Yet Another Ginderske-Westgard Fraud and Failure

JUNE 5, 2010 - James "Jim" Ginderske will probably run for alderman again next year in Chicago's 49th Ward. He's been building his political resume since 2006, when he launched his poorly run aldermanic campaign against incumbent Joe Moore.

Since losing to Moore and two other contenders in February, 2007, Ginderske has become a shameless lapdog of Joe Moore and overseen the stunning failure of two of his own pet projects: "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" (NHRP) and "The Urban Coaster."

Ginderske keeps racking up spectacular failures, and continues to lie about them and misrepresent himself. First, let's look at The Urban Coaster. Then we'll examine the NHRP.

The Urban Coaster was first incorporated in October, 2008. It was involuntarily dissolved by the State of Illinois on March 12, 2010. 

However, it continues to illegally misrepresent itself as "The Urban Coaster, Inc." (when we checked the "About" page on their website at 10:00 a.m., June 5, 2010). There, the publisher is listed as "The Urban Coaster, Inc." It's the "Inc." part that's the problem.

They cannot legally use "Inc." in their name, because they are not a legal corporation in Illinois. The original signers of the Articles of Incorporation on October 22, 2008 were James J. Ginderske, Francis Scudellari (right) and Thomas Westgard (left).

Westgard, an attorney of sorts, is currently listed as a Contributing Writer. He should certainly be aware that it is illegal for an entity to use "Inc." in its name and constitutes misrepresentation if, in fact, the entity is not a legal corporation. Such is the case with The Urban Coaster.

Inc-a-dink-a-doo

Curiously, Jim Ginderske calls himself the publisher of The Urban Coaster on his LinkedIn page and says he still holds that title. He says he's in the "Newspapers industry," but we wonder how that can be true when in fact the Urban Coaster seems to no longer be putting out a dead-tree version. He may technically be in publishing, but no longer in newspapers. The question, then, remains: Who, exactly, is really the publisher of The Urban Coaster?

There is a notice at the bottom of that "About" page that says, "All materials are Copyright The Urban Coaster, Inc." Since there is no such entity as "The Urban Coaster, Inc.," we can't help but wonder who actually owns the copyrights to any "materials" posted after their involuntarily dissolution on March 12, 2010.

The Urban Coaster was originally both an online and actual paper publication that billed itself as covering "all the news that fits the neighborhoods of Rogers Park, West Ridge, and Edgewater along the shore of Lake Michigan on Chicago's far North Side."

The Urban Coaster has not printed a paper version since late 2009. Their last post on Twitter was October 16, 2009. The last time they posted to their Facebook wall was March 22, 2009. It still has its website, and the most recent posting was on May 28, 2010.

The Urban Coaster usually misses or ignores the big local stories in favor of non-local headlines such as "Is the Informal Economy the Best Hope for Africa?" (May 27, 2010), "The Threat of Extremism in South Africa" (April 6, 2010), "The Tragedy of Niger's Coup" (February 23, 2010) and "Understanding Rwanda in the Context of Haiti" (January 29, 2010). That can be considered "neighborhood news" only if you live in Africa or Haiti, not Rogers Park, Illinois.

No Union Label: The Urban Coaster presents itself as pro-union, yet the Urban Coaster itself is not and never has been a union shop. Ginderske brags about his union membership but proudly participates in a non-union operation.

No Hablas Espanol: In March, 2008 there was a public meeting in Rogers Park, at which Dan Haley, the new publisher of the News-Star newspaper, introduced himself to the community. Neither Westgard nor Ginderske bothered to show up, but Ginderske minions Francis Scuddellari and Terry "Cookie" Feingold were in attendance. Both men were integral cogs in the 2007 Ginderske aldermanic campaign and both are still listed on the Urban Coaster staff roster. Feingold raised his hand and asked Haley if the News-Star had plans to publish a Spanish language version, citing Rogers Park's large Latino population. Haley said they had no such plans, and Feingold effectively chided him for not caring about the Spanish speakers among us.

