Elect Laura

Come out to hear Laura Morask who is speaking to the Park Ridge Citizens Action Patrol who selflessly volunteer their time to help the police to patrol. This group helps with a second set of eyes and ears in the community. They also volunteer when flooding occurs (sandbagging, etc) and help out with traffic control at numerous charity runs and Maine South High School Football games.

Laura has a special treat, the Top 10 Worst real excuses given in courtroom to be excused from jury duty. She will also discuss what to do when you are summoned for jury duty. Many people ask what they should expect or how to deal with being called, and Laura will discuss this with the Citizens Action Patrol. Finally, Laura plans to talk about the importance to our judicial system of serving on jury duty, including the laws related to anyone being a juror such as lawyers and doctors. It is important to not try and get out of jury duty.

Laura will be speaking at Park Ridge City Hall on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 7:30pm.

My friend, Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman is running for Cook County Commisioner.  She is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party on September 17th.  “Isn’t St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th?“  I’m sure you were wondering.  It is.  September 17th is her:

Half Way to St. Patrick’s Day

Kick off 2010 Re-election Campaign

Thursday, September 17, 2009

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Sam Maguire’s

39 Orland Square Drive

Orland Park, Illinois

I want you to come out and see Liz, say hello to me and enjoy a nice time.  Here’s the invitaiton that Liz sent me. 

I meet and work with many great people while serving Maine Township.  Liz Gorman, County Board Commissioner is one of those great people.   Click here to learn more about Liz.

Here’s a quick background on Liz:

Liz Gorman has been working diligently on the County Board for the constituents of the 17th District. She has been an avid watchdog who introduced the ordinance amendment to repeal the regressive 1% sales tax increase.  By working with Commissioners of both parties she was able to have that repeal passed but then was vetoed by President Stroger.  She is taking the lead in finding a compromise that will result in a repeal of at least part of that tax increase by the first of the year.

Commissioner Gorman was the only one on the County Board last year to vote against the loan requested by the Regional Superintendent of Schools.  When the state auditor general released the results of the audit of that agency this week, Commissioner Gorman’s concerns were validated – the report disclosed flagrant and numerous misuse of funds which will probably result in nonpayment of the loan to Cook County.  She then presented a resolution calling for a vote of no confidence for the Superintendent and urging the Illinois Attorney General and the Cook County State’s Attorney to immediately begin criminal investigation of the agency. Watch the CBS2 News Report.

The constituents of the 17th District have a Commissioner that truly works for them – Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman.

At long last, I want to offer a belated but very heartfelt thank you for your help, support, encouragement in assisting me win this past April 7th re-election to the Maine Township Board of Trustees.

Since  the election where you, the voters  helped overwhelmingly elect our entire Maine Township slate of candidates to new terms, we have taken your mandate to heart. We have already passed:

• a new fiscally sound, balanced budget
• increased outreach for our monthly neighborhood watch program
• participated in the Park Ridge Memorial Day Parade to honor our veterans and our country

I have personally participated in helping to:

• plan our highly successful National Night Out Against Crime coming up in August
• work on our annual series of gang seminars
• worked in cooperative effort successfully with Sheriff Tom Dart’s office to identify and eradicate gang graffiti

I really wish to thank you for your continued friendship, support, love and encouragement over the last eight years and numerous elections. It is that continued  faith in my ability to serve to our community that is truly rewarding.

Very Truly Yours,

Laura J. Morask

Time to Vote.  Election day is Tuesday, April 7th.  Good government starts at the local level and DOES make a difference.

I write to you today as your neighbor and local Maine Township trustee. Together with my husband and two teen-age boys, I have lived in Park Ridge for over twenty years. I have been very active in community, civic, school, and charitable groups in our town because I care deeply about the future of our community.

