Thursday, December 21, 2006
News / Clout City Berny "Methuselah" Stone?
Posted by Mick Dumke on Thu, Dec 21, 2006 at 1:23 PM
With 50th Ward alderman Bernard Stone running for reelection at age 79, some skeptics have been speculating that he's simply hoping to keep his seat warm until the time is right to deliver it to his chief of staff and daughter, Ilana Feketitsch. I asked him if he was going to be next to uphold local tradition a la Burke, Lipinski, Stroger, and now Steele and Beavers. "It ain't gonna be me," he said.
Stone says instead that he wants to beat the record for oldest sitting alderman, currently held by former 25th Ward alderman Vito Marzullo. To do so, he'll have to win reelection in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Marzullo didn't hang it up until he was 89.
The 2007 race isn't shaping up to be pretty: Stone's facing opposition from Salman Aftab, architect Greg Brewer (pdf), and community activist Naisy Dolar. Still, he's unfazed by any suggestion that nepotism could hurt him. "She's been on my staff for 12 years," Stone says of Feketitsch. "Should I fire her because she's qualified but happens to be my daughter?"
Perhaps not--but maybe she shouldn't have been hired in the first place? That suggestion drew a wave and a grunt.
In fairness, I should note that Stone wouldn't hire just any relative. His son Jay, who challenged Ted Matlak for 32nd Ward alderman in 2003, is back as one of the cochairs of Dorothy Brown's mayoral campaign. Four years ago Berny called Jay, a hypnotherapist by trade, "an embarrassment" and said he "doesn't know what he's doing." Jay was stomped.
This time around, Berny Stone doesn't have much to say about his son's political independence. "That's his business," he said. "I don't tell him who to vote for."
Comments (139)
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Naisy is running an excellent campaign. She filed the most petitions of all the candidates. She is building a strong staff and has met with many key leaders. Her 8 years of experience in City Hall as well as her many years in the ward per her in a prime position to offer viable alternative to Stone for ward residents.
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Naisy Dolar had a fluffy Asian liason position paying around $35,000 a year with a staff of HERSELF to manage as "Director" and no real responsibilities. I worked with her and I can tell you that she is nothing more than a self-important girl who fancies herself a Daley insider with clout. She was totally expendable and not responsible for anything critical. If that is her "8 years of experience in city hall" that somehow qualifies her to serve as alderman, perhaps we should get the custodial staff to run too. At least they understand providing crucial services to the city! And why is she "building a strong staff" now? Isn't it pretty late for that sort of thing? The election is in two months! Too little, too late. Naisy Dolar is anything but viable. She's a joke with a cheerleading team.
It seems it didn't take long for Brewers Bigoted Bloggers to act, you know the ones who have started the racist whisper campaign in the 50th. A threat was made to Naisy that the Brewer camp would be going nasty and within 48 hours of that threat being made it has started. Things are about to get interesting, especially if Brewers Bigoted Bloggers keep it up. Don't be surprised if that backfires. LOL
what threat? what whisper campaign? the brewer campaign has made no threat against naisy or her campaign. we are not running against naisy dolar, but running to beat bernie stone. we have no intention of saying anything about naisy, because we are running against bernie stone. that's why we are building a strong alliance of progressives and disaffected residents, to beat bernie stone. but if some member of our team or a volunteer did so, then please give me a call at (773) 559-5848. they'll be gone immediately. naisy will be the first to tell you that i don't mess around. i won't tolerate machine tactics in my campaign... ac
AC, as a resident of the 50th, I received a "push poll" telephone call that included a racist statement about Naisy's leadership. Can you publicly avow that the Brewer campaign was not behind it? The "questions" I was asked were definitely skewed in Brewer's favor.
the brewer campaign was definitely not behind that. we've done no polling, and i've definitely seen no results. i do understand that naisy has seen the results of a poll, and it might have been this one. i would love to hear more about this poll. if you care to call the office number above (also found on our website), i would definitely be interested in your experience. we're running a clean campaign, we have a substantial campaign plan designed to beat bernie stone, and those kinds of tactics are not a part of it...
Don't you people see what is happening? Stone is trying to divide and conquer using the same tactics he's used for 34 years. Don't believe me? Look at the mailing he put out when he ran as a REPUBLICAN against Carol Mosley Braun. Each one included her picture so he could remind everyone that she was African American. Still don’t believe me? Look at what he said about Harold. Stone knows he's in trouble, and he's already playing the ethnic politics game by getting his challengers to fight about who's not a racist. By calling each other racists, you’re just falling into Berny’s trap. Brush up on your history, and you'll see what I mean.
