Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Politics / News / Clout City Chicago aldermen have no money for libraries but millions for ward map fight
Posted by Ben Joravsky on 12.21.11 at 02:10 PM
Aw, shit—here we go again, to quote the great Kanye West.
Apparently, they can't settle on one map. And if they can't get at least 41 aldermen to agree on one map, we'll have a referendum to decide between two maps.
That will cost us about $30 million, which is up from the $20 million it cost us when we had a ward-map referendum ten years ago.
Not sure why the cost of running a ward-map referendum went up $10 million in ten years, or why it even cost so much ten years ago.
Maybe they ought to farm the referendum out to a charter school—they're pretty good at forcing their teachers to work for next to nothing.
In short, our aldermen think we can afford to spend $30 million on a ward map referendum, but we can't afford to spend it on libraries and mental health clinics.
By the way, your water-sewer tax will be going up big time over the next few years. Just thought I'd throw that in.
Anyway, the ward-map race boils down to a battle between black and Latino aldermen, with most white aldermen lining up with the black aldermen.
I guess that amounts to progress on the race-relations front. Back in the dinosaur days, when I moved to Chicago, black and white aldermen were at each others throats, while Latinos stayed on the sidelines looking to cut a deal with whichever group came out on top. (Hello, Congressman Gutierrez!)
Officially, Latino and black aldermen will tell you that they want the map to set aside wards with supermajorities of blacks or Latinos so that blacks or Latinos will have the predominant say in who gets elected.
Even though all aldermen—black, white, Latino, Asian—do whatever it is that the mayor tells them. So what difference does an alderman's race, creed or color really matter?
In fact, I'm thinking we should try a social experiment where voters have to vote for candidate of a different race or ethnicity.
Follow me on this—a white voter wouldn't be allowed to vote for a white candidate and a black voter wouldn't be allowed to vote for a black candidate, and a Latino candidate wouldn't be allowed to vote for a Latino candidate, etc. and so forth....
Of course, now that I think about it—whoever gets elected will still wind up doing whatever the mayor says.
Guess we're screwed no matter which way we go ...
One thing I think we all can agree on is that none of this has anything to do with protecting the interests of disadvantaged minorities, despite whatever rhetoric we might be hearing from black or Latino aldermen.
Instead, it's about protecting the interests of incumbent aldermen who want to stay in office by redrawing ward boundaries to include everyone likely to vote for them and exclude everyone who's not.
It's called political survival.
Curiously enough, the leader of the Latino aldermanic faction is Danny Solis, one of my favorite alderman on account of the fact that he almost always returns my calls.
What's up, Danny!
Back in April, Alderman Solis narrowly won reelection thanks to rock-solid support from the Chinese-American voters in Chinatown and the white American voters near the University of Illinois.
As for the Latino American voters in Pilsen, they mostly voted for Cuahutemoc Morfin. In short, if it were up to the Latino voters—whose interests Danny says he's looking out for—he'd have been defeated.
This, my friends, is a textbook example of irony that they might want to use in a literature class over at the United Neighborhood Organization Charter School empire. Thanks to Mayor Rahm, UNO keeps getting more and more public money to teach Latino students whose parents apparently don't want anything to do with Alderman Solis.
So, really folks, why waste a dime on this silliness? As I've suggested before, we should just divvy up the city into 50 wards without regard to ethnicity.
Let's spend the $30 million on things we need—like librarians, teachers, firefighters, and cops. You know, the people who do the real work around here.
Comments (20)
Showing 1-20 of 20
Ben,
What do you think of the threat by Da Mare about reducing the number to 25? any teeth behind it, or is it just hot air?
like
dislikeIt's $30 million only if the alderman fight it. ABC's Charles Thomas had an interesting thought that Mayor Rahm could promise campaign money for those aldermen who thought they might lose if they get the wrong map.
I WANT the PEOPLE to vote for this map, as it affects us for the next 10 years. Even with the inflated number (which actually went up in 1 month!), divided by 50 wards and 10 years, equals $60,000. If we get the wrong re-map, that can cost that area EASILY 2 jobs (which would total $60,000), and probably far more.
So i think it's worth the cost....we just need to hold our leaders accoutnable if they fight a stupid fight.
Ben, is there anyway you or ANYONE in the media could report on how the NEIGHBORHOODS feel about this. For Example, Englewood (such as the RAGE = Resident Associaiton of Greater ENglewood) have noted that they have 6 ward representing their neighborhood, but not ONE office in Englewood. What should be 6 advocates often seem like 0. Or in the 6th Ward...Chesterfield and Roseland Heights are strongly identified with Chatham & the 6th, but the BLACK remap would cut them out.
Those issues should be addressed by the media...
-- j.p. paulus
"So, really folks, why waste a dime on this silliness? As I've suggested before, we should just divvy up the city into 50 wards without regard to ethnicity."
You mean exactly like the Pro Bono Thinking Society proposed?
http://www.probonothinking.org/new-wards-of-chicago/
Hell, why doesn't the city just agree to let them draw the map. Won't cost taxpayers a dime!
Last week I was thinking that the aldermen "folded like lawn chairs" was my favorite Joravsky-ism ever. And it was, until I read the post above and found: "Maybe they ought to farm the referendum out to a charter school--they're pretty good at forcing their teachers to work for next to nothing."
Neither cowardly aldermen nor exploited teachers is funny. Still, wouldn't despair kill us if we didn't have Joravsky writing about them?
