The Sixth Ward

Joe Zekas R.I.P.

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 17:00:00 -0600

Joe Zekas ran the real estate news website YoChicago. If you have been following that site and their social media channels i.e. YouTube or X/Twitter you might find that he hadn't updated since June 2023 which was the month that he was said to have passed away unexpectedly.

Zekas in the early days would link to us frequently and you might find a few comments here from him in the past. And he caught my eye thanks to his coverage of some of the south side neighborhoods such as Pill Hill, Pullman, Englewood, Chatham, West Chesterfield, etc.

Even did a video I featured here called "treating your skin disease" he railed against the bias toward buying and living in "certain" communities based upon the predominant ethnicities in those communities. For example I do believe he was speaking of Chatham he might say why isn't Chatham a destination for everyone to consider buying and living there? [VIDEO]

As of late I see YoChicago appears to be a one man shop with Zekas running everything. He's the only one listed on staff there. He's had people like Joe Askins, Eric Stonikas, Whet Moser, and others work with him over the years. In addition some of the people who worked with him at YoChicago had also joined Curbed Chicago back when the Curbed publication had more local editions. So I'm sure there's quite a learning tree out there for people who want to follow what's going on in Chicago real estate.

My condolences to Zekas' family.

As we head into 2024, I couldn't allow this to go unnoticed on this blog!

Happy New Year & Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 11:56:00 -0600

Remapped Wards 6, 9, & 21

I'm giving this blog a refresh given that for the foreseeable future it will remain in more or less an archival mode.

I'm working on an Election 2023 page, which I had very little time to really compile this time as I mostly focused on the mayor's race and the election for 9th Ward ~~Alderperson~~ ewww Alderman. This time around I want to compile candidates and results for the 6th Ward and the 21st Ward. Both were open seats in 2023 since Ald. Sawyer and Brookins weren't running for another term on the Chicago City Council.

Another part of the refresh is to share information on the new ward maps and on the new Aldermen who succeeded both Sawyer & Brookins in the runoff elections in April '23.

When I wrote this post there was a controversy over there not being a physical ward office in the 6th Ward when Ald. William Hall took office. I will make sure to create a 6th Ward page to help those who need to contact the Alderman the ability to do so whether electronically (on the internet that is) or to be able to call his office or even pay him a visit at his offices in city hall or in the neighborhood.

The last time a new Alderman took office in the 6th Ward our FB page and this blog had been hit with comments, people wanting assistance with the new Alderman and thankfully that hasn't been an issue this time. I took great pains to make clear we're not associated with any Alderman or public official. We might be able to assist where we can, however, what was the best course of action is try to refer people to who they should contact especially ~~Alderpersons~~ ewww Aldermen.

I've been taking the time out to refresh this blog. This blog isn't as regularly updated as it used to be in recent years, however, if there is something that we could put out that would be beneficial to the community feel free to contact us.

As always Happy New Years.

Strange

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Tue, 7 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0600

I got this message from Blogger which is owned by Google last night.

A decade old post from this blog had gotten flagged. Here's how I have tried to operate, I usually like to find news stories to share. It's not often that I tried to do the footwork to be a journalist, I used to pretend and failed. :P

Anyway, someone or something flagged a legit news story from a local TV station deemed as sensitive content. The video itself probably is no longer available online. According to computer there's just a puzzle piece in the middle where the video was - in fact I presume the video was rendered in a flash player. Who uses flash these days anyway?

Anyway I found this odd and intend to appeal meanwhile you will see this message asking if you want to proceed to the page in question or not proceed. Almost as if you're being redirected to somewhere else.

Was this an AI or is this related to the mayoral race?

Happy New Year - 2022 recap sort of...

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 23:30:00 -0600

Found here

I spend most of this past year not posting here aside from one post by J.P. Paulus regarding the 2022 primary election for the 1st Congressional District seat which was won by Jonathan Jackson - who's brother Jesse Jackson Jr. served in Congress and his father was two-time Democrat candidate for President Jesse Jackson Sr. And then a few posts within the past two months which are more or less politically inclined and in reference to the 2023 municipal elections for Alderman and Mayor of Chicago.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is running for re-election. Ald. Roderick Sawyer had recently survived a petition challenge that was dropped by his opponent Willie Wilson to remain on the ballot in the 2023 Mayoral Race. That means Ald. Sawyer will NOT be running for re-election for 6th Ward Alderman. So there is one open seat on the Chicago City Council.

We can include in the many open seats on the Chicago City Council the 21st Ward Alderman. Longtime 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins has opted not to run for re-election. In the June 2022 primary he failed in his bid to become a Cook County Judge.

Another thing we have covered over the years on this blog and I think is a notable event that I'm sorry to have not written about it here is the closure of Whole Foods Market Englewood. After a store closing clearout the store had closed on November 13, 2022 having been open since September 2016. We were glad to see Whole Foods expand onto the south side as they announced in 2013.

Heralded as an oasis in the food desert the closure had been announced earlier in the spring of 2022, another Chicago store had also closed this year the DePaul location located steps away from the Fullerton Red Line station. Originally it was advertised as being designed to keep the prices of product down for the people in the community. It was certainly a well meaning experiment.

However, as a customer I have found that most of the time I went there the store was often empty. This is something that was probably appealing say if I go to other stores in the area it would be very busy. However, that's not conducive to keeping any business open small business or a national chain.

I got a souvenir shopping bag from the 2016 Englewood grand opening. I also had bought from there over the years a water bottle I can't find for the moment and another Englewood shopping bag. So I do have some memorabilia from the now closed store which had opened with some excitement. I'll give credit to RAGE, this was their vision and it was realized.

Who knows perhaps the fortunes of Englewood will turn around and as opposed to the small outpost they had for over six years, the neighborhood could one day be home to a flagship similar to the one that opened this past spring at Chicago & State. Something to look forward to as a vision for Englewood.

