Found out yesterday that the best part of
the ball happened just as I was making the mad dash to my car.
Each year, the chamber gives out "of the Year" awards to cops, paramedics and firefighters, and the dude who took over the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Speros Batistatos, was chosen to hand out the firefighter awards, right? Well, I'm told by several people that as ol' Speros took the stage to annouce the recipients, he
scolded attendees who were still browsing at the silent auction table to sit down and that "wasn't going to tell (them) again"; after all, these men deserved everyones' full attention. That's right: He got up on stage with a microphone and
scolded grown men and women to sit down. Needless to say, the grown-ups didn't take too kindly to being scolded at an event for which they paid $100 per couple.
Don't get me wrong, here; I'm all about giving our public servants their due, so good on him for wanting to do that. But scolding people? If this is the way he treats members of the community for which he's supposed to be drumming up business, what's he going to be like to the businesses with whom he's going to enter into partnerships outside of NWI? "Sign this contract, or you're going to have to stand in the corner"!? "You better come down on your price, or I'll MAKE you"!?? Apparently, that must be what he learned when he blew the Lake County popsicle stand for Atlantic City several years ago -- or perhaps that's what he brought to its table. Either way, he didn't last there long. Of course, what does Lake County do but hire him back, and at $110 Gs, folks, making Speros the highest-paid county wonk (or second highest, but only to the HOMELAND SECURITY GUY).
Damn, I wish I didn't have to leave, because it would've totally made my night to laugh and make fun of such a smacked ass.
Oh, whatEVER.