On Friday, October 06, 2006, one of our still active neighborhood bloggers wrote the below letter to the people who want to be in charge of the ward. It's been a couple of day's and only Thomas Westgard has responded. So much for his sabbatical.
Maybe Khreis and the 'Living Room of Rogers Park' blog doesn't get the major exposure the 'Broken Heart' does? Maybe the candidates she sent the letter to don't actually read their e-mails that's sent to them?
Why is it these candidate only want to talk when they are holding a fundraiser? Or a get-together at their campaign office?
Anyway, it would be disingenuous to say the candidates and incumbent don't read THIS blog. So there should be no excuse not to answer the questions now. That's unless you are Chris Adams who feels he can ignore the Rogers Park Neighbors.
Here are the five inquiries from Kheris...
Gordo is meeting with the citizenry tomorrow and I will miss it. So I sent the following to him, Chris Adams and Jim Ginderske:
I would like to know;
1) How Mr. XXXXX intends to deal with the gangbangers who feel confident enough to threaten civic minded individuals like Craig Gernhardt.
2) What specific ideas he has for cleaning up the Block buildings on Morse and Lunt, and ensuring that affordable housing does not equate to crime-ridden housing.
3) What specific ideas he has for bringing retail business to Morse, Sheridan and Howard Streets that amounts to more than additional dollar stores. I shop in the Loop and Evanston because there is no reason to shop in RP aside from Dominicks in Gateway because I can walk to it.
4) What specific ideas he has to assist the homeless, including those who use Loyola Park as their sleeping quarters and those who continually solicit help at the Howard El.
5) What specific ideas he has to work with CTA and the city to improve the El stops in RP. I use Loyola because it is safer than the rest and doesn't smell as bad. Jarvis is closer to my residence but is a public urinal. Howard is on a street with very little to recommend it as a safe venue for walking home.
I'll let ya know if any of them deign to actually answer a mere voter. Given RPNeighbor's experience with Adams, I am not too hopeful.
posted by Kheris at 9:13 PM
Here's the 'Living Room of Rogers Park' blog.
You're on the clock. We're waiting for the answers men. Or do we need to put a check in the 'questions for the campaign' jar?
18 comments:
I sorta wonder what the general concensus is on the "correct answers."
1. Get the police to do their jobs
2. Use the existing housing laws to hold accountable landlords who allow illegal activity on their properties.
3. Lower crime, see number one, and try to work with the Sherrif to get SWAP details to clean up the areas.
4. Move the people out of there, see number 1, and give the people info on contacting social services. Bottom line, people shouldn't be camping out.
5. Reduce overhead in the CTA by eliminating the 100% growth in middle managers under Karusi, use the money for infrastructure improvements.
Does this make me a viable candidate?
6. Expand current incentives to existing CPD, CFD, teachers, city employees, trade union workers and other employers that contribute to the tax base and are required to live in the city limits to purchase/ lease residences in our neighborhood.
7. Living below the poverty line does not mean your neighbors be criminals.
8. Continue to enhance release from prision return to citizen programs.
9. More Bars and resturants.
10. 420 premited zones. After all it's good for Alzheimer's
http://health.msn.com/centers/alzheimers/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100146677
Bike lanes
hey progun:
i thought you cared about freedom, and that means freedom to live anywhere people want. so let the cfd, cpd, and teachers get out of this crappy city.
Isaac if you do not like Chicago move unless laws prevent you.
Our neighbors that are teachers, police and fire as well as city workers and tradesmen have made excellent contributions to our community. So Isaac move and make space for them if you are so unhappy.
Paradise, well spoken but back to reality in the USA.
Existing laws permit these incentives. Each of the entities mentioned has an established track records of hiring and promoting minorities.
It is far from a perfect system but it is the system. Easier to modify existing systems than reinventing our special interest groups.
Burning building they run in CFD.
Psycho with a gun CPD responds.
Teachers teach.
Tradesmen build, remodel and follow very strict Chicago Codes.
City workers (well ok I not really sure what they do but they must do something.)
The starting sallary for each of these rookies is far lower than most college educated professionals. That gap only widdens as time goes by.
So if any of these people can locate here then I am all for those programs especially if it helps offset the income disparity.
I'd like to clear up any misconceptions about one of my questions. Although I did not intend to infer that affordable housing = crime ridden, that is apparently how my question has been interpreted by some. My error in not being clearer.
What I want to see is affordable housing that is also safe housing. This blog and elsewhere have pointed out at least 2 property owners who seem uninterested in screening their tenants or properly managing their buildings. That concerns me a great deal, as that is what leads to dangerous housing for the poor. It also feeds perceptions of affordable housing being filled with miscreants and others of questionable repute. That cannot be tolerated.
It is a multifaceted problem, but I believe it can be solved.
So Paradise and others especially Tie-dye are you for or against bike lanes in RP?
Creating effective CTA and Metra bike friendly stations?
Raising awareness of both bikers and drivers so we can all share the road?
Do any of our Alderman wannbees or Joe see the connection between alternative means of commuting as a viable means of ending poverty?
Biking to Union jobs in RP were one of the things that helped me go from renter to home owner.
Maybe someone else might benefit from this transportation alternative.
pro gun you missed the entire point of my post. why should firefighters, cops, teachers, or any city employees have to live in the city?
many do not want to live in the city. they can do their jobs even if they lived in the suburbs or even another state.
it is about their freedom to live wherever they chose. they do not have that freedom.
Bike lanes are something an alderman could do something about in this election.
Bike lanes and awareness campaigns could assist individual's on spending less on transportation and more on what they choose.