AC what makes you believe Naisy saw the poll? Did your candidate see the poll as well? If so, where and when? I mean you would know if he did, right? If so what did the poll say? I raise this only because you claim to believe that Naisy has seen the poll, what information do you have that Naisy has seen the poll?
naisy and greg were, together, both shown a poll on wednesday. there is no reason to believe that this is not the one described above. i don't particularly know what was in the poll, aside from generalizations. what is important about this is that, a.) the dolar campaign knows that this poll was not commissioned by the brewer campaign, but seems to have inferred to her supporters that it was; b.) the dolar campaign knows the purpose of this poll (and it was not a push poll), but has attempted to paint it as nefarious, presumably because they don't like its conclusions; and c.) the dolar *campaign* has acted with an incredible amount of naivete in this matter. it is merely another piece in an increasing pile of evidence that the dolar campaign could not, even if everything came together, beat bernie stone. if anything, by actively trying to divide the anti-stone vote, they assure stone's re-election. they seem to have lost sight on what the purpose is here...
So are you confirming the existence of a poll? If so I would dare say you know more about its results and other aspects than you are saying. As a representative of the Brewer campaign you have gone on record on this matter. We have not heard from anyone with the Dolar campaign.
yes, i know of a poll conducted by a widely respected pollster for a third party using scientific (and ethical) methods. the fact that the brewer campaign had nothing to do with it can be easily confirmed by honest parties from our d-2s. i can't speak for the honesty or transparency of any other campaign or group. i can only confirm that the brewer campaign is highly professional, directed at beating bernie stone and has no other target, and does not indulge in dishonest tactics.
I got a call that said that Mrs. Dolar was a member of HDO. I don't know if that's part of a whisper campaign or someone being neighborly. It was someone I trust, though.
http://howardwatchers.blogspot.com/2006/12/discriminating-phone-poll.html Everybody's getting polled like this.
Campaign manager, I hope that you are not an example of the professionalism Brewer would bring to the office. I don't know what you are talking about up above @3:39. (You used the word "infer"incorrectly, by the way.) My statements and question are based on having been "polled" -- I have received no communication about it from the Dolar campaign.
thank you for correcting my grammar. i'm sorry that you did not understand a response i wrote to someone else, or if it was outside your experience. and, no, i will not be taking a job on greg's aldermanic staff. i was only brought in to beat bernie stone...
I don't think a connection to HDO would be significant to most people. We don't really know what connection means here. It might explain how both Naisy and her husband got city jobs in the span of a couple years, but most voters in the 50th don't even know what the HDO is. If the Brewer campaign isn't going to make an issue of it - they say that they aren't running against Naisy - who will? And that's assuming it's even true. You never know with Ald. Stone's goon squad!
Naisy tells people that "people close to the Mayor" asked her to run. So maybe she really is HDO. JSinthe50th, I think you are wrong, people know about HDO if they have lived here for awhile and if they read the newspaper.
So now Naisy is HDO? LOL Sounds like you guys are getting a little desperate. BTW JS what's it like to post on a blog that you can't edit. Its must suck when somebody says something you (on behalf of Brewers Bloggers) don't like and can't delete. . .LOL
Dear neighbors, Please recognize Stone's mopes are stirring the pot, egging on a challenger v. challenger cat-fight. Nothing serves their purposes better. As has been posted previously, if you know your ward history this is Classic Alderman B. S. And it's going to get worse before it gets better, folks. Please don't forget that a phone call or post might not be from who it appears to be. For now, let's agree on one thing: It's time for a change. If we must, let's agree to disagree on who the best challenger is. We don't need to decide that now, we can decide that in the voting booths in Feb. Meanwhile, let's encourage all the challengers to work hard and get their message out, may the best challenger win. It doesn't matter who the best challenger is if Stone gets his 50% + 1 on the first ballot. If we hold Stone to less than a majority, we ALL win. Thinking people in the 50th, whenever they might be tempted to post a snipe at a challenger, pause and ask themselves, wouldn't the ward be better served by posting instead on some area of dissatisfaction with the Current Occupant? Those who cannot resist the temptation to snipe at a challenger mark themselves as stooges for the status quo. If you can't think of something critical of Stone to post every day, you aren't trying. Thanks!
Hugh has got it right. Divide and conquer is Bernie's game. You think he wins on his principles? He don't need no stinkin principles. He turns people against each other and preys on the worst in people like the true republican he is.
