Our pension future was the topic at a north suburban meeting.
Several hundred teachers, mostly members of the IFT’s North Suburban Teachers Union, came to Niles North High School last night to hear IFT President Dan Montgomery, Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Senator Dan Biss and Representatives Elaine Nekritz, Laura Fine and Robyn Gabel.
If this was a war of wits between Martire and Montgomery on the one hand and Biss and Nekrtiz on the other, Biss and Nekrtiz came unarmed.
Martire came with facts and data that showed how the current pension cutting proposals, including the draconian Biss/Nekritz bill, do nothing to address the real state budget issue, which is about debt and revenue.
Biss and Nekritz mainly repeated their tired generalities and refused to respond to Martire’s basic premise: A
The spirit of Anthony Borrelli. Park Ridge board members screw their employees.
Parents and teachers pack the gym at Field School in Park Ridge, supporting the support staff.
When the school year started I ran a couple of posts about the Park Ridge foot doctor, Anthony Borrelli. Borrelli got elected to the District 64 school board in a low turn-out election. He barely eked out a win over an incumbent.
Borrelli ran on a platform of no pay raises for the people who care for and teach Park Ridge kids.
It now appears that the Scrooge-like spirit of Park Ridge foot doctor Anthony H. Borrelli has taken over the board made up of John Heyde, Scott Zimmerman, Eric Uhlig, Dan Collins, Pat Fioretto and Sharon Lawson.
When the Park Ridge Education Association, which represents the teachers in District 64, finally settled on their contract with 2% increase over step, it was the longest negotiation since the teachers went on strike in 2003.
Normally, the Park Ridge Teacher Assistant Association, also an IEA affiliate which represents the district’s
Tony at the Red Line Tap.
It was late when I hit the Red Line Tap.
At 4:30 I had been up near Old Orchard Mall for the IFT meeting on pensions at Niles North.
Then I drove down Dempster to Park Ridge. There was a board of education meeting and I wanted to show my support to my old friends who were getting screwed by their piggish board.
By 10PM I was ready for a beer.
“Marty. How about a bottle of Pipeworks 18th Street Brotherhood Belgian Style Patersbier?”
“I may be all out,”