The Blog

Come on? Your kidding me? Those nine new " rompin stompin pro union " aldermen are full of shit? The ones that Larry(Gannon),Moe(Balanoff)and Curley(Morrison) bragged about? Than there is "buy me a senate seat" Jackson Jr wife, who looks great, but does nothing. This City needs 3 major changes I talked about in 2005: 1) NEW MAYOR 2) RUN ALDERMAN RUN UNDER YOUR MAYOR CANDIDATE.(20) 3) PRESSURE THE UNION LEADERS TO STOP BACKING DALEY! He is out of touch , when it comes to working families.

I'm sorry. Alderman Scott Waguespack is good, and it looks like Alderman Manny Flores is coming into his own.

it seems that many are snowed by his appearance not just the yuppies. look more closely.

OK, so maybe someone can explain better how this attitude of "I don't care what happens to the City as a whole, as long as me & mine get our piece of the pie" isn't the root of all of our problems? Yes, of course people deserve basic city services. But larger budgetary issues are what determine the City's ability to deliver them. I dunno, for years I've heard how all the problems on the south and west sides are due to entrenched Irish political power and racism, but it seems to me it takes two to tango, and residents of these neighborhoods should take a look in the mirror if they want to cast blame.

"I suspect most voters here would prefer their aldermen have a good relationship with City Hall (even a bootlicking one), if it means they can get city services to work and get access to dollars for ward improvements." Of course it is the Daley administration's fondest hope that most voters would think that. 'who will get me a garbage can?' This Myth of Alderman as Service Provider naive thinking is the very nub of our problem of lack of representation in our City government. If you need a garbage can you can call 311, but what an alderman can do for us that NO ONE else can do for us is represent us with their VOTE IN CITY COUNCIL. This way of expressing the myth is a very small step from endorsing Daley's terrorist-as-chief-executive persona.

I agree, Hugh. so the question is, is it that fault of Chicagoans for being so dense that they can't put 2 and 2 together, or is it a more sinister question of racism, class warfare, etc.? I suspect it's a bit of both. I'd certainly be amazed if any of these issues are taught to any serious degree in the Public Schools. On the other hand, can anyone say with a straight face that they don't know how to call 311? There is some truth to the notion that alderman requests do move things along faster (duh - who do you think a city worker feels more obligated to respond to), but aldermen are still putting requests into the same departments that your 311 call eventually go to.

"All 11 were pushed hard by Mayor Daley and have potentially enormous impacts on city finances and government operations ... the repeal of the foie gras ban." Well, it's hardly enormous financial impact. You want financial impact? You want pushed hard by Daley? You want votes illustrating mayoral domination of the legislative branch? So why the heck did the Reader of all people overlook the freshmen's unblemished record of voting in support of TIF expansion? Every one of these is a property tax hike on Chicago homeowners. Little Village 6/13/07 Journal 2532 pdf 593 Armitage/Pulaski 6/13/07 Journal 2627 pdf 688 http://chicityclerk.com/journals/2007/june13_2007/jun13_2007_Financeoptimize.pdf Elston 7/19/07 Journal 4014 pdf 363 http://chicityclerk.com/journals/2007/july19_2007/july19_2007_Financeoptimize.pdf Austin/Commercial 9/27/07 Journal 8741 pdf 785 79th/Vincennes 9/27/07 Journal 8875 pdf 919 http://chicityclerk.com/journals/2007/sept27_2007/sept27_2007_Financeoptimize.pdf Hollywood/Sheridan 11/7/07 Journal 13725 pdf 1254 http://chicityclerk.com/journals/2007/nov7_2007/nov7_2007_Financeoptimize.pdf Kostner Avenue 11/5/08 Journal 43481 pdf 731 http://chicityclerk.com/journals/2008/nov5_2008/nov5_2008_Finance.pdf I could go on...

HEY Hugh maybe you should come off your plateau. Some people feel the greatest gift from an Alderman is a garbage can,and Garbage pickup,and basic service. HEY Coconate you forgot my Alderman Balcer,and the world's gratest Committeeman John Daley.

Mayor Daley should step down and become Alderman. We need Gay marrige in Chicago Now!

Thanks for the shout-out, Mick, and thanks to all who've come and checked out the Marshfield Tattler. Mick's response to me was quite right. Of course people should be able to count on getting their trash picked up or their streets shoveled or their sidewalks repaired AND count on their aldermen to look after their larger interests by raising questions and even refusing to vote for deals like the parking meter fiasco and other sales of city assets, etc. All I was trying to say is that most people are looking to their immediate self-interest, and in neighborhoods like Back of the Yards, it can be pretty hard to think beyond that garbage can. Of course, if guys like Hugh and skeptic would like to come down and try to do some educating or community organizing, I say bring it on. But expect to get your butts kicked pretty hard at first. Little Village is the one neighborhood that has managed to grow some spine and enough people with a deeper political vision to get some independence. If I could figure out how to bottle it and spread it around, I'd be on it in a minute.