Yes, Greg Brewer is a licensed architect in the state of Illinois. But an extensive seach of Google has come up with nothing regarding his professional accomplishments. He seems to be a stealth architect. What is Greg's exact position at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP. What is his title? How many employees work under him? What is his yearly salary? What does he actually do at work? Can he do his job at Skidmore and run an aldermanic campaign at the same time? Is his employer allowing him to run for alderman on their dime, with expectations that they wlll benefit if Greg is elected? Greg has a connection with a group interest in bungalows. Is he just a member of this organization, or has he ever had any official posts or duties? Greg brags that he would be a great alderman, but we can't find any informaton on what he has actually done.
Hate to break up this fascinating debate, but If the readers want the story behind all this, here is the real story of whats behind what is happening in the 50th ward. The Indian community in the 50th ward is in danger of losing its place to the new Indian communities in the Naperville/Aurora area. You can get almost anything Indian you need in the burbs, and Indian customers from that area are not taking the long trip to Devon, the local businesses are having to adapt or die. The lack of parking is one of the major reasons. The famous "parking garage" issue was mostly the local Indian communities idea to help get more customers. Thats one of the reasons Stone supported the parking lot. The other is the lack of a "non ethnic" shopping area to attract non ethnic customers. Unlike many parts of Chicago, WalMart won't affect local businesses; WalMart doesn't carry ethnic products. On the other hand, Wal Mart WOULD attract shoppers from the nearby suburbs, and provide a lot of local jobs, both of which is why Stone opposed the "big box" ordinance. The other issue is gentrification, the rich are displacing the poor in the Lincoln Square and Lincoln Bend area now. The 50th Ward is next. The current residents of the ward are worried that there will be no place for them when that happens. On the other hand, the local bank is salivating at the idea of replacing all the ethnic poor with rich upscale customers, and is backing an architect who is apparently opposing anything that might strengthen the communities and make it more difficult to displace those communities with wealthier customers. 40 years ago, in the afterglow of the 60's, I and a bunch of others set out to make the 50th/40th,etc wards a paragon of diversity. We succeeded. We are not going to let some greedy banker and a downtown architecture firm destroy what we built for another bland gentrified community. And let me tell you one more thing. We are making sure that any bank that wants to invest in the community, instead of replacing it, s going to get a lot of community support, and that's not going to end when the election does. We are going to build this community up, and if the local bank is not interested in helping, we will work to replace it with one that does.
Judy, sorry your Google search didn’t turn up much on Greg’s career. Greg is a project manager with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. He works to help create comprehensive plans for communities around the world. In other positions, he has specialized in hospital planning and project management. Clients have included Memorial Hospital and Health Systems in South Bend, the Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan, the Great River Medical Center in Burlington, Iowa, the UIC Outpatient Care Center on Taylor Street, and the Samsung Science Park in South Korea. The bungalow group you’re talking about is West Ridge Bungalow Neighbors. Greg helped found the group. They work for bungalow preservation and appreciation in the West Rogers Park/West Ridge neighborhood, and many members encouraged Greg to run for alderman. I hope this helps. If you have specific questions, you can always contact us at 773-559-5848, check out our web site at www.gregbrewer.org, or e-mail me at owen@gregbrewer.org. Randy, you’re right that the Indian community in the 50th Ward is in danger of losing its prominence to the suburbs. Greg spoke about that at the Indo-American Democratic Organization annual dinner. You can find his comments at www.gregbrewer.org/media/IADO_Dinner91706.pdf. As for the parking garage, the problem with it is that it is out of scale with the neighborhood, would require a $4.5 million giveaway to a developer who has a history of problems finishing projects, and it wouldn’t provide nearly the amount of parking promised. Then, there’s the fact that nobody bothered to actually talk to the neighborhood about the parking garage. Stone’s “done deal†was made behind closed doors with no community input. There is a problem with parking, but this isn’t the solution. Furthermore, Stone has shown that he doesn’t care about parking in the area. When the developer of the old Nortown Theater site applied for a zoning change, he applied for zoning that waives the parking requirement. Then, there’s the old parking garage that Stone gave away in the 1990s. Residents are also right to be worried about gentrification and tear-downs. Greg will halt this by down zoning many areas of the ward so that building owners are not encouraged to rip down bungalows and build huge condo towers. Stone has never seen a piece of property he didn’t want to up-zone. Greg is committed to creating a community zoning board to review projects, and he’ll host a monthly town hall meeting so residents can always find him and hold him accountable. As for your nearly slanderous talk about the local bank: That bank has invested in this community for decades by lending to local business owners and finding creative ways to provide immigrant communities with borrowing options. They are committed to West Rogers Park. Greg lives here because this is a diverse community. He loves this community, and he is working to preserve that economic and ethnic diversity. Owen Brugh Communications Director Citizens for Brewer
> ... I and a bunch of others set out to make the 50th/40th,etc wards a paragon of diversity. We succeeded. Wow! I did not know my neighborhood was a creation, and that the architects were still around and living in my midst. I would like to hear more of your story of how you created the paragon of diversity. Thanks!
