* Lakefront Activism Gives Hope For Our Future

Dear Rogers Park Neighbors,

Let’s take a closer look at the facts surrounding the November 2004 Save Our Lakefront referendum, what Rogers Park residents did to make it happen, and the role of the alderman before and after the referendum’s success. Let’s also start talking about what we’ll do next.

Our community’s successful Save Our Lakefront campaign in 2004, for a referendum to oppose mega-development on the lakefront, entailed many months of work. It built upon the work already invested by many residents and local organizations. From the Rogers Park Conservancy to the Rogers Park Community Council, many of us had been working for over a year to prevent a marina from being built at the Chicago/Evanston border. Our Conservancy helped organize a strong coalition of Rogers Park and Evanston residents to participate in scores of meetings and seemingly round-the-clock work to support our goal. We held many large group and private one-on-one meetings with Evanston alderman to educate them on why a marina was a bad idea and we testified regularly at Evanston City Council meetings.

We finally won the battle when Evanston’s aldermen voted to stop plans for a marina. I credit tons of great neighbors for demonstrated leadership in that victory, especially Don Gordon, Rogers Park Conservancy’s Executive Director. While we fought AGAINST the marina, Don was a key thinker, planner, and leader in helping Rogers Park residents develop proposals outlining what we were FOR in terms of improving our lakefront. I am chair of the Conservancy’s board of directors. Details on our goals and advocacy work to improve city parks, services, and protecting our lakefront are available on our web site urbsinhorto.org.

Oddly, throughout all of this, our very own 49th Ward Alderman refused to support work against the marina, always with the claim that we were fighting ghosts that didn’t exist.

So, after stopping the Evanston marina, the next phase in citizen action to protect the lake was our 49th Ward Save Our Lakefront referendum proposal. It involved scores of volunteers and amazingly united people of all political stripes in our ward. The proposed referendum won endorsement and real support from many local groups, and was fueled by significant support from Rogers Park Community Action Network. More kudos especially go to Fran Tobin, Anne Sullivan, and dozens of other activists whom I apologize to for overlooking here. Signatures were collected to get the referendum on the ballot in each of our ward’s 10 lakefront precincts. After that we flyered, sent information to every email address we had, held public meetings, and spent months informing those voters that it would be on the ballot and educating them about what it meant. A lot of us were out at the polls on Election Day in November 2004 handing Save Our Lakefront referendum info to voters. We won!

From start to finish our Save Our Lakefront campaign opposed the possibility of major lakefront development, but it had no support from the alderman. What we got from him was just the opposite. Whenever Joe discussed it in public he ridiculed our work, saying there was no city plan for us to object to AND “no threat” existed. Yep, just like the earlier Evanston Marina proposal, no real threat. We thought Joe’s position was puzzling. It prompted concern that there was indeed something afoot, something that residents didn’t know about, and something our elected representatives weren’t about to share with us. True, back then we didn’t have or know specifics about any plans. We weren’t privy to the secret lakefront dealmaking going on. We did have some clues, including Congresswoman Schakowsky’s authorship of a $1 million funding plan for a Chicago study of “Lakefront Path Development.” Two dozen of us met with her to express our concerns about that $1 million would be used to plan for a Lake Shore Drive extension. It was an interesting meeting and I thank the congresswoman for agreeing to listen. But at the end of the meeting she said although a marina was off the table, she wasn’t going to close the door to the possibility of development on the lakefront.

Well, it is all coming to light now, thanks to the news media and Rogers Park neighbor James Ginderske getting some eye-popping information about a Loyola “harbor” proposal unveiled at last night’s south side park district meeting. We are smart enough to connect the dots and always have been. Nope, we didn’t have any documents from Evanston or Chicago city hall whistleblowers when we successfully stopped the Evanston Marina and then launched the Save Our Lakefront Campaign referendum.

What we did have was faith in our community and belief that we could work together for something better. We wanted to protect the lakefront on behalf of our community and all the families of Chicago who enjoy this amazing natural treasure. We organized to support a principle and for the concept of serving the common good. I’m sorry that organizing for a “principle” isn’t good enough for our local elected official.

So, what do you think was stranger than Joe’s ongoing disapproval of our work BEFORE the lakefront referendum vote? It was this - reading his unchanged attitude and tone in the news media the day AFTER the vote, essentially it ridiculed referendum voters. Here are the relevant portions of news articles on the day after our referendum won:

On November 4, 2004, from Chicago Tribune reporter Hal Dardick:
Of 4,124 residents in 10 lakefront precincts who voted on the advisory referendum, 88 percent said any new landfill north of Hollywood Avenue should not include roads, marinas or commercial buildings . . .

Mayor Richard Daley two years ago mentioned the idea of extending the city's lakefront park system north to Evanston. Park District officials then said they would consider the idea. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) has requested $1 million in funds to study the concept.

City transportation officials said they have no current plans to extend Lake Shore Drive. But Rogers Park activists, who recently helped defeat a marina study in Evanston, wanted to make clear that they want their 1 1/2-mile stretch of easily accessible public lakefront to retain its character.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said he would oppose an extension of Lake Shore Drive but is keeping his mind open to marina or commercial building proposals. "I would want to see if it would benefit my community," he said.

On November 4, 2004, from Daily Northwestern reporter Breanne Gilpatrick:
Chicago Ald. Joe Moore (49th), who represents the area including the 10 precincts that voted on the referendum, said the result of Tuesday's vote was not surprising.

But Moore said so far he only has heard a few off-the-cuff remarks from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and discussion about funding requests for a feasibility study. As a result, he said he doesn't know how much of an influence the vote will have. "I suppose (the referendum) would have some influence," Moore said. "It's hard to say how much influence it would have unless you are reacting to a specific plan."

My final thought about all this is that there are many things that threaten and hurt the quality of life we expect in Rogers Park. They are not ghostly apparitions from a child’s nightmare. We see them in the news media and on the streets of Rogers Park everyday. Our heads are not in the sand. We want no more neglect or euphemisms about the hard realities here. We need no happy-talk to help us pretend that we feel all warm and cozy inside. What we actually feel is a real disappointment with the status quo. What is also real is our hope for something better, for improvements in so many of areas of life in Rogers Park. Neighbors, it looks like we have to stay organized, and become even more so. Organizing is hard work, but there are many large and small ways each of us can help win the campaign . . . and rewards for getting involved. We’ve worked together and won many times before, and we can win yet again. Who here is up for it? I pledge to you that I am. I’ve got a family and a home here, and lots of good neighbors who want to protect and defend theirs too.

Peace, Michael J. Harrington
MJH123@aol.com