Does anyone recall council wars? That's what happens when you have a "independent" aldermen. Its called chaos and nothing productive becomes of it. After the '83 election, and especially after the'86 special election, the council as a whole should have acknowledged Washington's status as mayor and gone out of their way to accomodate him with the caveat that each retain substantial autonomy in matters pertaining to his/her own ward. The notion, long advanced by this writers at this publication, that alderman are supposed to leap from their chairs and begin shouting each and every time the mayor attempts to administer to the needs of the whole city is a bunch of mularkey!

11th clone, I thought Pat Huels was the best Alderman ever , from the 11th ward. He never forgot were he came from. John Daley forgot who put his brother in office in 1989 . They forget how it was in "89". .ALL Union City Workers were asked to help Little Richie Rich become the next Mayor . Guys like Broderick,Mannion,Degnan, Joyce,Mitchell,Reyes and Tomczak told us help Richie Daley, he will protect the Union city workers and there Jobs! Boy, were they wrong1 This mayor is the worst for the working families! he must go!

Heuls never take a bath. HIm smell bad. Him silly like big jim and slim tim.

Alderman Huels was a class act. He lost all that weight ,just like Tim Mitchell. he took care of his people and left the rest alone. John Daley and his family steal with both hands , than fuck with people. They should all be locked up!

From: http://www.chicagojournal.com "4/29/2009 10:00:00 PM Gang-related incidents in Streeterville, River North Two gang-related incidents occurred in the Streeterville-River North area in little more than 24 hours. First, a mob of 11 allegedly admitted gang members - most in their teens - attacked two men shortly after 1 a.m. April 25 as they walked northbound in the 600 block of N. Michigan. The victims told police that the suspects asked if the victims were Latin Kings, to which the victims replied 'no.' The suspects then stated 'This is G-D world' and 'G-D Love' and surrounded the victims, threw the victims to the ground and struck the victims in the face and body. Both victims sustained minor lacerations and bruises. All of the suspects were apprehended at various locations in Streeterville, and all allegedly admitted they were members of the Gangster Disciples. One of the offenders - whose name is redacted in the police report because he is younger than 17 - allegedly stole one of the victim's cell phone. The remaining ten suspects are: Jackess Miller, 17, of the 400 block of E. North Water L.B. Bounds-Bey, 19, of the 6300 block of N. Mozart Derrick Peterson, 21, of the first block of S. Homan Abdul Otenigbagbe, 17, of the 1400 block of W. Sherwin Arren Gregory, 18 Terrence Brooks, 20, of the 5900 block of N. Winthrop Edward Oluwole, 18 Quincy Johnson, 17, of the 4500 block of N. Magnolia Max Chester, of the 1000 block of W. North Shore Jamal Goings, 19, of the 6200 block of N. Claremont The following morning, at 2:26 a.m., a vehicular hijacking occurred at a gas station in the 700 block of N. Wells. The first victim told police that four men confronted him and shouted 'Latin Kings.' The offenders then struck the victim in the face and body, followed by a beer bottle to the back of the victim's head. A second victim witnessed the beating from the car and went to assist the first victim. During this time, four other offenders jumped out of another car and struck both victims. The second victim managed to call police, at which time four of the offenders took the victims' car and fled southbound through the alley off Wells." Thanks, richie, you're doing a swell job.

Candidates for Mayor 2011: 1)Manny Flores 2)Dorothy Brown 3)Tom Allen 4)Frank Avila Sr/Jr 5)LaShaun Ford Think of any others ,put them up....

Maybe these 5 together could make one mayor.

Brains, You actually thing Richie Daley would be mayor without his fathers name/money. If his name was Rich Jones , he would be in a mental ward at Cook County hospital.

The Coconut himself?

Neither of the five people listed above, while each is somewhat talented in their own way, is remotely qualified to hold Daley's coat let alone do a better job as mayor than him. Few if any other cities can say that the best guy in for the job holds the mayors seat, but we can.

"Does anyone recall council wars? That's what happens when you have a "independent" aldermen. Its called chaos and nothing productive becomes of it." Chicago's TIF program came out of it. Chicago's 1st TIF was passed by the 1984 City Council.

What if Paul Vallas turned on Daley. He has nothling to lose.