Uncle Berny loves running against schmucks! One is a carpetbagger. Another has a base that can't vote. The third has an arrest record. As Uncle Berny says, "They're schmucks. I love running against schmucks!"
Well, Hugh, I can't speak for the others, but as for myself; I would happy to tell you how I got involved. During the late 1950's and 1960's My father and his best friend, Mel Meyers, established one of the first food banks at the Margate Park fieldhouse near the lake. Mel had quite a number of projects going to help the underprivileged, and when I grew older, he would occasionally "rope me in" to helping with some of them, in particular, semi unofficial social work on the south side. One of them peripherally involved a Servo-Croation runaway that had been unofficially "adopted" by this black woman (she ran sort of an unofficial ministry for runaways, in spite of not having much money for herself. ) That got me involved helping immigrants. Eventually, I started helping immigrants coming from Russia during the '73 exodus settle in Rogers Park and Chinese settle in Skokie. At the time, a lot of us working with immigrants felt that an extremely diverse community would be a shining example of the value of immigrants and tried to help as many different groups settle in the Westridge, West Rogers Park, and Budlong Woods/Lincoln Bend areas as we could. I wasn't the leader of that movement, or even particularly concerned with it being a "movement", I just wanted to help people and do the right thing. A lot of those folks who were involved are still around...as a matter of fact, many of them became an unoffical part of Bernies Stones organization (I am not, by the way. I had a different path to my life. ) I talked with one a few days ago. He is still at it, trying to help a teacher start an after school tutoring/day care center, and a group of Hispanic immigrants start a home repair service....and trying to help Bernie get re-elected. That is the thing nobody here seems to understand about the 50th ward; It really is a community, with a long history, not just simply a collection of residents. We have lived side by side and traded with each other for decades. And more importantly, nobody here seems to understand the job of alderman of a community like this. Alderman no longer control patronage workers, and the slightest hint of corruption ends with them being prosecuted, since the Feds, the press, and various involved residents tend to consider them open game. It is really a low paid, thankless job; anyone who can successfully balance the interests of tens of thousands of people can make three or four times as much as a manager in the private sector. Add in a community so diverse that we have basically every side of every conflict on the planet represented here...Jews and Moslems, Blacks, White, and Hispanics, etc, and the various Indian communities, and you have one heck of a balancing act. You just can't toss anything new into the mix, even something as obvious as a public school or senior housing centers. It takes months of delicate negotiations between the various communities to keep the situation from degenerating into a imitation of Beirut. Diverse means difference of opinions, and it take a master negotiator to keep everyone from each others throats. And thats not to mention the fringe folks who think a new Bike path or a music ensemble is incredibly important, when we barely have the budget to keep basic services running and get a few improvements in, mostly through various negotiated deals. And so what if Bernie supported the machine? It kept the community alive and reasonably healthy, and thats the important thing. Opposing the Democratic machine certainly would not have helped the community any. My main concern with this election is the fact that some of Bernies opponents are trying to divide the community and exploit hate in order to defeat him. (These opponents are probably NOT Brewers organization, or any other actual candidates, by the way. It takes a unique sort of insanity to try and start a race war and endanger the lives of tens of thousands for something as minor as winning an aldermanic election. All the candidates seem to be well intentioned and decent people, if a bit naive about what they can achieve if elected. Some of their supporters, however, scare the heck out of me. ) It won't work, though. For three decades, we have watched Bernie as he kept peace among the various factions here, and though these opponents are threatening that peace, their words are mostly falling on deaf ears. But still, thats a hate crime, in my opinion, and I just hope that the FBI busts whoever is doing it and they end up soon in federal prison where they belong. The other thing that bothers me is the "Methuselah" and "Dinosaur" comments. Outside of the fact that it is playing on age discrimination (not a wise idea in ward dominated by senior citizens and ethnic groups that traditionally respect their elders), the ward is perfectly aware of all the things that could be done with, say,internet portals. The problem isn't just merely financing, many such things are the jurisdiction of other city departments, and those departments won't allow the ward to do such things independently. Even if Bernie were too old (he isn't), his staff is entirely up to date on the latest community informatics. There just isn't time or budget to do much, just keeping the ward running from day to day takes all of everybodies time and then some. Ideas are easy, making them happen without a budget, and without letting vital services slip, is the hard part.
i think the best thing to form an unbiased opinion is to look at every candidate. Check out one of these before you write off Stone http://www.goodforthe50th.com/ or www.stone_about_the_50th.html
When you lead with your greatest accomplishment being something from 1977, that is sad. My uncle is 79 years old and you know where we put him? In a retirement home. Let's put our Strom Thurmond out to pasture already. This is the same guy who was against Harold Washington.
