OP_032317

opprairie.com Sound Off
the orland park prairie | March 23, 2017 | 19
From the Assistant Editor
Passion, meet heartbreak
Social snapshot
Top Web Stories
From opprairie.com as of Sunday, March 19
Brittany Kapa
Assistant Editor
This week alone, I have
gotten to talk to an
Olympic silver medalist
and sit in the press box at
the United Center.
As a journalist, and a
hockey player not so well
hidden beneath the surface,
I was fortunate enough to
interview Kendall Coyne.
Then, the next day, I was
given a media pass by the
Chicago Blackhawks organization
that granted me access
to the press box at the United
Center. (The United Center
during a hockey game is
fees, and annual reports.
Our voices are important,
and I personally don’t care
how you wish to vote —
just make sure that you are
educating yourself with real
facts, not alternative ones.
Lisa M. Molloy
Orland Park Resident
Mayor recounts successes,
humbly requests votes
April 4
As mayor of Orland Park
for many years, I’ve learned
to tune out the white noise, innuendo
and lies. In these last
few weeks before the final
votes are tallied April 4, truth
needs to ring clear as a bell.
For that reason, I outline
below why our village is
among the safest in the nation
and will remain so for
generations. The reasons are
like my Disney World, just
to put this in context. I was
extremely excited.)
But my excitement for
both things needed to be
reined in. I’m a professional,
and fan-girling (yes, I’m
using that as a verb) while
talking to Coyne or interviewing
players after a game
at the United Center is not a
professional way to act.
Pushing my excitement
aside, there was a story to be
told in both of these situations,
and it is my job to tell
it.
Both subjects arguably are
heartbreaking.
Coyne and her fellow
USA Hockey teammates
are boycotting the upcoming
competition in an effort
to get a living wage from
the organization. These
are women who are at the
top of their game and have
been chosen to represent the
United States in competition.
The issue has gotten
national attention from major
media outlets across the
country. Personally, I think
it is sad that in 2017 women
who are that talented and
skilled at a sport, and have
won multiple Olympic medals,
are forced to make tough
decisions regarding food and
putting gas in their cars during
those six months.
That is not a decision
anyone at the top of a chosen
field should have to make,
period.
I have been fortunate
enough to be a bit of a beat
reporter the past few weeks,
and I have written on Providence’s
journey to the 2017
Amateur Hockey Association
of Illinois Red Division
Championship game. This
is a one-and-done playoff
series, and Providence made
it back to the United Center
for the second year in a row.
Their opponent, New Trier
Green, beat them this past
year, and the Celtics were
looking to get that back.
SPOILER ALERT!
The game didn’t end in
their favor. I must give these
young men credit, though. In
the face of defeat, they stood
tall, articulated themselves
well and, simply put, gave it
all they had and came up just
short.
As I was waiting for interviews
from the players, the
other journalists were talking
about the game, and the consensus
was Providence was a
good team. The other media
professionals were genuinely
impressed with the talent the
team had. A few different
bounces of the puck, or a
different angle on a shot, and
the game could have easily
gone in the Celtics’ favor.
The common thread
between these two stories,
besides hockey, is both
Coyne and her teammates
and Providence put all they
had into something they
believe is worth the fight.
That will always be admirable.
deep-seated in long-range
strategic planning that results
in the following.
Economics: The Village
of Orland Park has thrived
through unprecedented, controlled
growth, while sustaining
a balanced budget for 24
straight years. This efficiency
has led to $39 million in property
taxes being refunded to
homeowners in 12 of the last
15 years. The Village has
maintained an A+ bond and
credit rating by both Standard
& Poor’s and Moody’s. We
would not have achieved a
AA+ credit rating if we had
unreasonable debt or did not
maintain strong fund balances
and balanced budgets.
Full-Time Mayor: The
Village Board chose to save
taxpayers $750,000 over
four years, by eliminating
the need to hire two new bureaucratic
managerial positions
and make the mayor’s
job full-time. Taxpayers will
make contributions toward
the mayor’s retirement plan.
But once that mayor — whoever
it is — leaves office or
retires, all taxpayer contributions
into his or her retirement
plan stop.
Infrastructure: More than
$500 million in road, street
and infrastructure improvements
were completed without
raising property taxes a
single dime to pay for it.
Downtown Development:
Orland Park’s investment in
a “downtown of the future”
will result in a direct favorable
economic impact, as
well as support for surrounding
restaurants and shopping,
while providing an exciting
downtown that keeps Orland
Park as a leader in the Chicago
area.
Quality of Life: Chicago
magazine chose Orland Park
on its “Best Places to Live”
list three years ago, while
“good homes, low crime and
above-average schools” were
cited by Money magazine as
it hailed our village as having
“the vibrancy of the city with
the comforts of the suburbs.”
Finally, I want all your
readers to know that I begin
each day with a commitment
to address the issues that
matter most to Orland Park
families and to continually
improve the quality of life we
enjoy here.
I humbly ask for your vote
for mayor.
Daniel McLaughlin
Mayor, Village of Orland
Park
1. Customer allegedly stabs Sears Auto
Center manager over oil change delay
2. Prior letter’s crime sorting a ‘tremendous
disservice’ to residents
3. Voters should educate themselves with
the facts
4. McLaughlin aims to complete Triangle,
I-80
5. Challenger requests the votes of Orland
Park residents April 4
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The Bridge Teen Center posted the
accompanying image Friday, March 17,
with the note, “Test your luck tonight at
the spinning wheel! Tonight is ‘Feeling
Irish’ Night at The Bridge! Thank you
to our sponsors DeVry University and
Meijer #bridgetc #stpatricksday”
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“Packed house at the UC!
#ChampionshipDay @PCHS_Celtics @
NewTriersFinest”
@AHAI_1 — Amatuer Hockey Association of
Illinois, on Friday, March 17
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