CHICAGO NEWS BENCH: The Urban Coaster

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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:

Heartland Cafe Blames City for Health Code Violations

March 15, 2009 - Late last week, a popular hangout for wannabe hippies, old hippies, progressive liberals, socialists and communists in Rogers Park was shut down for critical health code violations.

A female customer called 311 and said she'd gotten sick after eating at the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood, Chicago. City inspectors found mouse feces "throughout" the restaurant, mold slime in the ice machine (which was causing cross contamination in beverages), and at least one refrigerator that was not keeping food cool enough.

Now, the self-avowed socialists who own the dump claim that they are being persecuted by the City of Chicago. Like what, the inspectors planted the rodent crap and mold slime? The toxic restaurant has been in business for 32 years; you'd think they would know food safety procedures by now.

Michael James makes excuses at Heartland Cafe

One local felt compelled to write this to me today: "This is a long time coming as far as I'm concerned. Maybe a good lesson in capitalism for the local commies. Or maybe karma coming back to Michael James for his pathetic and disgraceful treatment of musicians and artists. Wait...The tears are rolling down my face, I must get out my handkerchief."

Yesterday afternoon, I passed by the Heartland Cafe and saw co-owner Michael James puttering around at the front door (photo, right). That's the door on which city inspectors placed the big green "License Suspended" sticker. I heard Michael James make this mind boggling statement to a woman: "We've been in business 32 years....We'll learn from this and move on."

It took Michael James 32 years in the restaurant business to "learn" about mouse feces, mold slime and proper refrigeration? What about the false excuse that his Heartland Cafe is not to blame but is just being persecuted by the city? That seems a contradiction. If he's really being persecuted, why would he say he will "learn from this?"

James isn't the only one making bad excuses. A tiny local socialist propaganda rag, "The Urban Coaster," a soon-to-be-defunct micro-newspaper also run by socialists, is happy to excuse the gross violations at The Heartland.

The Heartland Cafe is their biggest advertiser and Michael James writes the occasional column for them. Objective journalism knows no place at The Urban Coaster, as demonstrated in post on their website today. You don't believe Michael James is a socialist? Watch this video and let him tell you himself.

That post on the Urban Coaster's webiste said, "On March 12, the Heartland Cafe's license was suspended by a City of Chicago health inspector and its doors were temporarily closed. Owners Katy Hogan and Michael James have decided to use the city's action as an opportunity to make repairs ordinarily not possible during normal operations, such as resurfacing floors and cleaning large refrigeration equipment."

Resurfacing the floors, which should have been done years ago, is well and good, but has nothing to do with the mouse crap everywhere. So immediately, the Urban Coaster post attempts to divert our attention from the unsafe food practices at the Heartland Cafe. As for "cleaning large refrigeration equipment" that the nameless author cites, that should have been an ongoing procedure regardless of whether it was done "during normal business hours" or at other times. Obfuscation is a favored tactic of socialists, and it's in high gear at The Urban Coaster.

Heartland Cafe: Eat here at your own risk.

More from the Urban Coaster's post: "Michael James expressed a little frustration with City of Chicago inspectors taking the drastic action of shutting down his restaurant. He said that had they simply given him a week to make repairs, as has generally been their policy with restaurants in the past, he would have seen to it that the violations were corrected."

Look, a woman became sick last week from eating at the Heartland Cafe. She became sick not because the city is too tough on the Heartland Cafe. She got sick because the Heartland Cafe didn't care enough about customers' health and safety to keep the place clean or to maintain their refrigeration.... which Michael James is just now learning how to do after 32 years as a restaurateur.

How many other people became sick but never called 311 cannot be known, but thank God the city acted swiftly before someone with a weak immune system ingested a mouse crap burrito. It might have killed them. The city is obligated to shut down unsafe restaurants, and acted properly in this case. James, according to the propaganda piece in The Urban Coaster, complains about being given a week to correct the situation. That's not quite accurate you see, because in reality the shit-infested restaurant has has 32 years to "make repairs."

The Urban Coaster shifted into melodrama with this: "The Heartland employs 50 people who serve the community organic food with a side of social activism at the corner of Glenwood and Lunt. In already difficult economic times the closure means the loss of a paycheck and the hardships that go along with that missing income for many of those workers. For the tightly knit community of Rogers Park, the affect of the loss of business from the locked doors is certain to ripple through many lives. To neighbors it also means the temporary loss of an iconic establishment."

