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Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Ward 21 Ald. Howard Brookins retires

 

[VIDEO] Announced today joining another south side Alderman (or Alderwoman or Alderperson or Alder....yuck). Anyway he will be retiring from the Chicago City Council at the end of his term next year. Bear in mind that he attempted a run for Cook County Judge in the June 2022 primary and his ward has been redrawn. Ald. Brookins had been in office since 2003.

Also add to this news that 15 Alderman declined a 9.62% pay raise via Chicago Sun-Times.

Here's an updated list of this via CBS Chicago at least of those Alderman who will retire at the end of their terms and not counting those who have either been convicted in federal court, running for a higher officer, or even retired already:

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), Ald. James Cappleman (46th), and indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) also plan to retire at the end of their terms next year.

And I must add Tom Tunney as mentioned in the Sun-Times article linked above is mulling a run against Mayor Lori Lightfoot joining fellow Aldermen Ray Lopez, Rod Sawyer,  and Sophia King in the 2023 mayoral election.

I suppose that next summer we will see a number of unfamiliar faces - and hopefully a new mayor - in the city council chambers at city hall. 

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

CBS 2: 13 members of the city council are leaving

 

[VIDEO] And more to come reportedly according to this report. The latest Alderman to announce she won't run for re-election is Ward 10 Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza. You can read more about it at Crain's.

You can check out this list also from Crain's in August the Alderman who are calling it quits, some are trying to attain higher office as three Alderman are looking to challenge Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Others are outright retiring also.

Portrayed as a mass exodus, I'd pay attention if half of the 50 members of the city council are leaving.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Crain's: New hotel, grocery store pitched for Pullman #Ward09

 Some exciting projects coming to the far south side. Pullman could get a hotel and Altgeld Gardens - which is a long way from Pullman - could be getting a new grocery story.

Via Crain's Chicago Business

One year after the Pullman National Monument debuted as a hopeful tourist attraction, two developers have lined up plans to add a hotel for visitors and a grocery store for residents in the burgeoning area.

In one of two projects proposed in and around the far South Side neighborhood, a venture led by Chicago investor Andre Garner is seeking a city grant to help develop a 101-room Hampton by Hilton hotel at 111th Street and Doty Avenue, a few blocks east of the clock tower building that has been restored as a visitor center for the historic site. In the other, Cleveland-based grocery operator Yellow Banana has applied for the same grant to help it develop a Save A Lot supermarket immediately south of Pullman at 130th Street and Eberhardt Avenue.

Both developers have applied for $5 million in assistance through the Chicago Recovery Plan development grant program, according to a joint statement they issued with Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th. The grants are partially funded by local recovery money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed last year.

The plans could add to a series of developments in and near Pullman along Interstate 94, where the 180-acre former Ryerson Steel plant site has been transformed in recent years into a mixed-use campus, dubbed Pullman Park. The historic-but-disinvested property now includes a Method Soap factory that opened in 2015, a pair of greenhouses from produce grower Gotham Greens and a Whole Foods distribution center and an Amazon delivery center, among other new developments.

Read the whole thing. 

 

Capitol Fax: Texas governor expels migrants to Chicago

 Rich Miller discusses more about those migrants sent to Chicago from Texas on Wednesday. Statements form our political leaders and of course from Gov. Abbott in Texas.

My two cents is that this could add to the issues of Chicago.

CBS 2: Texas Governor Greg Abbott sends busload of migrants to Chicago

 

[VIDEO] More of a national news story, however, now it's beginning to affect the city adding to many of our city's other issues - especially crime. Gov. Abbott under the guise of being overwhelmed by the many border crossings by these migrants sent them to sanctuary cities such as Chicago.

What is a sanctuary city from lirs.org

In general, a sanctuary city is a community with a policy, written or unwritten, that discourages local law enforcement from reporting the immigration status of individuals unless it involves investigation of a serious crime. These sanctuary communities go beyond cities, though. One can find entire counties and states declaring sanctuary status.

These communities typically do not honor requests by ICE to detain undocumented immigrants whom local agents apprehend for misdemeanor crimes or investigations. Many in sanctuary cities also refuse to deputize their local officers as federal agents, a necessary technicality if those local officers carry out the duties of ICE agents. There is no specific federal law against sanctuary city policies.

