Opinion

OUR VIEW

Then there were two

The Review reports today that John Doss, current park commissioner and longtime and village public works chief, now retired, will soon enter the 2023 race for Forest Park mayor.

That will pit him against Rory Hoskins, the incumbent mayor who announced a week ago that he is running for reelection.

The Doss family has a long history in Forest Park. Multiple generations have served the village, or depending on your take on that, have benefitted from the village’s insular hiring history.

When Hoskins ran for mayor in 2019 he was strong in arguing that hiring in the village needed to be opened up to more candidates and candidates without direct links to the village. He used the Doss family as an example of such hiring.

So going in we know of at least one issue that will rightly be debated.

With the election still 10 months out, we may see other candidates for mayor emerge, though the Review confirmed over the holiday weekend that Chris Harris, twice a mayoral candidate, will not compete for mayor in 2023.

We’ve also confirmed that two of the four sitting commissioners will run, one is undecided, and the fourth, the veteran Joe Byrnes is leaning heavily toward retirement after decades of public service.

Ryan Nero, elected in 2019, will run for a second term. Maria Maxham, former editor of the Review who was appointed to a commissioner’s seat a year ago, says she will run for election to the council in 2023. And Jessica Voogd, also elected in 2019, says she has not yet decided her plans.

We hope there will be multiple additional candidates for commissioner. Forest Park benefits when elections are contested. The town has genuine issues and challenges. Hearing more points of view is only helpful.

We do hope candidates in the coming election will consciously steer clear of the anonymous muck that has too often characterized, especially, the final weeks of election season. We want to see sincere pledges that neither candidates nor their closely or loosely aligned surrogates will splatter our local election with venom and untruths.

A better corner

Chipotle is open at Harlem and Madison.

And we’ll call that a notable upgrade from a decade as a vacant lot with a near miss on a Starbucks and occasional use as spillover parking for Rush Oak Park Hospital.

This northwest corner is clearly a gateway to Forest Park and the new signage identifying the village is a plus. We have concerns over the impact of traffic so near to an already congested intersection. And we’re not sure we fully grasp the Chipotlane concept. Smaller footprint. No indoor dining. Order your food in advance on the app. But what about folks who get a burrito craving only when they see the sign?

In any case this will be a solid property- and sales-tax producer, brings another major brand to town, and is a vast improvement over nothing.

OPINION

Overloaded with sadness

‘Ithink there’s something wrong with me,” Pastor Walter Mitty said to his friend and neighbor, Michael Rosenthal, as they walked to Zaphne’s Retro coffee shop last Thursday.

“Something wrong?”

“Yeah. It’s about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday.”

He paused, trying to find the right words.

“What’s bothering me, Michael, is that when I heard about it, I didn’t react emotionally. See, I found out about the shooting when my sister-in-law called from Manitowoc. She was crying and between her sobs she told me what had happened. She didn’t think something like that could happen in Manitowoc, but now …”

“And you didn’t feel anything?”

“I kind of got into my pastor mode. You know I’m the calm, stable adult in the room while everyone else is falling apart emotionally.”

The conversation went on hold as the two men walked into Retro and greeted Zaphne with big smiles.

“It’s good to see you two after so many months,” she exclaimed, hugging both of them.

Being hugged by an attractive young woman made Mitty temporarily forget what was on his mind.

“Good to see you, too,” Michael responded. “How have you been?”

“Well, the business survived COVID,” she replied, adding, “just barely, but what’s really got me down is the war in Ukraine and the shooting in Buffalo last week and the one in Texas. I mean, all those little children!”

Zaphne turned away from them to hide the tears in her eyes while Mitty stared at the floor. Knowing what his friend was feeling, Michael put his hand on his neighbor’s shoulder.

After handing cappuccinos to her only two customers, Zaphne retreated behind the counter and focused on her cellphone screen.

After savoring that first sip of his coffee, Pastor Walt said, “You know, Michael, a lot of the talk on the news has been about mental illness.”

“You mean like background checks and red flag laws?”

“Yeah, but it just occurred to me that you have to be mentally ill to buy an assault rifle.”

“Because …?”

“Well, because assault rifles are designed to kill people. Not deer, not turkeys. Assault rifles are made to kill people. Who in their right mind would want to kill people?” Michael sipped the foam from his coffee and said, “Well, I bumped into Sgt. Grossman at the park yesterday and we got talking about guns. I guess it’s on everyone’s mind. And he said that the police have target practice every month, and the picture on the target isn’t a deer.” Pastor Mitty opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, thought better of it, then replied, “Yeah, I think I see your point. I’m all for sending weapons

