By Jim Sterne
News Editor
Mayor Richard M. Daley met a group of neighborhood leaders and residents at Sweet Mandy B’s, 1208 W. Webster Ave., on Monday, Jan 6. The coffee shop is located in the newly acquired section of the 32nd Ward.
The mayor was clearly in a campaign mood, shaking hands with everyone before he talked about neighborhood issues and answered questions while Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd) filled in details where necessary.
“Our schools are improving in part because the taxpayers of Chicago, to their credit, have stayed the course and supported our efforts to improve education,” Daley said. The federal funding for Chicago schools is only one percent. The State of Illinois gives 14 percent and the rest comes from Chicago taxpayers. “The rebirth of this city will be the schools.”
The Mayor also discussed the changing face of Chicago’s neighborhoods and said no matter where you live, the issues are all the same.
To improve neighborhood quality of life, the Mayor said the City has rewritten the zoning ordinance to improve the permitting process and to give residents more information about the changes taking place in their own neighborhoods.
“People want to understand what’s around them and what is to come. We are working on putting information on the Internet, so residents can have access to common sense information.”
And as a reflection of his commitment to improve neighborhood quality of life, the Mayor spoke about his commitment to open space in Chicago and the importance of protecting the environment. He also decried new construction that replaces front yards with driveways leading to garages. “We must reclaim our sidewalks for people,” Daley said.
“Open space is important to families and it is a concern in all wards,” Daley explained. “That’s why community input is important. Everyone has a responsibility to where they live.”
The Mayor outlined a number of environmental issues the City was engaged in to improve water and air quality — from supporting rooftop gardens to recycling. New alley construction that will conserve water, and the collection of rain water from roofs are both being tried. “We must conserve Lake Michigan and all the Great Lakes,” Daley said. He is working with mayors around the Great Lakes including some from Canada on this vital issue.
The Mayor fielded questions on a variety of topics from transportation to new developments in the ward. He said the city is looking into ways to build bridges that cause the least traffic jams. The new bridge is built next to the old one and, when ready, is moved into place. This reduces the time of traffic jams and will probably be used on the North Ave. bridge over the Chicago River.
Medrick Henson, representative of Sheffield Homes (CHA), asked the Mayor about putting back the bus stop at Sheffield and Diversey avenues. Daley said that one plan to improve CTA service was to cut back on the number of stops but senior citizens have special needs and the city will take those into consideration. As to Henson’s specific request, the Mayor said he’d look into it.
Bill Haderlein, president of South East Lakeview Neighborhood Association, was concerned about dirt, ugly architecture and real estate taxes. He told the Mayor that some new people from smaller towns out of state complained about the Ashland/Lincoln/Belmont area. “They should have seen it five years ago,” the Mayor said. “I’m surprised at that. We are always getting compliments about how clean our city is compared to places like New York.” The Mayor asked where the complainants were from and Haderlein said they were from cities like Minneapolis and Cincinnati.
“There has been a big improvement in that area but the city can’t do it alone. There must be help from the neighborhood,” said Daley. He supports the Special Service Area concept.
Kim Klausmeier, executive director, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, wanted to know what can be done about the parking and traffic problem. “There are too many cars!” the Mayor said which brought a few laughs. “We’re looking into diagonal parking for some streets, but we must get people to use public transportation.”
The Mayor also asked the residents for their support in the upcoming election. “I don’t take anything for granted... I look forward to working together with the residents of this ward to build a better future.” |
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