I chose a down payment for a house.
It 2 years of bike commuting to save 15K.
The next year of bike commuting went for trip to Belize and so on.
We would however need a consensus of RP voters like yourself to endorse bike lanes so our Aldermanic candidates know what we want.
Sounds like you agree this idea has merit.
The issues that you raise other than bike lanes I may or may not support.
I will take some time to respond just not now.
But if we agree on bike lanes then your help and support would be greatly appreciated.
funny how progun brings up incentives for cops, firefighter, and teachers but wont answer the question of how their freedom is being trampled on.
progun = i'll take my ball and go home if you dont like it.
If you choose a job that requires you to live in the city then you were free to make that choice.
If you missed that requirement then sorry. I would however listen to CFD, CPD and others who this ordinance actually affects and look for a solution. Quality of life stuff.
Maybe all rookies required to live in the city and a phase out as tenure is attained. Just an idea.
Is this an aldermanic ordinance?
If this is just a theoretical issue of yours and not one that enjoys the support you have claimed then table it and move on.
If not lets raise awareness of how unhappy these polices make the professionals we employee.
Bike lanes?
progun:
Speaking of making a choice. You live in a city that has few bike lanes and bans handguns, but yet you stay. You made the choice and obviously have issues with those facts, but admonish others for making a choice like taking a job that requires them to live in the city!
I decried your incentives plan when many cpd, cfd, and the likes, do not want incentives in the city but rather the choice to live anywhere.
It is a city mandate, and also a state law (or ordinance). Obviously supported by Chicago since it is the only municipality it affects.
It is used in other states and has been challenged in the courts and just starting to be called unconstitutional.
Isaac I proposed a compromise that city employees could raise with the Almighty Lord King RD. Compromise not mandates that is my suggestion.
It is not like we said congrats on that new city job now move to 1345 W. Lunt.
Hmmm, although?? hehe hahahahaha oh that would not be very nice but likely very effective. City Workers have the whole city to choose from when seeking a residence not just the HH. If you want them to have more choices then great you have to convience the Almighty Lord King RD not me.
Childern in my house means no guns for awhile around here not even for self defense.
My Chioce.
Mom really missed her glock anyway.
Billy Bob got the 410.
Ella Vorise the derringer it was after all a ladies pistol.
City kids are uneducated about firearms and city kids are at my house everyday.
Firearm safety is not taught in the schools like it is back home.
Down south they tie firearm safety in with sex education, you get caught with some good ole boys daughter and you will learn about gun un-control. Run Forest run.
More bike lanes are built every year and I love Chicago and RP.
The CTA, Metra and Pace have all made accomondations for bikes and plan more bike friendly improvements every year (guess I'll be staying).
You however still have not answered my question bike lanes or not.
ok, your suggestion of incetives just stinks then.
as for bike lanes, they would be great if they were in good shape and not pothole infested by the curb. also, in all honesty it is a big waste of time and money when our society is so hell bent on personal freedom to drive a big suv. the cars are the problems with riding in this city, and the people who do not respect the bikers.
bike lanes? bike lanes! are you folks nuts? we've got gang warfare, crappy beyond belief schools and super low graduation rates, we have a dearth of businesses (read: jobs) with tax revenues going to Evanston and you guys want %^$#ing bike lanes and improved transit this and that!
What's everyone smoking today? We live in Chicago. It's a big city and it gets colder than a witches you know what in the winter and you really think that we're going to relieve congestion with bike lines and better CTA? Yes, let's divert taxpayer dollars to more good ideas that don't lead to much improvement. Meanwhile, children aren't graduating, RP discretionary dollars go to Evanston, the police are understaffed, and Howard and Morse and open air drug markets. Yes, bike paths and transit should be right there at the top of the list of things to tackle.
No bike lane in the world will get me out of my car when I need to go grocery shopping and it won't get the majority of RP residents with cars to give them up either. Now, if there were a Whole Foods or Wild Oats on Morse, then I might walk. . .
Focus, people. F O C U S.
Pamela you are looking like a no vote for the bike lane. Thats OK.
Paradise you seem to support bike lanes and expanding public transit. We agree.
Isaac you seem on the fence about bike lanes but would support an awareness campaign for both bikers and drivers?
Biking to a Union job in RP was one of the things that helped me go from renter to home owner.
Saved 15K in 24 months. Now I have a 30 year mtg instad of a 6 mo lease, yeah?
Maybe someone else might benefit from this transportation alternative especially since all the larger construction projects now scheduled in RP and Evanston will be UNION.
Bike lanes are an inexpensive addition to our community and so are the signs.
Focus Pamela not owning a car and safely biking to a good job could end the renting cycle for someone else.
Pamela do you tutor students? Like you pointed out we could use your help. How many languages do you speak? The students here in RP speak every language not always english. Do you want our Alderman and other elected officials to tutor students? I do, once a week for 2 hours. Rookie Cops and firemen also.
Pamela do you have to choose between driving to work or using other transportation like the CTA because you can not afford an alternative?
Well neither do I but I choose not to drive as often as possible because it saves my family money.
Most of my neighbors can only afford alternative means of transportation so I want those alternatives to be more accomodating.
Anyone care to read the 2000 census report on what percentage of our RP residents do not own a car. Could swing an election.
progun:
sure, try and educate. but, like another post in another blog, where there was a fure in rp and no working smoke detectors again?? has there been enough media coverage about the subject? did the fire dept. go door to door to try and educate people? i'm sure something was learned, but the uneducated or the people who refuse to care will never be reached.
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