The Urban Coaster has never published a Spanish version of itself either online or in paper. For that matter, Feingold's own catering company's website is English-only.

The Urban Coaster, as noted, is not incorporated, so it is misrepresenting itself by using the name "The Urban Coaster, Inc." on its website. It's not the first time, either.

The Urban Coaster has been in violation now (again) since March 12, 2010 by calling themselves "Inc." on a website that still, apparently, accepts advertising. As of June 5, 2010 at 11:36 a.m., Terry Feingold is still listed as their contact for advertising. The next item on that page, below Feingold's name, is "The Urban Coaster, Inc." To be selling advertising - or anything else - while misrepresenting yourself as a corporation is a violation of law.

IT'S FRAUDULENT 

Illinois law states that "Any corporation which (i) puts forth any sign or advertisement, assuming any name other than that by which it is incorporated or otherwise authorized by law to act or (ii) violates Section 3.25, shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and shall be deemed guilty of an additional offense for each day it shall continue to so offend." (Source: Illinois General Assembly web site; see "Article 16 - Penalties".) As of this writing on June 5, 2010, it's coming up on 90 days since they lost their corporate status, yet they continue to use a name that is not "authorized by law." 

A video interview of Jim Ginderske and Francis Scudellari talking about the beginnings of The Urban Coaster (Part 1 here; Part 2 here) reveals much. (Fast forward to 3:20 in Part 1 to get to the Ginderske-Scudellari portion.) The interview was recorded at the Heartland Cafe on March 21, 2009 during a live radio broadcast hosted by SDS member and lifelong marxist Michael James. (Little did any of them know, at the time, that The Urban Coaster would have the same kind of spectacular success that the late Air America enjoyed.)

It's darkly amusing to hear Ginderske insist that The Urban Coaster would be unbiased (in fact, it's had a boldly pro-socialist slant from the beginning), and to hear them promise, in Part 2, that "within a year" they would publish a Spanish version of The Urban Coaster.

As noted, that has yet to happen, and with no paper version - and no advertising - there seems little chance that they their promise will be kept. Involuntarily dissolved by order of the State of Illinois one year and nine days after that promise was made, it seems like just one more broken Ginderske promise.

Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park (NHRP) was first incorporated in December, 2006, at the height of Ginderske's 2007 aldermanic run. 

It was involuntarily dissolved by the State of Illinois on May 9, 2009. NHRP was created primarily as an attempt to make Ginderske look like a man of the people and a guy who just wanted to help the neighborhood. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see that Ginderske neglected NHRP when it was no longer politically useful to him.

Watch for him to try to rehabilitate the discredited NHRP, however, as he gears up for another aldermanic run in 2011. Ginderske continues to make lame attempts now and then to misrepresent NHRP as a legitimate group.

As recently as September 14, 2009 (four months after losing its legal status as a corporation), Ginderske was pushing NHRP. According to the Minutes of the Public Hearings on the FY2010 Preliminary Budget, page 3, for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors, he was registered as "Jim Ginderske, Representative, Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" and submitted "written testimony." We couldn't find the details of that testimony, but we bet that Ginderske did not tell the Board that the group he was representing had been involuntarily dissolved by the State of Illinois months earlier.

Ginderske lists himself as the current "President" of NHRP on his LinkedIn page. He claims that NHRP is in the "Research industy."

In July, 2008, Chicago News Bench noted that NHRP had not given a full accounting of any money that passed through its hands. Today, on June 5, 2010, we would still like to see a full accounting from NHRP.

Ginderske's partner in these messes: Thomas J. Westgard was Ginderske's campaign chair in the 2007 run for alderman. Westgard has been an integral part of Ginderske's fraudulent NHRP and Urban Coaster failures. Will he be part of Ginderske's sure-to-be-fraudulent 2011 campaign?

