First let me start by saying this whole liquor license brew-ha-ha brewing on Clark Street is a moot point for one business called La Bonita at 6761 N. Clark. Why?
Here's the official timeline:
1.) La Bonita officially filed for the liquor license on November 2, 2006.
2.) The public notice for the license was published in the Chicago Sun-Times - November 16, 2006, page 79.
3.) On November 28th a reader from the 40th ward made this comment in the 'Broken Heart"
"Liquor stores seem to be the only business Joe can bring to the ward. He has lifted a moratorium on Clark Street that has been in place for years. It was lifted to transfer the license of a new store owner from the previous owner. Community meetings were supposedly held, flyers put up, and the new owner given a 6 month trial period. Never mind he got busted for selling to a minor in April, he was granted a license in May. Then he decides he will rent the storefront on the corner and expand to a huge package goods store.
People complain to Joe. Joe's office says everything was done by the book, nothing can be done. Luckily the residents do not listen and protest to the liquor commission. The license is denied. An appeal is scheduled for January.
Since the moratorium has been lifted La Bonita at Clark and Pratt wants a license. Most people don't know this as their license applied for sign is on the floor under the garbage can. It's been there for weeks despite calls to 311 and me telling them it needs to be posted in plain view. They make like it fell off the window. Funny how the tape on the re-elect Joe Moore sign seems to hold so well. (see photo above.)
See if the neighbors don't know about it, maybe they can sneak a third store into the 6700 block of Clark Street. There's only 5 in the 6400 to 6700 block right now.
Back to the timeline:
4.) December 12, Jim Ginderske goes off half-cocked, releasing a poorly drawn up press release asking residents for a hold on two liquor licenses applications on Clark Street. In the press release, words that were in the comments section appeared in the press release. Julie Kilzer said "I never saw any notice of the application. The store is hiding the notice under a garbage can that no one will see it." Is Julie Kilzer (if that's even her real name) commenter 40near49?
5.) If Jim would have read the Chicago Sun-Times public notice on the 16th of November, the fine print states a petitioner has 40 day's to challenge the license.
Summary:
November 2nd to December 12th. That's 40 day's. Time's expired.
Any letters arriving after that date are disqualified. Hence, the politically motivated press release was issued way too late and it's not effective anymore. Plus, only people living 250 feet from the license application address qualify to petition. Not someone who doesn't know all the facts and lives a mile away.
Come on Jim - get with it. Stop letting those clowns sitting around in your campaign office reading the 'Broken Heart' all day lead you down the road to failure. You want to close a bad business that sells booze? Join me in the fight to close Soo liquors. You've been to a few CAPS beat 2431 meetings to know that's more of a health and safety issue than La Bonita.
5 comments:
Moore Challenger Lies in Charge on Liquor License
On Wednesday, a candidate for Alderman, attacked current 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore with charges that he knows, or should have known are factually untrue.
Jim Ginderske, distributed a flier alleging that Moore supports liquor license applications for 6701 N. Clark Street and 6761 N. Clark Street. In fact, Alderman Moore has consistently opposed these applications.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Ginderske should intentionally attempt to mislead the voters in an attempt to further his candidacy for public office.
The Facts
With respect to 6761 N. Clark Street, the Local Liquor Control Commissioner is currently reviewing the liquor license application. Moore has informed the Commissioner that he opposes the application, and has urged the applicant to withdraw it.
The Local Liquor Control Commissioner has already denied the liquor license application for 6701 N. Clark Street, which would have permitted the owner of Supermercado El Mexicano, Awad Odeh, to move his packaged liquor sales from his existing store at 6703 N. Clark to the corner location at 6701 N. Clark. Mr. Odeh is appealing that decision to the Mayor’s License Appeal Commission.
Last year, Moore asked Mr. Odeh to refrain from selling single cans of beer, malt liquor and inexpensive half-pints at his 6703 N. Clark store. He agreed to do so, and an inspection by my office today revealed that he is complying with that agreement. Moore also asked him to attend the Spanish language CAPS meetings, which he has done so regularly.