All the same as I had been sharing on this blog I will be doing more posting at Ninth Ward Chicago. Hopefully do more with regards to the 2023 city elections and especially look at the race for Mayor and perhaps some City Council contests. The Mayor of Chicago is said to be vulnerable however the residents of the city will make that decision as far as who they want for mayor.

I hope that 2023 finds you in better spirits. Happy New Years!

Anyone looking for a 2023 #Ward06 elections page?

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Mon, 5 Dec 2022 08:44:00 -0600

Remapped 6th Ward - adopted May 2022

The map you see above is of a remapped 6th Ward which was adopted in May 2022. This is the ward that candidates for Alderman will be running to represent.

At this moment I don't know if there will be an election page here which will be typical for this blog since 2011. I have shared again publicly the links for all local elections in 2015 and 2019 we covered multiple wards especially in light of the 2011-12 ward remap.

I don't know if there is any interests from the other bloggers here in other wards especially other than wards 6, 9, and 21. As you know there is some turnover as Ward 6 Ald. Roderick Sawyer is running for mayor next year and Ward 21 Ald. Howard Brookins is retiring from the city council. The only incumbent since 2011 that weve covered who's running again next year is Ward 9 Ald. Anthony Beale.

BTW, in shameless self promotion there is a 2023 Elections page over at Ninth Ward Chicago.

If nothing else if you would like to see a separate page here on at least the race to succeed Ald. Sawyer for Ward 6 Alderman feel free to drop a comment and let us know.

Just to let you know right now Worlee Glover at Concerned Citizens of Chatham has a concise list of candidates who want to succeed Ald. Sawyer in Ward 6.

And, yes I need to update with vote totals the 2019 page. Not sure why that didn't happen back then although if you're looking for 2019 results for Ward 9 you can check Ninth Ward Chicago.

2023 Municipal Elections

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 3 Dec 2022 09:30:00 -0600

Did you miss this blog? I've been posting more at another blog I started called Ninth Ward Chicago, I expect to post there for the forseeable future.

Though to be honest I do wonder about JP Paulus' thoughts on Congressman-elect Jonathan Jackson who was elected in the midterm election just last month. He discussed the race to succeed Congressman Bobby Rush of the 1st Congressional District from earlier this summer.

Well now that the gubernatorial and midterm elections are now over, we turn our attention to the municipal races in Chicago. We will be voting for the city council, city clerk, city treasurer, for people to serve on their police district boards, and of course for mayor.

One of the people running for mayor against the vulnerable incumbent Lori Lightfoot is one Ald. Roderick T. Sawyer. In 2011 we covered the race where Sawyer - the son of a former Alderman and Mayor in Eugene Sawyer - was able to defeat incumbent Ward 6 Ald. Freddrenna Lyle in a runoff. Now over a decade later, Sawyer hopes to be another son of a mayor to take the office on city hall's fifth floor.

A channel on YouTube called Next News Network which is a right ring channel takes a look at the mayor's race and quotes Ald. Sawyer who referred to Mayor Lightfoot as thin-skinned. [VIDEO]

Now with Sawyer seeking the mayor's office that means he must give up his seat on the Chicago city council and that means there are man candidates who want to succeed Ald. Sawyer. Worlee Glover at Concerned Citizens of Chicago shared a list of candidates for Ward 6 Alderman in 2023. Of course the deadline to submit petitions for the 2023 elections had passed on Monday and we're headed into the period of petition challenges.

We had one candidate for mayor to drop out in Ward 15 Ald. Ray Lopez who opted to run again for his seat on the city council.

Just to open the discussion here, who would be your preference for mayor next year? Would you give Mayor Lightfoot a second term in the mayor's office?

Also I have to ask about Eddie, he was a frequent commentor during the weirdness of 2020 through 2021. Where are you big guy? Let us know you're OK out there.

BTW, happy holidays to all.

We need better coverage of the 1st Congressional District race

noreply@blogger.com (J. P. Paulus) — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:53:00 -0500

Has anyone considered the lack of media coverage for the first congressional district race? While I haven’t scoured each web page of every news site, from what I have seen, the coverage of where I lived for 12 years has been abysmal, especially considering the significance. This is the 1st time in more than a GENERATION that we have an incumbent-free election that is more open than ever. The choice made could be another Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (who regular gains national attention), or we could have just another of the 400 relatively obscure members, and receive very little for the votes.

And why should we care about a PRIMARY? Well, in Chicago, Only TWO local candidates have ever won in the general election in Chicago in the past 40 years. One of them was state senator James Meeks, who ran at the height of Salem Baptist church's popularity. Once he was elected, he quickly switched he switched to the Democratic Party so that his re election was assured the next term .

The 1st congressional district election is very meaningful to me because I lived in Chatham for 12 years. I have seen which of the candidates had been involved in the community and which have suddenly made and appearance when Bobby Rush. decided to retire to retire.

I'm angry that we have had a lack of coverage, but also the journalists that do report seem to have a complete lack of knowledge of who is actually a community leader in the 1st district as opposed to those who are being promoted due to their association with more famous people and/or funds. For example, Jonathan Jackson is the son of Jesse Jackson, but in my 12 years in Chatham I have never seen or heard him at any community event. That is a stark difference to Jahmal Cole who has written a book about the community, and in my time there has risen from being a mere resident to a community influencer that has tried his best to help improve the community through his nonprofit activities (and accolades) that have stretched far beyond even the immediate community.

Journalists have also completely failed to use basic math to show just the uniqueness of this election. For example, if all 17 Democratic candidates who are currently on the ballot were to almost equally get a percentage the winner of that election, then the final candidate would win by only with only 7% of the votes. That would mean over 90% of residents would not be able not be able to get their choice AT ALL. (Unlike the mayoral race, which featured a runoff, so that the 83% of people who did NOT vote for Lori Lightfoot at first, at least had an opportunity to choose from the top 2). And if you were to be a little more realistic and just only assume that say, the top 4 candidates would get the majority of the votes , that would mean that the top candidate could win with only 26% of the vote. That would mean again over 70% of the voters would not have their choice in office at all .For this election (as opposed to mayoral or aldermanic races) we have no such opportunity for the majority to have their say.

