They probably came because it was Pulaski Day. Or to see relatives. Maybe to do a little shopping? Whatever, members of the Polish delegation that was in Chicago to learn how to set up local government councils back home obviously were pulling our legs.
With 110,000 municipal council seats up for election throughout Poland in May, they said they were looking for role models for their countrymen to emulate. Sure. After 50 years under first the Nazis, then the Communists, they`re going to take civic lessons from Chicago aldermen.
Perhaps they could start with Zoning Variances I, Swapping Relatives for Payroll Padding II and, say, How to Do the Time When You`re Caught in the Crime III. The Polish delegation will find an abundance of experienced lecturers on those subjects among current-or, on the latter topic, former-alderpersons.
But surely Wlodzimierz Kocon, who says he is director of educational programs for the Foundation in Support of Local Democracy, and his partners, Zbigniew Gostynski and Andrzej Olesiak, are putting us on. Probably Lech Walesa, who seems a jolly type, is just trying to get even for having to sit out in the cold so long when he was here. He must be getting a good laugh about now.
Still, Warsaw, with less than half the population of Chicago, is going to have twice as many council members-100 to our 50. Krakow, with 600,000 people, will have 68. And even the smallest towns are to have 23. You know, if they get a look at those numbers, Chicago`s pols will probably send a delegation to Poland to see if they can pick up a few pointers.