> it is playing on age discrimination It's not age discrimination. I guarantee you I would just as disappointed at a 20-something Aldermen who sleeps on the job. I don't care that Stone is 79, I care that he cannot seem to maintain alertness while while hundreds of millions of property tax breaks and bond sales roll by.
> ... the slightest hint of corruption ends with them being prosecuted, since the Feds, the press, and various involved residents tend to consider them open game. WOW! Right out the Alderman's hymnal: I haven't been indicted (yet) so I must be OK!
> ... the 50th ward; It really is a community, with a long history, not just simply a collection of residents. We have lived side by side and traded with each other for decades. Sure, but I'm having trouble with your idea that our neighborhood is teetering on the brink of chaos, only held together by the unsung efforts of Bernard L. Stone and that racial harmony hangs in the balance in this election.
> Even if Bernie were too old (he isn't), his staff is entirely up to date His staff can't vote for him. Only the Alderman can do that. And from what I have witnessed, he is not CAPABLE of reliably performing that duty at this point. It's not even an issue of qualifications or experience any more.
All of Bernie's kids have been on the Chicago payroll for years. Ilana's husband got a cushy job at O'hare airport with no experience whatsoever and this is after years of being a ghost payroller at City Hall. He even admitted that he didn't know what the hell his job was suppossed to be.
Witness Men At Work This Week Some readers are probably thinking ole Hugh is exaggerating about Stone dozing in Council Chambers. Well, this week you can see for yourself. You owe it to yourself to see your elected rep in inaction. 1. Finance Committee: Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 10:00 a.m. 2. City Council Meeting: Thursday, January 11th, 2007 10:00 a.m. ....both in Council Chambers, LaSalle side of City Hall, 2nd floor Don't think you have to sneak in or anything. Stone is not at all inhibited taking a little time-out in full view. He sits in the back row near the rail, feel free to introduce yourself even. It won't matter. Tips for Observing A Nodding-Off 10 AM might not be best. Don't show up too early. I wouldn't wish a full City Council meeting on anyone. A City Council meeting is excruciating, even for strong, highly-caffeinated men. Plan a late lunch Thursday. Try stopping by 1:30 or 2-ish, the afternoon doldrums, but not too late - they like to get the heck out of there before the kitchens close in downtown restaurants! Tips for Observing a Quorum Violation OR stop by EARLY on Thursday, say around 9:15 or so. The PUBLIC session of the Finance Committee will be the day before, but the Finance boys sure don't like to vote with people watching. The Finance committee will adjourn Wed to Thursday morning. whic is when they will call the votes. It will be interesting to see if a quorum shows up. Watch as Stone & Burke pass hundreds of millions of dollars of tax breaks and bond sales that will be passed by the full council later that day. Bring your camera phone, but be discrete. Council Calendar http://chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/calendar.html
Actually, I never said the neighborhood was teetering on the brink of chaos... Bernie and his staff has kept the peace for decades. It is interesting to note that the hate monger trying to harm race relations has had no traction whatsoever that I have seen. Like most hate mongers, he (or she) is not particularly literate (According to the history tab, The fake Wikipedia entry took numerous tries to get the spelling right.) Even more significantly, like most hate mongers, he (or she) does have a clue as to anyone but themselves think. For example, I showed the Wikipedia entry to a number of ward residents. The reactions to one entry in particular (accusing Bernie of apologizing for slavery 27 years ago) was particularly hilarious; reactions ranged from incredulity that Bernie would apologize for anything, to amazement that Bernie was old enough to be alive in the 1850's, (he wasn't) and therefore had something to apologize for. Most everybody interpreted it as apologizing TO those harmed by slavery on behalf of the community. But nobody has seen the slightest evidence of racial tension (for one thing, no particular race is dominant in the ward. Hard to have a fight if there are a zillion sides.), so it probably doesn't matter. There are two other points that I would like to make. Outside of the inherent stereotypes of age discrimination inherent in Hughs comments, the fact of the matter is that nobody in the ward cares about what happens in council meetings. I have never met Bernie or Ilana (yet), but I am close with a number of members of the Indian community, and I know that, for example, when that horrible fire occurred on Devon Avenue a while ago, Bernie and the ward staff was there for the Indian community, working very late hours doing everything they could to minimize the damage. And thats what really counts. Yes, residents are usually somewhat upset with Bernie, he is fair, which means that nobody gets everything they want. He is also tough as nails, which is what you need if you intend to deal with some of the more obstreperous residents. The other point I would like to make is to correct a statement I made earlier. I am interested in the welfare of the ward residents, not in who runs it, in my view, the alderman is an employee of the ward, nothing more. However, after reading this comment thread, the underlying bigotry, and, more importantly, the fact that challengers organizations has not made any serious attempt to limit the