I have not heard one reporter do the traditional journalistic work of actually going out and talking with real people about what they are thinking. It is not a difficult task nor would it take a lot of time. They can easily go they go to the 79th street, 87th street or 95th street Red Line stations during rush hour and it could easily get a few (or rather several) opinions the perspectives on the candidates.

While I understand that in broadcast journalism it may not be feasible to even name all 17 candidates in one story, there is absolutely NO excuse to not refer people to a website that could have a listing of all of the candidates with some basic information on them for a journalist it would take less than a day to research, if not call AND talk with all of those candidates. It should be no problem at all just to find out basic contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and websites as well as a short biography (including where they now live, so one could get a sense of what communities they might best represent).

Journalists also have access to a number of high quality journalism schools such as Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (which I am a graduate of ) as well as Columbia and others. It would be easy for them to recruit to recruit members from classes. Students would be able to do some of that basic research. One class alone could get the basic information

I am especially disappointed with our nonprofit media, of which we have several distinctive organizations such as Chicago public media, WTTW, Axios, and Pro Propublica, all of which even if they had to share duties, could easily create forums for the public to be able to more adequately research their choices

Also, in this day and age, one could easily take a test online test to see which Harry Potter house 1 could fit would be would fit in with and those things would actually be and that quiz would actually be accurate why could we not set up a quiz that not only speaks on the issues that are most important to constituents but also other items such as communication style leadership abilities or leadership experience that would help voters decide who would best represent them in Congress right now. The question is: will the 1st congressional district have someone like AOC who is able to make a national headlines despite being a freshman or with the representative be someone who would be forgotten amongst the other 434 representatives in the house today

I would love to hear from community residents of the 1st congressional district to hear what do they think about this issue of coverage. Do they feel that they are actually being represented in the news, or should things be changed or improved in some way. I also would love to hear from those in the media to see what are they going to do differently to help the residents of the 1st congressional district make a good choice as to who they would want to represent them answer represent them I hope

I would also love to hear from media in the Chicagoland area to see what they are going to do different in the next few weeks before the election so that residents of the area would actually have a choice a fair choice as to who they should pick, and that it's not based on popularity that is predetermined by the media or by other media or by campaign funds

In a future post (probably October) I will also follow up to see how many Democratic candidates who DID win their primary election have decided to drop out which would allow Democratic Party to install somebody else so which would in effect create voter OMISSION, which is even worse than voters suppression because they would not have a choice at all in the matter that 99.99% of residents would not have a choice in their candidate

Please, Chicago media, DO BETTER. And for all Chicago residents who say they are concerned about voter rights – demand better from those who say they are here to inform us. Don’t we deserve it?

The following list is on the official Illinois election website.

https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/CandidateList.aspx?ElectionID=63aIZoIunYs%3d&OfficeID=LMmcDTEwiCK%2fpmC%2ftG8m2A%3d%3d&Status=P2wRQXkiFoo%3d&BallotGroup=FTIb1gd6z9Y%3d&QueryType=xF443FTCAJbIL3atac%2fUjEg7Y4yklgT1&T=637897870742235127

You can also try

https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/CandidateFilingSearch.aspx?ID=63aIZoIunYs%3d&T=637897870545532522

or look up candidate filings search at www.elections.il.gov

Name	Write-In	Objection Pending	Office	Party	File Date	Status
BIRGANS, KIRBY 7524 S. EVANS AVENUE UNIT 1 CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 8:04 AM	Active 3/14/2022
BUTLER, CHRIS 1822 WEST 105TH STREET CHICAGO, IL 60643			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
CARLSON, ERIC 4 WILD PLUM CT. LEMONT, IL 60439			1ST CONGRESS	REPUBLICAN	3/10/2022 12:29 PM	Active 3/10/2022
COLE, JAHMAL 8035 S. WABASH AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
COLLINS, JACQUELINE "JACQUI" 7600 S. LOOMIS BLVD. CHICAGO, IL 60620			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
DeJOIE, STEVEN 8440 SOUTH KING DRIVE CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 9:21 AM	Active 3/14/2022
DOWELL, PAT 4414 S. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DR. CHICAGO, IL 60653			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
GOODRUM, CASSANDRA 7300 S. CONSTANCE AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60649			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
JACKSON, JONATHAN L. 6828 SOUTH CONSTANCE CHICAGO, IL 60649			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
LEWIS, MARCUS 3146 HOLDEN CIRCLE MATTESON, IL 60443			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
MATTHEWS, AMEENA 16719 ANNE MARIE AVENUE TINLEY PARK, IL 60477			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2022
McGRIFF, NYKEA PIPPION 6139 S. DREXEL AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60637			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2022
NIX, DARIUS "DEE" 7145 S. CALIFORNIA AV. CHICAGO, IL 60629			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/9/2022 12:43 PM	Removed 4/21/2022
NORINGTON-REAVES, KARIN 8232 S. WABASH AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
O'KEEFE, MATTHEW "MATTO" 9930 S. WINCHESTER AVE CHICAGO, IL 60643			1ST CONGRESS	REPUBLICAN	3/14/2022 2:34 PM	Withdrawn 4/7/2022
PALMER, ROBERT A. 7315 S. UNIVERSITY AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/11/2022 3:51 PM	Active 3/11/2022
REGNIER, JEFFERY T 24104 S. OLD FARM ROAD MANHATTAN, IL 60442			1ST CONGRESS	REPUBLICAN	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2022
ROSNER, TERRE LAYNG 7442 W. LAKESIDE DRIVE FRANKFORT, IL 60423			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/10/2022 2:45 PM	Active 3/10/2022
SPAULDING, STEPHANY ROSE 10929 S STATE STREET, UNIT 1 CHICAGO, IL 60628			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/10/2022 11:27 AM	Removed 4/21/2022
SPILLER, HOWARD L. 9840 S. PULASKI RD OAK LAWN, IL 60453			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 2:06 PM	Removed 4/21/2022
SWAIN, JONATHAN T. 1130 E. HYDE PARK BOULEVARD, APARTMENT 1 CHICAGO, IL 60615			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2022
THOMPSON JR., MICHAEL A. 4238 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE UNIT 1 CHICAGO, IL 60653			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/7/2022 8:00 AM	Active 3/7/2022
WHITE, PHILANISE 8447 S. PHILLIPS STREET CHICAGO, IL 60617			1ST CONGRESS	REPUBLICAN	3/14/2022 8:04 AM	Active 3/14/2022
WILLIAMS, CHARISE A. 1726 EAST 87TH PLACE CHICAGO, IL 60617			1ST CONGRESS	DEMOCRATIC	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2022
YOUNG, GENO 8858 S. KENWOOD, AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60619			1ST CONGRESS	REPUBLICAN	3/14/2022 5:00 PM	Active 3/14/2

