Wednesday, March 19, 2008
News / Clout City The Green Alderman
Posted by Mick Dumke on Wed, Mar 19, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Just asking: Will alderman Ed Burke actually follow through on his latest environmental proposal?
Burke, the longest-serving alderman in the council, is widely assumed to have more clout than anyone else in city government except the mayor.
Over the years he's proposed a series of an impressive environmental reforms, from tightening restrictions [PDF] on the city's two heavily polluting coal-fired power plants to limiting the use of dangerous dry-cleaning chemicals to banning plastic shopping bags.
But in most cases, he's introduced them with modest fanfare, told reporters how important they are, and then stepped aside as they died in committee, usually without a hearing.
Burke's spokesman, Donal Quinlan, says his boss is a realist who doesn't push anything without a decent chance of passing.
The problem is that most of these proposals will never have a decent chance of passing because no other aldermen even know they exist. No other aldermen even know they exist because their chief sponsor doesn't tell anyone about them unless they gain traction in the media. And he certainly doesn't do any horse-trading or arm-twisting.
Last week he introduced his usual flurry of proposed ordinances and resolutions, including one that would require fast-food restaurants to display nutritional information about the items on their menus and another that calls on the council to hold hearings about sex offenders who live near day care centers. Both attracted a little bit of interest from the press and fellow aldermen.
Another seemed to fly by without anyone noticing: Burke revived a proposal he originally introduced in November 2006 that would require the city to recycle or find some other greenish way of disposing of its old computers, cell phones, compact florescent light bulbs, and other "e-waste."
The ordinance doesn't tell city officials how to do it; it just demands that they "immediately develop and document a sustainable program" to recycle or safely get rid of its own "e-waste," which often contains mercury and other toxins.
Burke said he didn't really know if the city was already doing something with this junk. "If it is I'm not aware of it, and I don't think it's as developed as it should be," he said.
I called several officials with several city departments, but no one could give me a clearer explanation of what happens to this stuff than Burke did. Based on the little I did gather, it doesn't sound like the city has a consistent policy in place--though these officials think it should.
Burke's ordinance was jointly assigned to the committees on finance and economic, capital and technology development. The second of these is chaired by 39th Ward alderman Margaret Laurino; the first, of course, is chaired by Burke himself. If this measure doesn't see the light of day, it's not because Burke can't convince the alderman leading the committee to call it for a hearing.
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Who cares about Ed Burke's clean green agenda. Burke knows his time is near,so he trying to build a legacy as an evironmentalist,to clean off the corrupt stench of Chicago politics.
I've been thinking of banning e-waste too. I just don't know how. We need a city sponsored program to help figure this important issue out. I say Ald. Burke continue to keep resolutioning this matter in committee.
"e-waste"? C'mon. There's many sources of toxic household waste. Get rid of the buz words and do something. What about batteries, pesticides, paint, poisons, freon, oil, old gas, etc.. The city should be picking this stuff up curbside at least once a year.
I can't believe this fraud of a public servant continues to be successful in his decade long quest to fool the electorate. Every time there is heat in Daley's kitchen, Burke throws an eco-bone to the lifestyle ninnies who can't see the canard for what it is--Diversion! As in they went that-a-way --> Actually in a sense you have to hand it to him, it is so easy to do. Burke thinks we're all a bunch of chumps. He's not far off. Oh, by the way, every time the City Council legislates a feel good, responsible life-style, eco-friendly, north sideish, sucker punch on the populace, 2 things are certain-- 1) Somebody's snooping around with a damaging article to be released and diverted; and 2) the resultant ordinance will make one of the chosen city "vendors" even more rich through contract services no competitor could have possible anticipated. These guys have the world (or at least the southern Lake Michigan basin portion) on a string-- and it's wrapped around their crazy little fingers.
"Burke's spokesman, Donal Quinlan, says his boss is a realist who doesn't push anything without a decent chance of passing." Define what has a 'decent chance of passing'. Besides whatever profits Burke, Daley, Madigan and the rest of the inbred Irish cocksuckers in collusion with the inbred Stroger, Beavers, and the like.
How about donating 'old computers' to the many organizations which both refurbish them, train people to refurbish them and distribute them to those who can't even afford to buy a book? Instead of doling out another bunch of sweetheart contracts to 'analyze the problem', 'develop a solution strategy', 'implement a solution strategy', said strategy requiring yet another sweetheart contract to a favored company. Fuck Burke.
It is true Burke is worried about his legacy. He doesn't want to be remembered as just another sewer crawling Hack politican. Or bottom feeder. He wants to be thought of as someone saving the Environment and doling out Eco-frendly contracts to his friends.
"There's many sources of toxic household waste. Get rid of the buz words and do something. What about batteries, pesticides, paint, poisons, freon, oil, old gas, etc.. The city should be picking this stuff up curbside at least once a year." and we wonder why we have a City govt that treats us like children. the City has a few days a year where they accept all of this stuff in various locations, and other facilities (Goose Island) are open year round. take some responsibility and go here for more: http://www.chicagorecycling.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=94
In watching Burke's legislative initiatives, I guess he deserves some credit for having someone on his vast staff (larger than some City depts) actually looking at what city councils in other major American cities are getting away with. He is the king of the "me, too" ordinance. If you want to know what Burke is going to do next, watch the NY City Council. He word-smiths the "New York"s into "Chicago" and tosses it in the hopper.
"He word-smiths the 'New York's' into 'Chicago' and tosses it in the hopper." And for all that major, mental effort, by his overpaid, suck ass 'staff', what we get for it is more over-priced, half-assed contractors, barely worth half what we, the taxpayers, pay them, if that, and more cooperation from the media, the supposed 'guardians of the truth', when we have seen, time and time again, ad nauseum infinitum, that they either wouldn't recognize the truth if it bit them on their asses, or, much more often, they turn a blind eye to the truth, per the standing orders of their masters. When 'the people' refuse to believe the bullshit of their 'inherent' inferiority and subservience to those who present themselves as the 'better' citizens, (in reality, better at lying, stealing, defrauding, manipulating, cheating and bullshitting), and embrace and apply their Right To Vote, doing so by HAVING NO DOUBTS and VOTING INCUMBENTS OUT, then, and only then, will the reign of corruption come to an end. Until that time, buckle up, boys and girls, we, the taxpayers, are in for a very rough ride.
Bob Cooley knows the truth about the hypocrite Ed Burke
If you want GREEN change the building codes, the zoning codes and stop giving aldermen who have no clue about GREEN the green light to build more garbage in the city. Developers are nothing more than opportunists without a clue. 50 years ago it was fine, with the amount of knowledge that is available you would think we could start doing what is right instead of what fills their pockets fastest. Green? Ha!
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