There’s nothing Sterling, let alone Platinum, about the Sterling Codifiers, Inc. production number

Can I get an Ah-ha?  The question of why people in Midlothian should still willfully give their consent to be governed by this new administration despite the still missing municipal code pages has answers lying within the transformation process itself.

Sterling Codifiers, Inc. designed a very poor book from moment one.  Whether their failures are remembered to be that of a sans-serif font being chosen even for the manual typewriters used back in the 1960’s or their consistent failures to abide by even the most basic of publication rules and guidelines, it makes for curious pause to ponder just what style guide or manual they have elected to use over the years, which is only an assumption that there is some sort of official reference manual all Sterling employees must interpret and implement on behalf of their clients.  If you don’t believe me, then check out dianahacker.com/pocket or one of the other Style Manuals online and take a glance at some of the citation techniques listed in one of these manuals.  You will find a high percentage of failures amongst all accessible documents published and produced by the Village, including the board meeting minutes (Sterling does not produce the minutes).

But beyond punctuation and citation failures, it is when a page or two is scanned into a computer that the real conflict of interest becomes evident.  These lawyers apparently understand the importance of having a code book and ask for oversight of such a book, but if their position as legal oversight permits lack of full disclosure to the client of such problems being evident once a scanned page is attempted to be converted into a text-based document, rather than simply an image.

So start with the idea that apparently Sterling employees at no time advised the Village they needed to generate at least a scanned copy of the book…IF FOR NOTHING LESS THAN INSURANCE PURPOSES SHOULD THE BOOK(S) BE DESTROYED!  Forget about distribution for a moment.  Here is a private contractor for over 4 decades…40 years!…and Adobe has been around for what…almost half of that.  For the lawyers on the Sterling roster to have dismissed providing such a service as an automatic offering to help attract customers to their business even 10 years ago only serves as fuel to the fact that on last conversation with Sterling last year, the municipal code book was only at 35% digital format.  Shame on them for not spending 3 hours scanning it so at least they could say they have at least one version in digital format!…?  Plus, it would be interesting to know when the Village began using computers to draft the ordinances…35% seems like a small percentage to have in digital format when computers were being purchased back in 1997.

And because there is such limited competition in the field of codifying due to such a low profit ceiling and an even smaller marketplace able to afford even the most basic and fair of services, which is the need for outside observation of legislation and how it might interact with local laws, even the Illinois Municipal League helps support their efforts to obstruct the advancement of this municipal asset improvement by remaining awfully silent about one of their members lacking at least a digital back-up copy of such an important political and public document as a collection of local laws.

Don’t they know its this kind of potential for subjective politics playing strong roles in who lives and dies in the business community that keeps outside investors at arms length?  Illinois is already rolling through the same sets of dollars its been rolling through its balance sheet for almost as long as Sterling has been under contract here in Midlothian…perhaps there are those that want to keep Illinois the attractive tax shelter it continues to represent since enforcement of the laws continue to be served up on a subjective basis only here in Midlothian?  Need a place to invest real estate dollars without fear or concern of steady and reliable government enforcement of existing rules and regulations?

Well, Midlothian’s adopted slogan is “Midlothian Means Business.”  Now I’m not sure what kind of business the Village envisions itself having engaged in the past, but if their lack of holding Comcast accountable for their deteriorating infrastructure and above-ground cabling issues, let alone demanding the Illinois Department of Transportation to at least pick up the sand fence and cement blocks left behind on our sidewalks and at least drop them off at the Public Works department if they really want to pass along ownership of such items.

If we cannot hold the private corporations receiving taxpayer dollars accountable for their production of not only public documentation, but a much needed municipal asset if we are to turn around the perception that Midlothian is a town ruled by personal politics rather than by

In my opinion, if “Midlothian” really “meant” it when they chose the word “business” to be their rally cry, then they would have taken on Sterling Codifiers, Inc. themselves rather than forcing the Illinois Public Access Counselors Office to suck away even more taxpayer dollars into the pockets of J. Daniel McGrath just to get him to concede to document the rules and regulations governing the recording of a public meeting.

