Richton Park Herald

By Harry Olson

Let me say, first of all, that this is just my opinion. What's going to happen is beyond me and certainly out of my control!

Let's start out with who should not be appointed. Any one who has previously held the office should not be appointed. In my opinion change is good. I would like to see term limits on public offices held in Richton Park. I proposed this while I was on the Board, but it didn't even get put on the agenda because "why go through all the legal expense when its just going to get voted down anyway". When incumbents say they have the experience or want to see things through, its all a bunch of nonsense. Anybody with half a head on their shoulders can do the job. The village is run by the Village Staff. They do all the work, they put the Board's agendas together and make suggestions as to the path we should take. We have legall consul, finance and accounting people, Parks and Rec, Public Works, Police and Fire. They run, maintain and protect the Village on a day to day basis. When the Board meets two times a month (more when the budget is being worked on), who's not going to vote for the vicious dog ordinance? I don't mean to belittle trustees or the work they do, but again, I think just about any resident can do the job. So no need to appoint somebody who has already been in the job. They've had their chance and if they decided to quit or got voted out of office lets leave it at that and let the village move on. I hope in the upcoming election in Spring 2011 we have 3 new trustees voted in that have no political experience whatsoever.

So who do I think should be appointed? I have a special place in my heart for Richton Park Citizens of the Year. I was one myself and it was nice to be recognized for all the volunteer efforts one does. Some of the more recent Citizens of the Year include Brian Coleman and Bill Colon. Another person I think would be good would be Monica Holden. They all seem to me to have the best for Richton Park in the forefront without any hidden agendas. But hey, that's me. Maybe the seat will remain empty until the election. In any case, I think the Village of Richton Park needs someone new without any hatchets, hidden agendas or devisive old alliances. What we need is someone with a new attitude!

Good luck Richton Park!

P.S. I'm now living in Arizona, so why don't I just keep my big fat nose out of it? Well, I lived in Richton Park for over 30 years and there's still a special place in my heart for the people in Richton Park. The village is moving along in a good direction and I'd hate to see it slip back into two opposing camps arguing with each other all the time. Isn't the internet great? Just like I'm there!