Friday, January 21, 2011

WBEZ: "46th Ward Forum Addresses Social Issues"

Andy Lam and Emily Stewart at the Forum
(Photo from WBEZ website/ Shawn Allee)
WBEZ has coverage, photos and audioclips of the ONE-sponsored candidate forum on Wednesday.  Check it out here.

11 comments:

  1. I was one of the many that showed up to hear just what the candidates had to really say. It was good to see such a large amount come that really care about their neighborhoods. From what I took in from all their rhetoric is take your time to cast your vote carefully as what they say is one thing but what they really can do or will do is another story.

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  2. Couldn't O.N.E. just have consolidated all 6 questions in one:

    "Do you intend to continue to inundate the ward with low income housing and ignore anyone who has a differing opinion, just as Helen did? We hope so."

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  3. I just listened to this in its entirety. YES - Lots of rhetoric. However, I was able to glean some insights on who I think is more of the same vs. offers something different and sensible for this truly fractured Ward. I would encourage others to have a listen.

    And - I need to congratulate all the candidates and our community on what sounded like a very civil and respectable community event. Hopefully this event set the tone for what we might have to look forward to in the future (regardless of who wins).

    Finally, listening to the resident from the Tenant's Association of Lawrence House was disheartening and depressing. If the current owner cannot handle the responsibility to his tenants to provide safe, clean, and dignified housing, that building needs to be sold immediately. From the looks and sound it it, that building needs A LOT of work. I hope it gets the TLC it truly deserves ASAP.

    I can think of plenty of well intentioned investors that (given the right incentives that are FAIR to all involved) would turn that place into world class, safe, and affordable housing right here in the 46th!

    P.S. A particular elected official running over there every time the place catches fire, yet allowing those conditions to continue in our ward is really something...

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  4. http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/candidates-question-the-ways-tax-increment-financing-is-used/

    Maybe Mr. White should try to fill Shillers shoes? He is very very pro affordable housing and wants to slow gentrification. I dont think he will have a chance in Ward 49 thank god.

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  5. As I've written in other posts, the condition of the Lawrence house is nightmarish, not just the criminal residents there, it is overrun with vermin and the depression I felt staying there led me to even get hospitalized for awhile.

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  6. Some of these subsidized owners are being reimbursed pretty good by the government but they just want to keep the cash to themselves and don't want to spend anything on improvement.

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  7. Am I dumb? Am I out of the loop?
    I just don't understand:

    "How will you work with the community to develop and maintain high quality affordable housing in the ward"

    Are we not overly saturated?

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  8. I believe the question is a veiled way of asking:

    WILL YOU ENFORCE CODES AND DISCIPLINE SLUMLORDS? OR WILL YOU INUNDATE THE WARD WITH MORE LOW INCOME HOUSING?

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  9. Would like to add that I wouldn't wish 49th Ward candidate Brian White on anybody.

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  10. North Coast, ONE is instrumental in Lawrence House being in Housing Court, so I can't say that they're on the side of slumlords. I've hardly been a fan of theirs or their mission to pack even more low-income housing into this one small neighborhood (I have the same beef with them as I have with Ald. Shiller: if you really care for the poor, then make sure all neighborhoods have equal amounts of affordable housing; concentrated poverty benefits no one), but I do have to credit them for trying to bring better conditions to Lawrence House by making the owners and management accountable.

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  11. One and Ezra tried to get me involvd with the business of Lawrence House,they really are great people, I felt okay about it for awhile but I really felt the situation was hopeless and besides, my social workers found me a new place to live in that had none of the problems of LH. I honestly think the ultimate fate of the building is to be shut down for good and get rehabbed. I've heard that pretty much some of the social service agencies simply want their clients out of there now.

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