We question the claim of employing 50 people, but the insertion of the phrase "organic food with a side of social activism" is obviously intended to rally the local communards to sympathize with restaurant that was endangering people's health.

You want organic? Mouse poop is organic. Mold slime is organic. Bacteria growing on food in warm refrigerators is organic. Eat up, activists! Do not panic, it's organic!

Let's address the issue of "the hardships that go along with that missing income for many of those workers" at the Heartland Cafe. Every one of them should be upset with James and partner Hogan for running a filthy joint, thereby forcing them to be closed in the interest of public safety. To The Urban Coaster, apparently, serious food poisoning would not "ripple through many lives" and is less important than having a comfortable place to dream about the violent overthrow of the United States.

As for the loss of an "iconic" establishment, well, Typhoid Mary is still iconic after all these years. The Heartland Cafe will remain an icon, but an icon forever more of shoddy food safety practices and "that place with the mouse turds everywhere." Perhaps Katy Hogan will be remembered as Mold Slime Katy.

The anonymous author of The Urban Coaster's column wraps up with this sappy statement:"Several passersby on Saturday said they feel strongly that Rogers Park needs the Heartland. Especially now, it needs Rogers Park."

Hey, pass that handkerchief, my eyes are tearing up. I wonder if the passersby noticed that the mock broken US Navy missile, which graced the rooftop for many years, has recently been removed?

Does Rogers Park really "need" the Heartland Cafe? If so why? For what? Dry buffalo burgers? Slow, inattentive wait service and overpriced coffee? As a reliable disease vector? A place for illegal immigrants (excuse me: "undocumented trespassers") to work and take jobs from people here legally? They make it sound as if people will be lost without a nice place for America haters to congregate and plan their next anti-US rally.

"Especially now, it needs Rogers Park." Really? The Heartland Cafe should have thought about that a long time ago, before the mold slime started growing, before the mice had the chance to defecate "throughout" the restaurant, before the tofu went bad in the too-warm refrigerators, and before at least one customer became ill. Rogers Park needs the Heartland Cafe like a heart patient needs a cigarette.

Related:

Oysters - To Chew or Spit at Heartland Cafe

A popular restaurant in Rogers Park was shut down for filth and vermin by city inspectors this morning, but not a word from "The Urban Coaster" tabloid. (See post below this one for that story.) The Urban Coaster claims to present "all the news that fits the neighborhood." So where is The Urban Coaster today on the story of the Heartland Cafe's multiple health code violations already getting moldy? They're nowhere. The Urban Coaster, apparently, doesn't feel that news of a local public health threat "fits" the neighborhood. That's especially true for the socialist propaganda rag because the owners of the Heartland are politically cozy with the UC's gang of three, Jim Ginderske, Tom Westgard and Francis Scumellari. Two of Heartland Cafe's partners, Michael James and Katy Hogan, are self-avowed socialists and are politically sympathetic to The Urban Coaster's far-left writing. The Urban Coaster's food columnist seems to be ignoring the Heartland Cafe story too, which is especially odd since he writes a food column for the Coaster and is himself the owner of a little catering company. Terry "The Chef" Feingold wrote a glowing report about oysters being served at the officially filthy, vermin-infested Heartland Cafe recently. Here's a snippet: The subject of oysters comes up recently because one of our neighborhood restaurants, the Heartland Café (7000 N. Glenwood Ave.), has been offering fresh, plump, delicious Blue Point oysters on the half-shell on Friday evenings for about four weeks now. Stop on by the Buffalo bar through April to get a taste for yourself. Terry knows well the patron reactions because he shucked about one hundred of those oysters on the first night they were presented for sale (Michael James’ birthday). Terry also polished off a few himself.. Full column... Feingold did not say whether he had to spit mouse droppings as he stuffed those oysters into his pie hole. Perhaps he thought the rodent feces added a certain, delicate je ne se qua. There are a couple of odd things about Feingold's column. First, Feingold is Jewish and claims to steer away from pork, so it's odd that he's eating and waxing poetic about oysters, which are also a no-no for Jewish people who adhere to Kosher food laws as Feingold claims to. Second, Feingold should have a food safety certification from the City of Chicago as required for caterers, yet somehow his expert eye missed all the mouse shit that has been, according to the City of Chicago Department of Health, nicely distributed throughout the restaurant. When can we expect The Urban Coaster to present this important story about a public health threat to Rogers Park, the neighborhood they claim to serve? RELATED: Sweetheart Run overall winner Jesus "Chuy" Mendoza (written by Michael James, co-owner of the filthy, contaminated Heartland Cafe) Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Cool Stuff...

