Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Alds. Shiller & Tunney Are Moderating A Debate

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This is kind of blowing our minds:

"Greetings,

I know there have been several 46th Ward Aldermanic Candidate forums both before and after the primary elections this year. I am not supporting any candidate, yet my office continues to receive several calls per day seeking information on who to support in the upcoming election.

Additionally, since 60% of the ward did not vote for the two remaining candidates in the primary election, I am organizing a forum for the public to get to know James Cappleman and Molly Phelan. Alderman Tom Tunney and I will moderate this candidate debate on Monday, March 28th at 6:30PM at Truman College.

My goal is to have a forum that is informative. I am preparing questions with supporting information that will put those questions in context, and the candidates will be given all of this information in advance. I am hoping that attendees will get concrete answers to the pertinent issues and will hopefully leave this forum with some definitive grounds for supporting (or not supporting) one of the candidates on election day.

I am writing to ask if you have any questions or issues that you hope to have covered in this forum. Please email ward46@cityofchicago.org by 9AM on this Friday, March 18th, as I hope to have questions prepared for the candidates as soon as possible.

Feel free to phone my assistant Michilla Blaise at my Ward Service Office for additional information, and thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Helen Shiller, 46th Ward Alderman"


(For the record, this was forwarded to us by several block club members and was not submitted directly by the alderman's office.  Ald. Shiller maintains her policy of pretending Uptown Update doesn't exist except when her pet developer wants to subpoena us.)

65 comments:

  1. This shows stupidity on both Molly and James part.

    To let Shiller moderate?

    What the heck!

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  2. This has to be BS. Some sort of trick I shoulda come up with to screw with peoples minds.

    What's next?

    The Cubs win the World Series in four games?

    Biden quits and President Obama names Sarah Palin to replace him?

    A Daley family member is indicted for manslaughter?

    This can't be true.

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  3. Uhhhh, isn't this a HUGE conflict of interest??!?!? 2 current alderman moderating?

    James and Molly would both be better off not attending this trap.

    The only thing Shiller will want discussed is affordable housing and how development should be stopped. At least we have chance to her circus puppet Denise make her usual faces - and maybe even do her infamous happy dance...

    What a joke.

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  4. That's our girl. She's all about getting information to her constituents. good grief.

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  5. Maybe I can take this opportunity to ask Helen Shiller, our Alderman until May, why she still accepts over $10k a month in pay and yet continues to say/do nothing about the escalating violence in Uptown the last few weeks... hmmm

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  6. .... and then I can turn to Tunney and ask him why he continued to support Shiller over the years with endorsements for her re-election, etc...now THAT would be interesting..

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  7. So, the only time Shiller organizes something informative for the community, she prairie dogs in order to "assist" people in deciding who - of the two candidates who have been both vocal and litigious opponents of our beloved alderman - they would like to succeed her?

    Excuse my trepidation, but I'm catching a very profound whiff of "payback" in the air.

    The line regarding how 60% of the ward didn't vote for either candidate is ... interesting.

    Actually, the entire tone of this announcement is a bit petty.

    To follow in IP's footsteps, here's a video version of my first thought when i read this post.

    I'm sure the questions she is preparing will be a real hoot - but it will be a nice experience for Helen to witness someone not turning tail and running out when the questions get difficult

    *cough*


    Of course, I could be completely wrong, and Helen moderates this event in a straight forward, professional and informative manner.

    ...

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  8. http://aldermanshiller.com/

    It's true.

    The end is nigh!

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  9. Shiller moderating an aldermanic debate is like hiring an alcoholic as a buyer at a liquor store.

    The humor will be in trying to decipher the 5-minute-monologue questions-spoken-in-Shiller-speak.

    What was Tunney thinking?

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  10. Can we bring food? Sounds like it could be dinner theater.

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  11. Wow...I mean...wow.

    I submitted my questions.

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  12. It's a trap to get Phelan and Cappleman and all their hardcore supporters into one place. Then a gang gunbattle breaks out and only Shiller will survive. Sorry, Tom, but if you ever watched any film noir you know that the co- conspirators gotta go too.

    Then Shiller will be appointed by Mayor Rahm to fill out the next term until a special election in 2013 which she'll win because all her opponents will be dead. It's straight outta the Katyn Forest Massacre playbook from Uncle Joe Stalin.

    Now I could be wrong. Hell, I am wrong, because they don't realize John McClain lives in Uptown and will be attending the debate.

    Yippee Kay yay.........

    Die Hard 5: The Night of the Aldermen.

