Thursday, October 12, 2006

* Joe The Greatest - UPDATED

Finally, Alderman Moore's pathetic response to the Tribune. I'll let this sit in whole for a while before we start debunking this pack of lies he sent to the Tribune.

To the editor:

For years the Tribune ridiculed the Chicago City Council as the Mayor's “rubber stamp." Now that we are beginning to assert ourselves as equal policymaking partners with the Mayor, the Tribune says we're meddlesome” and tells us to just focus on our own wards.

By prohibiting foie gras, forty-eight of my colleagues joined me in standing up for compassion and humanity by following fifteen nations in banning a product of egregious animal cruelty.

Perhaps the Tribune's real concern is the City Council's growing independence on issues of far greater importance to big business, issues such as the popular Box Living Wage Ordinance, which I co-sponsored.

Unfortunately, in attacking City Council activism, the Tribune denigrated my neighborhood and completely ignored a long record of accomplishments in the 49th Ward.

You should know that your symbol of ward “problems, a vacant storefront pictured in the editorial, is the future site for an exciting new community arts center, which I secured for the Wisdom Bridge Arts Project. You should also be aware that we already have half the Howard St. vacancies in the process of retail and residential redevelopment.

Your editorial should have noted the construction underway for the new Howard El Station and the Gale Park Community Center, projects which I shepherded, and which will secure jobs for community residents on those projects.

You also failed to mention the $800,000 rehabilitation of the Morse El Station and the $3 million streetscape project on tap for Morse Ave. You neglected to mention my 49th Ward zoning planning process, which resulted in extensive zoning changes that will prevent overdevelopment.

Finally, you failed to note the scores of slum buildings my office turned around and my efforts to bring community policing to the 49th Ward, actions which helped lead to a nearly 50% drop in crime since I took office 15 years ago.

Clearly, the Tribune's concern is not the welfare of the 49th Ward. Rather, you'’re attacking the leadership many of us have taken on the living wage and other issues with which the Tribune and big business strongly disagree. Good aldermen (like good newspapers) have a responsibility to meeting both the local needs of their wards and the policy needs of their City. The new activism of the City Council is one to be welcomed, not attacked. I take all of my responsibilities seriously; so should this newspaper.


Joe Moore
Alderman, 49th Ward

Updated:

Wow, I just received this original letter to the editor sent out by David Fagus just after the Chicago Tribune printed the editorial. Read his call to arms from the 49th ward democrats to flood the Tribune with denoucements.

It's much different, with far more greatness attached.

Urgent Appeal for Your Help - Tribune on the Attack


Dear Friends,

The Chicago Tribune went on the attack again this weekend with a vicious editorial slamming Joe Moore and our community. We need your help. Will you please write a letter to the Tribune today? Here's the editorial:

To the editor:

For years the Tribune ridiculed the Chicago City Council as the mayor's rubber stamp and chastised the aldermen for being too parochial. Now that we are beginning to assert ourselves as equal policymaking partners with the mayor, the Tribune says were meddlesome and tells us to just focus on matters in our own wards (“The Chicago Folly Council” Oct. 1).

Apparently it’s ok to be a rubberstamp for the mayor as long as it is in keeping with the Tribune’s editorial viewpoints.

I am proud that 48 of my colleagues joined me in standing up for compassion and humanity by following the lead of fifteen nations in banning a product of egregious cruelty. And I am pleased that, while he expressed reservations about the ban, Mayor Daley signed the measure into law.

The Tribune claims the City Council is “preoccupied” with this issue. Really? The foie gras ban was just one of hundreds of pieces of legislation on topics as varied as zoning changes, business incentives, fee waivers and the like, which the Council considered on the day the ban was adopted.

Just who is preoccupied with the foie gras issue? The City Council, which briefly considered and passed the ban and then moved on to other pressing issues, or the Chicago Tribune, which has devoted barrels of ink to this topic and can't seem to let it go?

Perhaps more is at play here than the ban of a product that few restaurants served and few patrons consumed. Perhaps the Tribune's real concern is the City Council's growing independence on issues of far greater importance to big business and the purveyors of the status quo, such as the living wage ordinance for Big Box retailers, which I co-sponsored.

The Tribune calls the living wage ordinance a “loopy idea, but it was supported by nearly three quarters of the voting public according to an independent poll conducted by the other major daily newspaper in this town.

Unfortunately, in taking me to task for my political independence and City Council activism, the Tribune felt obligated to denigrate my neighborhood and completely ignore my long record of accomplishments in the 49th Ward.

If the Tribune had actually taken the time to conduct any meaningful research, it would have discovered that the vacant storefront pictured in the editorial is the future site of the Wisdom Bridge Arts Project Community Arts Center, and that I had convinced the previous owner of the property to sell it to the arts project at below the market price.

If the Tribune had honestly reported DevCorp North's store vacancy statistics, it would have also reported that Dev Corp disclosed to the Tribune that half the 45 vacancies on Howard Street are in the process of being redeveloped for retail and market-rate and affordable residential developments.