(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

Smells Like Ginderske

I was looking at the campaign finances for Jim Ginderske's 2007 aldermanic campaign recently and something just didn't smell right. But then, Jim Ginderske exudes the odor of fraudulent misrepentation.

He continues to misrepresent two of his projects, "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" and "The Urban Coaster" as legitimate organizations, even though the Illinois Secretary of State states flatly that they are not what they claim to be.

When Ginderske was running his ill-fated campaign in Chicago's 49th Ward, I witnessed him receive a $250 check from a local union. It was all very hush-hush. Why? He didn't want it known that a certain individual had sent him the check.

More importantly, the guy who gave him the check didn't want it known. The check was from a local union, and I don't recall the signature on the check. The unions were all very afraid of incumbent tyrant Joe Moore, which is why Ginderske got almost nothing from them. They knew that any donation to Ginderske would show on a D2 reporting form, which would be seen by Moore.

The point here is that Ginderske received a check in the amount of $250 but it seems to be missing on both his Contributions List or his Itemized Contributions List as shown on the Illinois State Board of Elections web site.

Now, I'm not saying that the geniuses in the Ginderske 2007 scout troop did not report that $250 donation. It is possible, I suppose, that Jim Ginderske never even cashed it. Hell, he might even have returned it. I don't know what actually happened to that check, but it seems likely that the cash strapped candidate did cash it.

If that happened, it should be showing on at least one of those ISBE lists. We are right to be suspicious about the Ginderske campaign contributions reporting. After all, it was Ginderske and his campaign chair, Thomas J. Westgard, who were key players in a sham organization last year called "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" (NHRP).

That venture was dissolved by the Illinois Sec. of State for not properly filing its annual report. As of this writing at 2:00 a.m. on January 13, 2009, the Sec. of State shows NHRP's status as "NOT GOOD STANDING."

Yet Ginderske and his gang continue to pass off NHRP as a legitimate not-for-profit organization. More recently, another venture involving Ginderske and Westgard was never granted incorporation because - oops! - their filing fee check bounced in December, 2008. This venture is called "The Urban Coaster," a web site with a dead-tree version. Ginderske and his gang continue to falsely show themselves as "The Urban Coaster, Inc.," even though they are, in fact, not incorporated in Illinois - not under that name anyway.

As of this writing at 2:29 a.m. on January 13, 2009, the Sec. of State's web site still shows them as not incorporated. The reason stated: "UNACCEPTABLE PAYMENT 12 17 08." (Go here http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/ and search for "The Urban Coaster") Ginderske and Westgard have a demonstrable pattern of not filing official papers properly and of not handling money well. In fact, let's go full circle and return to the Ginderske 2007 campaign.

Seems they screwed up filing then, too. Again we go to the Illinois State Board of Elections, this time to search through "Fines Due and Owing."

There, we find this:
Ginderske 2007 Imposed Date: 03/26/2007
Balance Due: $500.00
Report: Pre-election
Report Period End Date: 01/28/2007
Reason: 4 DAYS LATE - and -
Imposed Date: 10/25/2007
Balance Due: $2,600.00
Report: Semiannual
Report Period End Date: 06/30/2007
Reason: 52 DAYS LATE

The next aldermanic election will be in 2011. You can bet that Ginderske will run, and is in fact campaigning even now. Front groups such as The Urban Coaster and NHRP are nothing more than attempts to keep his name "out there," to maintain an organization of useful idiots, and ultimately transform those groups into a little campaign army. If Ginderske really wants to project himself as a bumbling idiot who lies about the legal status of his bogus organizations and cannot properly file papers or submit good checks for fee payments, he's doing one hell of a job. If he wants to project himself as a decent man with a good head on his shoulders, he couldn't have chosen a worse strategy.