Chicago Reader: A theft hidden in plain sight for decades

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 11:00:00 -0600

Question to ask as you read this how does land sale contracts lead to land theft?

The greater Englewood area has been subject to land theft for over 80 years. It’s apparent when you see boarded-up windows and overgrown weeds that cover the community. Empty houses abound, a legacy of the impact that racism has had on the area for years, vacant lots indicating opportunities withheld from aspiring Black homeowners. It’s a crime that Chicago’s Tonika Lewis Johnson, activist, artist, and the National Public Housing Museum’s 2021 resident Artist-as-Instigator, seeks to expose with her project Inequity for Sale.

“In my lifetime, I witnessed disparity get worse and worse in Englewood,” Johnson told me. “I wanted to visualize that by putting land markers in front of homes impacted by land sale contracts . . . over 200 houses sold under land sale contracts are now abandoned or just empty lots.”

Inequity for Sale aims to highlight the negative impact that land sale contracts have had on the greater Englewood area. After learning about the contracts at a community meeting hosted by the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE), a community-driven activist organization, Johnson became interested in the idea of visualizing the impact that land sale contracts had on the area through a public art project.

“The actual idea for Inequity for Sale was inspired by a 2019 Duke University report [The Plunder of Black Wealth in Chicago: New Findings on the Lasting Toll of Predatory Housing Contracts] that people forwarded to me,” says Johnson. “I linked up with Amber Hendley, one of the researchers on that report, and she gave our community members a map of all the homes sold in Englewood through land sale contracts, which prompted the idea.”

CBS Chicago: Cautionary tale after 'bump & run' auto theft

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0600

[VIDEO] This is really an old story, however, something else to look out for at a time when carjacking or perhaps even car thefts are on the rise. Be very careful when someone bumps into your car from behind, someone could get into your car and drive out while you check out the damage. This incident happened in the South Loop.

Chicago Mag: Will Lori Lightfoot Be One and Done?

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0600

You might have seen this in Chicago Magazine recently.

Just a year before the election, Lightfoot looks in danger of becoming the first elected mayor in 40 years not to win a second term.https://t.co/WUIeVQLbcH
— Chicago magazine (@ChicagoMag) January 26, 2022

Here's a brief excerpt.

After Lori Lightfoot won the 2019 mayoral runoff with 73 percent of the vote, an alderman commented, “Her support is a mile wide and an inch deep.” In other words, she was a candidate for a moment in which voters were fed up with corruption, but she didn’t have a base that would stick by her in a crisis.

That has turned out to be the most prescient assessment of Lightfoot’s political appeal. The world has changed a lot since her election. The COVID-19 pandemic is about to enter its third year, and the city is as violent as it’s been in a quarter century. Chicagoans are exhausted — with life, and with Lightfoot. According to an Ogden & Fry poll conducted for Fox 32 in November, 62 percent don’t believe she deserves reelection. Just a year before the election, Lightfoot looks in danger of becoming the first elected mayor in 40 years not to win a second term.

Lightfoot has been praised for leading the city through the pandemic and for investing in neglected neighborhoods, but crime is causing the city to turn against her. The year before she was elected, there were 547 homicides in Chicago; last year, the total topped 780, the most since the mid-1990s. In the summer of 2020, the Magnificent Mile was trashed and looted twice during protests against police brutality. Carjackings were up 43 percent in 2020, compared with the year before. “One of the major issues she ran on was she’s going to take control of the crime issue,” says Matthew Podgorski, who conducted the Ogden & Fry poll. But now 75 percent of voters disapprove of how she’s handling it.

Well we have another year before we vote for mayor, clerk, treasurer and the 50 members of the city council. Perhaps we'll know by fall if the Mayor decided to bow out after a term or run for re-election.

WGN: Lightfoot focused on safer Chicago, reelection after 'relatively mild' COVID bout

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0600

[VIDEO] If you didn't know Mayor Lori Lightfoot earlier this month put out a tweet stating that she tested positive for coronavirus. WGN later caught up with her at Rainbow Beach as she talked about the issue of crime and her re-election in 2023. Believe it or not that's a year away.

Me personally I'd rather believe that she'd opt not to run for re-election however we shall see how the next few month shake out. Besides who knew that Mayor Rahm Emanuel by September 2018 would bow out of running for a third term as mayor in 2019.

What's also noted in this report is while she does have enough money for a potential re-election campaign it wasn't as good of a monetary haul as Mayor Emanuel as he geared up for re-election in 2015.

However, until the 2023 mayoral race we still have the issue of crime which was noted in the above report as she's point her finger at the Chief Judge of Cook County Timothy Evans as she wants to keep the most dangerous criminals at Cook County Jail.

