Remap Meeting Report

It was an overflow crowd in attendance for the Ward Remap meeting at the DePaul Student Center on Wednesday. Regrettably, I got there 10 minutes late so I was among 40-or-so others not allowed in. Nevertheless, this article from Progress Illinois goes over the goings on. Relevant quotes:

Besides divided neighborhoods, the biggest losers in any remapping are people without the clout to get some of what they want behind closed doors.
This includes rookie aldermen – like the 36th ward’s Nick Sposato – who will lose much of his constituency in any map proposal (and, with that, much chance of re-election). It also includes specific interests and minority groups besides Blacks and Latinos.

Who are the power-wielders here? It's the veteran alderman. According to the article, "...the people in charge of the process appear to be veteran aldermen who are looking to protect their power base while not running afoul of the Voting Rights Act or the “one man, one vote” rule."

That's the best argument I've heard for reducing the number of alderman in Chicago. (The second best being we have more aldermen than New York City.) It's also an excellent reason for establishing term limits for the position of alderman.

Happy Holiday!

Merry Christmas Belmont Heighters (Heightees?), Dunning denizens, and 36th Warders (current). Here's a wry little Xmas article from Ben Joravsky of the Reader, with particular reference to the charter school dust-up. Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

Merry Christmas from the Reader to the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago City Council: A Merry Christmas to the Chicago City Council.

Sposato's Battle

Alderman Sposato is taking quite the buffeting from Alderman Solis, UNO, the Mayor, and the Trib! All he wants to do is study the charter school proposal put forth by UNO and assess input from residents. That's not pleasing to the entrenched powers, who want to guarantee the school opens on time for 2012. It looks to this blogger like our Alderman is courageously standing up to bully tactics. I'm not sure if I'm for or against this school, and I'm ambivalent at best about modern unions in general, but I agree with how Alderman Nick is approaching the issue. Despite the Trib's glowing description of charter school performance, recent studies paint a different picture. Read more about it here, here, and here.

Maybe Demographics Not Everything Behind Ward Remap

The title of this Sun-Times article says it all: "36th Ward completely redrawn — the voters’ reward for electing a new guy". This is a must read for all ward residents. The question is, what can we, the residents, do about it, if anything? Occupy the 36th? (We already have!) I look forward to more reports and analyses in the media. It will be very interesting.

Demographics Behind Ward Remap

The forces driving the ward remap that may involve our ward are emerging from changing demographics happening across the city and, in fact, across the nation. This article from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism discusses the latest local census results.

Interactive Crime Statistics Map

There's an enlightening, interactive map of district crime statistics created by the Chicago News Cooperative. Check it out at Compare Crime Rates, Police Staffing in Your District - Chicago News Cooperative.

"The Story of Broke"

We might only be 12 miles from the Occupy Chicago protests, but sometimes it feels like a million. Here's an entertaining little video that puts it all into perspective. "The Story of Broke".

Patio Theater is a Gem

Saw The Thing at the recently reopened Patio Theater last night. The movie was good (Michael Phillips was right) but the Patio...what a spectacular old-style movie palace! This isn't just a northwest side gem--it's marvel for the entire city. Check it out, ticket prices are only $5. Can't beat it anywhere in the city. Be sure to look up after you buy your ticket. Thanks to the Kouvalis's for restoring and reopening this great movie house.

Alexander Kouvalis remembered as savior of Patio Theater -

Overview of Committeman Races With a Focus on the 36th

This article from the Progress Illinois website gives a nice and brief overview and history of the committeeman role. It discusses the upcoming campaign in the 36th and has some very interesting quotes from Alderman Sposato and attorney Larry Andolino, executive director of the Galewood-Montclare Community Organization.

Political News

Howdy neighbors, it's been a while. I've been enjoying the summer, swimming, cycling, and developing smartphone apps. Well, things haven't sat still in the interim. We've got an upcoming ward committeeman election and it looks like it's between Alderman Sposato and Ward Organization pick, lawyer Larry Andolino. But there's a big glitch coming down the pike. A ward remap is in the works and Russ Stewart has speculated that the northwest neighborhoods astride Irving and Cumberland (Belmont Heights, Belmont Terrace, Schorsch Forest View, and/or Irving Woods) might become part of the 38th ward. The remap might happen after the committeeman election and that's going to complicate things.

Side note. I'm a big huge Alderman Sposato fan but I'm a little disappointed to see that his website was created by a St. Louis web development firm. It would have been great (actually, crucial, especially as a signal for local economic development) if a web development firm in the ward had been hired. Are there any? I do happen to be very personally acquainted a web developer in Belmont Heights....

July Home Sales Up in Dunning

Here's a bit of good news from the Trib. July sales of single-family, detached homes in Dunning are up 33% over last year.

Chart: Single-family home sales in Chicago - chicagotribune.com

New Des Plaines Casino Impact

The 36th Ward is one of the closest to Des Plaines so it's no surprise that the new Rivers Casino might have some effects on our area, besides supplying clientele. According to a post on Everyblock Chicago, the casino has observably increased in traffic somewhat in the northwest part of the 36th Ward. (This would include the neighborhoods of Belmont Terrace, Irving Woods, and Schorsch Forest View.) This isn't official or scientific of course, but it might be worth it for the City to review traffic patterns with the advent of this new attraction located so close to our borders.