RELATED:

• NHRP: Odd Man Out Did NHRP Break the Law? 
• NHRP Still "Not Good Standing" With Sec. of State 
• NHRP: Ginderske's Sham Organization 
• Urban Coaster: Non-Local, Non-Union 
• Merchant Alert for Chicago's North Side 
• Newspaper Continues To Threaten Bloggers 
• Pillaging the Boys and Girls Clubs 
• Ginderske: Sit Down, Shut Up 
• Filthy Heartland Cafe Closed for Health Code Violations 
• Heartland Cafe's Inconvenient Truths

(Updated) NHRP Still "Not Good Standing" With Sec. of State

Update, May 22, 2010: The entity known as "Neighbors For A Healthy Rogers Park NFP" went through an "INVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION" on May 8, 2009, about three months after this post was originally published. (Click images to enlarge them)

Bittersweet congratulations to The Urban Coaster, Inc. Finally, as of today [Feb. 11, 2009], they can legally call themselves a corporation, after months of falsely claiming to be incorporated. However, another one of Ginderske's operations is still "NOT GOOD STANDING" with the Illinois Secretary of State.

UPDATE, May 22, 2010: The Urban Coaster went through an Involuntary Dissolution, on March 12, 2010.

Yep, The Urban Coaster is finally incorporated, but only after they paid the State of Illinois a $25.00 penalty for passing a bad check to them the first time they tried to incorporate.

Chicago News Bench spoke with the Secretary of State's office in Springfield today. We were told that The Urban Coaster's check for $200.00 "just cleared today" (Feb. 11, 2009). That check was for the initial $175.00 filing fee plus $25.00 to cover the bounced check penalty imposed by the state.

The initial filing attempt was in October, 2008. A Form BCA 2.10 Articles of Incorporation was filed on Oct. 27, 2008. The initial registered agent is James J. Ginderske (photo). For months, The Urban Coaster was not legally a corporation, yet deliberately passed themselves off as one. It was not until today that they could legally call themselves "The Urban Coaster, Inc."

Ginderske's other operation is "Neighbors For A Healthy Rogers Park NFP," also known as "NHRP." It is still not in good standing with the State of Illinois. Initial filing for that was in September, 2008. (Ginderske is misspelled as "Gindevske" on the Sec. of State's website.)

You can search for corporations and LLCs at the Illinois Secretary of State's website: http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/index.jsp

RELATED PAST POSTS:
Urban Coaster: Non-Local, Non-Union
NHRP: Ginderske's Sham Organization
NHRP: Odd Man Out

