Vince Is Lying When His Lips Are Moving Edition

Vince & Rod...Definitely Separated at Birth
OR
Roland Burris Can't Tell the Truth...
Is Roland Burris "Vince's Brother from Another Mother"?

An Electronic Newsletter – With Highwood News, Information & Entertainment
February 22, 2009
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Introduction

Why Can't Vince Tell The Truth?
When I read the latest "update" article in the HP News online about the tragic fire two weeks ago, I was really infuriated.

QUESTION: When was the last time you saw the HP News do a follow up on anything?

ANSWER: When it fits their political agenda. Here was a follow up Article about the Green Bay Road fire. The Article stated that the City didn't know anymore about the cause of the fire (there's a reason for a follow-up!) and letting Vince trumpet his (fake) horror about the state of rental conditions in Highwood.

Of course the article ran after Vince called in a favor after seeing the facts laid out in FTC. The HP News is afraid of losing the three readers they have left.

First, here is a reprint of the Article, for context (My snide, yet accurate, remarks are in red & italics):

Highwood Fire Remains Under Investigation

February 17, 2009 By ANDREW SCHNEIDER aschneider@pioneerlocal.com
Highwood officials are still investigating a fire in an over-crowded duplex that injured two children and left nearly a dozen without shelter last weekend. Highwood Mayor Vincent Donofrio said that the cause of the fire hasn't been determined but that calls reporting suspected over-crowding in the city have spiked. "We're starting to get some calls on some of the over-crowding issues from neighbors," Donofrio said Tuesday. REALLY just "starting"? How about the people who have come to City Council meetings, complaining...they were told "we'll look into it"
The fire which began around 2:15 p.m. Feb. 7, at a duplex at 820-822 Green Bay Road, appeared to have started in the basement and spread to all three floors. It was extinguished around 4 p.m. The fire left the building uninhabitable.
Donofrio said the problem is exacerbated by absentee landlords who own some of the estimated 850 rental units in the North Shore community. "We do have a problem with absentee landlords not keeping the property up," he said. "What I'm worried about though, is safety." WOW, Vince "Einstein" Donofrio figured out that Highwood has an absentee landlord problem. He must have just woken up. He missed the Rental Inspection Ordinance that the Sirotti Administration passed; He pulled the plug on Code Enforcement.
Donofrio said that after last week's fire he even received three calls personally from neighbors concerned about specific rental properties. Too bad, that the calls Vince is getting are from the slumlord's worried that he might start code enforcement. Depending on the final disposition of the investigation, officials raised the specter of a criminal complaint against the owner of the duplex. How about a Criminal complaint against Vince for his wilful neglect of his Oath of office to enforce the law for HIGHWOOD'S RESIDENTS...not their out of town landlord's/political contributors.
"I feel for the tenants, I truly do, and we have an obligation to protect them," WOW, another revelation! Vince has an obligation to protect the tenants...not the landlords. Donofrio said after the fire. "When landlords are cramming people into housing that is inadequate in size and or accommodation for the sake of making a buck, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent." Hey Vince, didn't you do the rental unit inspections? Why didn't you know about the over crowding? BTW...how many code enforcement cases have been filed in the last 3.5 years?
Updated 2/17: Highwood fire remains under investigation :: News :: PIONEER PRESS :: Highland Park News

Where's the Outrage?
Two children were injured in the fire.
The City looked away (until they couldn't anymore).
Now Vince's campaign platform is CODE ENFORCEMENT?
Give me a break.
Vince, just stop the lies. There WAS a code enforcement program in full swing when Vince took over, but:
He gutted it.
He stopped North Shore Estates from losing its rental license ("They are working on making repairs, let's give them a chance").
There were numerous fires after that.
He tried to let NSE be converted to condos w/o a public hearing.
Then he greased the way for its acquisition by a sub-standard developer, w/o requiring them to make important life safety repairs.
NSE is just the tip of the iceberg. The Slumlords are running amok throughout the City...and Vince doesn't care...it is the reason he was elected...he had the contributions and support of the out of town landlords.
So while innocent children burn, while your property values are in the tank, Vince's buddies rake it in.

Vote for Vince, He Will Protect My Slum Investment
Vince will fake outrage, empathy, horror and outrage...until you are stupid enough to believe him and re-elect him. Then he will forget about it, collect his salary...and collect pats on the back from his out of town supporters.
Oh, yeah...Vince will snicker with them about what a dumb ass you were for helping to re-elect him.
The choice is yours. After all, what are the chances your children or grandchildren will be burned and scarred? That only happens to "those other people". You know the ones Vince is now outraged about because they are the victims of his friends...the out of town landlords.
After all, he was one of those "Landlords"...remember that he was once the owner of 319 Euclid Avenue...which became one of the worst slum properties in Highwood history. It was so bad that Sirotti's Code enforcement program got it demolished. It made the duplex on Green Bay Road look like the Taj Mahal.
Ask Vince, the debate is coming!
There will be an upcoming debate. Ask Vince some hard questions:
How many cases the City has filed to enforce the Housing Codes since he was elected;
How many cases they have won;
How many slums have been demolished;
Why he stopped doing Rental Inspections during his first year in office;
Why he could use home rule to raise your taxes, but couldn't use it to require a sprinkler system at North Shore Estates;
Why he tried to sneak a change in the zoning code so it would be possible for NSE to change hands w/o public hearings and making important repairs;
Why he is spending more than triple in attorney fees, and not doing any of these things;
He won't tell you the truth. He will talk, his lips will move, he will lie. But it will be fun to watch him stutter and the expression on the his face.

What's Next?

Well, this is the third FTC of the year. The word is Vince is really upset. So, I wonder what's next:
What rumors is he going to start to spread? (More importantly, will you believe him?)
Will he respond to the disturbing information? (Will you demand it?)
Will I be investigated again? (I hope so, this time I won't let the City off so easily)
Who is he going to threaten?
Or, is he just going to sit back and smile...because he thinks that Highwood voters are chumps?
Everyone has standards...Its just that Vince's are really low.
How are your standards?
"Fool Me Once...Shame On You
Fool Me Twice...Shame On Me"

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The views expressed in this newsletter are my own opinions, and may not represent the views of anyone else. Factual corrections will be appreciated and reported. This letter may be informative, interesting, cynical, humorous, and/or irritating depending upon one's point of view.
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Trying to preserve Highwood for the next City Council, through your involvement today!

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FROM THE CORNER (FTC)
Paul P. Diambri
Writer, Editor, Psychic, Detective, Photographer, Columnist, Reviewer,
Reporter, Janitor, Messenger, Owner & Chairman of the Board