RELATED:
Ginderske Violating State Law
Another Sham Ginderske Organization (Updated)
Tom Westgard, Repeat Offender

Flashback: Joe Moore's Burning Pants

Like a psychopathic liar with no conscience, 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore just can't help telling falsehoods. He bends the truth, he rewrites history. This is Revolutionary Truth, it is, and badly practiced at that. After lying through 17 years as a member of the Chicago City Council, you'd think that a man like Democrat Joe Moore could apply his law degree to a perfected level of non-truthfulness. Nope, not our Joe. He's a serial liar. Thank goodness he's a clumsy serial liar. Let's dissect Moore's lie-packed email blast of August 5, 2008: Gale Community Center Now Open; Boys and Girls Club Still Looking for a Rogers Park Home Dear Neighbor, The Gale Community Center at Howard and Marshfield is now open. The 18,000-sqaure-foot Chicago Park District facility comes complete with a full-size gym, a fitness center and a large club room, which can be subdivided into two smaller rooms. "Now open," Moore writes. It opened last Sunday, August 3. It is weird for Moore to write this two days after the fact, given his fetish for ribbon cutting ceremonies. Why no ribbon cutting for this one? And why did this email suddenly appear within hours of The Broken Heart and then The Bench criticizing Moore's silence on the official opening of the embattled community center. The center will be open Monday through Friday from 12 Noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center will be closed on Sundays. The Community Center will be staffed and operated exclusively by the Park District. Moore writes that the center "will be open…" Unconscious slip? "Will be" is future tense. The correct phrasing should be "is open." Moore writes that the center "will be staffed…" but it should really say that the "Community Center is staffed…" Present tense should be used here, not future tense. The opening is the culmination of a twelve-year effort to bring to our neighborhood a community center that began when I secured a $500,000 commitment from the original developer of the Gateway Centre. Initially, many in the neighborhood envisioned the future Community Center as a Boys and Girls Club. When it became apparent that sufficient funds were not available to build and operate the center as a Boys and Girls Club, we turned our attention to the Park District, which agreed to underwrite a portion of the construction cost and operate the building as a Park District field house. Let's concentrate only on Moore's big lies here; there are too many in this bizarre Moore email to deal with in less than 20 pages, single spaced. A well-informed and trusted friend emailed this to The Bench today: "It seems Joe thinks he can write history to come out however he wants….Eva McAnn was part of a group that has been working for this Center for years and much of that work was started without the support of the Alderman’s office. In fact, it wasn’t until the group actually started to make things happen that Moore’s office got on board." Part of the above is such a fantastic falsehood that it bears repeating: "When it became apparent that sufficient funds were not available to build and operate the center as a Boys and Girls Club, we turned our attention to the Park District, which agreed to underwrite a portion of the construction cost and operate the building as a Park District field house." Wow! According to Moore's hastily written email, there was not enough money "to build and operate" the Gale center "as a Boys and Girls Club" (even though the concept, the designs and the construction contracts were already locked up before the Boys and Girls Club entered the picture). Consider this: Ben Jarovsky wrote that The Boys and Girls Club would have been paid $100,000 to operate the Gale Community Center. How would that have helped the budget problems that Moore alleges? (Moore and the Park District, by the way, were seemingly ready to allow that even though Park District contracts over $10,000 are requred to be open for bidding. There was no bidding process in this case.) The clincher, from my friend: "If Joe had [really] secured $500,000 for a Boys and Girls Club...why didn’t he mention that during the last campaign?" Excellent question, and in fact Joe Moore himself has said that this is not so. He has written and said publicly that it was not until former aldermanic challenger Jim Ginderske lost last year's election in February that Moore considered the Boys and Girls Club. Ginderske mentioned it a number of times during his campaign, and Moore has said that Ginderske came to him - after February 2007 - and proposed the Boys and Girls Club. As my friend wrote, "With Ginderske waving the Boys and Girls banner at nearly every debate there was plenty of opportunity for Joe to accuse him of stealing ideas and tell [Rogers Park voters] that efforts were already in place to bring a Boys and Girls Club here. Had he done that, he probably could have avoided a runoff." Moore never did so, of course, because he couldn't. So, once again is trying to rewrite history like an old school Soviet propagandist. Moore's