She's also going to Washington, DC to meet with the Biden administration with regards to federal help for the crime issue in Chicago. Genuinely I'm glad the mayor is healthy and back to work. We also have a little bit more time until we know what her future political plans will be.

Who's running for Bobby Rush's seat

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Wed, 5 Jan 2022 12:48:00 -0600

I've made some hay about Jahmal Cole and he doesn't mind saying that he was the first one to place his hat into the ring. Of course that was before Rep. Rush decided he wasn't running again.

I see on wikipedia and of course if you have any names that isn't in the picture feel free to share.

To start some names were through around in the news such as Ward 3 Ald. Pat Dowell who announced that she was pursuing this today. She also dropped out of the contest for yet another open seat for Illinois Secretary of State.

Then other names that surprises me State Sen. Elgie Sims, Ward 6 Ald. Roderick Sawyer, Ward 8 Ald. Michelle Harris, former city treasurer Kurt Summers, or State Rep. Marcus Evans. Sims, Sawyer and Harris are names familiar to those who live in the 6th ward. It's interesting that they're looking into this open seat.

However this is a wide open contest and time will tell who might ultimately get the nod once the primary is over in June - don't forget the primary is on June 28, 2022 this year. Let's see how many of those names listed as potential challengers will contest for the Congressman's seat.

Here's a story about Rep. Bobby Rush's announcement regarding his retirement [VIDEO]

Oh wait, Ald. Sawyer was quoted in the above story from CBS 2 saying he's happy with where he is, however, admitted that he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested. Another name is activist Ja'Mal Green and also Rush's son Flynn Rush - who's listed in the wikipedia article linked above.

CPS classes are cancelled on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Wed, 5 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0600

Due to a surge in coronavirus cases and concerns over this Omicron variant Chicago teachers have opted to not report for work and CPS is forced to cancel classes on Wednesday. This was the result of a Chicago Teacher's Union vote on Tuesday evening.

BREAKING: CPS classes are canceled Wednesday as teachers vote to refuse to work in schools until COVID-19 cases drop sharply.

Teachers voted to refuse to work in schools through Jan. 18 unless the city's positivity rate falls below 10%. https://t.co/SNqNg5EnGa
— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) January 5, 2022

If you're a parent of a CPS student, are you able to adjust to your children being at home at least through January 18 which is how long CPS teachers will refuse to work in person?

Congressman Bobby Rush to retire

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Tue, 4 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0600

This is huge news to start the new year 2022. It started breaking Monday afternoon and now that we have an open seat in the 1st Congressional District who else besides Jahmal Cole will go for this seat.

It'll be official in the morning, but it's confirmed. U.S. @RepBobbyRush, D-Chicago, the only person ever to have beaten @BarackObama in an election, is retiring at this end of this term after nearly 30 years in D.C. Cld be lots of potential successors. https://t.co/J4Yvh4daDH
— Greg Hinz (@GregHinz) January 3, 2022

Also bear in mind primaries will be held in June 2022!

Happy New Years

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:45:00 -0600

I think this is a good time to take a look at some stories that have broken over the course of this month and some others of note for the year.

Coronavirus is still a factor with this Omicron variant going around. On Dec. 30, Gov. J.B. Pritzker at a press update on the pandemic discusses responses to a rise in cases. The surge is said to be at levels not previously seen.

After the New Year the Mayor of Chicago has a vaccine mandate unveiled before Christmas if you want to go to the movies or eat at a restaurant for example. This is in response to a surge of coronavirus cases and this Omicron variant which the first case in Illinois earlier this month was discovered.

Just yesterday the mayor urged Chicagoans as we bring in the new year to "be smart" as coronavirus cases surge.

As was the case of end of the 2020 coronavirus has become one of the dominant issues of the year. However, we end the year with a demand for testing. Also be careful of what places offer testing as there are reports of hole in the wall testing sites.

Anyway I hope everyone brings in the New Year with the optimism that 2022 hopefully will bring. 2021 without a doubt has proven to be an interesting year.

Also bear in mind that next year is an election year. Nationally we shall see where Congress will sit as far as a "red wave". In our state all executive offices are up for election. Gov. Pritzker is running for re-election. The office of Secretary of State is an open seat since the incumbent Jesse White is stepping down after being in office after over two decades. The primary is in June so I hope anyone on this blog will get registered to vote.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and stay safe all!

Block Club Chgo: State Says South Lakefront Dump Site Can Operate For Another Year As Army Corps Pursues Decades-Long Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 08:30:00 -0600

Earlier in the fall I waded into the debate over a potential move by the Chicago Bears from Soldier Field. I suggested perhaps the Bears can build a new stadium at the former US Steel site "South Works" near 87th and the lakefront. Well here's some new news about this parcel which is still looking for solid development.

The state says a south lakefront dump site can operate for another year as the Army Corps pursues a decades-long expansion. https://t.co/Wz950uzFwt pic.twitter.com/IVeRBdZ5n1
— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) December 15, 2021

State environmental regulators allowed a lakefront dump for polluted sediment to continue operating for another year, as the federal government awaits the state’s decision on long-term plans to expand the facility.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approved a water pollution permit Friday for a “dredged material disposal facility” neighboring Calumet Park at the mouth of the Calumet River.

The 43-acre site, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, stores sediment dredged from the Calumet River and five other federally maintained waterways in the city. Its permit was approved Friday and expires Nov. 30.

The Army Corps partially shut down the dump earlier this year, after its prior water pollution permit expired May 31.

A public input process led to special conditions on the new permit. They include a requirement that the Army Corps study whether the site could introduce more mercury and other toxic chemical compounds into the local food web.

