Look Who Woke Up

We had a post yesterday - labeled Pension, Rumors - and this response appeared in the comments:

• Just about EVERY fact listed is complete fabrication and a shameful example of journalism!!!
  Irresponsible posts like this is exactly what divides the membership unnecessarily. John Catanzara Jr, President Chicago John Dineen Lodge #7

John has graced us with his presence here and there over the years, before and after his election....less so after the election because he had access to other mediums to get his message out. We were always fans of his Friday video messages.

But we also have noted some changes over the years as he became entrenched in office. It happens to all elected persons. It's normal. Sometimes, you get isolated in an echo chamber of sycophants. Sometimes, you have to play nice with people you wouldn't waste the piss on if they were on fire. How you grow (or shrink) in office says a lot about you as a human being.

We have also noted here and elsewhere, that if your people are coming here for information, then you have probably failed as a communicator.

Accusing us of "journalism" is a low blow. We are a reader driven site and more than a few of our posts every week are rumors seeking more information than is readily available from the Department, the politicians and the FOP. The thing that all of those entities have is their communication skills suck.

This is also evident in two recent posts we did in October:

• FOP Changing Rules? - where amendments clearly in violation of national rules and that were submitted outside of the time limits for proposals attempt to restrict viewing FOP financial documents;
• Phone Call Backstabbing? - where FOP leaders are supposedly making phone calls to units where their critics work, trying to get them dumped from phone call spots.

But it was a rumor about possible Pension Changes (that likely triggered an avalanche of calls to the Lodge) that provoked John to magically appear in our comment section. Had John and the board been making trips to Roll Calls, promptly answering calls/emails, not ruling everyone "Out of Order" at meetings, proposing bullshit amendments to restrict paperwork access and calling Homan Square to get people dumped....well, perhaps rumors would appear less?

We've given credit where earned and given criticism where deserved. The first few years of this administration were loud, boisterous, confrontational, and (in our opinion) exactly what was needed tp shake things up. Lately however (our opinion again), John's people are running to keep their spots and forgetting they serve the membership.

Nolan lost twenty-seven of twenty-eight seats to the Citywide Team in the nineties and we were there. Is history repeating itself?