While other city of Chicago motorists buy City of Chicago city stickers for their automobiles, candidate Don Gordon doesn't feel he has to display one from the looks of his automobile parked on this 49th ward parking lot. His car is missing the sticker on the portion of the window it's suppose to be displayed.
The question is raised, is a suburban banker trying to avoid paying into the city revenue pot? From the looks of the photograph, it's sure looks like it.
It doesn't look like the first year "the other guy" has avoided displaying a city sticker either. His car showed no signs of a 2005 city sticker either. If we looked back at the records, did he buy a 2005 sticker? Will records show he bought a 2004 sticker? Or 2003?
The car shows a pair of suburban stickers though.
Is this who we want for Alderman? Someone who cheats the city out of revenue? Valued revenue? Much needed revenue. Doesn't he know the rules? You MUST display the city sticker on the front, right-hand side of the window. The simple instructions are on the back.
Just like not displaying a city building permits.
Or not displaying a union bug.
It's a law to buy a city sticker for all cars if you live in the city. It's a law to display a city sticker for all the cars you own, if you live in the city. Just because you own a private parking garage and are privileged enough not to hunt a parking spot on the public streets of Chicago doesn't give you the right for not displaying a city of Chicago sticker.
The "other guy" claims to have lived in the city for thirty years. How many of those did he not buy a city sticker?
Updated: I've held out on this story, it's over a month old. I wanted to give Don time to comply with the law. When I saw Don still hadn't had one on his car, I emailed Don and asked him why I couldn't find a city sticker on his car. This was the lame response.
"I HAVE a sticker - it's in my glove compartment. It's been there for a month. I haven't had time to breath or think about anything but this campaign, much less put my sticker on."
Don
Well, Don, get to it. Get that city sticker displayed. If you would have done it right the first time you wouldn't be in this mess.
And, if you want to be up-front with the voters, send all city sticker receipts, to prove you've actually bought city stickers for say the last four years. For someone who claims to care for the city, he sure doesn't display it well.
18 comments:
I just moved to town in late April, so I don't have an interest in any of the candidates yet, but I wanted to point out that calling Don a "suburban banker" seems a little unfair to me. I work for a very large bank, but like Don, work in IT. To think that I'm a "banker" is a little silly. Banks employ all sorts of folks. Are HR, food services and property management staff considered bankers as well just b/c they happen to work for a bank? What about the security guard at the front desk of a bank corporate building?
The main issues facing our neighborhood are beginning to take shape on the Hell Hole:
Where do the candidates drink?
What printer do they prefer?
Who has city stickers?
Whose website looks better?
I am so excited that you held off on posting this for such a long time. You revealed the criminal (Don Gordon) just at the right moment. Great investigation…. Hopefully you do not get to my car and realize I do not have one as well. Who really cares...? I am done with all this political bashing. Let’s get back to what is wrong with our neighborhood and how we can fix it. Again, who cares if Don Gordon or any candidates have city stickers?
All I can figure is that he must have money to blow. A ticket for this violation is $120. I know from personal experience this year and, man, I could tell you a really f’d up police story about this…
you guys just dont get it. its another wannabe politician who cant play by the rules.
If Don's city sticker is in the glove compartment then wise ones did he pay for it? I just went shopping and my purchases are still in the shopping bag, that probably makes me a criminal too. Yes, it was a dumb mistake, but criminal? Above the law? Get a grip.
What about the rehabbing done by certain slumlords without permits for the last 15 years? What about the slumlords who are still here? What about the owner of the building you can't 'discover'?
Our leader cares about the low income neighbors but didn't deal with slumlords to protect them until agencies and neighbors started housing court action. Then lo and behold, there's a 'presence from the ward office' in the courtroom. One of the best stories I've heard was about a group of neighbors years ago boarding up an abandoned house. They started early on a weekend morning and had contacted the media. So these people, many women, had been hammering for hours when here comes Joe for the photo op grabbing a hammer and nail without a bead of sweat. The photo was taken and he allegedly left toute suite.
There's a lot of sweaty equity! But back to these sophomoric issues here.....
