My Inaugural Blog

A political campaign is a fluid thing, and many things arise on the campaign trail which are of interest to residents but might not be suitable for a press release or a news story. So I have decided to use this space on my website to ruminate about the campaign and let folks know a little bit more about what is going on. I plan on updating the content on a periodic basis, so I encourage you to come back often to see what is new.

For my inaugural piece, I thought I would thank the people who have opened up their homes to host parties and “meet and greets” for me. These events are a great way to get to know new people and find out what is really of concern to residents. Very often, the residents have great ideas for solutions to various problems facing the City which neither I nor other elected officials have thought of.

The first event was way back in early December at the home of Phil and Karen Donahue on Fairview. It got the campaign off to a smashing success. About 40 people showed up who asked a lot of great questions that helped me learn more about the issues which mattered most to them and began helping me sharpen my message as a candidate. A few days later, an old law school friend, Carla Owen, (I don’t mean you are old, Carla) hosted an event which drew about 20 people, an excellent turnout for a weeknight. The end of that same week, another old law school friend, Linda Coyle, (you aren’t old either, Linda) tossed a great (and crowded) party with her husband, Shaun, which spilled over into Linda’s Amphora-decorated living room and their beautifully-refurbished basement which is actually more like a sports bar.

Since then, Bob and Sara Horak have thrown a standing room only event where about 50 people were treated to a sumptuous buffet and an impressive bar. Sadly, everyone stayed upstairs by the food and drink, meaning that all the hours Sara spent fixing up the basement went for naught. That was the first party I was smart enough to bring a camera to. You can see some photos from that event here on the website. Not only that, Sara contributed the leftovers for the Grand Opening of our campaign office. Sara was also good enough to gather a group of “Washington School moms” together last week on a Thursday morning where we hashed over the O’Hare and casino issues among other things. This week, I am headed to a party at Rosalee DiCola’s house on North Merrill to meet some of her friends. The next few weeks will see more events at the homes of Debby Usher, Bridget Urban, Marty Maloney and my good friends and neighbors, Mark and Carole Brun. I expect that one will run pretty late. Thankfully I live right across the street.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful it has been to meet so many different and interesting people during my run for mayor. Many of the people I have met at these parties have become committed volunteers for the campaign. And the list keeps growing day by day. It is easy to see why Park Ridge is such a great place to live and why it is worth fighting to keep it that way. These folks are why I decided to run for mayor in the first place, and they are why the campaign is going as well as it is.

Like I said, stay tuned for more updates on the campaign. It’s been a great ride, and it promises to get even better. Talk to you again soon.