By Igor Studenkov
For the Bugle
The vote to confirm the replacement for Fifth Ward Ald. Daniel Knight turned unexpectedly contentious, as three out six aldermen expressed concerns about the process.
Under state law, when there is a vacancy on the Park Ridge City Council, a mayor appoints a replacement and the aldermen either confirm or deny the pick. In recent years, the mayors tweaked the process, appointing commissions made up of residents of the affected ward to interview the candidates and make a recommendation. The same process was followed after Knight passed away on Dec. 20, 2016, with the committee choosing Charlie Melidosian.
But on Feb. 6, Second Ward Ald. Nicholas Milissis, Third Ward Ald. Rick Van Roeyen and Forth Ward Ald. Roger Shubert said they would vote against the confirmation, because they had concerns about the process wasn’t representing the will of the people. With six aldermen sitting on the council at the time, that would’ve created a deadlock. Milissis ultimately changed his vote, saying that he felt he got his concerns across, and, since he had no issue with Melidosian personally, he was willing to confirm him.
According to meeting documents available on the City of Park Ridge website, a total of 10 candidates applied to fill Knight’s seat, but two withdrew. Acting Mayor Marty Maloney appointed the alderman’s widow, Sue Knight, to the committee. He also appointed, Judy Barclay, Sal Raspanti, Joan Sandrik and Park Ridge Public Library Trustee Michael Reardon. They interviewed the remaining candidates on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, narrowed down the field to two and made their final decision during the Jan. 29 meeting.
In his application letter, Melidosian wrote that he was born in Park Ridge and lived in the Fifth Ward for the past 20 years. He currently works as the Information Security Manager at the Alliant Credit Union, Chicago. Melidosian previously served on the since-disbanded Park Ridge Fair Housing Committee, and he volunteered for two election campaigns for late mayor David Schmidt.
The city council last filled vacancies on Sept. 21, 2015, when it unanimously approved appointing van Roeyen to a seat left vacant after Ald. Robert Wilkening died earlier that month. As the Bugle reported at the time, he was approved quickly and unanimously.
But this around, Milissis announced he would vote against the nomination. He said he had misgivings about the process when Van Roeyen was appointed, and they’ve only grown since then.
“Unfortunately, whether there’s tradition or precedent, I didn’t have an input,” he said. “I can’t give a vote on the critical issue to people whose positions I know nothing about it.”
Van Roeyen’s case, Milissis said, was different, because he ran against Wilkening in the most recent election, so his position on issues was on record.
He complained that the Jan. 23 meeting, when Melidosian was interviewed, coincided with a Committee of the Whole meeting, so he couldn’t attend it, and audio recordings could only convey so much. Milissis also felt that the Mayoral Advisory Board, which vets candidates for various Park Ridge boards and committees, would’ve been a better choice.
Van Roeyen said he also had issues with the process, saying that, after reviewing the audio recordings of the meetings, he became concerned that committee members may have been too friendly toward Melidosian for comfort.
“[They] appear to demonstrate a personal bias toward a person that was selected, and I don’t think it was fair to other candidates,” he said.
Shubert said he agreed with Millissis’ points, adding that he felt the Mayor’s Advisory Board would be better suited for vetting candidates since they have more experience with the process.
Barclay and Sandrik, who attended the Feb.6 meeting, forcefully pushed back.
“I think this is just wrong, I think it’s a slap in the face to the people in the Fifth Ward, to substitute your judgment for people who live there,” Sandrik said. “I think it’s Big Brother, quite frankly.”
Barclay said that the committee wasn’t biased, and they considered their choices carefully.
Millissis argued that his issue wasn’t that the residents made the choice – it was that, while aldermen on it were accountable to voters, the interview committee members were appointed and accountable to no one.
“[Committee members] represent themselves and their opinions,” he said. “I think there’s more legitimacy, and more mandate, to have that decision made [by] the people who were elected.”
Sixth Ward Ald. Marc Mazzuca defended the process.
“[The process] was intended to take the need of the ward into account,” he said. “I actually want to thank the members of the committee. I know they did a good job. They didn’t push [a candidate] through, they didn’t rubber stamp something – they were very deliberate.”
First Ward Ald. John Moran, who serves on the advisory board, had some harsh words of his colleague.
“I could make a power grab and say ‘I want a say in the process,’ nobody in the Fifth Ward would hold me accountable,” he said.
When Van Roeyen said he still wasn’t comfortable with the tone of the committee members, Sandrik countered that such familiarity was hard to avoid.
“Let’s remember, Park Ridge is a small town, and a lot of us know a lot of people,” she said. “If you want a committee that doesn’t know anyone, I don’t think that’s possible.”
Gareth Kennedy, another candidate, defended the process.
“I agree that I wasn’t as well-known tot that group as Mr. Melidosian, but they recognized that, and they deliberated on that,” he said.
After some back and forth, Melidosian addressed the council, saying that he would uphold the same principles as Knight and Schmidt.
“If you like honesty, integrity, accountability Ald. Knight brought to the City Council, you’ll like Charlie Melidosian,” he said. “I apologize for being well-known in the ward. I’m involved in a lot of things.”
After Melidosian urged the three dissenting aldermen to reconsider, Millissis said he changed his vote, but that he would continue pushing the issue. He asked Mazzuca, who chairs the Procedures and Regulations Committee of the Whole, to put the matter up for discussion at some future date.
Moran suggested a possible compromise solution.
“Perhaps in the future, [interview committee members] would get interviewed by the Advisory Board,” he said. “I would like to see that be the direction we go. It would give us ime input.”
Van Roeyen and Shubert stuck by their votes, and Melidosian was confirmed 4-2.
Later during the meeting, Mazzuca said that he would grant Millissis’ request.