Finally, Moore asked Mr. Odeh to call 911 upon any sign of trouble. A review of police records reveals that Mr. Odeh has called 911 numerous times in the last year, and police report no problems associated with his store.
Security cameras, paid for and installed by the Clark Street Special Service Area, are now posted on the corner of Clark and North Shore, and police report the incidence of gang loitering and suspected drug activity is down in that immediate area.
by: AlexA @ Thu Dec 14, 2006 at 16:00:11 PM CST
If you were reading the comments section, seem some folks are getting tired of Ginderske's lame defense team. And that blog you have to sign in and give your email address before commenting.
Another Soap Blox comment from the 49th ward warden. The warden. Please. Who could this really be?
So Let's Raise the Level of Discourse
I'm proposing that the level of discourse be raised, although I'll grant you I could have been slightly more clear above. There is a direct disagreement on facts. Here are three ways I propose to raise the level discourse for the benefit of all:
1. For those who care and don't know who to believe, let's do some factual investigation. (1) There are people in the neighborhood who shop at this store and know what types of liquor have been available there. I'm one of them, and this is what I saw. If you don't believe me, ask someone else who lives nearby. (2) Drive or walk on Clark Street from Devon to Pratt and count the number of package liquor stores if you doubt my numbers. I did this, but you could too, if you doubt me. (3) Look at the City Council record on February 8, 2006 under the Licensing Committee section, and you'll see the section I mean. It's written in a way that also requires getting a copy of the code, but that's a minor research issue for those who know how to do it.
2. Draw inferences from the things said above, and further data as it comes in. Joe doesn't deny that the liquor moratorium was lifted, but he doesn't explain it either. He also doesn't deny that there are five existing package liquor licenses in the immediate area. If there were such a reason, wouldn't you expect Joe's full-time campaign employee to mention it? The absence of an explanation is telling.
3. Finally, weigh the importance of the issue. I personally can't think of a politically progressive reason to lift the package liquor moratorium, so I think doing so says something significant about Joe's claim to be politically progressive. If you disagree, let's talk about public policy and the impact of inexpensive liquor on working-class neighborhoods like Rogers Park.
No, let's not trade barbs. Let's trade facts and policy analysis.
by: 49thWarden @ Thu Dec 14, 2006 at 18:28:59 PM CST
The Real Carrie Nation
She may have been a tad on the far side, but do we need liquor stores taking the hard earned wages from the parents of children who are already on a budget? Targeting the poor has always been a favorite campaign by liquor and tobacco companies so why not extend it to the local supporters? I guess politics is a pretty large corporation too.
What about the children?
It happened to Vilma, so anything is possible. If voters want to be rid of him, perhaps more people should pick someone and hit the streets, print flyers, posters, do the old grass roots work.
Even the News Star covered this event. Check the timelime , 3 day's after the story aired here, News Star got involved. Lorraine must get her news from the 'Broken Heart'. Otherwise she would have covered this event a week earlier when the Ginderske campaign sent their stuff out. Thanks for following the News - Star.
A can of beer is a can of beer'
December 27, 2006
By LORRAINE SWANSON Staff Writer
When Rogers Park residents living near the corner of Clark and North Shore Avenue first noticed signs of construction in an empty store front formerly occupied by Dennis's Place for Games, they looked forward to seeing a new business coming to the community.
But when neighbors found out last August that El Mexicano grocery store at 6703 N. Clark planned to expand by opening a packaged liquor store next door at 6701 N. Clark, they were aghast. They were even more astounded to learn that a long-standing moratorium on the issuance of new liquor licenses for a two-block stretch of Clark Street between Pratt Boulevard and Wallen Avenue had been lifted by Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, last February.
"We were completely blindsided," said long-time neighborhood resident Julie Kilzer, who also owns a restaurant on Clark Street two blocks south of El Mexicano.
"There were no flyers or notification. It flew under our radar. I would think anything as huge as a moratorium being lifted would warrant some attention," Kilzer said.