    I don't like the title.

    Die Hard 5: ????

    Seriously, Shiller moderating a debate is something akin to an elongated dead parrot sketch on Monty Python.

    This is like her last "finger" to her opponents.

    Gawd, I gotta find my kevlar and attend. I better sit next to McClain.

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  13. One more thing I'm of the opinion that both campaigns should NOT agree to this.

    If there's one thing they should agree on it's that Shiller's time in the limelight is over.

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  14. I agree with IP, it is a bad idea for James and Molly to participate in this. Shiller's supporters have had plenty of time to get educated about the candidates in this election, and needed to make up their own minds, just like every other informed voter. Any calls to her office by anyone that has voted for her in the past should be concerning her negligence regarding the current shootings, about why we have the lowest performing public schools in the city, about the condition of our streets and why the trash littered everywhere has been ignored. If anyone wants more information about the candidates they can contact themselves or view the plethora of online information about them. Shiller retired, it is not her place to be involved in this election in this ward she neglected.

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  15. Do we know if either candidate has actually agreed to this?

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  16. Did 60% of the ward not vote in the primary? If 60% of the ward voted for other candidates, then how did we end up with Molly & James on the ballet in clear run-off? Where did she get this information from?

    Oh, so many questions!

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  17. Am I the only one that kind of thinks this is awesome?

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  18. Crazy! But fitting for this neighborhood. Shooting all over the ward she created and has time to stick her nose into THIS...Egomaniac???IP might be on to something. If you don't wear your Kevlar to get coffee, make sure you wear it to this.

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  19. So, I've been thinking about this and I'm thinking it's not such a crazy idea as it sounded like at first.

    1 - Shiller doesn't have a dog in this race. She is doing this for the benefit of "her" people, who probably have no idea who to vote for. Those she perceives as the "typical UU reader" -- this isn't for our benefit.

    2 - Tunney is there for purpose for which Helen has always used him, a buffer. When she was getting booed regularly at the Pride Parade, she marched with the city's only openly gay alderman. Tom the Buffer. I'm sure his presence is to deflect "yuppie death rays" away from Helen.

    3 - Shiller is probably doing this as a way to really, really probe James and Molly about what they say they'll do for the poorer and homeless residents of Uptown. One thing about Helen, she'll not accept pretty or rehearsed answers. She'll dig deep until she hears something concrete.

    4 - Ever since Helen announced she wasn't going to run again, she's been running a victory lap. I just see this as another stop in her farewell tour.

    5 - Like it or not, either Molly or James will be Helen's successor. It may be the first civil words she'll have exchanged with either of them. We've all seen and heard the vitrol; won't it be nice to see if she can be polite to them?

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  20. Stash, you are not alone! This is awesome! And way cheaper than tickets to the Steppenwolf. I'm so there

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  21. Don't make the debate about Shiller. What's past is past. Move to the future and what Uptown needs now.

    Find out how candidates will address:

    = TIF money and transparency.

    = Clean up public housing.

    = Crime/rampant drug dealing/safety for our children

    = Business development

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  22. I'm with you, Stash!

    IrishPirate, would you be available for babysitting if you can't find your Kevlar?

    Just when I thought I'd seen it all!

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  23. Can't wait. The candidates versus the not-so moderate moderator.

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  24. So, if the other debate is the Great Debate, then what do we call this?

    I'm thinking I could give out some prize for the best answer. How about a beer with the IP at Carol's.

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  25. Slap in the face if both declined. Don't do it Molly & James. She doesn't deserve any attention whatsoever.

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  26. makes me SICK that either of the two candidates are taking part. YOU HYPOCRITES.

    - Jim Osborne

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  27. A total Rod Serling moment for me.....why on earth would she 'moderate' such an event that would highlight potential successors who are more 'on the beam'?
    It was painful to get any comments about the brawls, and gang fights captured on video??

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  28. I agree, Toto, completely. But the fact that Shiller IS hosting this debate and stated that she will be asking the questions, forming the questions, leading the debate means she is going to lead the conversation to her vision for the ward; What "her" constituents want this ward to be. I don't know that this will be the opportunity to talk about the progress of these issues. "Her" constituents want another Shiller, "they" want to know who is going to continue building low-income housing without concern of it's condition, without concern of the quality of public education, without concern of the safety of the residents, with subpar parks, libraries, streets and sanitation. I think "we" need to say that Uptown is not good enough, it's not good enough for the poor that Helen claims to want to help and it is not good enough for the middle class tax base that these services need to thrive. Yes, we can have a diverse neighborhood, but that neighborhood has to acknowledge its middle-class tax base as citizens, and listen to their concerns. Their involvement with the schools here will help everyone in this ward, as well as their involvement with the parks, and every aspect. An Alderman should think about the greater good of her ward, and not just focus on building low-income housing. Not that anyone can claim low-income housing isn't needed in Chicago, or even on the north-side of Chicago; it just doesn't have to be concentrated in one ward, and it shouldn't be. Yes we have to get beyond Shiller, and progress, but we have to get the people who think she did something for them to see that really, she left them in the dark, and to see a way out of that.