Whatever - Where in the post did read the Jiffy Lube man? As for permits, another candidate did some work as a tenant but it wasn't listed on the permit for that building. You didn't answer my question about whether or not the sticker is paid for. And, I stated it was a mistake, so please feel obligated to get yourself in a tither over my whereabouts. At least Don has made the time to attend most of the NOH walks, which is more than any other candidate or incumbent. My post is under my name.
Oh does Don still even own this car? That was omitted from the story wasn't it?
toni,
you are really naive to think he just has the sticker in his glovebox.
and if he doesnt own the car, then that should have been his excuse wehn questioned.
you think there are bigger issues, but this above the law type of attitude can not be elected. even if he is your friend.
Joe came to one walk in November.
Craig, if he's a candidate, has come to a few.
The others haven't. Have you?
RP Everyman?
If this were true, you are RP Everyman, then that would make everyman in RP a coward like yourself.
Come out and identify your real self. Then I'll leave your post and link up. Heck, then I'll even give you the reason and out-come for my case. Until then, you don't deserve having a post on the Hell Hole, you little coward.
Let's see Whatever, let's read through your statement containing a question mark.
"Are you taking back those thanks now that your loyalty, and your bias, lies with Don Gordon?"
You attached your spin onto the question. I answered about the NOH neighborhood walks, who came, when, who didn't. (Pretty soon you'll be adding Ceasefire walks too!) No one said walking was 'mandatory' but you're spinning that as well. You know nothing about my loyalty and you may spin your bias and your loyalty any way you choose.
That's how election spin is. There are many laws that are broken by many different people. How many people relieved themselves in an alley last night? How many were drinking in a park or public way? How many drivers didn't make a full stop at a sign? How many parents didn't know where their kids were at midnight?
So now it's spun that Gordon "defies" the law and no one else does? The other 2 or 3 candidates are clean as whistles right? Never, ever, have any of them done anything wrong? What a miracle. The spin is pretty obvious, is your bias. There will be plenty of dirt dug up on all the candidates - the ward 49'ers who want to keep their jobs and by those choosing a candidate. Have a good three day weekend.
first toni says, who says its still his car, now her argument is that everyone breaks laws.
quit trying so hard and give it a break. he's a bad apple.
I nominate Isaac Marshall for alderman.
toni,
funny for once, not!!! you are so lame and unoriginal.
i am not running and will not be held to public scrutiny for that reason. even though my only criminal offense regards speeding, which would make me ten times more creidble than these fools.
but someone who does run should be a leader, represent the people, and obide by the same rules as everyday citizens. i do not want a leader who cant play by the rules and then lies when caught. this is way too typical in todays political environment.
oh, but wait he didnt lie, he just left it in the glove box.
to quote in part, Sir Isaac from a 6/29 comment to Julie on 24/7:
"and I'm not wound up. you have no idea if I'm laughing all the way through writing this. I enjoy playing with all of you on these blogs.
As for Whatever, I stated it was a mistake to not put the sticker in the windshield. What part of that are you purposefully avoiding? Westgard is upfront about a lot of things whether real or not, but that's his business isn't it? Westgard is Jim's campaign chair or manager, I'm none of the above for anyone. Let's forget that I went to Chris Adams event too! Let's let it be known that I received an invitation from Adams and Gordon but didn't receive anything in my email from Jim for whatever reason.
toni,
do you really believe he has the sticker and forgot to put it on his windshield??
stop defending him when anyone with any coomon sense knows he's lying.
i guess you are naive.
> The Jiffy Lube guy locked the city sticker in his glove box.
That's probably it. It being a Saab, Don probably has to stop by for a top-up every 500 miles or so.
The bottom line here, as noted much earlier, is that Gordon seems to have a history of not following through on things that carry great symbolic, if not actual, weight.
He doesn't have his sticker on his car, doesn't post the building permit when constructing his office, and apparently fails to use a union printer for his materials.
Whatever his reasons may be; good, bad or indifferent, these actions do suggest a pattern of behavior that is not positive. Using as an excuse "I'm too busy" or "I forgot" is just lame as all hell. The man is running for a position of public trust in a ward that has every reason to be skeptical and non-trusting of those who would claim the mantle of leadership.
He needs to be as squeaky clean as possible and I am surprised he isn't smart enough to know that and act accordingly. At what point will the little things he "forgets," or is "too busy" to do, evolve into big things that impact our lives?
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