TOM a lot more lethal than assault rifles to Ukraine.” HOLMES Michael nodded and added, “Aren’t we saying that civilians should not be allowed to have assault rifles? Not ever?” Mitty drained his coffee and said, “You know, Michael, I was talking to Sarge at the Military and Police store the other day, and he supports the NRA because citizens, he argues, have the right to defend themselves.” Michael raised his eyebrows, held up two fingers for Zaphne to bring two more coffees and asked, “Defend themselves against whom?” The second cappuccinos tasted as good as the first. Both friends rolled their eyes. “The government, I guess,” Mitty replied “What world is Sarge living in?” Michael asked and pointed at the Retro’s owner. “You see Zaphne, Walt? She looks like she, too, is in a different world. She and her phone. We’re the only ones here right now and she could be hanging out with us.” Later that day, after making a sandwich with Natural Ovens whole wheat bread, CherMake summer sausage, and sharp cheddar cheese, Pastor Walt sat down and turned on the evening news. “In the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas,” the host began, “our reporters did some research on gun violence and somewhat to our surprise we learned that mass shootings accounted for less than two percent of gun deaths last year, that the majority of gun deaths in 2021 were suicides, and that most of the rest happened on our streets or in our homes.” Then the news switched to Ukraine and the report that maybe 10,000 Russian and 3,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed. “By assault rifles,” thought Mitty grimly. Afterward, he thought of Zaphne who seemed so alone. “Maybe,” thought Pastor Walt, “I’m not insensitive, but just numb. Just overloaded by all of the pain.” And he followed that thought up with another: “Thanks, Lord, for Michael and two cups of cappuccino.”

FOREST P ARK REVIEW

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Laughs for a great cause

You know what we need right now? A good laugh. We’re bombarded daily by disturbing news, while enduring dreary weather. That’s why Forest Park’s Brandon Prosek and Monica Berns are reviving their Faux Pas Comedy Shows. The first will be Wednesday, June 8, at Lathrop House Café, 26 Lathrop Ave., in their new backyard bar area. Seating is at 6:30 and the show runs from 7-8 p.m.

Brandon and Monica are only booking professional comedians for Faux Pas and the June 8 show is no exception. The headliner is Tyler Fowler, who performs at Zanies and is releasing a TV comedy special in 2022. Katie Meiners, another Zanies veteran, is also on the bill and the show will be hosted by comic Sharup Karim. Tickets are $10 online at Eventbrite and $15 at the door. Best of all, the show will be a fundraiser for the Forest Park Theatre, which produced Shakespeare in the Park last year and will do so again this summer.

This is the second go-round for Faux Pas, a play on FoPa. Prior to the pandemic, the pair put on comedy shows at Doc Ryan’s and drew crowds of 50-75. Their goal is to bring high-quality comedy to town. Fortunately, the Chicago area is crawling with comic talent. Attending comedy shows first brought Brandon and Monica together. They were drawn to little-known comedians who were still hungry for success. They also attended open mic nights, where the performances could be disappointing. Even when the comedian wasn’t funny, they admired their courage for trying. Monica overcame her own stage fright to perform a successful set at an open mic.

Brandon also does stand-up. He writes “clean” humor, which can be more challenging in getting laughs. (Fowler also does exclusively clean material.) Brandon is a writer of comic books and a playwright. For an accountant who works from home, he has an impressive array of creative outlets.

Monica also works from home and pursues creative endeavors, like producing a reality TV show in 2015. She is a member of the Forest Park Arts Alliance and wants to bring more performance art to town. There’s no substitute for attending live performances. There is a sense of distance, watching comics on TV, that make them

less funny. Plus, “We need a break from everything!” Brandon declared. After a long, dark winter of staying indoors and staring at screens, he wants to provide an escape for live audiences. He also wants them to be safe. That is why the outdoor bar area at Lathrop House is ideal for their shows. Following the June 8 show, they will be hosting Faux Pas Comedy Shows on July JOHN 13 and Aug. 10 at Lathrop House. They see these shows as a win-win for the commuRICE nity, because the proceeds support local theater. Lathrop House is also donating a percentage of their food/drink sales to benefit Forest Park Theatre. I can attest that seeing live comedians is far superior to watching their TV specials. My son Mark and I watched a special featuring Mike Birbiglia and didn’t crack a smile. Then we attended his show at Steppenwolf Theater. He was not only hilarious but touched on darker themes. I was emotionally spent and laughing at the same time. I grew up wearing out comedy albums. My high school, St. Ignatius, produced Bob Newhart and John Mulaney. They were planning to team up with George Wendt for a show benefitting the school but the pandemic canceled it. So the Faux Pas shows are carrying on a wonderful tradition. Laughs for a great cause.

A L OOK BA CK IN TIME

No ‘Glitter Gulch’ for Mayor Witt

Citizen Kane’s, located at the corner of Lathrop Avenue and Madison Street, had a long history of taverns before it was demolished in 1979 to make way for the village parking space it is today: Big Sixes, The Spot, Mickey’s Lounge, Bartholomew’s, and finally Citizen Kane’s over the years.

In September of 1968, the Forest Park Village Council was “enlivened with a discussion” to grant a permit at Bartholomew’s for 1. Dance band and dancing certain nights; 2. Old-time movies to be shown on the wall certain nights and 3. Dixieland band once a week.

After much discussion, apprehension and fear of setting a precedent, the council passed the motion to allow dancing, subject to approval by the fire chief. In just under a year, by August 1969, the entertainment license was revoked after a series of complaints about “noise and carousing on the streets in the vicinity until the wee hours of the night.”

When the license was revoked, Mayor Witt, stated that he “would not tolerate any honky-tonks that attracted undesirable characters,” adding that Madison Street would not become a “Glitter Gulch” as long as he was mayor.