But even with special conditions, “it’s still a permit to allow some level of pollution in a community that’s already overburdened,” said Kiana Courtney, staff attorney for the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

#Tucker on the crime problem and the grinches who rob volunteers and burn down Christmas trees

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:00:00 -0600

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this segment from Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News with you today because the commentary you see by host Tucker Carlson discusses some local events that perhaps you missed. Most certainly I missed these events.

To bring home some of the points Carlson is discussing here is there needs to be a reckoning on the crime issue nationally. Certainly it's an issue not just in the city where last weekend a group of youths converged near Millennium Park to cause enough issues for the police to start making plans to address any future disturbances. Basically as a reaction problem as this issue has been going on for a while as this isn't the first time I wrote about youths coming to downtown to cause problems as theft, vandalism, or even just causing major disturbances.

So he starts off with attacks on Christmas trees because well tis the season. And the first thing he mentions was that a group of My Block My Hood My City volunteers were robbed putting up holiday decorations in the history south side Bronzeville neighborhood.

BTW, if you don't want to listen to Carlson here's a story from CBS Chicago. According to the article this crime occurred at 48th & King Drive and part of a team of volunteers putting up Christmas decorations from 35th Street to 115th Street.

Anyway, another crime which you will see in a video below a Christmas tree in Washington Park was burned by a "grinch". Which is something Carlson has an issue with because the grinch is a character from Dr. Seuss and we might laugh at that assertion. However, this is a serious grinch and they're targeting Christmas trees or they're targeting the Christmas spirit. [VIDEO]

If you care about the commentary I'll let you decide if anything Tucker Carlson says has any validity. One thing I would say he's correct about is we have to be honest about the crime issue. We can spin it all day long though having been explored locally if our authorities are soft on the Christmas tree arsonists or on anything far more violent especially for tax paying citizens then we have major issues ahead.

Andrew Yang ran for mayor of New York City earlier this year and noted in a debate that you see in the Carlson video that his wife was assaulted. He spoke truth to the crime issue there and many Democrats there had an issue with that. And newsflash New York City elected to become mayor a former police officer who promises to be far tougher on crime than the current mayor is now who's more focused on much more stricter pandemic mitigations with the idea of encouraging more people to be vaccinated.

Well we already know back home here in Chicago that the Mayor of Chicago and the Cook County State's Attorney are taking serious hits in the polls as far as the crime issue. And a Freedom of Information request procured text messages from the mayor with regards to her response to the increase in crime near downtown and her responses to civil unrest after the death of George Floyd. To be honest I don't like what I see from those texts.

More remap news: what's going on with #Ward09

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Fri, 3 Dec 2021 11:00:00 -0600

I've been retweeting like crazy any news to be found on the ward remap. The main thing I found yesterday was that the Latino Caucus and a few other alderman went over to the City Clerk's office to file their own map. As you know the Dec. 1st deadline has passed and that should mean that in June - presumably during next year's primary elections that month - the city's voters will choose a map. That is except well negotiations continue and that might mean even though this deadline has passed city aldermen (or is it alderpersons I still hate that) could still vote on and approve a map for the next decade.

City Council members file paperwork to send the ward remapping process to a referendum. ⁦@ABC7Chicago⁩ pic.twitter.com/oACH1WcfKU
— Craig Wall ABC 7 (@craigrwall) December 2, 2021

One of the people should be recognizable here, that's Ward 9 Alderman Anthony Beale. Another people with the Latino Caucus map is Ward 2 Alderman Brian Hopkins. Doing a quick Google search I see Ald. Beale's comments. The Latino Caucus Ward Remap is called the Chicago Coalition

Chicago Crusader talks about this:

Alderman Beale is Lightfoot’s biggest critic among the 20 Black aldermen. He broke with the Black Caucus this week after clashing with its chairman, Alderman Ervin, when talks involved removing the diverse and voter-rich Pullman neighborhood from Alderman Beale’s ward, which also includes the less affluent West Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods.

Before the Rules Committee canceled its plans to vote on the map, Alderman Beale, in an interview with WGN 720 Radio, said he was trying to enter a room where talks were being held when Alderman Ervin stopped him from entering.

“I was told that I could not go in the room with the Black Caucus by the chairman of the Black Caucus,” Alderman Beale said. “I know where that came from, and I know he’s doing that on behalf of the mayor because there are certain people in this process that are constantly trying to be heard.”

A critic of Mayor Lightfoot, Alderman Beale believes his ward is under attack.

When WGN 720 Radio asked him, “So, they’re trying to draw you out?” Alderman Beale responded, “Absolutely. They’re trying to take the Pullman area out of my community. They’re trying to take all the best housing stock out of my community and all these things were done without talking with me and working with me, and so I went and saw there was a coalition of people. And I went to join the coalition because I have to do what’s right for my community and fight for my community.”

In a brief interview with the Crusader, Beale reaffirmed his move to the Latino Caucus came when learned that he was being allegedly shut out of the remap talks by the Black Caucus.

“I knew I was being dismissed when I was being denied access by Ervin and the Rules Committee,” he said.

Sources confirmed to the Crusader that Beale found out that his ward was being redrawn when he was informed by Alderman Susan Sadowski Garza. Beale then went into the room and saw the Black Caucus ward remap that confirmed what he had been told.

I see the two conflicting maps over at Greg Hinz' column at Crain's and here are Hinz' thoughts:

• The Southeast Side 9th and 10th wards have somewhat different boundaries under the two maps, but 9th Ward Ald. Tony Beale, another sharp Lightfoot critic, would keep the Far South Side Pullman area under either map, as he’s strongly insisted.

I've got to add this tweet as Ald. Beale is quoted

“Let’s get the party started,” Beale says. pic.twitter.com/eNVhLsJDEd
— Heather Cherone (@HeatherCherone) December 2, 2021

Unlike in 2011 when the City Council Rules Committee was under the chairmainship of then Ald. Dick Mell and many who lived in Ward 6 was very concerned about how the map will affect them. Many didn't want to be drawn into Ward 9. And there was some drama over how the map was drawn between the Ward 8 and Ward 6 especially on the borderline on Cottage Grove.

