Hugh,
Even if one accepts your dubious notion that the Chamber is somehow in league with the Department of Planning to destroy the neighborhood by lining Broadway with wall-to-wall 6-story "high-rises" and evade IRS regulations for kicks, you have provided NO evidence that the Chamber is ACTIVELY lobbying on the Broadway zoning issue. Or you really so blinded by your urge to meddle in other neighborhoods' affairs that you have forgotten the difference between holding an opinion and lobbying?
Active lobbying would consist of encouraging some kind of collective action--do you have any evidence that the Chamber is doing this? Urging its members to hand out flyers? To call residents of the neighborhood? If the Chamber wrote a letter to the alderman expressing its members' collective opinion on Broadway zoning, and publicly states that position in public fora but doesn't campaign for it, so to speak, then that hardly rises to the level of dubiousness you seek to assign to it--at least I very much doubt it would in most people's minds.
You have clearly never been a board member of a neighborhood non-profit which receives city funding, or you were part of a bad one that allowed the city to dictate its activities. Well-run organizations would never permit that to happen, and indeed the groups with which I have been involved have done nothing of the sort.
In my opinion you have grossly abused your posting privileges on this board with your disruptive, endlessly repetitive posts, Hugh. Allow us ACTUAL EDGEWATER RESIDENTS to improve our neighborhood on our own, k?
Oh, and off topic, to the few folks who keep referring to the Chamber as "ECC"--that is incorrect, despite the Chamber's matching initials. "ECC" refers to the Edgewater Community Council.
Signed,
Fed up with Hugh
Slow News Day Continues.....
Updated: Hugh responds to the Edgewater Resident calling Chamber Whores to Developers
" ... opponents of Broadway development have placed a referendum on the March primary ballot in selected precincts west of Broadway. The precincts were carefully selected to garner an expected rejection of B1-3 zoning and none are located east of Broadway where 2/3s of the Ward population live. The referendum is of an Advisory nature. Using a misleading slogan of “No High Rises on Broadway” opponents of B1-3 zoning ... "
"Chamber," are you reading this while sitting in a cushy taxpayer purchased chair, in a taxpayer leased and heated office, at a taxpayer supplied computer, over a taxpayer supplied internet connection?
Do you think yourself clever that you get paid by taxpayers to post and write newsletters and reports and e-mails while those who disagree with you work on a volunteer basis? Because I don't think it's clever at all. I think it's crooked.
I don't understand, why does a taxpayer funded agency feel obligated to criticize the activities of citizens?
The folks behind the referendum are residents and neighbors with full-time jobs working as volunteers. Where do you come off deriding their attempts to participate in the future of their neighborhood? How do you suppose they feel about you using their property taxes to pay your salary and to pay for a web site so that you can spend your day writing and posting criticisms of their attempts to actively participate in the future of their neighborhood? Does your legislative activism depend on the charade that you represent your membership? Does it depend on the public not understanding that you are taxpayer funded?
When you know an issues is divisive, wouldn't the prudent course be to stear clear? Do you ever worry even if you get the zoning you want, you may find yourself the "chamber of commerce" with no credibility left with the community you claim to serve? Eventually, this zoning thing will be settled, one way or the other. Will you then go back to courting flower shop owners and Curves franchises as if nothing happened? Do you ever worry that after taking a year off to whore yourself for real estate developers, you will piss off the community so badly that it will be impossible to go back to acting like a "chamber of commerce?" Do you ever worry about that?
Signed,
Hugh
8 comments:
I'm with Hugh 100% on this one. He's right on the mark. Go ahead and shoot the messenger but he speaks the truth about the zoning issue along Broadway. I'm glad someone is speaking up.
I live in the shadow of the "wall" of 6 story buildings. Where was HUGH when they built the 29 story
old peoples' home on Ardmore and Browadway??
I like the Chamber. I am happy my money helps support it, if that is what is being done.
I agree with Thomas. The point is to discuss issues not name call or pick on the source- on either side.
Why is it that we aren't allowed to care about anything that goes on in this city beyond our city block? Oh, that's right it doesn't directly affect us right? Well, that isn't right.
Toto sez:
Just like Hugh, Craig only gives you half the story. His headline says: "Edgewater Resident Fed Up With Hugh". Well if you read the Edgewater blog, there are a lot of people fed up with Hugh. And they challenge him when he makes stupid assumptions with half or no basis in fact. Not like the zombies up in RP who follow Craig and Hugh mindlessly.