Yeah, right, JP--"let the neighborhoods vote". Just like 2007, when your favorite alderman, Helen Shiller, bussed in homeless people from all over the city so she could throw the election her way? Or how she and your buddies managed to gerrymander her organization's precincts in and her opponents OUT of a "referendum" so she could almost say with a straight face that the "voters" wanted to throw away their TIF tax dollars on even MORE mis-managed gang-infested Section 8 housing? I think that you're just as interested in gerrymandering "communities" for your own purposes as much as the self-serving aldermen are.
Take all the demographics out of the picture--focus wards on actual recognized neighborhoods, make them as rectangular as possible, adjust the boundaries to make the population numbers equal across the board, and call it a day. I'm tired of paying for the politics of aldermanic self-preservation and splinter group/special interest politics.
"Just like 2007, when your favorite alderman, Helen Shiller, bussed in homeless people from all over the city so she could throw the election her way?"
Maybe you can get your friends at Chicago magazine to write an article about it.
"This is what happens when Democrats vote for Democrats."
Sounds like you have a political theory!
Remind me again why skin color should have anything to do with anything.
Divvy up the city in 25 (not 50) roughly equal portions based on total population, carved up along major thoroughfares or other logical boundary markers, and be done with it.
If the aldermanic numbnuts want to put it to a vote, this option should be a choice.
you were right on point with the irony of having Alderman Solis represent latino caucus when his own people in the neighborhood rejected him in favor of progressive activist Cuahutemoc Morfin...During Mayoral campaign he supported Gerry Chico, then he flipped to jump on Rahm bandwagon and do his bidding including remapping the city council down to 25 wards...So which side is Alderman Solis on? Not Pilsen, not the Latino residents he is trying to represent or the residents of Chicago...We get what we vote for, an arrogant, power-drunk alderman who thinks he is untouchable...
I'm Sorry Morphine is NOT an activist! Why did he leave the county? Was it because while a probation officer he traded favors to parolees? He was asked to leave the county for being involved sexually with the mothers, wives, and even sisters of ex-convicts! Moises, You may not remember me but my neighbors and I did not appreciate your aggressive tactics when you came to our door! Street Thug! I know your still affiliated with the Bishops gang!
Joe, I need to educate you. First, I am not a street thug nor am I am affiliated any punk street gang. I am an educator and activist, and your comment toward me shows the level of education you have learned as an adult. I serve my community of Pilsen, with honor and integrity. Ask the youth of Gads Hill, the students of Walsh Academy Benito Juarez High School, their parents and their teacher and ask my neighbors and friends who I am...Look me up and you will see just how ignorant you really are. If I came to your door, it was to spread the message of change, I dont use "aggressive" tactics like Alderman Solis using off duty police officers knocking on doors or sending out malicious comments like you...That's not who we are Joe, you got me all wrong, buddy, but at least you didnt disagree that our Alderman is a jackass! :) happy holidays to you and your family. peace be with you.
Isaaac, you missed my note about dividing it by 10 years -- that DOES equal $60,000 = about 2 jobs per ward. Losing that due to alderman ignoring a community (such as Englewood) costs more than legal costs which shouldn't happen if the politicians weren't being petty.
Shortstick -- do theyhave a better map -- it's hard to see what those wards look like in real life....DEFNITELY an interesting concept worth considering.
Bear, i agree with you on this: "Take all the demographics out of the picture--focus wards on actual recognized neighborhoods, make them as rectangular as possible, adjust the boundaries to make the population numbers equal across the board, and call it a day. I'm tired of paying for the politics of aldermanic self-preservation and splinter group/special interest politics."
But regarding Shiller --- The Uptown Chicago Commission had YEARS to organize people (at least 4 years) to take 2 days off to monitor the FEW precincts where that MIGHT be a problem. They never proved such a thing, or had any substantial documentation (like posting how many people were registered and actually voted from the shelters). UCC & The Anti-Shiller crowd wrote off everyone in buildings like 4640 -- ignoring people who would have voted AGAINST Shiller if they were respected and not lumped in with drunks & gangbangers.
And the intellectuals at "Sloopin" are chiming in...
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11…
Hypocrisy redaux - Just this year, you had the Chicago Fire Department pay out a rediculous settlemenst for a problem where CFD entance examps, redesigned to ensure more minorities would make it, actually had as many failing anyway. Yet racial Ward design, to increase segregation is allowed?
@ Moises. So you were never a Bishop? And your crew didn't put up politicle signs on my Property without permission? Next you will say you don't live on May St!
@ Joe, Yes I do live on May street and No I was never a Bishop, and never put signs without permission...where is this coming from? oh and thanks for publicly putting my life and my family in danger by calling me a Bishop, im sure you wouldnt like the same said about you...
@ Ben, The aldermen who would rather spend millions to protect their incumbency instead of investing in public services like schools, libraries and clinics, need to propose an independent board of stakeholders per ward (residents, civil rights orgs, etc) to decide how redistricting gets processed..this should be done without preferential politics, gerrymandering but fair in within a democratic process...the public hearings were a joke. When the 25th ward "public hearing" was held at West Side Tech, only 10 people showed up, and half were the staff of the Alderman...once we institute a mechanism of participatory democracy, we can be part of remap process that will reflect our needs as a community and our resolve to work with our elected officials. thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this forum...peace and solidarity to all working families in chicago struggling to make ends meet...happy holidays
@ Moises.
I don't agree with everything Alderman Solis has done but, I have seen much improve in Pilsen. Does it need more definately. I've lived here for over sixty years so I can speak on how it was and how it currently is. I guess you though because I'm much older I would be intimidated but I am not. Next time you come by I will remind you.
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