* Lame Duck Commissioners Approve DevCorp as Special Service Area Provider

There's over 600 residents and 200 property owners in the district, yet with a mere five yeas, DevCorp North was voted in as 2007 Sole Service Provider for Special Service Area Tax #24. But not without Kimberly Bares prodding the rubber stamp group along to vote her way before one of the commissioners (Matthew Brokhaw) left early.

At stake is a quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer money. I wasn't allowed to hold or take home the documents, so I was forced to look over the shoulders of another commissioner. If Alderman Moore were around he would have told me I could break my neck stretching it that far out.

Back to the vote, Katy Hogan, Alan Goldberg, Ora Harris, Matthew Brokhaw and Stella all voted yes to allow DevCorp North to continue to collect over $100,000 dollars in fees for running the $250,000 budget. Amazing these so-called neighbors allowed this boondoggle to happen.

Basically, these five neighbors, Katy Hogan, Matthew Brokhaw, Alan Goldberg, Ora Harris and Stella just wasted a quarter of a million dollars of money. Not a single one studied the budget closely. They were given a sheet and followed the dots. No imput was really given. Everything comes from the City of Chicago, Dept of Planning. These five were just window dressing to a puppet show.

I wanted to single these neighbors out because they are the ones who could have just as easily voted No on the single question and gone on with their lives. Gone on to not having to relieve a babysitter or make an excuse on why they couldn't attend the meeting.

Oh, by the way, where were the other commissioners on this important vote?

Blognotes: Even though they don't have a businesses on Clark Street, Katy Hogan and Matthew Brokhaw had the prime spot booth spaces at the Clark Street Fair. Was that because they were SSA commissioners? Was it favoritism? Was it clout?

Cry-cry-cry baby Katy Hogan complained they (Heartland Cafe) got jipped on not having prime space at the south end of th fair. She claimed no one was really going north and visiting the Heartland booth at Touhy she cried. Is that what Special Service Area commissioners do, gripe over where ther booth is?

Katy Hogan also complained that the Morseland gets to sell beer at the Glenwood Arts Fair. Gee, even with the clout and patronage they have getting these prime gigs, they still want more. Clout and patronage with your tax dollars at the local level. It all leads to Alderman Moore.