Funny how these rules he forwarded to IPACO demand the stating of full name and address for the public record by anyone wanting to record the event…

when the Village has been legally obligated to provide audio and video recordings to the public for quite a few years due to a variety of both transparency and disability laws governing such mandates, let alone for the purpose of insuring the integrity of any and all participants in such a meeting is duly recorded and archived as a part of the give and take process involved with rights and responsibilities to challenge the behaviors of a government entity and/or a government official.

Sterling Codifiers, Inc. designed books that force some/many municipalities into excessive charges to be associated with the process of coming into compliance with such laws.

J. Daniel McGrath cited it to be an “unduly burdensome” to produce a copy of a series of municipal codes that should already be in existence.  Interesting position for it to be too great of a burden to maintain the book of laws he is charged with interpretation when the need arises and apparently his need for a copy is not necessary.  Perhaps he has all of the laws in his memory…I know people who can do things like that.  Also nice to know its unduly burdensome in McGrath’s college degree opinion to abide by the laws that clearly state the Village will never view its obligation to produce such documentation to be that of a burden…

The Illinois Municipal League warns the world of “crafty” people using FOIA requests in such an abusive manner, all resources and attention should be refocused to defeat such efforts.  “Gather around so we can shut up those who want to demonstrate to the world that it is true, the best way to govern over a population is to publish all laws to the public domain so that consent can be willfully given and that contest and challenge is not something to be feared, but instead celebrated and embraced.”

Sure I’m paraphrasing here and no Illinois Municipal League official said this, but it certainly reflects my own conflicts I must resolve within myself when contemplating what else must be added to this situation in order to tip it into the direction of true corrective actions and not just the hot air trends Chicago is so famously known for.

I still don’t know which is more abusive of my rights and responsibilities as a citizen when faced with such a politically-charged situation needing immediate attention of anyone wanting to elevate the illusion of a population being governed by consent by providing the documents that demonstrate why it’s worth the risk to begin with.

So if  my act of filing one simple, custom-designed FOIA request to see documents (that by laws imposed by the Village of Midlothian itself, demands that no less than 3 copies of such a document to be available for inspection at any time and being declined and turning to the Internet to ensure at least one record of the condition) is what organizations like the Illinois Municipal League fear the most during some of the darker hours in the history of the United States of America…

I wonder what other codifiers and municipal clerks are thinking about their own productions tonight…and if they are feeling such severe degrees of fear and concern over their products coming under such scrutiny.

So whether or not the Department of Justice will be able to legally acknowledge just how disability unfriendly the Sterling Codifiers, Inc. production of The Municipal Code Book for the Village of Midlothian in connection to their recent agreement…or if this issue falls under a different jurisdiction…

<sigh>  And the Mystery of the Missing Municipal Code pages grows onward…

P.S.  I believe it is important to disclose that a current employee of the Illinois Municipal League was once my teacher for State and Local politics class at a local college and that dropping his class after enduring a tragic loss was a no-brainer for me.  I disagreed with his political views while in his class, I documented some of my discontent as a part of the process of dropping his class and if I didn’t know his name, I would not have gotten past the first voice on the phone when contacting the Illinois Municipal League.

I still believe from personal experience they are an organization that does not permit the public to discuss with them their policies, procedures and productions and demand allegiance and faith on surface illusions born from the number of municipalities on their roster.  It cannot be stressed enough that this particular organization and its Rolodex is a core part of the continued blockade of honest, factual transparency reform and it remains my position that all members of this organization needs re-think and re-contemplation their membership with IML.

It is not that the organization must disappear…but it remains my opinion it is their obstructionist positions certainly must be severely adjusted and that they need to take a stand in favor of the municipalities correcting these public documentation issues.  I know I am weary of witnessing the continued legislated dismantling of the municipality known as the Village of Midlothian, Illinois and without a full copy of the book, the full extent of damage cannot be assessed and discussed and the board meeting minutes are no better…but those are internally generated.