Newspaper Editor Threatens Two Chicago Bloggers

ACCOSTS BLOGGERS ON STREET, YELLS: "WE'LL SUE YOU! WATCH YOUR MAILBOXES!" ALSO SEE: Newspaper Continues To Threaten Bloggers (2/14/09) We were verbally assaulted by a newspaper editor on Saturday, February 7th. In broad daylight, on a public street, by an editor. Jerk blogger Craig Gernhardt (The Broken Heart) and I were crossing the street on Saturday afternoon over in the People's Democratic Utopia of Rogers Park. We were on our way to Leona's at W. Morse and N. Sheridan to get pizza, which we both agreed is good (and the only thing on Leona's menu that doesn't suck). So much for the restaurant review. As we crossed the street, one of the editors of "The Urban Coaster" (a still-new, socialist propaganda tabloid in Rogers Park, Chicago) walked toward us. He had a mangy dog in tow. With a sneer, the editor said to us, "Well, well, I s'pose you think you're big shots now that the Reader wrote about you." The editor was referring to the Feb. 5 issue of the Chicago Reader, in which Mick Dumke wrote a great piece titled "Where Bloggers Dodge Beers." That title refers to me, when one of Alderman Joe Moore's aides threw a beer at me last summer. She threw it with such force that it destroyed my camera. So I not only have to watch my back for Joe Moore aids, I also have to worry about being verbally assaulted on the street by local tabloid editors. Tabloid editors, who, by the way, are operatives of Joe Moore. Gernhardt and I immediately got the chuckles. "When are you guys going to make your rag newspaper legitimate?" I replied. His name is Francis Scudellari, but he is also known as "Scudmissile," "Scudmuscle," "Frankie," "Scuddles," and words that I won't include here because this is, after all, a family-oriented website. Frankie was flustered. First time I've ever seen him flustered, to be honest, and he was shaking. I've seen him angry before, but to his credit he kept his composure at those moments. "What does that mean?" he said, feigning ignorance. "Your check to the Secretary of State bounced," I guffawed, "you call yourselves incorporated but you're not!" "Hey Frankie," said Gernhard said, laughing, "has your paper gone union yet?" The pasty Scuddlebuttliari went pale, more pale than usual, and his quivering lip threatened to cause his entire head to dislodge. He looked a bit woozy, but managed to raise his voice in a heroic effort. "We'll sue you!" This, of course, only caused us to laugh harder. You know how your cheeks hurt when you laugh really hard, and your eyes kind of tear up a little? Yah, that's what it was. But over our laughter we heard Scudloogy advise us, "YOU BETTER CHECK YOUR MAILBOXES!" For a moment, his pasty face flushed bright red. I couldn't swear to it, but I thought I saw spittle fly from his mouth, over that quivering lower lip, as he said "mailboxes." It was probably the "oxes" part of the word, with that k-s-s combination. It his flustered state, he may have been salivating heavily and so that could have caused a higher than normal amount of liquid to build up in his mouth, which could have been what I thought I saw being propelled from just above that lip. Try it yourself; save up a bunch of spit in your mouth, then try screaming "MAILBOXES." The mangy dog figured he'd heard enough and was, frankly, embarassed by all of this, so Mr. Dog pulled Scudlarian northward, away from us, to a quieter place more suitable to relieving himself. Scudellari is one of three editors/partners of "The Urban Coaster." They refer to themselves in the paper as "The Urban Coaster, Inc." but that is not accurate. You see, not only are they not incorporated, the Illinois Secretary of State's website shows that the check they sent in with their filing papers bounced. That's right, their check bounced. They are not in good standing with the State of Illinois, and to call yourself a corporation when in fact you are not is a violation of state law. (Go here http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/ and search for "The Urban Coaster" and also see "Merchant Alert for Chicago's North Side") In case you haven't guessed yet, there is an animosity between Scudlamander and Gernhardt and me. That is, Scudiarity can't stand either of us. That's only fair play, though, because we're none too fond of him, nor of his pathetic newspaper, "The Urban Coaster." The Urban Coaster is not the first failed venture in which he has joined Westgard and Ginderske. One was the failed "Ginderske 2007" aldermanic campaign. The other was the "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park." (See "NHRP: Ginderske's Sham Organization" and "Smells Like Ginderske") Why does Scudlemon dislike us so much? Well, isn't it obvious? It's because of posts such as this one, which Gernhardt and I do often. He and I enjoy exposing the dishonest, lying, deceitful misreprentation perpetrated by Scudmingdynasty and his partners in slime. There you go. No mystery, really. Vampires hate it when you shine light on them. Scudlinguini is wrong about our feelings about the Reader article. Gernhardt and I are accustomed to being interviewed in print and on the radio, and the Reader article about us didn't even merit a part of our own conversation up to the point that Mr. Scuddlebutt, in a pique of self-loathing, decided he should belittle us for it. I've been the subject of newspaper articles local and national since February 1976, have written newspaper articles, and had my own radio show in the early 1980's. Gernhardt has been written about many times as well. Scudelingus thinks a small mention in the Chicago Reader makes us feel like big shots? Not hardly. I've turned down more interview requests than I have ever accepted, and I'm sure that's true for Gernhardt as well. I am reminded of a "Soprano's" episode in which the mobster Christopher was mentioned in a newspaper article that named him as being under criminal investigation. Christopher ran out to the nearest newspaper box, put coins into it, and pulled out all of the papers. Unlike Christopher in the Sopranos, however, Scudelarrium wants to put all those Chicago Readers back into their boxes. RELATED: Urban Coaster: Non-Local, Non-Union Ginderske Violating State Law Another Sham Ginderske Organization (Updated) Tainted Evidence NHRP: Ginderske's Sham Organization NHRP: Odd Man Out CNB RSS Feed