email continues: There were times when it appeared the City and Park District were about to back away from their pledge to build the community center. But thanks to the efforts of my office and a coalition of community groups, we were able to hold the City and the Park District to their commitment. Is Moore accusing the City and Park District of backing out of a commitment made long before the Boys and Girls Club entered the picture? Moore repeats the lie about the origin of his involvement: The idea of the Gale Community Center as home to a Boys and Girls Club came full circle when the Cotter Boys and Girls Club mentioned to me last April that they were looking for a new home. Given that the Community Center had yet to be fully staffed and occupied, and given earlier public support for a Boys and Girls Club in Rogers Park, I believed it was an idea worth exploring. I raised the idea with Park District Superintendent Tim Mitchell, who expressed strong interest. Moore claims that "the Cotter Boys and Girls Club mentioned to me last April" that "they were looking for a new home." That may be so, but it would have happened only after Ginderske put the idea into Moore's head. As for the phrase "last April," I believe Moore's hastily written email should have said "two Aprils ago" or "April of 2007." To say "last April" in August means four months ago. I also shared the proposal with numerous residents and the leading community organizations in the area, nearly all of whom expressed strong support for the idea, including Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park, Dev Corp North, Gale Academy Principal Richard Glass, Family Matters Director Kim Delong, State Senator Heather Steans, and my former aldermanic opponent Jim Ginderske. They all agreed the Boys and Girls Club would bring to our local youth expanded programming and other enrichment activities, which the Park District currently does not provide. Gale Principal Glass, a Boys and Girls Club alumnus, was so excited about the proposal he offered Gale Academy as a satellite location to the Community Center. True to form, Moore keeps lying. "I also shared the proposal with….my former aldermanic opponent Jim Ginderske." It is well established that it was the other way around. Ginderske put the idea of a Boys and Girls Club into Moore's head after February, 2007. Under the shared-use proposal, the Park District and the Boys and Girls Club would have jointly operated the Community Center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Center would have also been open on both Saturdays and Sundays. Programming for adults, as well as children, would have been offered. "Jointly operated," perhaps, but as noted above, it would have cost tax payers $100,000 a year for the contract with the Boys and Girls Club. (It's interesting to note, by the way, that the "non-profit" Boys and Girls Club's top executive is paid nearly a million dollars a year. Roxanne Spillett's compensation for doing "charity work" is listed at $972,908. Source: CharityReports.bbb.org. Does that sound like a "non-profit" to you?) In addition to expanding the Gale Center hours and staffing, the Boys and Girls Club would have brought to Rogers Park some of their renowned character building and leadership programs, such as the Keystone Teen Leadership Club, which takes teens on trips to cities as varied as Atlanta, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. The Boys and Girls Club also would have brought to Rogers Park mentoring and tutoring programs, such as their partnership with WGN-TV in which school age children and teens are paired with responsible caring adults who commit time each week to meet and work with the young people on school projects and homework assignments. As a result of these and other programs, nearly 90% of Cotter Boys and Girls Club members graduate from high school, a remarkable fete in a school system with a 50% graduation rate. Pants on fire. Ginderske, Moore's former opponent turned loyal lap dog, has been trotting out old and misleading information about the Boys and Girls Club, which Moore has been casually recycling. Ginderske has been pumping out trash information filtered through his tiny Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park (NHRP). NHRP presents itself as a legitimate non-profit, but it is neither. It has no official standing whatsoever, unless you consider that it was officially dissolved by the Illinois Secretary of State in May, 2008 for failure to file an annual report. NHRP, and Moore, are fond of repeating "an alumni survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America," which claims that "52 percent of respondents" said the clubs saved their lives, and several other minor miracles were cited as well. But it's fluff. Neither Ginderske nor Moore bothers to tell that the Harris survey was done in 1999, nearly a decade ago. NHRP and Moore will tell us that "an alumni survey by Lou Harris & Associates they determined that there are about 3.5 million Boys and Girls Club or Boys and Girls Club alumni in the United States" according to the Boys and Girls Club of Mount Vernon, NY. (See: "Ginderske: Sit Down, Shut Up") Okay, but of those 3.5 