Monday, March 9, 2009

TIF Transparency Ordinance On City Council Agenda March 16‏

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) and Manny Flores's (1st Ward) TIF Transparency Ordinance is on the City Council Agenda next Monday, March 16. They are asking for a huge show of support to make this happen!

Ald. Waguespack has asked citizens across the City to send an email to their alderman and CC him at 32ndward@gmail.com so he can walk into the meeting with all the emails. He also requested the links to all blogs covering this topic as a show of support.

Here's a sample email, from Graceland Wilson Neighbors Association:



Dear Ald. __________:

On March 16, Ald. Waguespack is introducing a City Ordinance to initiate real transparency for the City's TIFs that now cover more than 40% of Chicagoland. I urge you to support this ordinance. I further urge you to request this ordinance be strengthened by:

- Requiring all TIF annual reports are posted online, including all the information requested by the Illinois Comptroller, including the initial EAV and current aggregate EAV of the TIF area

- Providing TIF Redevelopment Ordinances and Amendments be provided online

- Updating additional TIF expenditures on a real-time basis between annual report publication.

We support open and honest government with full disclosure to the citizens. I simply urge you to wholeheartedly support this initiative.

Transparency and honesty in government.

Sincerely,

Name:

Address:



Let's really heat this campaign up! Please send your email today:

Ald. Helen Shiller (46th Ward): ward46@cityofchicago.org
Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th Ward): info@masmith48.org

9 comments:

  1. Any alderman who opposes this legislation will have to answer for it in 2011. I sent my email in and hope others of you do the same.

    Next.... granting the City Inspector General the right to investigate aldermen and their staff for alleged abuse, fraud, and waste. There may be a few aldermen sweating over the passage of that one. For now, it would be great to have more transparency with TIFs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just sent mine. This seems important to me... any chance of posting a reminder to everyone toward the end of the week?

    ReplyDelete
  3. James,

    Mannis posted a story regarding the IG, this morning Link

    Joe Moore and Ricardo "Get the f*** out of my office" Munoz are notable aldermen involved in the press conference to announce a proposed ordinance to allow the IG access to City Council.

    I didn't get a chance to get downtown to witness this, and am .. uh ... curious if a certain beloved alderman was there in support of this proposed ordinance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If Ald. Shiller supports this, she' done a 180 degree turn since her IVI-IPO survey in 2007. She may feel forced to change her mind. However, allowing greater access to the IG for investigating aldermen will put a cramp in her fundraising.

    The other thing she must know is that no other alderman in Chicago is so closely monitored, on a blog no less, so she's in a tough spot right now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ... she's in a tough spot right now.

    Karma's a bit**

    ReplyDelete
  6. Even if a majority of the aldercritters want to expand the powers of the IG it could still be held up in committee.

    If it does come to a vote it will be interesting to see how our beloved Helen Shiller votes. Plus the IG budget needs to be increased. They have some good retired federal and city law enforcement folks there, but they need more.

    My guess is that she faces one hell of a fight in 2011 because of her vote for the tax increase and general voter discontent with incumbents. Plus it won't help her when the mailers go out touting her support for $400 thousand+ taxpayer funded housing. Relatively few people in this ward live in anything approaching $400 thousand per unit and that will anger many decent and indecent(me) folks.

    As for Shiller being in a tough spot with Uptown Update I just gotta believe she really really hates the internet.

    My guess is that the Holsten subpoenas were as much an attempt at intimidating the opposition as a legal maneuver. Talk about a stupid tactic.

    Little chance of winning on the legal merits and gaining money and publicity for the FWY folks. I should send that attorney a check along with a St Paddy's Day card.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you Uptown Update for organizing and advertising this effort. Please keep up the good work!

    I sent my email this morning and hope Ald. Waguespack is able to walk into session on Monday with a great show of community support.

    ReplyDelete