A reader writes...
If I understand this correctly, $267,000.00 from the ward's already inadequate stipend is being diverted away from the entire ward's infrastructure upkeep so that a select few lakefront residents can have free overnight parking.
Makes me wonder if the 49th ward residents west of Sheridan are willing to put up with their pot holes not being filled and an overall decline in ward services in exchange for someone else's free parking.
Separately, what happend to Joe's demands for "transparency" and "participative budget processes?" This was done in a closed-door meeting without benefit of any community discussion.
22 comments:
Reminds me of the time when Rod Blagojevich gave seniors free rides on mass transit because his political poll numbers were tanking.
If this wasn't a political stunt, why did David Fagus attend?
Is there a link or a way to point us to more precise info on this diversion?
Joe Moore email poof:
"Before the Board meeting, I met with Park District Superintendent Tim Mitchell and Park District Board President Gery Chico and we reached an agreement to retain the free overnight parking. In return, I agreed to pay the Park District $89,000 from my aldermanic "menu" fund to compensate the District for its lost revenue. The aldermanic menu is a fund of $1.3 million to $1.5 million that each Chicago alderman receives annually to spend at his or her discretion on ward infrastructure, such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, street lights and the like.
I discussed this proposed agreement with a delegation of 40 ward residents who traveled with me to the Board meeting, and nearly all of them agreed it was a compromise they could live with....."
Questions. We got questions.
Give us the names of the 40 person delegation.
Are you kidding me!! Give me a break - we are all supposed to give up services so a few people can park for free? That is the absolutely most ridiculous thing I have ever read. I agree - who exactly were the 40 people? The 40 people that want to park there?
Oh yes - I checked on his website - there's a big article patting himself on the back with a link to the ABC7 story (imagine that!). Hello!! it's the city and a crowded area - if you can't afford to park your car, then you shouldn't have one. So everybody gets money taken from their services so a select few can park everynight - insane!
Wonderful, just wonderful... $89,000 of the Ward's money is being diverted to provide free parking for some very privileged auto owners.
Hey, Joe, yoohoo, here we are, the transit users and non-auto owners of Ward 49! Here are also the car owners who pay for parking, either in their own garages or for a space in someone else's lot. We are getting no benefit from that $89,000.
$89,000 could repair a couple of potholes on Sheridan Rd, or go towards other necessary services, or perhaps for improvement of the parks and beaches here.
Why is there a walk to raise money for children North of Howard who can't afford the fees for summer camp at their neighborhood park? Just get the money from Joe Moore.
If he can afford to pay for people's parking, he can certainly afford to pay for children to go to camp. Summer camp will keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. Their parents will know they are safe.
Maybe we need to get 40 kids together and take them to a meeting with Joe.
sure, it may be a political stunt...but we're missing the big picture here (in my opinion). The parking is going up on Montrose, Foster, and other beaches as well as Loyola. Although I can sympathize with the rich vs. poor debate, this whole thing/increase/whatever u call it shouldn't be done AT ALL. Stop bitching at Joe and look at the big picture. (yeah, he sux but sometimes u have to go over his head and look after yourselves)
So don't own a car if you can't afford to park it! I agree with previous posters - there are much more important things that could be done with that money than paying for a few select people to get free parking every night! How does that benefit the entire ward? I would much rather see it go towards childrens programs for summer and helping them. Hey Joe! I have to pay $xyz per month for my parking space - I really can't afford it - can I get that paid for by your office every month?
This is how politicians use money that was set aside for infrastructure within the ward. This is nice. This shows how No More pits one against one another because of his own incompetence when the original vote was taken and he was either asleep or at a Cubs game.
Anyone reading this blog remember - DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM EVER AGAIN!!!!
MadeinRogersPark comment "Anyone reading this blog remember - DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM EVER AGAIN!!"
This sentence needs to be remembered print it if you have to, hang it on your fridge, but remember it & DO IT don't vote for the idiot! He doesn't care about the overall well being of the ward!!
Remember "CRIME IS DOWN" famous phrase from a well know asshole!
Is there any possibility the 40 or so No More delegation that accompanied No More to a meeting will perhaps 'pay' the city for those spaces, maybe in a similar fashion that I pay my taxes. Or is it possible that they did in fact 'pay' as in 'pay to park'?
As a longtime resident of Rogers Park - long before No More and someone who deeply cares about this area - why do I fell like every time I open the paper I am getting -------!
and RYAN - Thanks for the reminder! The truth be know I have never voted for him. Not even one time!
JoMo is in favor of raising taxes but not in favor of essentially a user tax, i.e., paying for parking? It doesn't make sense. Isn't JoMo also supposed to be "green?" You'd think he'd be supporting policies that decrease the number of cars in the City, e.g., making parking more expensive. And I got news for JoMo, $125 per month is the going rate for a parking spot, covered or not covered.
get the facts right, please. bitch if you want, just get the facts first.-
this has nothing to do with the laz parking meter deal. nothing. this is the park district, a separate governmental body from the city of chicago. k?
and the reason that it is a general benefit is that it prevents those parkers from going out looking for a place to park in front of your house. c?
Been there, agreed that it has nothing to do with LAZ. That said, can Joe pay for my parking too? I have to pay every month and I live near the beach. If he can pay for them, why not me?
razl-the idea of not owning a car if you can't afford to park it is a little too absurd. there is free parking all over the place, as there well should be. especially with the amount of money we pay in taxes. plus, we all know that a huge percentage of constituents in the 49th ward live here because a) it's affordable and b)the accessibility to the surrounding suburbs. especially for someone, like my wife, who works in vernon hills, but i have to stay in the city limits because i am a cps teacher. thinknig about the practicality of what you're proposing. also, what is the history of the free parking for those residents? were they promised that when they moved in? was it part of their contract or lease?
i certainly do not agree with the practices of the 49th ward administration, but i also want to be fair and not totally hate on the ward for everything. we can't expect everything to happen at once, though that would be amazing, we need to figure out what is most immediate and what is right. if we have to pay for parking and permits, etc all over the ward, yes it may be green and create more revenue to work on more projects, but we will in no time push out the lower socioeconomic classes. and, last i checked, thats not what we're want to do. or, as some on here might be suggesting, is it?
It’s insulting, it’s a budgetary shell game, and it’s just plain bad news for all of us in the Ward who want menu money to be spent properly–that is, on infrastructural improvements that everyone benefits from. Call Joe Moore’s office at 773-338-5796 and/or email him to register your disapproval.
mr. newton - not absurd at all, it's the city in a congested area. Find a place to park on the street and if you can't, then you have to pay to park. I can't imagine free parking could be in their lease, when the lot is owned by the park district.
It's certainly what I had to do in other parts of the city. Why should just a few get it for free?
Rogers - I agree - email or call - I did both and got the standard form response "I will pass your information on to the Alderman" but at least they can hear from us!
This is an after thought. I am out of town right now and the air is cool and it is ever so quiet. All of a sudden I thought, does this money that has been set aside for a few to park include snow removal. Now that is COOL!
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Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
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