For example, just a few days ago we held our twice-annual Anti-Gang Educational Forum, our sixth.  To put this on, I conduct a massive outreach to all of our educators, law enforcement, parents, and local leaders to come together and share updates on existing gangs and new trends.  We also cover strategies to help parents with at-risk youth or youth that want to sever existing gang ties.  Four years ago, I saw a need and began presenting as the featured speaker, working with local agencies and our own township to be a resource all on volunteer time.

We are the only government in recent times that has consistently lived within our means and actually reduced our budget while improving services to the communities we serve. I have proved myself for eight years as a trustee, consistently keeping a tight rein on your tax dollars while creating innovative programs that directly serve you, the community.

• Local politics means your neighbor, like me who works hard in the community
• Local politics means, your vote DOES count – Vote Laura Morask – #91
• Local politics means, voting NO to the Stroger referendum, keep your taxes low, we run great services with the money we have

Vote for the best record of fiscal responsibility and responsible use of your tax dollars.  

Punch #91 for Trustee Laura J. Morask on April 7th

Please forward this to your friends and neighbors, including newly minted 18 year old voters.

Just some thoughts  on recent events, views, forums and chatter. 

I hope all of you are aware by now there is yet another election!  And this one matters.  A lot. We are at a critical point in our state and local history and it is up to each and every one of you to put your vote to work.

Tired of ever increasing taxes that tax you out of existence?

Put Todd Stroger on a Tax Diet and vote No on the upcoming referendum on the ballot of many townships, including Maine Township.

Vote for the best record of fiscal responsibility and responsible use of your tax dollars. At Maine Township, we take less than 2 cents of your tax dollar and take care of the road district, run an award winning senior program and an award winning youth and family services program.  We hold instructive seminars like the upcoming one I am hosting, our bi-annual anti-gang seminar.

People are extremely upset with state and county tax rates and corruption yet they keep voting in the same old people that raised your taxes and hired their relatives the last go-around. BREAK the cycle!

Voters are tired.  

• Tired of the never ending bad news.
• Tired of the hysteria on TV every moment of every day.
• Tired of twitter.
• Tired of traffic gridlock.
• Tired of corruption.

WHAT TO DO?

Vote for Laura Morask Maine Township Trustee - Punch #91

Get out and Vote!!!

Early voting is now until April 2nd and makes it so easy there is just no excuse. Nor is the rationale that your vote won’t make a difference. Then you can’t complain when things aren’t the way you want them.

Who else to vote for?

You want responsible citizens who want to serve the public not to gain power or enrich their coffers but to make a difference. And with today’s cynicism, no one believes such people are out there, BUT THEY ARE.  A perfect example is the current race for Maine Township School Board District 207, encompassing Maine South, East and West, three award winning schools that have placed in top two of Best High Schools in the country in US NEWS and World Report.

People hear “school board” and think Big Yawn but it is a crucial  election for a thankless volunteer job that garners huge benefits not just for those with children in the community but everyone else who shares in the increase in property value of their homes when their hometown has one of the top high schools academically and athletically in the country. In this upcoming school board race-6 people are running for 4 spots and really folks, there is no pay, and tons of work these folks do for us.

The shining star candidate is Eric Leys who first ran for the board eight years ago as a 21 year old. Imagine that. He was the youngest candidate ever for school board and when I met him, I was genuinely impressed with his incredible maturity, business acumen and vision for the future that I have voted for him ever since. Eric went on to win another term, as well as a term as the youngest school board president ever.