If the Tribune editorial was truly balanced, it would have noted the construction underway for the Howard El Station redevelopment project and the Gale Park Community Center project, both projects which I shepherded. And it would have noted my successful efforts to secure jobs for community residents at those construction sites.

The Tribune also neglected to mention the $800,000 rehabilitation of the Morse Ave. el Station and platform and the $3 million streetscape project on tap for Morse Avenue, both of which I was instrumental in securing. And the Tribune also left out the new businesses coming to Morse Avenue, including a new coffee shop and a new jazz club and restaurant. It also conveniently overlooked the revitalization of the Jarvis Square business district, across the street from my office.

If the Tribune had taken the time to speak with my 49th Ward Superintendent, it would have discovered he requires his laborers to hand sweep the alleys in addition to picking up the garbage, and that he regularly patrols the ward in the evenings and on weekends, emptying city wastebaskets and trimming overgrown weeds.

The Tribune also made no mention of the extensive community-based planning process I oversaw, which resulted in extensive zoning changes that will preserve the residential character of the neighborhood and prevent overdevelopment.

Finally, the Tribune failed to note the scores of slum buildings my office has turned around and my efforts to bring community policing to the 49th Ward, which helped lead to a nearly 50 percent drop in crime since I first took office 15 years ago.

My record more than amply demonstrates that a good alderman can both successfully oversee the issues affecting his community and help shape city policy. Clearly, the Tribune'’s concern is not the welfare of the 49th Ward residents. Rather, it is the fact that I have taken leadership positions on issues with which the Tribune strongly disagrees.

These are issues on which people of good will can disagree. I hope in the future the Tribune focuses on the merits of the arguments, rather than running down my neighborhood and taking cheap and diversionary shots against those of us who dare to challenge the status quo.

33 comments:

Craig Gernhardt said...

I'm sorry, I just can help it. Let's all sing, Crime's down 50%.

ThatGirl said...

You neglected to mention my 49th Ward zoning planning process, which resulted in extensive zoning changes that will prevent overdevelopment.

excuse me? Everywhere i go i see a gutted building with a developers name plastered across the front.

Did i miss something here?

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Moore said.....>" the Tribune denigrated my neighborhood "

No Alderman , you did this denigration. The Tribune only reported your denigration of the neighborhood.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Moore said....>"completely ignored a long record of accomplishments in the 49th Ward."

No they didn't completely ignore your accomplishments Alderman. You have no record of accomplishments.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Moore promised this in 2005....>"the $3 million streetscape project on tap for Morse Ave. "

Should we consider this project the next Gale Community Center. Projected finish date. 2016

Ryne said...

Joe listen up! You are self serving asshole! Joe is the aldermen to serve Joe and serve those that give dollars to Joe campaign. Let's not forget how Joe helped the geese in our ward, has anyone noticed to increase in the geese population in the 49th ward.

Joe I don't know who you care about, but it is not the people in the 49th ward. I hope the voter's in the ward open their eyes and vote a new aldermen in!!

Hugh said...

> ... projects which I shepherded ...

Joe is my shepard. I shall not want.

Hugh said...

> ... we are beginning to assert ourselves as equal policymaking partners with the Mayor ...

> ... you’re attacking the leadership many of us have taken ...

> ... the City Council's growing independence ...

What a crock of shit.

This coming the day after the paid rubber-stamps sat there while Daley touted the City budget he just wrote for them.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Moore said.....>'I take all of my responsibilities seriously"

Like covering up a tragedy for a slumlord pal who is a major campaign contributor.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Moore said....>"you failed to note the scores of slum buildings"

No Alderman we notice. Maybe you should too? Ever heard of the Block building?

Hugh said...

> 50% drop in crime since I took office 15 years ago

News flash:

CRIME IS DOWN!

Hugh said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jarvis_smells_like_piss said...

can he sheperd the scores of piss smells away from the jarvis L station? please...

Hugh said...

> ward “problems”

That's rich. "Problems" in "scare quotes."

There ARE no problems in the ward!

Yeah, sure.

Hugh said...

> ... good newspapers have a responsibility ...

Clever, telling the Tribune Co. their business.

Has Joe figured out he is not going to get the Tribune's endorsement?

Hugh said...

Hey Joe,

All your years in politics, you never heard the one about picking fights with people who buy ink by the barrel?

rogerspark60645 said...

Hmm...He neglected to say, "GO FUCK YOURSELF.... PRINT THAT!" Isn't that how he fired back at you Craig?

Hugh said...

> ... the Tribune ridiculed the Chicago City Council ...

No, the ALDERMEN make a mockery of our City Council. The press just reports it as they see it.

Hugh said...

> ... the extensive community-based planning process I oversaw, which resulted in extensive zoning changes that will preserve the residential character of the neighborhood and prevent overdevelopment.

Moore's Extensive Zoning Changes

Rogers Park Tear-Down Gallery

Castlebar Tear-Down Gallery

RT4 in Rogers Park: Slated for In-fill Development

Craig Gernhardt said...