damage this may cause the community, and I have decided to become more involved in this election. It isn't necessary to demonize any side to win, and frankly, it is counterproductive. Most of the ethnic groups here have fled a country where demonizing opponents was heavily used, and are wary of anyone using the tactic. Look, there are legitimate differences in the visions of the various candidates and the incumbent, and it is up to the community to decide which one they prefer. Greg, the bank and his supporters will obviously benefit from the gentrification of the ward, their bungalows will increase in value. So will many others. There is nothing wrong with that. The gentrification will drive out the non property owners, however, and will not benefit all the business owners, either. It will definitely change the character of the community, and reduce the number of specialized ethnic services the community offers to its members. Some residents are concerned about that, and thats a legitimate concern also. The ward diversity is a unique and valuable resource, not only to Chicago, but to the national interest, and should not be discarded lightly. I won't proselytize either view, I am not wise enough, I don't want that responsibility. But I will NOT let these election tactics harm those whom all sides are claiming to want to serve, either. The ward will still be here no matter who wins, and it's economic situation is precarious enough that I am worried about stressing it any further.
> nobody in the ward cares about what happens in council meetings. speak for yourself, bro
> ... gentrification ... will definitely change the character of the community ... At the JCC last spring Stone stood before a community meeting on his Touhy-Western TIF proposal and pronounced: "Change is coming, whether you like it or not."
> ... this comment thread, the underlying bigotry ... Can you please give some examples of bigotry in this thread? Thanks
just to clarify.... The candidate that is all about gentrification, that would be Stone, right? TIF'ing up & down Devon, Western, and Touhy, providing lucrative public subsidizes for luxury condos? And the bank you refer to, that stands to profit from all this, that would be Mutual Bank, right? same bank owned by Stone campaign contributor Amrish Mahajan? who serves with Stone on the Plan Commission? that approves all the TIF projects? let us speak plainly neighbor
Wikipedia is always looking for volunteers. If there's something out there you don't like, change it.
Actually, in this case, altering the Wikipedia entry potentially might be considered evidence tampering, if the Feds ever decide to prosecute. That is unlikely though, as I said, there has been no effect on relations in the neighborhood, and prosecuting an incompetent hate monger is a waste of everyones time and money. I do want to clarify a point, though. As far as I know, all the candidates are in favor of gentrification, the real issue is to what extent, and who loses by it. There are tradeoffs to everything, and more so in a complex community like this. The wards present policies tend to favor the tiny businesses serving the specialized needs of the ethnic community a bit more. As I, and many, see it, the candidates policies would favor establishment of more profitable, but less specialized, businesses. That has both good and bad sides. Those tiny businesses are NOT going to contribute as much to the financial wealth of the community. And when you look at how much the restaurant district just north of the loop has changed what used to be skid row, it has to make you reconsider. On the other hand, these tiny businesses provide much more employment for minorities and serve ethnic needs that are not met anywhere else in the city. If the city is to be truly non discriminatory, is it right (or even legal) to foster policies that eliminate services and jobs that are needed for certain ethnic groups (such as the Orthodox Jews or Pacific Rim immigrants) to reside in the city? My issue with the bank (not with Greg) is that they have done to little to develop the community economically, and are taking the easy way out even now. I haven't named the bank (and won't, other than to say it is not Mutual) because it is not my intention to fight with them, but to get the bank to start stepping up to it's responsibilities in the neighborhood. Local banks are supposed to help the community grow, and this one has repeatedly failed miserably in that respect. Let me reiterate that this election isn't any sort of "good vs. evil" thing, it just several groups with different visions of the future of the community. A local US attorney recently said that alderman control the economic growth of their community. That is not quite correct. Alderman mostly only have the ability to SLOW the growth of their community. Some outside force has to come in to cause the community to grow economically. Bernie has attracted a lot of those forces, and I think it is is unfair to blame him solely because he is also friends with those developers. There are 49 other wards in the city, plus the suburbs, competing for development dollars, and it is part of his responsibilities to help get a portion of those funds. Greg would have to do the same thing if he is elected. I happen to favor Bernie because I think sacrificing a lot of diversity for a slightly better economic growth is not worth it in the long run, and I think we can get better sustainable growth by maximizing economic potential of the existing ethnic communities, rather than replacing them with the richer yuppie communities. I might be wrong. But consider this. What sort of competitive advantage would the ward's economy have if it was just like every other community?