Eric was instrumental in finally resolving the longstanding negotiations with teachers last year that threatened to cause a walk-out and cancellation of high school graduation and shut down the school. Eric is endorsed by the Daily Herald and is proposing merit pay for teachers, an idea that sounds so common sense you probably think  ”Oh, we must already have that, whats so novel?” Yet we don’t. The education and socialization of our youth is literally the future of our country but we don’t pay based on whether you do a good job teaching or not?  If that sounds nuts to you, (somewhat like whats happening on a national level!) Vote for Eric Leys, if you live in Park Ridge, Niles, Rosemont, Des Plaines, or an unincorporated area.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Now -April 2nd - Early voting at your town or village hall. Mon-Sat. (Call specific one for hours)
April 1st, 7:00PM – Anti Gang Seminar hosted by Laura Morask at Maine Township Hall, 1710 Ballard Rd. PR-847-297-2510 for info.
April 7th – Election Day! VOTE and vote for your Township Team of responsible, dedicated and experienced officials. PUNCH # 91 for Laura Morask.
For District 207 School Board, Vote Eric Leys! PUNCH#206 –  To learn more visit www.ericleys.com and don’t forget to visit www.mainetownshipincumbents2009.com

Laura Morask, Maine Township Trustee was profiled by VoterInfoNet.com. Learn all about Laura and why you should put your trust in her and vote for her in the upcoming April election. Laura is looking to continue her service to Maine Township as a Trustee. Read about it today.

All citizens should enjoy the benefit of good government. Our township board is the only government to have lowered your tax rate, balanced or reduced our budget all while improving and streamlining services to the communities we serve. This is the essence of good government and I would be very privileged to continue this work.

Yes we did just title the post, “Putting on the Ritz”.  Yes, it is one of the most over used cliches of all time.  But in this case we meant the double meaning.  And no, we aren’t talking about Ritz crackers.

Laura is Putting on the Chateau Ritz as she launches her campaign as a Maine Township Trustee, her third term. Please join her at:

Putting on the Chateau Ritz
Champagne Brunch

Sunday, March 8, 2009
11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Chateau Ritz Restaurant Banquets
9100 Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL

$75.00 donation
Please attend and click the orange “Donate” Button.

If you cannot attend or contribute, you can still help by putting a yard sign at your house. In our last campaign, many of you graciously took signs and we would love it if you would continue such generosity. If you can volunteer for a sign, please click on the sign of the times.

What does Township Goverment do?

Read more »

Laura Morask at the Maine Township Gang Seminar

Laura Morask, two term Maine Township Trustee is once again dedicating her time and energy to Maine Township and looking to serve the community in her third term.

Laura is credited as one of the people bringing everyone together for the good of the township. One of the remarkable events to unfold during Laura’s judicial campaign was the support she garnered from all factions of the local Republican party and the unification of prominent leaders behind Laura as an excellent candidate for Judge.

Maine Township National Night Out Against Crime Poster Judging

Fellow slate members of the Maine Township Incumbents have successfully come together with the Maine Township Regular Republican Organization (MTTRO) to form a unified group led by Committeeman Mark Thompson thus removing the possibility of an intraparty primary battle.

The Maine Township Republican slate is the only Republican slate and there will be no primary. Read more »

Dear Friends,

A big thank you to all our family, friends and supporters of which there were many.

Together we had the best, truly grassroots effort in the county, as we managed without any big party money to get 56,000 people to vote for us.  This is after our opponent headed into the general election with a 2 to 1 lead of 40,000 to 20,000 primary votes.  You folks generated an extra 36,000 voters compared to our opponent’s extra 26,000 voters.  Unfortunately this could not make up for the difference in voter primary turnout as the tidal wave of the country was too vast and there are no second places in elections!

But I am so proud to have the kind of friends, family and supporters who could turn out that many votes for the person you believed in! Think of it, folks, Our total vote count is five times the vote  of any local senate or rep seat! Our District is five times the size of those races and with none of the resources invested into those types of races you did an amazing job!

Dean and I are so thankful for your help, love, and support. I am as always humbled that all of you invested time, money and effort into my dream and future and the future of our country and I am sorry that this time that investment did not work out. But the sun comes up another day and the things that are truly important in anyone’s well-lived life, one’s friends and family are still with me and at the end of the day that makes me truly blessed. Thank you all again and have a wonderful, healthy and happy holiday season.

Love,
Laura