Merchant Alert for Chicago's North Side

Merchants on the Chicago's North Side need to be alert to "The Urban Coaster," an organization that has been falsely passing itself off as a legitimately incorporated entity. Their incorporation is invalid with the Illinois Secretary of State because the check they sent for fees bounced. The three principals of the operation, pictured here, are Jim Ginderske, Francis Scudellari and Tom Westgard, all residents of Rogers Park. The three were involved in a sham operation last year called "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park (NHRP)," which passed itself off as a legitimate non-profit organization. NHRP's incorporation was dissolved by the State of Illinois for failure to file required information documents. The men pictured here may approach you to sell you advertising for their "newspaper." However, others connected to "The Urban Coaster" might approach you, too. Insist that they show you their incorporation papers or proof that they are a legitimately registered organization before you sign any contracts or make any agreements with them, verbal or written. To file a complaint against "The Urban Coaster," get the complaint form (PDF) from the Illinois Attorney General's office or call the Better Business Bureau at 800-500-3780 . Please warn fellow merchants about "The Urban Coaster."

Urban Coaster: Non-Local, Non-Union

Ginderske and his "Urban Coaster" partners, Franics Scudellari and Tom Westgard are not only misrepresenting the legal status of their organization "The Urban Coaster," they are also hypocritical about being "local." But their web site is not hosted in Chicago, a city full of talented web masters and excellent web hosting services, include a number of them in the areas that Urban Coaster claims to cover. They have a dead tree version and an online version. The web site says, "The Urban Coaster is ... all the news that fits the neighborhoods of Rogers Park, West Ridge, and Edgewater along the shore of Lake Michigan on Chicago's far North Side." The fliers that they hand out to would-be advertisers says, "We are Local - Like You." There's a problem, however. Aside from the fact that their dead tree, big carbon footprint version has no "union bug" to indicate that it's produced by union workers (which they pretend to be concerned about as "progressives"), the web site is not even hosted in Chicago. The "editors," Ginderske, Scudellari and Westgard, each "own" 33 percent of the organization. That's what was listed on their incorporation application to the State of Illinois. (Who owns the remaining one percent is a mystery.) The company is, in fact, not incorporated because their filing check bounced weeks ago. Nevertheless, they continue to masquerade as a legitimately incorported entity in Illinois. "The Urban Coaster" web site is hosted by Lunar Pages, which is not a Chicago company. Lunar Pages' address of record is in La Habra, California. Last summer, Ginderske, Westgard and Scudellari were misrepresenting another sham organization, "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park." NHRP was dissolved by the State of Illinois because Westgard, who is an attorney, failed to file the required annual report. It is probably Westgard who is responsible for sending a bogus check to the Illinois Secretary of State to cover the filing fee. Westgard is listed as the Administrative Contact for "theurbancoaster.com." There is yet another problem. Westgard left his former office at 6970 N. Sheridan Road #C in Rogers Park in late October, 2008. Yet, Westgard listed that as his address on the incorporation filing papers, dated October 22, 2008, and also listed it with Lunar Pages for the web site, which was created on the same day. 6970 N. Sheridan was the address used by Ginderske 2007, the failed aldermanic campaign organization of which Westgard was campaign chair. Westgard took over the office shortly after Ginderske lost the election in February, 2007. He moved across the street to 6977 N. Sheridan around the time of the Urban Coaster's creation in late October, and now receives UPS and FedEx deliveries at a coffee shop next door. Westgard is also listed as Technical Contact for "theurbancoaster.com" The actual listing, as accessed on January 2, 2009, is: Technical Contact: IllinoisMechanicsLiens Thomas Westgard 7733383643 Fax: 1.7733383674 6970 N Sheridan Rd #C Chicago, IL 60626 As noted, however, that address is no longer Westgard's. In fact, a representative of the building's management told The Bench last weekend that 6970 N. Sheridan Road #C is vacant and ready to be leased out. RELATED: Ginderske Violating State Law and Another Sham Ginderske Organization (Updated)