> ... all the candidates are in favor of gentrification, the real issue is to what extent ... > Local banks are supposed to help the community grow, and this one has repeatedly failed miserably in that respect. Those darn banks! Holding our neighborhood back from realizing its potential! This unnamed bank has done too little under Stone and your greatest fear is they will do too much when Stone is gone. What a highly nuanced view you have!
> ... if the Feds ever decide to prosecute. That is unlikely ... I agree. Highly unlikely. So why not jump in, flesh out the story of how you and Stone built the Shining City on a Hill known as Rogers Park, based on your recollections. I know I'd like to read it.
Actually, I will do one better. I will explain something of the history of Devon avenue, and why I am upset with the bank. I was picking up some groceries on Devon Friday, and as I came back, I visited someone who remembers when Devon was a dirt road. That was a long time ago, even before my time. When I was growing up, Devon had become a major commercial center. At the corner of Devon and California was Rosin Optometrists. People would come from all over the world to visit it. There were other world famous stores, on Devon, on Lincoln avenue, on Western avenue. Did you know that Lincoln Village was the first shopping center, ever, in Chicago? Know how that came about? Wasn't the government. It was a local bank, which had executives that had the vision to see what the area could become, and the courage and dedication to make it happen. But that was then. All those executives of that bank are now retired, and the new generation in charge of the bank are, charitably, cautious; Unit banking and community banks area thing of the past, and banks can make more money investing in faraway places than in their own communities. And government can do little to help. Don't blame Bernie for the decline. He kept this neighborhood from disintegrating, in face of city budgets that were slashed and slashed again. Theres no help available from the city, Chicago can't even afford to keep helping special education students, let alone whole neighborhoods, and most of those neighborhoods are in far worse shape than ours. As I walked toward California Avenue, something about the scene reminded of the 1970's, walking along 47th avenue towards King drive on the south side of Chicago. I was scared back then, a few weeks earlier a driver had pulled into a gas station a block from the 47th street carnival, and gotten shot for the crime of asking directions. But I was not scared last Friday, even though Devon was shabbier and darker than 47th street was in my memory. As I passed an abandoned shopping cart, an old woman rushed past me, grabbed the cart, and shouted "I am going in that direction anyways, I might as well take it back" And the thought hit me. I was not afraid, because I was home. Yeah, maybe the grocery shelves were full of labels from some country where they apparently never invented vowels, and I couldn't understand most of what anyone was saying, but out on a dark street, I was home. As I reached California avenue, I looked east, to where, as a young child, my father had brought me to the a meeting room of the second story of the bank, where they taught the children of immigrants about what it meant to be an American. I remember the banks dedication, it's involvement in the community, and the pride I felt in being even a small part of this. And now I finally understand how important that was. An alderpersons job is to act as an ombudsman for the residents to the city, the local community has to take responsibility for its own growth. And the financial part of the community is responsible for providing the environment to cause it to grow. Except in this case, that bank does not see an opportunity there. Instead it sees a bunch of little, hole in the wall third world businesses it wants to get rid of because it's depressing property values of the bungalows it holds the mortgages on. I DO see those opportunities. I see see a living, thriving (if poor) community that actually cares about itself and each other, and is doing the best it can under difficult circumstances. All it really needs is a financial institution to take an interest in developing it economically. And thats why I am upset with the local bank. P.S. for clarification, Rogers Park is NOT part of the 50th ward, and, though I did do some work there back in the 1970's, it is not what I am talking about here. My community is in the 50th and 40th wards, (West Rodgers Park, Westridge, Lincoln Bend/Budlong Woods) and I only claim to be one member of a large group that helped make it a very diverse community. It is sorta like New Orleans. Officially, FEMA and the Coast Guard did all the rescue work during the Katrina storm, but unofficially, there were millions of FBO's and individual ministries involved. A few weeks ago, a Foster bus driver watching a passenger help another passenger, qnd he told me that he felt like he was back in New Orleans during the storm. That made me very proud. The members of our community help each other, and have for decades. Thats why the hate monger had no effect; we know and care about each other, his (or her) lies can't touch us. And thats what makes me see the potential of the ward. The Swedes are long gone, and only a small fraction of the Jews are left, replaced by newer immigrants. But the spirit is still there, passed down to the new residents as an inheritance from the old. And it was that spirit that made the community successful. But all the spirit in the world won't help if the resources aren't there. Bernie does not control those resources; the banks do.
