Changes

A citizens group, Oak Parkers for Sanity in Our Parks, organized by [[Oak Park]], Illinois, environmentalist [[Les Golden]], scheduled a meeting with the Executive Director of the park district, Jan Arnold, and addressed their concerns.  The citizen initiative led to articles in the [[Chicago Tribune]],<ref> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-06/news/ct-met-oak-park-dog-park-20130307_1_dog-park-turf-field-larger-dog </ref><ref> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-12/news/ct-tl-oak-park-dog-run-0314-20130312_1_dog-park-ridgeland-common-turf-field</ref> and numerous letters to the editor in the local Oak Park press.  A rally was scheduled at Ridgeland Common and a resident began an online petition.<ref> http://www.change.org/petitions/the-oak-park-park-board-please-reconsider-your-plans-to-remove-the-sled-hill-at-ridgeland?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created</ref>

A citizens group, Oak Parkers for Sanity in Our Parks, organized by [[Oak Park]], Illinois, environmentalist [[Les Golden]], scheduled a meeting with the Executive Director of the park district, Jan Arnold, and addressed their concerns.  The citizen initiative led to articles in the [[Chicago Tribune]],<ref> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-06/news/ct-met-oak-park-dog-park-20130307_1_dog-park-turf-field-larger-dog </ref><ref> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-12/news/ct-tl-oak-park-dog-run-0314-20130312_1_dog-park-ridgeland-common-turf-field</ref> and numerous letters to the editor in the local Oak Park press.  A rally was scheduled at Ridgeland Common and a resident began an online petition.<ref> http://www.change.org/petitions/the-oak-park-park-board-please-reconsider-your-plans-to-remove-the-sled-hill-at-ridgeland?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created</ref>

Because of Golden’s environmental activism against destructive actions by the park district dating from the 2007 devastation of Field playground at the hands of past Park District head Gary Balling and the feckless, political patronage dump Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Golden used the name of Richard Kullman in scheduling the meeting.  He did this for two reasons:  1.  To ensure the protest stayed to the issue of Ridgeland Common and not be diverted by bureaucrats and the organized sports lobby to him, and 2. to begin afresh with the new executive director.   

Because of Golden’s environmental activism against destructive actions by the park district dating from the 2007 devastation of Field playground at the hands of past Park District head Gary Balling and the feckless, political patronage dump Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Golden used the name of Richard Kullman in scheduling the meeting.  He did this for two reasons:  1.  To ensure the protest stayed to the issue of Ridgeland Common and not be diverted by bureaucrats and the organized sports lobby to him, and 2. to begin afresh with the new executive director.   

The strategy proved to be in vain, however, when Diane Stanke, the public relations mouthpiece, and a holdover from the Gary Balling era, in an effort to discredit the passion of those wishing to keep the sled hill, dog park, and mulch pile, informed Arnold that Kullman was in fact Golden.  Quickly, as Golden had feared, the issue began to focus on him rather than the thousands of children and dog owners who would now find their passive pleasure destroyed.

The strategy proved to be in vain, however, when Diane Stanke, the public relations mouthpiece, and a holdover from the Gary Balling era, in an effort to discredit the passion of those wishing to keep the sled hill, dog park, and mulch pile, informed Arnold that Kullman was in fact Golden.  Quickly, as Golden had feared, the issue began to focus on him rather than the thousands of children and dog owners who would now find their passive pleasure destroyed.

Golden also shared the concerns  of the group with the so-called “Green Committee,” which had been formed in 2008 in response to citizen uproar over the devastation of Field playground, and the destruction of most of its trees and all of the bushes surrounding the fieldhouse.  The response of the Green Committee was to invite an artificial turf contractor to an emergency meeting with easily predicted results.

Golden also shared the concerns  of the group with the so-called “Green Committee,” which had been formed in 2008 in response to citizen uproar over the devastation of Field playground, and the destruction of most of its trees and all of the bushes surrounding the fieldhouse.  The response of the Green Committee was to invite an artificial turf contractor to an emergency meeting with easily predicted results.