From the 46th Ward website:Recently, two ordinances have come before the City Council, one having to do with chickens and the other to do with pigeons.
Chickens
An ordinance proposing the ban of chickens in residential buildings has been introduced and was sent back to the Health Committee for hearings. Keeping a chicken (roosters are already banned) is a common practice among many households that use the chicken as a source of fresh eggs. Ald. Shiller does not support the ordinance as it is currently written. She believes that problems arising from the housing of chickens in residential buildings (e.g., sanitary issues) can be addressed through existing laws and do not require new legislation. If you would like to be notified of any public hearings on this topic, contact the Committee on Health at 312.744.3066.
Pigeons
Pigeons are another story. Ald. Shiller is the co-sponsor of an ordinance that would ban the feeding of pigeons on the public way because it is unhealthy. Pigeon droppings attract rats and contribute to the spread of disease. Furthermore, bird experts agree that the feeding of any wild birds by people should be discouraged because it is unhealthy for the birds. The ordinance was referred to the License Committee where it was deferred on January 8, 2008. If you would like to be notified of any public hearings on this topic, contact the Committee on License and Consumer Protection at 312.744.3180 and ask to be put on their notification list.
What bird expert would that be? Shiller's best pal and despised by-all-other-birders, self-proclaimed Lakeview Citizen Council birding expert Charlotte Newfeld?
ReplyDeleteWell, Helen finally takes a stand on housing chickens ten years after the last chicken crowed over by Kenmore and Buena. Now that raising and butchering chickens is no longer an issue in our 46th Ward, Shiller's right there backing legislation to solve the problem - in someone else's ward, of course.
ReplyDeleteGod forbid she'd legislate a live issue affecting the quality of life her own ward.
Maybe,as a long term legislator, she'll offer up another symbolic, but totally ineffective, City Council vote on the War on Iraq like she did last year. After all, criticizing federal issues is yet another way to garner press and look like your doing something without accomplishing anything positive for your own Ward.
Nice trick if you can continue to get by with it.
I remember that last Buena/Kenmore chicken. TASTY.
ReplyDeleteShiller has been in office for quite a long time. Did she ever manage to get appointed to head up any committees?
ReplyDeleteCurrently Shiller is not the Chairperson of any of the City Council's Standing Committees. She is Vice Chair of the Housing and Real Estate Committee and is a member of the following committees:
ReplyDeletefinance, buildings, committees (yes there is a committee on committees), finance, health, human relations and license & consumer protection.
But what is going to be done about all the chicken bones, some with uneaten breading, scattered around Sheridan Park?
ReplyDeleteAdd this to the list of Alderman movements that will not be inforced. Just gets them some press. Who is going to inforce. It smells like another type of smelly movement. I am getting out my Shiller boots.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't Shiller tackle something meaningful for her ward like parking and CTA service for instance? What about all the social service agencies with hundreds of workers in Uptown that are exempt from providing parking for their operations. They are businesses suck up tons of residential parking spaces. What about the plethera of cab operators that have no connection to our community other than storing their vehicles on our streets day and night? What about the overflow of park events that suck up our lakefront street parking all summer long on weekends and at night? Hasn't she noticed that buildings are now charging over $200 per month to park in this neighborhood? What about city institutions, like the Chicago's Uptown Medical Clinic on Wilson that violate their zoning by pretending to meet their parking requirements by using the Weiss Hospital parking garage, when Weiss Hospital counts that same garage for their own physician center zoning needs? Aren't these the issues she should be tackling instead of chickens in other ward? No because she's too chicken shit to tackle a real neighborhood issue.
ReplyDeleteWell, the Kentucky Fried Chicken was driven out of business and the McDonald's replaced by a social service agency parking lot near Broadway and Buena. That's progress by 46th Ward standards, isn't it? What do you expect? Another Lincoln Park?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't blame Alderbeast Shiller for the KFC or the McDonalds closing.
ReplyDeleteThe most likely answer is it was worth more to the owner to sell the properties to the condo developer and hospital than keep it leased for fast food.
Of course I am biased since everyone knows how much I love and respect the alderbeast. If only I could choose between her and alderbeast Moore. That would be heavenly.
I am not blaming the alderbeast for directly killing these businesses, but how many McDonalds and KFC's do you know that fail? It just speaks to to inherent weakness of our business strip that has long been neglected. The many years that prostitution was ignored on Broadway and the still undetered U-Haul mess does little to help the business owners who attempt to grow businesses on Broadway. That and alderman could and should change.
ReplyDeleteIf only we can only get the Popeyes to close at Wilson. It would get ride of one of the two main smells at Wilson. One Greese Pits and two Urine. Is is such a great welcome to Uptown smell. Then walk sounth past Shiller's office and you smell numer 2 and I am not talking about number two above. She can't smell it though, as she thinks it does not stink
ReplyDeleteHelen Shiller's 46th Ward foie gras! We have real issues in this ward. We have people shot and killed walking down the street or sitting in the park. Let's get some real priorities Alderman!!!
ReplyDelete