Why does Gregg Brewer have a picture of him and Bernie Stone shaking hands? I thought they didn't like each other.
That is a picture of Greg Brewer and Irv Loundy, Vice President of Devon Bank. Not Bernie Stone. Irv Loundy is the chairman of Brewer's campaign.
Oops! Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, Irv sure does look a lot like the picture of Berny in all those posters. I've seen his name on Brewer's materials. He must be a big force behind his campaign.
Since it is a day in honor of Dr. King, I thought I might make a comment on the 50th ward and us "dinosaurs" in the context of the early civil rights movement, and why the banks abandoned the community. To set the stage, lets review a little history . Jews had fared little better in America in the 1930's than they did in Europe. For example, here in America, radio evangelists with millions of followers regularly urged destruction of the "Christ Killers". After WWII, antisemitism decreased for a few years, then re-emerged under the leadership of Senator "Tailgunner Joe" McCarthy, disguised as anticommunism. As a consequence, by the late 1950's, most of the Jewish communities in America were seriously concerned about potential "American Holocaust". In the same time period, a wave of migration had brought southerners, blacks and whites alike, to Chicago, which was the most segregated city in America at the time. Seriously segregated. Trying to move outside your neighborhood meant risking a severe beating at best. Or even just staying in your neighborhood. In West Rogers Park and Lincoln Bend/Budlong Woods, white southern gangs would sometimes drive into the neighborhood, beat up Jews at random, and leave. Sometimes Jews as young as first graders playing on the grounds of Jamieson grade school. The Jews that grew up in this environment had a strong anger about social injustice of any kind and were heavily involved in the early civil rights movement. Over in the east coast cities like New York, this anger was mostly expressed by joining voter registration drives in the south. Here in Chicago, however, voter registration wasn't the main issue, (there was no discrimination, even dead people could vote, and often did), integration was. From the mid 1950's on, the Jews of the far north side worked hard to foster better relations between all the races of the city. That was us, the dinosaurs, the methuselahs, Bernies and my generation. Mostly anonymously. At first, the fear was of getting beaten or killed by the racists, later, they had to dodge the blockbusters and redliners, who used fear to cheat black and white homeowners alike. At the end, they also had to include some of the marchers and protestors, who could ruin years of careful bridgebuilding between the races with a single confrontation. And always, they remembered their origins here in Rogers Park (East and West) Lincoln Bend/Budlong woods and Westridge and tried to make it a shining example of true diversity. I can't (and wouldn't even if I could) claim credit for that, I was just one insignificant part of a movement that, unorganized as it was, made a major contribution to the fact that there are now only two neighborhoods of Chicago that are still unintegrated. I was one of the youngest then, but that was a half century ago, and I am old now. A lot of the others came back to wait to die in nursing homes in the area that they loved, and most of rest are long dead (probably still voting, though. tradition means a lot to Jews.) But Methuselah's? We built this community, we still love it, and we are still fighting (and succeeding) in keeping it vital in spite of an almost total lack of financial support from the outside world. But it is not easy. We succeeded too well. As the diversity grew, the banks that helped build the most modern business community of the 1960's redlined us. Oh, not so obvious as outright redlining, but loans and business improvements were few and far between, especially for the small ethnic group businesses that cluster around the intersection of Ghandi Way, Mother Teresa way, Golda Mier way and California. As gentrification inches closer, the redlining is relaxing, since those same banks now see a return to customers they are more comfortable with, and a chance to reverse the diversity that has happened since the 1960's. We want the gentrification to come. Diversity means everybody, including the rich yuppies (and all the money they could spend at local businesses). But one thing about us Methuselahs. We get really stubborn in our old age, and we are not going to waver on our commitment to make this community a home for all, from the homeless to the millionaires, and for every race and culture that wants to come and live here with the rest of us. It's probably hopeless. While our opponents have $100 a plate dinners at fancy downtown restaurants, we meet informally in tiny gatherings and in non "now" restaurants like "What's Cooking", in Lincoln Village. It is unlikely that even with the best cabbage soup in the city we can compete with bank executives and tons of campaign money. Then again, decades ago, it also seemed hopeless too, we never seriously thought we could even make a real difference, let alone help integrate the city. We just knew we could not stand by the sidelines and do nothing. In any case, I, at least, do take comfort in the fact that the hate monger didn't manage to make even a dent in community relations. It means we built this community well, I just hope we built well enough to survive the challenges of the next few years.
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