46th Ward resident and Shiller supporter Laura Washington has an article about whether or not Ald. Shiller will run again for alderman. Our favorite part? The Alderman saying that ward politics are "venomous."
Read it here.
Photo courtesy of Lake Effect News.
Ms. Washington, please share what Helen told you about how she is working to improve the schools and all the other civic projects she is undertaking in the 46th Ward. Did she tell you what she is spending the extra $54M on from the Wilson Yard TIF? Did we miss the top secret community meetings? Is there another 46th ward web site we don't know about? How about sharing that with Helen's constituents, Ms. Washington, because our alderman sure as hell isn't telling us. BTW, should Daley try to subvert the voters by appointing a machine hack after the ribbon cutting at the new Target, I hope 46th Ward voters remember that in Feb. 2011. Shortshanks is another one who has to go. Say, did anyone hear the gunshots early Monday around 1 a.m.?
ReplyDeletewaa, Washington lives in the 46th???
ReplyDeletefav line:
ReplyDelete"Nowotny's the ward's cleanup man. Since 1994, Shiller has relied on him to make her streets shine."
PLEASE remember: eye protection if you are leaving the house!
best code:
ReplyDelete"Relative newcomers"
Daley needs Uptown and Shiller so he can stuff as many subsidized housing units along the lakefront. It takes the pressure off other wards and he can tell people that subsidized housing isn't just being pushed to the south and west like his dad did.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't the city put subsidized housing in other wards?
"waa, Washington lives in the 46th???"
ReplyDeleteAhem. On Lake Shore Drive in the Lakeview portion. Of COURSE she's a Helen supporter.
I believe Laura Washington lives around Wrigley/Lakeview. Whether she lives in the 46th I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI have seen her on the EL before and walking around. I know in her columns she describes herself as a Cubs fan. Which like supporting Shiller is the victory of hope over experience.
I believe she is allowing her latent fondness for Shiller to cloud her judgment. Shiller was a major supporter of Mayor Washington.
Here's Laura's Bio:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/252801,bio-washington.article
I refuse to hyperlink to it since she posted such drivel.
Now I like Ms Washington so imagine how venomous I would be if I didn't like her.
What a real reporter would do, ok that's kinda biting, is ask Shiller about how much money from her campaign fund ends up in her son's pocket. Also ask about the Chicago Reader describing him as the "lawyer of choice for the 46th Ward."
Actually a reporter doesn't really need to do that. Just utilize an advanced google search for this site and search for the words "brendan" and "campaign". As various people including Hugh have shown Brendan Shiller is associated with some of the addresses and phone numbers of Shiller campaign expenses.
Possibly indicating an attempt to hide the ultimate beneficiary of the moola. How's dat for openness, Laura?
Sounds positively Daleyite.
She will not file until the last moment of the last day now. The most desirable ballot position is the first slot. The second most desirable position is the last slot. Ballot positions are awarded in the order that the petition papers are submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections.
ReplyDeleteHelen probably does not want the start the clock on her candidacy any earlier than she has too so that 1.) She can stay out of the race and keep her many attackers at bay as long as possible 2.) She can get the media buzz to herself when she comes in at the end of the filing deadline because she already has name recognition that the other candidates still need to build. 3. She can have have her own straw man in the early part of the race to steer the issues being discussed toward her best topics, to be the dirty attack dog on against the other candidates while she stays out of the fray, to pull from the demographic of the best challenger and then flip his support to her at the end of the race.
"Since 1994, Shiller has relied on him to make her streets shine."
ReplyDeleteWARNING: severe retinal damage may result from walking Uptown's streets without shades
Hugh,
ReplyDeleteperhaps Uptown's shiny streets have blinded Ms Washington to the imperfections of Alderman Shiller.
I myself wear ski goggles when walking around the ward because of the danger of retinal damage. I also wear a Kevlar vest and helmet in case any stray bullets find me.
Ms. Washington is right. The streets do shine - with broken glass!
ReplyDeleteSo I read that Shiller's been relying on Nowotny to make the ward's streets "shine", and I'm thinking that this is anything but an endorsement for the man to be pointing out something at which he's failed to do in the same breath as his candidacy for alderman.
ReplyDeleteI've seen her a number of times walking toward the Whole Foods on Halsted. Without a care in the world, because it's safe there. But why worry about a worse standard of living in Uptown, so long as your own safe trek to organic produce is guaranteed?
ReplyDeleteThere are so many questions and so few answers.
