Item Two: Someone sent us an interesting comparison about just how much money is involved with the Wilson Yard TIF.
- The "Hope For Haiti" telethon, with its prime-time spot, nationwide audience, and dozens of Hollywood stars, raised approximately $66 million. That's just over half of what Ald. Shiller has been given to spend on the Wilson Yard TIF alone.
- The "Hope For Haiti" telethon has a committee overseeing how the money is spent; the Wilson Yard TIF does not.
$66 Million to help an island nation recover from disaster...double that to develop just a few acres in Chicago....(and line a few friend's pockets).....Nice work, Helen!
ReplyDelete@larrynow - Haiti can be built a lot cheaper. No union labor, etc. hahaha
ReplyDeleteIsn't that table showing 1.2 million?
ReplyDeleteYes, Bruce, $1.2 million to a firm outside Chicago... just for the glass.
ReplyDeleteLarrynow.....there is a a frightening parallel......
ReplyDeleteNot quite sure exactly what the table is telling us as there is not title, description, notations, or anything, but I have worked with Architectural Glass Works and they are a quality company with excellent employees who are leaders in their field. Not quite sure what the author is trying to say here....that getting work and putting people to work is bad???
ReplyDeleteJ- yes, that's exactly what UU is saying.. people working is bad.
ReplyDeleteGive it a break.
How about, this is where your property tax money is being spent. Read it here because you'll never find out from our "transparent" alderman, who has never told us anything about where the WYTIF money is going, that parcels are being removed from the TIF, that there's a second amendment to the TIF, or how building apartments can be so damned expensive.
Read it in a blog, because you won't find a list of itemized expenses on her website, or the website of Holsten, Walsh or Fitzgerald, or on the city website, because TIFs are under their complete and total cone of silence once they're approved.
Or, you can interpret it as Uptown Update says people working is bad. Your choice.
TSN - my only point was asking what they point of Item one of the post was. Single out a contractor because they were competitive to get a job and beat them down for it? I agree, I love transparency. I can’t wait to get someone in office that genuinely looks out for ALL their constituents. I never really agreed with the WY project in the current form and only hope things turn out better than we are all expecting. UU posts some great information here...this was out of left field and was not productive. That’s it.
ReplyDeleteJ: How do you know if a firm's bid was competitive or not?
ReplyDeleteI really have no way to answer. All I have is "trust me" from Holsten, Shiller, the Mayor, and his musical chairs staff.