“It’s very apparent that Joe Moore is ignoring the needs of all Chicagoans when it comes to business development and job creation,” said Jerry Roper, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “His message is being viewed around the country that business is not welcome in Chicago.”
"We are not real thrilled with Ald. Joe Moore and how he is treating business," Colleen McShane, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said Tuesday.
6 comments:
Business goes after alderman who led `big-box,' foie gras fights
By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 20, 2006
Ald. Joe Moore (49th), the champion of the city's ban on foie gras and sponsor of the controversial "big-box" minimum wage ordinance, is in the crosshairs of business leaders as he prepares to run for re-election.
The head of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce urged members to attend a fundraiser last week for a Moore challenger, and the Illinois Restaurant Association may back the same rival with contributions.
"Let us put it this way," Colleen McShane, president of the restaurant group, said Tuesday, "We are not real thrilled with Ald. Joe Moore and how he is treating business. So we are anxious to sit down with his opponents."
Moore shrugged off the budding support for challenger Chris Adams and said he will be happy to run on his record.
"It's no surprise they are coming after me," he said. "Whenever you fight the special interests, the special interests fight back."
February's aldermanic elections promise a spirited, and possibly unprecedented, tug of war between business and labor.
Jerry Roper, president of the Chicagoland Chamber, said he expects his organization to support candidates in selected races, making endorsements for the first time at the aldermanic level.
Meanwhile, the Service Employees International Union, possibly in concert with other labor organizations, is expected to back candidates in as many as 15 or 20 of the city's 50 aldermanic contests. It also would be the union's first foray into ward races.
"We haven't gotten through the [endorsement] process, but I would be very surprised if we don't support Joe Moore, and not just for big box," said Tom Balanoff, president of SEIU's Illinois Council. "We think he has a pretty good record on issues important to working families."
The big-box measure, vetoed last week by Mayor Richard Daley, would have required the city's largest retailers to pay employees a minimum of $13 in wages and benefits by 2010.
The ordinance that prohibits foie gras, meanwhile, is being tested by a repeal proposal.
In a recent e-mail, Roper encouraged about 1,800 city members of the Chicagoland Chamber "to attend an event for the candidate to beat the man who brought us the foie gras and big-box legislation. ... Moore continues to bring us legislation that significantly and negatively affects the businesses and people of Chicago. Moore is everybody's problem."
"These types of overarching and far-reaching ordinances have gotten national and international attention," Roper said in an interview. "What we need are aldermen who are going to sit down with the business community, explain the direction they want to go, and [see] how we can help them get there..."
Adams' $250-a-ticket fundraiser, held last Thursday at a downtown restaurant, drew about 50 people and brought in contributions from many more who did not attend, the challenger said. Much of the support was "chamber-related," Adams said.
Among those attending was Marc Gordon, president of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association.
Though his organization does not make political endorsements, "we are supportive of Chris and would like to see someone more interested in business, in creating jobs," Gordon said.
Adams contends that Moore has failed to tend to business in the North Side ward, which encompasses Rogers Park.
"I agree with the mayor that foie gras [ban] was silly," he added. "I think big box was anti-jobs and anti-Rogers Park."
Moore, a veteran of challenges in the past, has been in office since 1991.
"If Mr. Adams wishes to campaign on a platform against the living wage in my ward, I say, `Be my guest,' " the alderman said.
Moore said he isn't scared by the business support benefiting Adams.
"But I take any organized challenge seriously," he said. "This one certainly is not an exception, and I will take it even more seriously because it is clear they are coming after me."
----------
gwashburn@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
I'd like to see a pie chart for each candidate:
Campaign contributions by zip code of donor
one slice for 60645
one slice for "other"
Hefty turnover predicted for City Council
September 20, 2006, BY FRAN SPIELMAN Sun-Times City Hall Reporter
"We haven't seen anything like it since Harold Washington's election" in 1983, said former independent Ald. Dick Simpson (44th), a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) predicted "12 to 15" new faces when the new Council is seated in May...
More...
I have taken a closer look at Chris Adams and I say wake up and smell the plagiarism! He blatantly has changed some of "his" positions to those of the only viable candidate Jim Ginderske.
As for business in Rogers Park, the only time that Joe really supports them is when he wants to put the squeeze on them for free publicity. As for Gordon, I'm not sure that he actually casts a shadow much less supports businesses in Rogers Park. None of these three have a plan for equitable revitalization of business in Rogers Park. No More Joe is right. Gordon is scary with his rather fascist bent. And as I said before, Adams is a plagiarist who perhaps doesn't realize he should be running a block club instead of running for alderman.
Speaking of block clubs, which candidate for alderman was seen serving foie gras at a block party this past Sunday afternoon?
Post a Comment