Neighbors have long complained about the troubled corner at Clark and North Shore, where they say gangs hang out in front of El Mexicano store.
"Things are a little quieter in the winter, but in the summer, Clark Street gets to be a zoo. There is public urination, fights, and bottles of cans laying all over. We're getting some nice businesses moving into this section of Clark Street. But how are people going to look at these businesses with this stuff going on," Kilzer said.
When the long-time previous owner of El Mexicano wanted to sell his store so he could retire, Moore hosted a sparsely attended community meeting to get public feedback regarding the transfer of the store's existing liquor license to the new owner, Awad Odeh, of Joliet.
"I was very opposed (to the transfer) and asked why because the corner was a hot crime spot," said Rick Jones, who regularly attends the Beat 2432 CAPS meetings.
"I've seen a lot of drug deals go down in front of the store. I made the case that El Mexicano has always been a problem in the neighborhood and never took any kind of interest or corrective action in the neighborhood under both owners," Jones added.
Moore said Odeh agreed to a six-month trial period, during which Odeh would operate the store and continue to sell alcohol under the existing license.
"At the end of the probation period if (Odeh) turned out to be a good owner, we'd lift the moratorium," Moore said.
Moore also contends that his office did due dilligence and checked for violations at Odeh's other stores on the city's West Side and in Joliet. While Moore states that both stores came up clean, a freedom of information request filed with the city's Department of Business Affairs and Licensing noted two violations of alcohol sales to a minor at Odeh's store at 600 N. Cicero in July 2004 and July 1996.
Jones said he received a call from Moore's office about a follow-up meeting held during Fall 2005. Moore said he told Jones that because Odeh had cleaned up the store during the trial period, the moratorium would be lifted so that the sale of El Mexicano could be completed with the previous owner.
Jones said he has no recollection of being told that the moratorium would be lifted, or even aware that one was in effect.
Moore and Odeh also signed an agreement dated Nov. 25, 2005, in which Odeh agreed to refrain from selling single cans of beer, malt liquor and inexpensive half-pints at his 6703 N. Clark store. Odeh also committed to attending CAPS meetings and phoning 911 with loitering complaints.
During the Chicago City Council's regular meeting on Feb. 8, 2005, the City Council approved lifting the moratorium on new liquor licenses between Pratt and Devon per Moore's request.
The next day, Odeh contributed $1,000 to Moore's campaign fund according to the alderman's campaign disclosure statements filed at the Cook County Clerk's office. Moore has since said the contribution had nothing to do with his decision to lift the moratorium.
In August, Odeh applied for a new license to open a packaged liquor store at 6701 N. Clark St. That application was denied in October by the Dept. of Business Affairs and Licensing, citing "a deleterious impact" on the neighborhood, accoding to Jenny Hoyle, a spokesperson for the Law Department.
Odeh is appealing that decision before the Liquor Commission on Jan. 17, and has already started moving merchandise into the empty store front at 6701 N. clark St.
Jim Ginderske, one of three candidates challenging Moore for the 49th ward aldermanic seat, passed out flyers on Dec. 13 at the Rogers Park Metra Station charging that Odeh was not in compliance with the Nov. 2005 agreement. Moore's campaign team countered the next day, stating that Moore's staff had visited El Mexicano and found the store in full compliance, including the agreement not to sell single cans of beer, malt liquor and half-pints.
Residents, including Ginderske's campaign volunteers, have made several purchases of single cans of beer and half-pints at El Mexicano. News-Star also purchased two 24-ounce-size cans and a quart-size bottle of beer on Dec. 19.
Moore has since claimed that Odeh misunderstood the agreement, thinking that it only applied to single 12- or 16-ounce-sized cans s of beer.
"But a can of beer is a can of beer," Moore said.
Kilzer said that she and other neighborhood residents will be at Odeh's appeal hearing in City Hall on Jan. 17.
"There are enough liquor stores on Clark Street," she said.
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