Kellogg MBA and what one is left with is just a person that despite his enormous wealth cares more about sticking it to opponents than it doing the job to which he was elected.

His little band has learned from this set back. They won't circulate their inflammatory half-truths so widely nor let the strategy slip-out from behind his @greentechoverseas.com personal email. They probably won't even make as much effort to publicly back candidates. Instead their strategy is now one of stealth -- once they sneak their crypo-candidates past the unsuspecting caucus or through the election their "wolf in sheep's clothing" will yammer on about a false effort of "public involvement" or "transparency" while wielding their crude axes at the institutions that make our communities desirable.

VIGILANCE!

Anonymous said...

Mr Wick is correct. Corcoran is dangerous as is the Clarendon Hills anti-tax radical group that fueled his election. This same group already has a grip on the 181 Caucus. Make no mistake - Karl Weber and his buddies will work tirelessly to elect a few more of their own on the 181 board.