* Alderman Moore Responds With Publicity Stunt E-Mail

I've received about a half-dozen e-mails responding to your so-called "action alert" regarding 1528 W. Morse. I find these action alerts offensive because they somehow imply that the Rogers Park Community Council and I need to be inundated with form e-mails in order to respond to a problem. The e-mail also implies that nothing has been done to address the problem, which is not the case.

In fact, Mary Jane Haggerty of the Community Council and my office have been in regular contact with Jay Johnson and his staff to try to get the problems resolved. Mr. Johnson began legal action months ago to secure an order of eviction for the resident of the troublesome apartment unit referred to in your e-mail. The court has entered an order of eviction, but, as you know, the law prohibits evictions when the temperature drops below freezing. As soon as the weather breaks, my chief-of-staff, Kevin Cosgrove, will work with the Sheriff's office to expedite the eviction.

Mr. Johnson and his staff have scheduled a meeting with the residents this week to discuss security concerns. One of the goals of the meeting is to educate the residents about some basic security measures they can undertake to make their building safer. For example, some of the residents have been buzzing people they don't know into the building. It is my understanding that Mr. Bob Davis, the victim of the robberies, repeatedly leaves his door wide open thereby increasing the risk to his security. Basic security measures undertaken by the tenants, such as letting only people they know into the building and keeping their apartment doors closed and locked will go a long way to making the building more secure.

Of course, there may be steps that Mr. Johnson could undertake to make the building more secure, but that does not obviate the tenants of their responsibility to undertake basic security measures.

Your e-mail also mentioned problems with the elevators. It is my understanding that you are referring to a problem that was resolved five years ago. I'm curious as to why you are raising that as an issue again.

I'm also curious as to why you believe the most effective way of resolving a problem is through a blast e-mail. It is not as though I'm some distant politician or government bureaucrat. I live and work in the neighborhood. You have my cell phone number. Why not just pick up the phone and give me a call and inform me of the problem? I would have been more than happy to give you the information I've provided in this e-mail. If there are additional problems that need to be addressed, I'd be happy to give Mr. Johnson a call and set up a meeting. If for some reason you believed after our conversation that I didn't respond adequately, you always have the community e-mail option and other actions to fall back on.

These action alert e-mails seem less a tool to solve a problem and more a publicity stunt to promote RPCAN. I've tried my best to put our past differences behind us and work at finding common ground. But these sort of self-aggrandizing stunts make it difficult to do so. Nonetheless, I will continue to try to work with you to better the quality of life in our neighborhood. I hope you would meet me halfway.

Joe Moore