Let me add that others cities as New York City and Washington, DC that I know of had also recieved busloads of migrants fresh from the southern border. The mayors of both of those cities have expressed their own complaints.

Now it's Chicago's turn... 

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

WGN: Man fatally shot at South Side gas station #Ward09

 

[VIDEO] As you see in this clip Ward 9 Ald. Anthony Beale is upset about a lack of resources in the community to address the gun crime in the Roseland community. 

Wednesday morning a fatal shooting took place at a Citgo Station at 116th & Michigan. Then on Tuesday afternoon another fatal shooting on 113th & Michigan.

The right question is being asked if crime is down, who is the crime down for? Is it downtown? What about the neighborhoods.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Be careful on CTA

 

[VIDEO] FOX 32 reports on attacks by a mob (10 or 15) of teens near the 95th Street Red Line terminal. The attack was reported to have happened an hour before the remote by reporter Elizabeth Matthews. Matthews was broadcasting inside Abbott Park across from the terminal.

So an incident happened before Matthews was broadcasting and they reported another incident last night speaking with one of the victims wear a facemask and a bandage over her nose. The victim who was assaulted suffered a fractured nose.

So not only are they punching victims, they're also using pepper spray and engaging in strong arm robbery.

Be careful on the train, getting off the train, and perhaps even on the bus.

Monday, August 29, 2022

Ald. Lopez plan to reform city gov't

 Speaking of mayoral contender for 2023 Ald. Ray Lopez he's proposed a series of reforms for the city. Fran Spielman writes about it today and I'm sorry I missed it before posting about Ald. Lopez asking for Nat'l Guard help for the city.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) on Monday unveiled a dramatic plan to rein in mayoral control and give Chicago the strong council-weak mayor form of government that the municipal code intended.
...
Either by seeking a change in state law or by flexing Chicago’s home-rule powers, Lopez is promising to:
  • Cut the City Council by half, empower Council committees to approve spending by departments they oversee and give the Council its own, truly independent budget office and parliamentarian to challenge dubious mayoral rulings from the chair.
  • Create three new citywide elected officials — the corporation counsel, inspector general and city comptroller — instead of empowering the mayor to appoint “pawns” to those pivotal positions.
  • Create a 21-member Municipal Charter Commission to reexamine the structure of city government every 10 years.
The most dramatic and controversial of those changes is to reduce the size of the City Council from 50 members to just 25.
...
“It is my hope that a leaner, reinvigorated City Council with new and guaranteed oversight authority and budgetary authority over departments would be able to flex its muscles accordingly and be a true partner in government,” said Lopez, one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s most outspoken critics.

Lopez noted that 85% of requests for city services are “handled outside the local ward office” through 311, city apps or online. When the local aldermanic office does get involved, it’s “often the stumbling block,” he said.

“We are not the City Council of the 1800s. We are a 21st century city and we need 21st century Chicago. One that is able to focus on city services as they are currently being delivered as well as focusing on the legislation and oversight that they’re meant to take care of,” he said.

Why clip the mayor’s wings with three new citywide elected officials?

“Mayoral control and authoritarianism … often comes from his or her ability to have the corporation counsel do the legal maneuvering they need to secure their power, squash or silence reports aimed at making government more efficient and to play the smoke-and-mirrors games of budgeting,” Lopez said.

“Making those three positions independently elected … would ensure there are other players on the board who will hold the mayor’s feet to the fire to ensure that they are honest, fair and representing the truth in all of their dealings.”

Well I do think it's time to re-evaluate how many Aldermen (still Alderperson or Alder ewww) must represent the city of Chicago so I'm with that. The idea of a municipal charter commission, I want to see more about that. Surely he has a page for that! 

h/t 19th Ward Chicago

CapFax: Another day, another demand for using the Illinois National Guard

 This time the demand is from 2023 mayoral contender Ward 15 Alderman Ray Lopez via today's Capitol Fax blog. And after sharing the tweet I'll show you in part what this is in reference to.'