million alumni, Louis Harris and Associates polled only 1,592 Boys and Girls Club alumni." [Source] In other words, a miniscule 0.0455 percent (less than one half of one percent) of the 3.5 million BGCA alumni were polled! Ridiculous, especially when you consider that we are not told by Ginderske or anybody else where those alumni were living when they were polled a decade ago. Despite the benefits a Boys and Girls Club would bring to the neighborhood, a few vocal people began organizing against the Boys and Girls Club idea even before a formal proposal was presented to the neighborhood. A few of the skeptics had thoughtful concerns about the proposal, including concerns about the precedent of turning over the Community Center to a private entity. The supporters of the proposal and I attempted to address those concerns by amending the proposal to ensure the building would continue to be owned by the Park District and staffed by Park District employees. Blah blah blah. Moore is deliberately giving the false impression that the brand new Gale Community Center was the only option offered to the Boys and Girls Club. In fact, use of the Gale School was offered. They turned it down. However, as Chicago Reader reporter Ben Joravsky noted in his article, "Endless War," most of the opposition to the Boys and Girls Club appeared to be politically motivated. The opponents said they were not against a Boys and Girls Club in Rogers Park. Yet, they opposed the only plan with a funding source that made it possible for a Boys and Girls Club to locate here. In fairness to Joravsky, he also pointed out in his excellent Chicago Reader article that a lot of Moore's obfuscation and delays were politically motivated as well. As for Moore's statement that the community center was the "only plan with a funding source that made it possible for a Boys and Girls Club to locate here," well, those keeping score should now add another tally mark in the "Lies by Joe Moore" column. In the end, Park District officials simply did not have the stomach for a fight and decided instead to pursue a significantly scaled down version of the original Boys and Girls Club proposal. Rather than subsidize a permanent year-round Boys and Girls Club presence in Rogers Park, the Park District now says it may be willing to subsidize a summer program in 2009. In the end, actually, the SEIU and union types sympathetic to them pressured Moore and the Park District to back down. SEIU and other labor organizations have given Moore enormous campaign donations over the years, and the idea of Moore and the Park District bringin in non-union staff at the community center must have infuriated them. Furthermore, it would not be at all surprising if Moore got a late night phone call from Howard Dean at the DNC, during which Moore was told to back off and stop making an ass of himself if he still wants a job in Washington under the hoped-for administration of fellow Chicago Machine Democrat Barack Obama. I certainly support any kind of Boys and Girls Club presence in Rogers Park, even a limited summer program. But I'm extremely disappointed that our children will miss out on all the many benefits and opportunities that a year-round club would bring. Boo frikkin' hoo. There are several free libraries within walking distance of Rogers Park residents. The wonderful beaches nearby are free. Board games and hopscotch and television are accessible to all. To be bored in Chicago is to be totally lacking in imagination. To tell us that The Children Will Now Suffer because there will be no Boys and Girls Club in the Gale Community Center is to insult all of us with a cynical, exaggerated, callous, politically motivated lie. It's a miracle that Moore hasn't resorted yet to calling opponents to installing the Boys and Girls Club in the community center racists (as Mayor Daley has called opponents to the ongoing effort to ram the Children's Museum into Grant Park). In the coming months, I will redouble my efforts to bring a full-time Boys and Girls Club to the 49th Ward, and I invite everyone, including those who opposed the Boys and Girls Club at the Community Center, to work with me to identify a funding source and location for such a club. So, as with all the man hours Joe Moore has wasted on (a) drafting the foie gras ordinance and then (b) defending the foie gras ordinance, Moore now pledges to waste more man hours in order to "redouble" his efforts to bring in the Boys and Girls Club. He's been in office for 17 years. He was in office for 15-16 years, apparently, before he ever gave serious consideration to a Boys and Girls Club. We pay this schmuck over a hundred grand a year for this crap. Why the belated interest? Why the "redoubling" of effort? What's really in it for Joe Moore? Moore signed off with "sincerely." You think he's sincere? SEIU no longer does, nor do other attentive brothers and sisters in the labor community. Many Rogers Park residents have had their eyes opened by this experience and now regret voting Moore into another term last year. The DNC is sincerely looking at Moore with growing skepticism, wondering whether it's worth all the effort and expense to keep picking up after his messes.