Yes, four select precincts will have a referendum on the ballot on Tuesday. These people are really don't give a hoot about Edgewater. They're only concern is for themselves. Living near Thorndale, it sure would help to have more people on the street. The little hoodlums from Senn own the street as it is.
Down in Edgewater we're working to get good development. We're not suspicious of every developer. You folks in RP complain and complain about how rotten things are, but if anyone challenges the status quo, you immediately rush in complaining about proposed changes. What you really want is nothing but the same.
Its the same with the folks who call a six story building a "high-rise". They're not interested in change. They'd rather have a crappy Broadway and their safe little world of their own, than look at the possibilities Broadway redeveloped would have for all the residents of Edgewater.
So Hugh and Craig, keep telling your half truths and lies. Real people know the truth
Yes Toto, tell us real people who you really are. Tell us real people why you are such an real expert. And then give us real people the real truth will you?
Toto is correct. Why more people are not concerned with the gangbangers and the fact that Swift school had to remove the playground to discourage drug dealers is beyond me. There are far more important neighborhood issues to address. 6 stories? High rise? Puuuhleeeeeez. I'd favor smaller buildings (maybe) but as an issue, it is like 20th in importance.
And maybe 21st in importance is the Rickover issue. The way people gripe, you'd think general Patton has risen from the dead and is forcing Senn minoritiy students to don uniforms before they go off to kill a few Iraqi insurgents in Iraq. 200 students learning something about naval science is not exactly Edgewater martial law nor is it the draft.
THE issue around here should be crime and how to stop it and we should be discussing future referenda about it. Not whether the chamber is "on the take" or not.
In the emantime, I guess I'll look around for some razor wire and figure out a way to electrify my chain link fence.
(one of the many other craigs) Hopefully we can prevent Thorndale from becoming a Hellhole, too.
Oh, Annie, your cup of vitriol runneth over. Craig wants to know who I am. I’m a realist. Someone who realizes that everything is not as bad as they naysayers cry it will be, nor as great as the promoters claim it will be. Most time things shake out somewhere in between. I do know this. To live in a city and love it you must accept it, warts and all. Could Edgewater be better? You bet. Don’t like our block club system. How’s not having a block club system working for you in Roger Park?
Here’s where I differ from you Craig, Annie, Hugh, I want a better community and am not afraid to have new development bring in new people. I know that more people bring better businesses. I’m willing to fight for change, even if that means taking a risk. We may have some failures, but what’s to gain if we don’t do anything?
You are so invested in fighting against change. You complain about bitterly about crime and lousy businesses, but if someone dares to propose something new and different you all turn out in mass against it. Rather than accepting preservation of single family homes where there are blocks of like kind single family homes and moving on, you fight the teardowns on blocks where the mix of buildings can go from single family home to four plus one and everything in between You totally disparage new condo construction, yet you complain about the crappy four plus ones and the nasty tenants that live therein. What you want is an unattainable fantasy.--for the bad people to go away and you live happily ever after. Your anti-development to the nth degree. So what you end up getting is more subsidized housing, more assisted/shelters/halfway houses. Good luck to you.
The people in Edgewater who want the height limit on Broadway are much the same. They really don’t care about Broadway because its only convenient for them to get their groceries at the big chain stores and their car repaired at the numerous auto repair shops there and if they want fine dining they just hop up to Andersonville. But what about the rest of us? We live along the tracks and put up some of the same problems you have in RP. However, we know to attract quality businesses we can’t be afraid of developers. We know to attract the kind of businesses we want there has to be some flexibility. And we know with condo development on Broadway, there will be more money available to be spent in our neighborhood by our neighbors. People will be invested in the community.
But politicians are what they are. Mary Ann Smith will probably downzone Broadway. She won’t be doing in because it what’s best for Edgewater. And in a few years, when people don’t see anything change on Broadway and it continues to look like a crappy street that can’t even support a Taco Bell, people will pressure her and the block clubs to loosen up. As I said in the beginning down zoning Broadway isn’t going to be the worst thing, but it’s not going to be the best thing either. It will fall somewhere in between.
And meanwhile, Craig and Annie and Hughy will lumber on wanting to keep Rogers Park in suspended animation. Good Luck.
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