I live in Palos

I love Mayor Daley only. That and Jesse Jackson lewis LLC for Mayor! How about john Geils, he needs a job now!

If one person ran instead of a pack ,the anti-Daley turn out would be larger. I believe in a fair exchange spanky the clown,could be Daley.

" ... most people are looking to their immediate self-interest ... " ok, I agree with that, sure, but many people define their self-interest very strangely; when you're property-taxed outta your home you can't take your City garbage can with you

"Little Village is the one neighborhood that has managed to grow some spine and enough people with a deeper political vision to get some independence." what do you mean here? I'd like to learn more about this

"Does anyone recall council wars? That's what happens when you have a "independent" aldermen." no, that's what happens when a group of old-school boodlers splits the council among racial lines. let's be serious here - Vrdolyak was never an independent, he was a jilted Machine politician.

"All I was trying to say is that most people are looking to their immediate self-interest, and in neighborhoods like Back of the Yards, it can be pretty hard to think beyond that garbage can. Of course, if guys like Hugh and skeptic would like to come down and try to do some educating or community organizing, I say bring it on." living in a democracy means you share responsibility for the actions of your elected officials. what are your elected leadership (the people PAID to do these things) doing to help? have they gone into the CPS to try and educate these folks who to recycle & how to cut down on their trash? here's the thing - these aren't actions only yuppies are expected to do. it doesn't cost any more money to recycle (or to compact your boxes so three of them don't fill up a trash can), this is just common sense. poor people contribute plenty to our landfill problems, and since in Chicago we don't actually get billed by how much trash we produce (not to mention the unusual system which seems to permit some homes to acquire a half-dozen trash bins), there's little incentive to change. You can't pass the buck to a lack of organizers, this is something that should be covered in a high school civics class.

"only one May 4th - 7:21 a.m. If one person ran instead of a pack, the anti-Daley turn out would be larger. I believe in a fair exchange, spanky the clown could be(at) Daley." Here's the thing: 1. Party Primaries are held to determine which candidates for elected office will be chosen to run in the ONLY election that really matters, the General Election. 2. Unless you care about which specific Republican, or other party, candidate will face off against the Democratic candidate, (in crook county and chicago, that is usually an Incumbent), there is NO reason for you to cast your Party Primary votes in the Republican Primary and EVERY reason for you to utilize your votes in the Democratic Primary, using your votes to DENY the nomination of the Democratic INCUMBENTS to the Democratic Party's candidates in the General Election. BECAUSE: 3. The Incumbent Democrat is MOST vulnerable to being denied reelection by NOT winning their party's nomination in said party's PRIMARY elections. THAT'S how you get rid of these Democratic Incumbents, by knocking them off the General Election ballot, (which is what happens when your votes succeed in denying them their party's Primary victory). Q: Now, how can the voters be assured that the votes they cast in the Democratic Party's Primary will ensure that the Incumbent Democrats will NOT win their primary contests? A: By casting your votes using the following voting strategy: 1. Compile a list of all Democratic Incumbents who you want to NOT make it onto the General Election ballot. Organize your list of Democratic Incumbents by the office(s) which they currently hold. 2. Bring this list with you when you go to vote. 3. Locate the Incumbent Democrat's name on the voting ballot. 4. If the Incumbent Democrat's name is listed FIRST, then cast your vote for whichever candidate's name is listed LAST OR If the Incumbent Democrat's name is NOT listed first, cast your vote for whichever candidate's name IS listed FIRST. Casting your votes in this manner will, if enough citizens apply this strategy, result in every voter NOT wanting the Incumbent Democrats to win their primary to cast their votes for a SINGLE challenger candidate in each contest for public office. In order to ensure that Incumbent Democrats fail to win their party's nominations in the General Election, the voters must, for this specific purpose, disregard who they are specifically voting for, and focus on who they are specifically voting against. This strategy, if applied by a sufficient number of voters, is the most certain one to result in the Incumbent Democrats not being reelected, since, if the Incumbent Democrats fail to win their party's nomination to the General Election, said Incumbent Democrats, being no longer their party's primary victors, will only have, as their remaining option, to attempt to run in the General Election as 'Independents'. The application of this voting strategy can be the first step in restoring Authentic Democracy to this City, County and State. If Authentic Democracy is what you, the voter, want, the use of this voting strategy will effectively help you to begin the process of it's restoration. No other voting strategy is as mathematically effective. No other voting strategy renders completely impotent the 'split the vote' tactics regularly used by our city and county Democratic Incumbents. No other voting strategy substantially removes the difficulties which the average voting citizen seems to be burdened with, those difficulties being: a) to know which candidates are actually honest, sincere, capable, intelligent and honorable human beings, and not just ambitious, scheming, dishonest opportunists. (presuming, of course, that the average voting citizen actually wants an honest, sincere, capable, intelligent and honorable human being as their elected governmental representative...) b) to believe that it is possible for enough voting citizens to actually elect an honest, sincere, capable, intelligent and honorable human being as their elected governmental representative in this city and county. c) to overcome the number of citizens who regularly cast their votes according to who they are 'advised' to vote for, by the political machine's minions, for the sole benefit of said political machine minions. d) to understand that before our elected, representative governments can be populated by honest, sincere, capable, intelligent and honorable human beings, we, the citizens, must first remove the current herd of dishonest, insincere, incompetent, ignorant and dishonorable Incumbents, by: REGISTERING TO VOTE VOTING IN EVERY ELECTION HAVING NO DOUBTS AND VOTING INCUMBENTS OUT The obstacles in place to prevent truly honest, sincere, capable, intelligent and honorable human beings from even getting on the ballot are many, far too many, at this time, for the thinking, caring, voting citizen to expect that there will be any significant number of truly, and ideally, worthy challenger candidates making it to even the primary ballots, let alone the General Election ballots. That is why it's necessary for the thinking, caring, voting citizens to rethink how they choose to cast their votes on Election Day. No thinking person would try to rid their home of cockroaches by attempting to kill them one cockroach at a time. Every thinking person knows that to rid their home of cockroaches, one must fumigate their home and attempt to kill them all at once. Substitute 'cockroaches' with 'Incumbent Politicians' and think about the many similarities between the two.