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."

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.

Another Sham Ginderske Organization (Updated)

Another fraudulent organization is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and again it's in Rogers Park. You'd think these dunces would learn. Again, it's Jim Ginderske and friends, with yet another sham organization. This time, it's his new "Urban Coaster," a web site with a twin dead-tree version.

Jim Ginderske, failed aldermanic candidate in 2007 in Chicago's 49th Ward has a history of deception. First, he lied during the aldermanic run-off election in March and April of 2007 by telling former supporters that he was not supporting Joe Moore. He did. Then, in mid-2008, Ginderske and company were exposed for operating a sham organization; his "Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park" (NHRP) was dissolved by the State of Illinois for not filing the proper papers. That did not stop Ginderske from publicly presenting his NHRP as a legitimate non-profit organization. It wasn't. Now, they 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. See, their check for filing fees to the State of Illinois bounced. Yup, bounced. Like rubber. 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. This was 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. Ginderske hopes to be elected to something someday, yet he can't oversee tiny organizations well enough to make sure they file annual reports or send valid checks to the Illinois Secretary of State. Now, if Ginderske is that inept, that careless, and that willing to lie about the validity of his sham organizations, how effective would he be as an elected official?

Ginderske Vows To Kiss "Everyone in Rogers Park"

He's spreading the love. Jim Ginderske, former candidate for alderman in Chicago's 49th Ward, says he's on a mission. A kissing mission.

"Everyone needs a kiss now and then," Ginderske said recently, "and I'm the guy to give it to them."

Ginderske says that kissing people empowers them to feel loved. "We all need loving. And I'm the guy to give it to them. That, and empowerment. I'm the love empowerer of Rogers Park," he said.

His strategy is simple: Walk around the Rogers Park neighborhood and randomly kiss people, like the man in the photo here.

Ginderske was crossing Morse Avenue when he spontaneously grabbed a businessman, in the middle of the street, and kissed him.

It only lasted for 90 seconds, but Ginderske said he feels he made a good friend. They exchanged business cards and promised to call each other.

"Men, women, children, they all need loving," Ginderske said. "Sometimes it's best when it's random. I'll just grab somebody on a whim, if they look like they need a kiss or even just a prolonged hug. I love hugging."

At least one local doesn't approve of Ginderske's random acts of kissing, however. She asked to remain anonymous, but told The Bench that she feels "creeped out" by Ginderske's actions.

"I mean," she said on the phone, "what if I don't want him to kiss me? How do I know where his lips were, you know, like twenty minutes ago? What if I catch something? What if my kid catches something?"

Alderman's Pal, Wisconsin Plates, No City Stickers

Culture of corruption, albeit on a dinky scale. One of 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore's chief operatives doesn't respect the vehicle registration rules of either the City of Chicago or the State of Illinois.

Jim Ginderske (left), who ran against Moore in the 2007 aldermanic race, is now one of Moore's key allies. Both men are working hard for Barack Obama. (Both men are "Democrats," although true Democrats would tell you otherwise.)

There are more examples of this in the 49th Ward: Rene Camargo (right), operative for DevCorp North, harasses struggling merchants by telling them what color to paint their ceilings, but Camargo has no Chicago city stickers on his vehicle.

Camargo tells people that he lives in Rogers Park, but has Evanston city stickers on his car. Either he's a carpetbagger from Evanston telling Chicago businesses what to do - with the implied authority of Moore behind him - or he lives in Chicago but is in violation of Chicago law just as Ginderske seems to be.