This time around the Rules Committee is chaired by Ald. Michelle Harris who had this to say again quoted on a tweet

JUST IN: Ald. Michelle Harris says in a statement blasting "the continued undermining of my leadership of the map process is disrespectful and offensive." She says the map was not drawn to only to benefit the Black Caucus & "takes into consideration new and growing populations."
— Heather Cherone (@HeatherCherone) December 2, 2021

Let's get to the maps. Here's the Chicago Coalition/Latino Caucus map

And here's the Rules Committee/Black Caucus map

Which map do you like? It looks like the new Ward 6 under the Rules Committee goes further west takes up a bit more of Auburn Gresham even the shopping center on 83rd. And Ward 9 loses a small chunk though it doesn't appear to be any part of Pullman. As I focus Altgeld gardens will be taken out of Ward 9 and drawn into Ward 10.

Ward remap news

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Thu, 2 Dec 2021 11:00:00 -0600

I would like to go more in depth but I share this to state that so far the city council has failed to agree on a map and next June voters would have to choose a map. Here's a very interesting development out of the remap that affects the far south side:

The city’s ward remap process was led by Ald. Michelle Harris (8th), chair of the Rules Committee, political insider and attorney Michael Kasper and the Aldermanic Black Caucus, whose members said they fielded feedback from alderpeople across the city.

The city’s map includes 16 majority Black wards, 14 majority Latino wards, one majority Asian ward and one “Black influence” ward that isn’t quite a majority — the 27th Ward.

Under the proposed map, indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) would be drawn out of her Far South Side ward. The longtime alderwoman said she’ll likely retire rather than run for a new term under the proposed map, which would move the 34th Ward into parts of The Loop, West Loop and Near West Side.

The maps I've seen out there show that what used to be Ward 34 would be largely taken up by Ward 21 a seat held by Ald. Howard Brookins. Again this remap appears to be a test of wills between the Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus of the Chicago City Council. Hispanic Caucus want a few more wards drawn in their favor while the Black Caucus is contesting this.

Here's a draft map that was seen at a meeting of the city council yesterday Dec. 1, 2021 the deadline for Alderman to approve a map before voters must do so. If you have difficulty seeing it click on the tweet to enlarge. Perhaps later on I can find a much better copy of this draft map.

BREAKING: Here's what Chicago's new ward map could look like. https://t.co/fbaIgIy0R3 pic.twitter.com/teBQX2m60u
— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) December 1, 2021

It does appear what was Ward 34 would be taken up by the Ward 21 & 9.

Also I retweeted this yesterday Ald. Ray Lopez (Ward 15) doesn't seem that happy about this draft himself.

Uh, no thanks pic.twitter.com/eii2p2keGH
— Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RLopez15thWard) December 1, 2021

What are you thoughts on this remap? Excited about the opportunity to to vote on which city council ward represents you?

Politico: The remap's clash of the Chicago caucuses

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0600

As it turns out on this Thanksgiving Eve the December 1st deadline is just around the corner. So I'm copying a lot more than I would actually be comfortable with but here's what's written by Shia Kapos on the ward remap:

The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus presented vague details of a redistricting map for the city’s 50 wards, though Ald. Jason Ervin was clear about wanting to keep a three-seat advantage over the Latino Caucus.

His caucus is calling for 18 majority-white wards, 17 Black wards (one less than there is now), 14 Latino wards (one more than there is now) and one Asian ward.

“We believe this number is appropriate and gives everyone the space needed to move this program forward,” Ervin, chair of the council’s Black Caucus, said at a press conference yesterday at the Harold Washington Cultural Center. He displayed a map that made sweeping generalizations about where Black and brown wards might be but didn’t show how individual wards might be drawn. Tribune’s John Byrne has a picture.

The boundary debate is ratcheting up the tensions between the two caucuses ahead of a Dec. 1 deadline for the City Council to approve a new ward map. If it's not nailed down by then, voters could get to decide in a referendum next year.

The Black Caucus’ proposal falls short for the Latino Caucus, which has presented a detailed citywide map that uses census data to create ward boundaries that account for the population increase among Latinos — which has surpassed Black population in Chicago.

“If this is something that the Black Caucus wants to use to start discussions, I can tell you that they’re off on the wrong foot,” Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), head of the Council Latino Caucus said in the Sun-Times story by Rachel Hinton.

Points of contention are on the South and Southwest Side sides where there’s been a Black exodus while the Latino population has grown in areas such as Chicago Lawn, New City and Ashburn. The Latino Caucus is recommending 16 Black wards and 15 Latino wards.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for the two caucuses to come to an agreement. “If they don’t reach a compromise, most of the members of the City Council are going to lose — most of them will lose, some won’t, but most of them will,” she said at an unrelated news conference. “Because, if they throw this to a referendum, anything is possible. They have to recognize the art of compromise.”

After December 1st, voters would get to decide the ward map that they want. I get a feeling there won't be a compromise hear and no real mayoral influence to get there. My prediction, but then again who knows.

And I just go to show that tweet about a map provided by the city council Black Caucus

Black Caucus says it will leave the specifics of ward boundaries to specific aldermen, presenting only broad parameters for how to achieve the balance they prefer in the 50-member City Council. pic.twitter.com/n9ppogzxc6
— John Byrne (@_johnbyrne) November 22, 2021

I hope everyone has a Happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

The red line extensions funding from recent federal infrastructure bill

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0600

I'm sorry I missed this story about how the recent infrastructure bill which was signed by President Joe Biden into law would affect us in Illinois. Especially how it would affect the south side of Chicago, particularly this Red Line extension through Roseland into Altgeld Gardens.

From the Sun-Times:

President Joe Biden signed the historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law Monday, passing to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot — at the White House for the ceremony — the massive job of spending the billions in new money flowing to the city and state in the next five years.