Alderman Mooore said......>"The Tribune also made no mention of the extensive community-based planning process I oversaw, which resulted in extensive zoning changes that will preserve the residential character of the neighborhood and prevent overdevelopment."

It's because in real life, that never happened.

Hugh said...

> If the Tribune had taken the time to speak with my 49th Ward Superintendent, it would have discovered he requires his laborers to hand sweep the alleys

Hey Joe,

While you are playing hard-ball with your Streets & San guy, why not have him sweep the sidewalks, too?

We could roll back the SSAs and give a tax break to local businesses, spurring retail!

Hugh said...

this is too easy

Moore's list of "accomplishments" (note use of "scare quotes") is like fish in a barrell

Jarvis_smells_like_piss said...

as much as rogers park doesn't like republican, i think adams is the only candidate who can beat jomo. so i hope we can all put aside our political differences, and vote moore out :)

CommonSense said...

Joe has made an international mockery out of the 49th Ward. This summer, even the Jerusalem Post was making fun of the foi gras ban.

Now, an editorial in Reason Magazine has listed the reasons that Chicago has turned into a wimpy city. Two reasons cited: Joe Moore's big box and foi gra bans.

Way to go Joe!

Hugh said...

> Perhaps the Tribune's real concern is ... the living wage ordinance for Big Box retailers, which I co-sponsored.

> ... the Tribune says we're meddlesome” and tells us to just focus on our own wards.

> ... you'’re attacking the leadership many of us have taken on the living wage and other issues ...

Hey Joe,

What about living wages in the 49th ward?

Do your SSA workers deserve a living wage?

What can you tell us about their benefits package from DevCorp North?

Why don't you focus on your own ward and take leadership on these highly visible and grossly exploited workers?

Hugh said...

The Windy City Gone Wimpy

Once a town of big shoulders and waistlines, Chicago looks increasingly like the nanny state of California.

Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason magazine
LA Times op-ed, August 31, 2006

Chicago is a sissy town because that "stormy, husky, brawling … City of the Big Shoulders," in Carl Sandburg's evocative 1916 poem, seems hellbent on putting a chokehold on just about everything that makes a city a city. Namely, fun. Local pols evidently are more dedicated to rooting out gluttony among residents than reining in a police department neck deep in an ugly torture scandal.

More...

Abe said...

That is a well-written response to the Tribune's article. That's about all I can say about that.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Abe said......>"That is a well-written response to the Tribune's article."

Alderman Moore doesn't let key facts get in the way of a well written response. That's about all I can say about that.

Hugh said...

Moore on Howard Street: I Have a Plan

> If the Tribune had honestly reported DevCorp North's store vacancy statistics, it would have also reported that Dev Corp disclosed to the Tribune that half the 45 vacancies on Howard Street are in the process of being redeveloped for retail and market-rate and affordable residential developments.

Hey Joe,

Why does the Tribune editorial board get better information than your own constituents?

When are you going to disclose your secret plan for Howard Street to residents? After the election?

Craig Gernhardt said...

Crime is down, gun shots are up.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Crime is decreasing, murder is increasing.

Pamela said...

Life in the 49th is grand as long as you're not a young African American male and didn't have to go to school in the ward. Where do Joe's kids go to school? Oh, yeah, Evanston. Where do Joe's kids live? Evanston. When do Joe's kids walk the streets of RP? On Halloween when he takes them around to residents as a protective shield. Poor kids.

Toni said...

“If the Tribune had actually taken the time to conduct any meaningful research, it would have discovered that the vacant storefront pictured in the editorial is the future site of the Wisdom Bridge Arts Project Community Arts Center, and that I had convinced the previous owner of the property to sell it to the arts project at below the market price.”

Not quite the scoop! Terzakis could never get his projects approved by the City until about two years ago. In those two years, the property sat with no construction and Sir Moore threatened eminent domain. Wisdom Bridge was held hostage until Terzakis got approval for his townhouse plans, that’s all. So the below the market price may be ‘somewhat’ true, but what about the cost to demolish it? After all, it’s full of mold after a roof collapse and subsequent water damage while it sat vacant and ignored during the Terzakis ‘gimme what I want and you can have Wisdom Bridge’ tantrums! Meanwhile eminent domain makes it nice and cozy for Sir Moore’s builder pal, Rich Aronson. After all, Aronson owns the adjacent building that houses none other than DevCorp, the SSA collectors.

“…and the Gale Park Community Center project, both projects which I shepherded. And it would have noted my successful efforts to secure jobs for community residents at those construction sites.”

Not quite true Sir. This field house has been on the back burner for years. Sir Moore and his zoning expert Mr. Land (Bill Kelly prior to that) just couldn’t get that former alley and Ashland Avenue correctly removed from the maps. That is until enough pressure was put via a letter to the Mayor and a citizenspeak petition by howardwatchers. Accountability in keeping promises not election year groundbreaking was the demand. And voila, an election year looms and the bulldozers finally arrived, but Sir Moore ‘shepherded’ the project. He followed the path less foreboding, that’s all.

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