Behold Murawksi Cottage!

Once upon a time, the headquarters of the 2008 Murawski Re-Election campaign sprouted up in Midlothian.

These headquarters took over empty space in an old-time strip mall that used to be the home to a business known as “The Gift Cottage.”

Up goes Murawski’s sign, down comes “The Gift.”

Behold!  The non-existent “Cottage” portion now serves up new visual and clearly visible purpose and meaning.

“Yeah.  You can’t miss Murawski’s office. 
Just look for the word “Cottage” and he’s right to the left of it.”

And then suddenly, on August 21, 2009, both of the signs were mysteriously reversed.  In fact, you can pick up the ghost of the original sign with the word “Gift” on it (they must’ve recycled the sign).

 

And now we take a pause for a quick review of additional confusing and conflicting messages:If a non-existent business is permitted to leave their signage behind (The Gift Cottage in this example), despite their complete cease and desist of all operations (thereby severing all potential for tax dollar revenues since the entity known as “The Gift Cottage” is no longer operating out of the storefront hosting the sign), how is that not false advertising? No registered business resides underneath the sign that matches the books of a business that once was…And now back to the mystery.

Now…just how did Murawski get away with leaving his election campaign sign up…let’s see…it was August 21st…minus the date he learned he lost the election? 

His competitor (the victor in this case) dealt with the dismantling of his headquarters.  Here is a picture of the Stephens headquarters on August 29, 2009:

Stephens dismantled his headquarters within I believe it was a week after the elections were over (sorry I didn’t grab a picture at the time!). 

So why were two visual Murawski messages of retaining lead title in Midlothian kept tightly in place, the signage for one with the other thread being the website leaving up his name for weeks after the elections?  That’s part of the mystery of Murawski’s Election Cottage.

So now let’s return focus back to the electoral loser’s storefront.  Anyone can peer into the storefront, but first a momentary look at the parking in front of his storefront. 

Is it possible that a handi-capped parking sign was once planted
in the hole in the cement circled in the picture below? 

The hole certainly has similar dimensions to the traditional styling of handi-capped signs having a white background, the handi-capped symbol, two-way arrows designating between the lines on the ground and a steel(?) pole to raise the sign.  In fact, there is one sign in this picture in the next strip of parking slots.

So now back to the mysteries behind Murawski’s Election Cottage.  Perhaps a look inside of his headquarters will reveal some sort of clue. 

Photograph taken Saturdady, August 29, 2009. 
Not much here but…

Wait! 

What is this in the far stage left corner?

Hmm…2 handi-capped parking signs.

So if Murawski still holds at least one set of keys to unlocking the lock-down on the disabled…

And a landlord holds another set of keys to the same location permitting the signage to remain on lock-down…

Will the new Mayor be able to persuade at least one of the two parties to release at least one of the two signs so that the Village can continue complying with the Department of Justice settlement agreement by properly installing at least one of these signs into the concrete?

Will these signs be installed in new locations actually in front of the existing store fronts, thereby eliminating the decades of risk to all pedestrians (which all drivers eventually become, unless you’re dealing with a drive-thru!) every landlord of Mid-Oaks Plaza has permitted to exist?  Can and should Murawski be held accountable for his continued endorsement of obstruction tactics to possibly entrap people who want to shop Midlothian into getting a pretty pricey ticket for parking in a handi-capped space?  The hole is there.  There are two fairly weather-worn signs sitting inside his old campaign headquarters.

Perhaps the next question to find an answer to is whether or not Murawski’s name even still on the lease for that space, although those signs were there for quite a few months…

Why he would allow anyone to permit such a photo-op while his sign was still hanging over the store-front is beyond me…which also makes me curious just how strongly Murawski believes in his not-extensively-recorded legacy of commitment to the longevity and sustainability of the Village.

So…

“Can someone give me some time on the clock?  Thanks.  Okay. 

This is for how fast the landlord who rented to Murawski can aid the Village of Midlothian in complying with the settlement agreement for violations that transpired under the tenant’s administration.  Will Murawski make the call?  Will Stephens?  Will something come from the federal level?

…and on your mark, get set, and we’re off to the race for full and total compliance for violations of the American with Disabilities Act clearly transpiring on Murawski’s watch!”

And to think there are still those who harbor doubts when I tell them I don’t believe for a micro-second that Murawski wanted to win this last election.

Why would he want to stay in office knowing that 2009 was the scheduled time for Midlothian to rise and shine, so that at least someone could clean up some of these tragic messes he himself could not face for whatever reasons? 

Why would he want to face the potential for continued humiliation and shame he should have at least felt for a moment when he failed to properly surrender to the current President a book that is not only a valuable public asset, it is a style of composition that wars have been (and still are being) fought over…it is a book of governance and Murawski endorsed the philosophy of keeping it hidden from those he feared(?), such as myself.  Murawski is no longer a part of public life in the capacity of Mayor, but the Internet shows a list of boards and other activities he has engaged in, so he still is influencing public policy…just not in the Top Dog position of an entire Village.

And since someone else was fighting for the job…?!  Oh how sweet the dreams might have been for him during the election season…

But in the meantime, the storefront that bore his name until August 21st has two signs in them.

One of those two signs probably fits the existing hole in the cement.

One of those two signs could be installed regardless if the existing hole was the original location of the signs.

The installation of one sign would be one step towards Midlothian’s contractual obligation to the United States Department of Justice.

In the meantime…

The Mysteries of Midlo Murawski roll on…

But at least his old headquarters has a cute nickname now!