Ginderske Violating State Law

In Illinois, you cannot call yourself "Inc." unless you're actually incorporated. Jim Ginderske's "Urban Coaster" publication has a twin web site by the same name, both called "The Urban Coaster, Inc." The "Inc." part of the name is illegal, plain and simple, because their filing fee check bounced. Merchants who advertise in The Urban Coaster should know that they are dealing with a company that is misrepresenting their legal status. The Urban Coaster is not incorporated in the State of Illinois. Complaints can be filed with the Better Business Bureau at 800-500-3780 or the Illinois Attorney General (see info below). Illinois law states that "Any corporation which (i) puts forth any sign or advertisement, assuming any name other than that by which it is incorporated or otherwise authorized by law to act or (ii) violates Section 3.25, shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and shall be deemed guilty of an additional offense for each day it shall continue to so offend." (Source: Illinois General Assembly web site; see "Article 16 - Penalties".) "The Urban Coaster" is not incorporated, so it is misrepresenting itself with a name ("The Urban Coaster, Inc.") that is not "authorized by law." The Urban Coaster has been in violation for at least 16 days by calling themselves "Inc." in both their online and print versions. The graphics people at Urban Coaster seem to have an obsession with dead fish. Perhaps it's a Freudian admission that the operation is fishy. As noted here on December 31, Jim Ginderske and partners Thomas J. Westgard and Francis Scudellari are presenting their latest venture, "The Urban Coaster," as a legit organization. It's not. They call themselves "The Urban Coaster, Inc." but in fact they are not incorporated - not in Illinois anyway. As of January 2, 2009, their print version still said "Urban Coaster, Inc." in the masthead, and their web site said it on the lower left hand corner of their home page. Are they incorporated in another state? If so, we demand to see their incorporation papers. Their check for filing fees to the State of Illinois bounced, voiding their application. Additionally, their filing papers falsely list the address of Thomas J. Westgard, partner in The Urban Coaster, as 6970 N. Sheridan Road, Unit C. In fact, that storefront is vacant as confirmed by building management. Don't believe me? Click here to see the filing papers (or see the documents for yourself and see the Illinois Secretary of State's web site. To file a complaint against The Urban Coaster, get the complaint form (PDF) from the Illinois Attorney General's office here. Please let merchants who advertise with "The Urban Coaster" know that they are dealing with an organization that is misrepresenting its legal status.

Did NHRP Break the Law?

NHRP's Certificate Of Dissolution

Click to enlarge; Right-click to download

Residents of the 49th Ward recently learned that Jim Ginderske's organization, Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park, is a sham. It is discredited, officially, by the Illinois Secretary of State's office.

The NHRP was dissolved by official decree on May 9, 2008 for failure to submit an annual report (see image). Even so, Jim Ginderske continues to brandish the NHRP name as some sort of talisman of legitimacy.

In other words, NHRP is not transparent. You and I - and the Secretary of State - have not been given a full accounting of any money that passed through the hands of the NHRP.

We would like to see a full accounting from NHRP. We would like to see them open their books. (We doubt that they will.) Had they filed an annual report, we could look at it. Did they not file because of incompetence, or because they have something to hide?

During the last aldermanic campaigns, Ginderske's aldermanic campaign chair Tom Westgard filled out a Form NFP 102.10, Articles of Incorporation for a general not for profit corporation. He signed and dated it November 14, 2006. The board of directors members named on the form were Ginderske, Westgard, and Francis Scudellari (a Ginderske 2007 campaign member).

Appendix A of NHRP's incorporation papers raises interesting questions.