Skeptic, I said in my original post that Vrdolyak's forces should have acquiesed to Mayor Washington.

Re: Little Village independence--I was referring to the group of independent-minded Democrats over there who first elected Chuy Garcia and then the current alderman, Rick Munoz.

Ah, Munoz - I thought that might be who you were referring to. Certainly independence is a big part of the self-identity of a few of our aldermen, just ask 'em. And certainly some aldermen campaign as "independents," although when you hear a Chicago aldermanic candidate pledging to be independent they are usually openly promising to "steer clear of City Hall politics" and focus on "doing what's best for the ward," so it's code for appeasement, the exact opposite of a naive reading of the term "independent." And some Chicagoans are so desperate for someone to believe in and so loathe to admit to themselves how broken their home town's govt is, that for them pretty much anything suffices to demonstrates independence from the problems, including lip service. At the national level, the Senate gets very low approval ratings but a lot of Americans think THEIR Senator is one of the good guys, and we see this feeling in Chicago's ward as well. But sad to say Munoz' objective record as an independent, as evidence by the only critieria that matters, his single most important responsibility, his vote in council, is scant at best. Who would you consider the LEAST independent alderman, the biggest rubber stamp in Club 50? O'Connor? Solis? Whoever, the difference between their voting record and Munoz' is one part in a thousand. You would never hail a senator who differed from say a Saxby Chamblis once every thousand votes as independent-minded, so why are you so willing to do so for Munoz? FACT is, Munoz is far & away broad-brush big picture a reliable back-bench pro-Daley machine cog. If you like you may of course identify a few stunt votes that in your mind demonstrate any particular alderman's indeoendence, but that does not change the larger reality. There are no good guys in the Chicago City Council. They are all, as Preckwinkle has said, “colluding with the administration on our own marginalization,” Preckwinkle included.

Skeptic and hugh should run for office in chicago. But they won't because they fear anything other than sitting behind the computer screen.

Munoz Yeas: Midway lease Parking meters lease new construction in Grant Park $86M Michael Reese purchase 2009 budget

no, I just know how the Machiavellian game is played in this town, and see the value in debunking the turkeys of all political persuasions on a public forum.

In response to the person who posted as "Education" on May 4th - 3:45 p.m., Chicago municipal elections are NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS. There is no Democratic ballot or Republican ballot. Most candidates claim to be Democrats because of all of the Chicago residents who always "vote for the Democrat." Which in the municipal elections means they probably just vote for whatever name looks familiar, since there is no "D" or "R" after anyone's name. What DOES actually happen in the Chicago municipal elections is that if no one gets 50%+1 of the vote there is a run-off election among the top two vote getters. So it is actually a better strategy to have lots of candidates in the race as they all will bring in their own demographic and hopefully keep the incumbent under 50% so there can be a run-off. Almost every (if not every) challenger candidate who has ever won has won in the run-off, NOT the original election. So please, do everyone a favor, and if you are going to "educate" people please do it with correct information.

LaShaun, His new marriage partner.