ReplyDeleteIs Shiller planning to run and is Nowotny a "shil"?
Man, this is like a combination of Churchill's description of Russia and a Johnny Carson skit:
A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, kept in a mayonaise jar under the Pullman tomb at Graceland.
My guess is that Nowotny wouldn't run without her approval. Unless he feels that he is a such a "gay icon" that Shiller dare not fire him.
A quick google search shows that he is referred to in the Gay Chicago History Webpage.
http://www.chicagogayhistory.com/biography.html?id=513
Is that iconic?
Is he Streisand, Madonna, Garland and a leather clad Sarah Palin all wrapped up into one ponytailed neighborhood cleanup force?
I defer to my gay neighbors for that answer. Outside of his Ward Superintendent role I never heard of him. Wait, let me correct that. Last election there were rumors he was planning to run.
At this point it's going to be one hell of a ride. I don't think Shiller will resign early. She might not trust the Bridgeport Bandit to appoint her choice to the seat.
I posted that Greggy Harris suggestion months ago based on what I was told by a friend of mine. This friend I shall call the "Bubbly Creek Kid".
If any of the numerous candidates and potential candidates want my advice I would suggest jumping on the Claypool bandwagon for Assessor.
Not that anyone solicits my advice...woe is me........a prophet lost in the desert wasteland that is Uptown politics.
"Nowotny's the ward's cleanup man. Since 1994, Shiller has relied on him to make her streets shine."
ReplyDeleteupon re-reading I think it is possible I may have underestimated Ms. W's capacity for irony
I suspect she sorta knows Uptown's streets don't really shine all that much and she wants to pin them on the ward sup, not the alderman
is Nowotny a "shil"?
ReplyDeletei dunno but @ 1st blush it sure seems like a divide the pale gay guy vote kinda move
Hugh,
ReplyDeleteit all makes sense to me now.
I just drank a shot of whiskey, took a hit of LSD from my original CIA stock,put on a kilt, and am watching the "Wizard of Oz" on Youtube.
Poppies.
Now if you think that Cappleman would be the strongest opponent to the Wicked Witch of Carmen how do you keep him from making the second round of voting? Poppies, man, poppies. You put the voters to sleep.
Nowotny takes votes and money away from Cappleman. After all Cappleman doesn't have a ponytail. He's kinda of a "straight" gay guy. Nowotny is clean up ponytail man. A tough competitor for a clean cut kinda dude like the Capplemaniac.
By doing this the gay vote and other votes are split allowing a potentially weaker candidate to end up in a runoff against Shiller.
Say Carroll or a candidate to be named later. Sorry, Mikey, but dat may be da hard truth. This isn't the NW or SW sides. I wonder what kind of traction a cop running will get in a one on one contest against she who is green, rides a broom and speaks of fish farms.
As for Farinas I just can't take an Alan Keyes supporter seriously.
So that could be a race like Shiller, the Capplemaniac, Ponytail Cleanup Man, Carroll da cop, and perhaps some others.
Shiller could even secretly ask some of her supporters to throw their support to Carroll or whoever they perceive as the weakest alternative to Cappleman.
I'm picturing a building on Wilson in my mind with a large number of her supporters. Hell, I can even recall Shiller campaign signs in their non profit windows.
Oh this is potentially some dirty stuff. I'm impressed.
The dark side is powerful with the Shilleristas.
Ms. Washington is such a huge supporter of Helen's projects that she can't even get the name right. It's Wilson Yard, Laura. Not Yards. Uptowners know this. You know, the people you lecture but wouldn't dare live among.
ReplyDeleteShiller sees a big 46% in her rear view mirror, she's not thinking beyond that
ReplyDelete"....she's focusing on affordable housing..."
ReplyDeleteSuch a loaded statement.
Anyone outside of the 46th Ward would think "that's swell!" However, those of us who live in the 46th Ward, especially Montrose on up, know that this myopic 'focus' has amounted to a myriad of problems, too many to list.
I'm old. I've been around Uptown for 20+++ years. I remember the ward superintendent before Nowatny. The ward did not shine. I remember when Don's early years. The ward did not shine.
ReplyDeleteI remember the formation of the Special Service District in the heart of Uptown. The SSA assessed business owners in the SSA an additional tax which was used to hire CARA / Clean Sweep sponsored ex-cons to clean the streets, sidewalks, and small parks. That is when the neighborhood started to "shine". I think the business taxpayers deserve the credit even it the improvement occurred during Don's tenure as ward superintendent.