Appendix A, Section 2 of the NHRP's articles of incorporation state that it is "organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that quality as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code."

The NHRP was dissolved by the Illinois Secretary of State in May of 2008 for failure to submit an annual report. Let us assume that NHRP immediately ceased any fundraising activity immediately. NHRP submitted its Form NFP 102.10 in November of 2006. That's approximately 19 months in which NHRP was, presumably, soliciting donations.

That raises questions. Notice that Section 1 states that NHRP was "organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes," and for making donations to other 501(c)(3) organizations. It does NOT say "or." It says "exclusively" and "and."

Question: Did NHRP engage in religious activities? Section 1 said they had to. Scientific activities? What were those?

Question: Did NHRP funnel money to the Ginderske 2007 aldermanic campaign? We're not saying they did. We are asking whether that happened.

Question: After Ginderske lost his campaign bid, he supported Moore's campaign in the run-off election. Did NHRP funnel money to the Joe Moore aldermanic campaign? We're not saying they did; we are asking whether that happened.

Questions: Will Alderman Joe Moore completely break with and disown the NHRP? Will he also demand to see their financial records, their missing annual report? Will Joe Moore follow the lead of the Illinois Secretary of State and acknowledge that the NHRP is a group that has no legitimacy?

Section 3 states that "No part of the net earnings of The Corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons" except as "reasonable compensation for services rendered" to the corporation.

Question: Did any money donated to the NHRP find its way into the pockets of NHRP board members? We're not saying this happened; we are asking whether it did, and if so, how much and why?

Section 3 also states that "No substantial part of the activities of The Corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing of distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office."

Question: NHRP regularly carried on propaganda activities, and continues to do so. (Propaganda is not necessarily a bad thing; an ad for toothpaste is propaganda, as is an ad telling us to buckle our seat belts.)

NHRP's barrage of messages regarding health centers and community centers is certainly propaganda. This has certainly been a "substantial part of the activities" of NHRP. Furthermore, did NHRP "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing of distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office?"

Section 4 instructs that "Upon the dissolution of The Corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code," or be distributed to federal, state or local government "for a public purpose." It goes on to order that "assets no so disposed of shall be disposed" by a county court.

Question: What has happened, since May 9, 2008, to any money that NHRP had?

NHRP: Odd Man Out

* Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park Dissolved is one of many blog posts you'll see about this in the coming weeks. "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" is a fraud, but has been presenting itself as a legit non-profit, charitable organization for some time now, especially during the current fracas over the Gale Community Center and the NHRP-favored installation of a Boys and Girls Club there. The NHRP, which Alderman Joe Moore loves to cite as some magnificent organization, is actually not a registered non-profit with Illinois. The state dissolved them on May 9, 2008. That's why, as The Bench noted on July 11, their "How to Donate" page was under construction. They cannot legally accept donations - unless they want to pay personal income taxes on the monies as personal income. But here's the kicker: They will try to reform, but only two of the original board members (Jim Ginderske, Francis Scudellari, Tom Westgard) will remain on the board. Mechanics liens attorney Thomas J. Westgard, The Bench is told, was tossed overboard. Odd man Westgard is out. Back on July 11, The Bench wrote this: Their "How to Donate" page is mysteriously "under construction." Their "Who We Are" page does not tell us who they are.Who ARE these people? The only person whose name is revealed in the web site is Jim Ginderske. He is identified as "Jim Ginderske, a Director with the Neighbors group" in a Sept. 11, 2007 press release. His name appears on a total of five of the pages (see list below), but even this "Director's" name is not on the "Who We Are" page. In fact, nobody's name appears on that page. Now why is that? Yup. Saw it coming, we did. Westgard likes to call Don Gordon, a former aldermanic candidate, a man who never sees a project through to completion. Westgard, the attorney, failed to file an annual report with the state, thus resulting in the dissolution of NHRP. Don Gordon gets the last laugh.