For the first time, there will be a dedicated funding stream in the form of grant programs to make all transit and commuter rail stations in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, a legislative victory for the champion of the measure, Iraq War vet and double amputee Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

Based on interviews with Lightfoot and Pritzker, expansion of the CTA Red Line from 95th to 130th Street, speeding up lead water pipe removal and rebuilding portions of the Eisenhower Expressway through Chicago and nearby suburbs, the I-190 turnoff near O’Hare Airport and I-80 in Will County have emerged as among the priority projects to be bolstered by the federal spending.

The federal funding will speed up some projects already in the works — removing lead water pipes in Chicago — jumpstart transit and highway projects stalled for years — while helping to bankroll large scale electric vehicle charging networks throughout the state.

Public transit expansion, lead pipe removal, expanding broadband internet access and creating a new support system for electronic vehicles are at the top of Lightfoot’s list.

Lightfoot said there “definitely” will be federal money to expand the CTA Red Line from 95th Street to 130th, though she had no timetable yet for the project.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said at the White House he handed a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging him to support the Red Line South Side expansion to near the edge of the city.

“This transit desert disproportionately impacts Black residents, meaning that the early termination of the Red Line has considerable equity implications. This results in many of Chicago’s African American citizens literally being disconnected from the ‘mainland’ of the rest of the city. It reminds one of the ‘colony’ and the ‘motherland’ divides of a past time,” the Rush letter said.

Glad to see it's a priority for the mayor, however, no timeline yet to begin construction only that the federal infrastructure money would be used to expand the red line. By expand hopefully she means starting construction, however, I want to see what else is out there by the mayor and governor regarding this extension,

Game Stop "smash & grab" in Chatham

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 12:57:00 -0600

Downtown has been victims of "smash and grabs" even some suburbs are reporting such crimes most recently a Louis Vuitton store in Oak Brook, Illinois. Try one of those in Chatham at a Game Stop on 85th/Cottage Grove.

A report from Hyde Park Patch:

A video game store in the Chatham neighborhood also reported an unknown amount of merchandise was stolen at around 6:30 p.m.

No one was in custody in relation to any of the incidents as of Saturday afternoon, police told Patch.

To go back downtown not too long after this incident there was a smash and grab on the Magnificent Mile at the Neiman Marcus store. Here's a story from CBS Chicago on this [VIDEO]

Fall back one hour tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 6 Nov 2021 09:30:00 -0500

Tonight is the night. Set your clocks 1 hour. Daylight Savings Time ends until March 13, 2022.

Worlee at Concerned Citizens of Chatham has some helpful tips for you as we fall back as far as time.

WGN News: State's Attorney says she's not soft on crime

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 09:30:00 -0500

[VIDEO] Just remember over the past summer a poll listed both State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Mayor Lori Lightfoot as under water on the crime issue. After what happened in the Austin neighborhood on the west side last month with no charges for "mutual combatants" she's at an event with the west side NAACP.

The State's Attorney claimed to have very little power as far as bail which she says judge's control. She explained a law passed by the state which not the ability to pay cash for bond shouldn't determine whether or not you're held. It should be your threat to public safety should determine whether or not you remain in custody.

She's very concerned about the "false narrative" around her job performance as State's Attorney. I don't know if her office's handling of the west side shooting which is also mentioned in this report along with her spat between the Mayor and Police Supt. David Brown has helped change that false narrative.

More ward remap news the Latino caucus proposes their own map

noreply@blogger.com (Levois) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 14:30:00 -0500

Want to see what the City Council Latino caucus proposes I will share with you this link from WTTW. It almost looks like the current map though some major differences. For example ward 34 would go further north and the ward 17 is expected to have more of a Latino population under this new proposal.

Allow me to share more from the Chicago Tribune:

The Latino Caucus chairman, 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas, insisted his group simply “followed the data” in drawing the lines. And he acknowledged this map is a jumping-off point to start negotiations with colleagues, particularly those in the 20-strong Black Caucus who don’t want to give up any seats in spite of Black population loss.

“The bottom line is, it has to start somewhere,” Villegas said. “This is our start. We’ve been communicating with our colleagues. And we’ve been talking to them, mapping with them, working with them to try to get to a point, those that want to work with us.”

The South Side 17th Ward, currently a majority-Black ward represented by Black Ald. David Moore that includes parts of the Auburn Gresham, Englewood and Marquette Park neighborhoods, would be pushed west into the heavily Latino Marquette Park and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods. That would make Moore, a two-term alderman who’s running for secretary of state, the odd man out.

“That won’t fly,” Moore said. “You come over there and try to pull out a Black ward, they won’t be able to get majority support for that.”
...
The Latino Caucus also proposes moving the Far South Side 34th Ward — now represented by veteran Black Ald. Carrie Austin, who’s under federal indictment — into the North Side.

Another ward is needed near downtown because of the exploding population of young professionals now living in that part of the city. And the population loss in heavily Black South Side neighborhoods makes it the place to remove a ward, Villegas said. The 34th Ward currently includes parts of the West Pullman, Morgan Park and Roseland neighborhoods.
...
The remap process is contentious under the best circumstances, as various Chicago constituencies try to increase or maintain their power in the council and incumbent aldermen scratch and claw to protect their seats in favorably drawn wards.

This year the atmosphere is particularly charged, as the census revealed a change in the city’s racial dynamic.

Data showed Chicago’s Latino population went up by more than 40,000 over the past decade. That group now represents nearly 30% of the city’s residents, making them Chicago’s second-largest racial and ethnic group.

The city’s Black population fell by almost 10% in the same time, with a loss of nearly 85,000 residents. Black residents now make up nearly 29% of the city’s residents.

Here's is the Latino Caucus proposal.

I hope to see what the City Council's Black Caucus will come up with. Will they be able to preserve some of their representation on Chicago's City Council?