RELATED: Joe Moore Political Operative Shuns City Sticker

How Predictable, How Sadly Predictable

Leave it to a self-described "progressive Democrat" to attack John McCain's Veep pick Sarah Palin based on - substance? nope ... age. That's right, the individual I refer to is attacking McCain's choice by mocking the age difference. Now, let me be fair: The individual to whom I refer is NOT typical of the progressives I know, some of whom I call friends. Rather, he is a sick individual who is himself loathed by most of the true progressive Democrats in Chicago. He is Thomas J. Westgard, a man who openly hates transsexuals and gay people, mocks women, and now gleefully mocks senior citizens and women. Westgard, who has a wide reputation as a misogynist in Rogers Park, even has the nerve to show a scandalous video about McCain's extramarital affair. Now, I'm not excusing the marital affair, but for Westgard to mock anybody's is hypocrisy to the max. Westgard himself screwed up his own marriage - while his coffee shop was going down the toilet, his wife grabbed their kid and fled to Indiana to hide out with her mother and retains custody today. See for yourselves (links below, all posts cached). Westgard will notice a spike - again - in his pitiful numbers. Before he brags about it - as he did the last time I directed a bunch of hits his way - he should consider who the spike is coming from (again): People being directed to his sick blog to see what a tragic lunatic he is. Note: He makes no money on any hits to his blog, so click away. Westgard is a close ally of Alderman Joe Moore (49th Ward) and of Moore's lacky Jim Ginderske. All three of them avidly support Barack Obama for president. GOP Exactly 24 Years Behind Dems John McCain Sure Likes 'Em Pretty Mail-Order Running Mate The Next Hot Thing John and Sarah

Letters

Friend Natasha, an observant reader of the local blogs, makes the following observation: Well, I read a bit of "Wee Wee" Westgard's website today and I stand reproved. He's not as funny as you are (who is) but I see now how wrong I was about him. There was one particularly illuminating post that turned me around. An Anonymous poster wrote, "you have never --- never --- made the first positive contribution to your community. . ." Westgard replied, "Oh, I don't know about doing nothing for the community. I would say that helping to bring a $2,000,000 per year Federally-Qualified Health Clinic to the neighborhood might be a pretty cool thing to have done. And then, bringing a $250,000 per year Boys and Girls Club to the neighborhood is something to be proud of - even trying to do that would be pretty great." Westgard helped bring the clinic to Rogers Park? I thought it was Heartland and federal earmarks compliments of [Congressman] Jan [Schakowsky]. And the Boy's and Girl's club? That was WeeWee too? Wow. What a guy. I didn't know he had enough pull with Sen. Steans to get $50K from the state much less $2 million from a Congresswoman. Looking back, if we had just listened to him, we would have saved tax payer dollars AND had park services at Gale on Sunday. Just like church in a way. What can we say about a guy who even counts "trying" as something great? Tom, a generous, magnanimous spirit like this can't be bought. I'm sure he donates his blog-for-hire retainer to charity because, well, he's clearly not motivated by the money; it really is all about the children. Your friend, Natasha Note: It is true that Wee Wee, with Jim Ginderske, was involved in the "effort" to get the federal grant money for the health clinic. In fact, I sat in on one of their meetings in a basement meeting room on W. Lunt Ave before Ginderske was defeated in the February 2007 election. However, let's keep in mind what this really is. Somebody wrote a grant request. The grant request was passed on to Congressman Schakowsky, who bumped it up in Washington D.C. In other words, Wee Wee and Ginderske asked somebody to write a grant request, which a fancy way of holding a cup out and begging for change. Schakowsky took the cup and shook it. She got some change - money out of my pocket and your pocket - and gave it to a handful of physicians to open a clinic. The fraudulent organization called Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park (NHRP) had its hand in the effort. NHRP is Ginderske's club, but keep in mind that NHRP was involuntarily dissolved by the Illinois Secretary of State on May 9, 2008 for failure to disclose required information. Wee Wee was on the board and is the one who ultimately failed to lick a stamp and send the annual report to the State of Illinois, thus resulting in NHRP's disqualification as a legitimate non-profit organization in this state. Subsequently, Wee Wee has been booted from the NHRP board. If and when NHRP registers again with the State of Illinois, it will be without Wee Wee. (See: "Did NHRP Break the Law?", "NHRP: Ginderske's Sham Organization" and NHRP: Odd Man Out) There was never, ever any financial risk to Wee Wee, Ginderske or anybody else involved in taking money from the public. Wee Wee did not hammer any nails, he did not draw any plans, nor did Ginderske. Admittedly, the grant request was written well enough to do the job, but even a barely adequate one would have done the job with Schakowsky backing it. So, Wee Wee is essentially bragging about being an efficient accomplice to a successful group effort at stealing public money for a clinic run by pals. Same with the Boys and Girls Club: No risk, no real work, just a lot of begging, pleading and manipulation of other people's money and resources to further their own political and egotistical goals. But then, that's how socialists and communists operate.

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