"So please, do everyone a favor, and if you are going to 'educate' people please do it with correct information." 1. We agree, do we not, that One on One contests, ie., the Incumbent vs a Single Challenger, is what those dissatisfied with a given Incumbent's pathetic history of 'service' need to prevent said given Incumbent's reelection. Yes? 2. You do understand that, although the topics at hand are 'municipal elections', and that the specific mechanisms of said elections are relevant to the successful ousting of municipal Incumbents deemed unworthy of reelection, there are many Incumbents on the state and national levels that are also unworthy of reelection and that, contrary to popular perceptions, our local political problems are intricately interwoven with our state and national ones, right? Thus my attempt to 'educate' the voters on a method to ensure that unworthy Incumbents, via the application of a mathematically foolproof voting strategy that, by it's very nature, reduces, if applied by a sufficient number of voters, every contest, no matter how many candidates are on the ballot, to, effectively, a One on One contest, doesn't it? That is the most effective way to increase the likelihood of an Incumbent losing, isn't it? By presenting the voters with an either/or choice, right? 3. The problem inherent in your suggested desire for there to be multiple candidates in our Municipal Elections, (for the stated purpose of, presumably, drawing enough votes from the Incumbent to ensure that the Incumbent receives less than 50% + 1 of the votes cast in said Elections, thus compelling a second, Run-Off Election), is that of the predictably lower voter turnout for said Run-Off Election(s), lower turnout, that is, of the average voters, with the Incumbents' supporters' turnout actually increasing for the Run-Off Election(s). If ousting unworthy Incumbents is the goal, it would be much more effective for the voters to cast as close to all of their votes for a single Challenger candidate in a multi-candidate contest, defeating the unworthy Incumbent on the first, and only, time around, rather than provide the unworthy Incumbent with the opportunity to rally their troops for a second chance Run-Off, wouldn't it? 4. So, is it really a 'better strategy' to give the unworthy Incumbent, at worst for them, two shots at being reelected? And isn't what you suggest to be a 'better strategy' actually a more difficult one for the challenger candidate that manages to force a run-off election, having to, in effect, run twice? If there are not enough dissatisfied voters to oust a given Incumbent, by using the 'ballot order' voting strategy to render impotent the 'split the votes' strategies of the Incumbent running shill candidates, why would you think that there would be enough dissatisfied voters to show up twice to vote out that Incumbent? Or do you presume that the voters are so oblivious and mentally lazy that they need to see only two candidate names listed on the ballot to finally figure out that they can choose to vote for the candidate who is not the Incumbent?

Hey people, I thinks I needs a new strategy because incumbents will never be voted out here.

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say. incumbents a plenty took a dive in 07, more will fall in 11.

this belongs on any report card AUTHORIZATION FOR EXECUTION OF AGREEMENTS WITH VARIOUS PRIVATE AND MUNICIPAL ENTITIES IN CONJUNCTION WITH CITY OF CHICAGO'S BID APPLICATION TO HOST 2016 OLYMPICS Journal page 99145 PDF page 47 http://www.chicityclerk.com/journals/2007/march14_2007/march14_2007_Financeoptimize.pdf "The City's obligations under the City Liabilities and the Net Financial Deficit shall not exceed Five Hundred MUlion DoUars ($500,000,000) in the aggregate (such aggregate liability of the City being hereinafter referred to as the "Maximum Liability")."

The incumbents were replaced by carbon copies also known as imitation. Expect more of the same in 2011.

lol. I love that I get under somebody's skin enough that they resort to this hilarious tit-for-tat. keep trying there bubba, you won't know reform until it comes to you from the man on the bench.

Actually, I laugh at you, because you constantly say the same things. Come 2011 and 2015, Daley and the aldermen will still be in office and you'll still be here saying "vote incumbents out".

Frank, you had your chance to dump Daley ages ago. Instead, others and you supported Daley Inc., until Daley Inc. supported State Representative McAuliffe over you. If others and you want to really stop Daley, let's see how to really vote (and that includes split party in general elections) classes from "y'all".

keep on laughing, but we all know once Hizzoner is gone there's nobody waiting in the wings who is even remotely up to the task of gluing this humpty dumpty of a Machine back together..

Even with voting incumbents out, people will still vote recycled Democrats. It will be more of the same for a very long time. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

I completely agree that we shouldn't praise alderman for doing what they should already be doing (such as sending staffer to CAPS meetings). However, I also know that Alderman from historically (and still) disinvested communities often have to fight harder to get services (often those they pay for with their menu money), such as getting DOT to repave streets and fix potholes.

I don't know how you evaluated these freshmen alderman, all i've seen was SOS, nothing changed, no one challenged no one, all a show.