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  29. Someone needs to ask Tunney if he will join in whatever pledges the candidates make at this debate. If its a good idea here, its a good idea in Lakeview too.

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  30. makes me SICK that either of the two candidates are taking part. YOU HYPOCRITES. - Jim Osborne

    Jim, I'm not clear where the hypocrisy is. If one of the candidates was closely aligned with Helen, then it would be stupid for the other to participate. My guess is that Helen doesn't care for either one.

    You really get to know candidates by observing them act in situations of adversity. Now's our chance and I'd like to see.

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  31. Blogger Sassy said...

    I'm with you, Stash!

    IrishPirate, would you be available for babysitting if you can't find your Kevlar?

    Just when I thought I'd seen it all!

    March 15, 2011 7:08 PM



    Sassy,

    trust me on one thing and one thing only. You don't want me babysitting. You'd come home to find me passed out sitting on the toilet with a cigarette dangling from my mouth and a bottle in front of me. Which is better than a frontal lobotomy.

    I don't even smoke. Your chillin' would be watching adult sites on the internet and drinking whiskey whilst singing this

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  32. As Craig Gernhardt said we need to name this "debate".

    Perhaps a "Western" movie theme.

    The Unforgiven

    Dances with Shiller

    The Great Ward Robbery

    Shiller Rides Again

    They Died with their Mics On

    Run for Cover

    Lone Wolf Shiller

    Ambush

    Fort Uptown

    and my personal favorite

    The Alamo.

    If this happens folks I'm staying home.

    There is only so much absurdity and cognitive dissonance I can take in my life.

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  33. Helen can shove her questions where she apparently has shoved every email and letter Ive ever written her. I'll be there, loud and clear.

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  34. I think this is a very elaborate April Fool's Day joke

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  35. Well I voted for JC early wish I hadn't now.

    I wouldn't vote period after seeing this set up and these two agreeing to this.

    This shows both candidates are not qualified to be Alderman to agree to this.

    It's like Ed Burke Moderating between Chico and Emanuel.

    Why would any candidate for Alderman allow other Alderman to moderate a debate?

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  36. Why don't Shiller and Tunney just endorse one over the other and be done with it.

    Otherwise, this particular debate is going to turn into a freaking circus and both candidates will be sorry they ever agreed to participate.

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  37. A,

    I HEAR ya!

    That being said the truth is if one candidate agreed to do this the other has little choice but to attend.

    Not to go in that circumstance would possibly be ceding the election to your opponent.

    It's a campaign version of the trickbag. Unless they both agree not to attend then realistically they both have to attend.

    I don't know the backstory to this, but I wish they both had agreed not to take part in this farce of a "debate".

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  38. Of course Phelan and Cappleman agreed to this debate. Helen Shiller won the election last time and like it or not still has a strong base in the ward, and those two are chomping at the bit to win some of her supporters over. Take off your foil hats and think strategically.

    And Steph, at some point you have to do some research. The schools in the ward are no where near the bottom in the rankings. Greeley, Disney Magnet and even Stockton are great schools. The entire graduating class of Uplift last year was enrolled in college. And as far as Shiller thinking of the greater good of the ward, I know I saw you in Target last week!

    If you want to know the election results you can go to chicagoelection.com. 20% of the vote went to Cappleman, 20% to Phelan, and the other 60% went to the remaining 9 candidates. That is not too profound to understand in my opinion.

    Truman Sq Neighbor nailed it, Toto is paying attention, and IP receives my nomination for babysitter of the year.

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  39. Alderman 46th Ward 47 of 47 precincts counted
    BEFEKADU T. RETTA 607
    MARY ANNE ''MOLLY'' PHELAN 2,727
    MICHAEL CARROLL 1,251
    DON NOWOTNY 1,602
    JAMES CAPPLEMAN 2,732
    DIANE SHAPIRO 461
    ANDY W. LAM 187
    EMILY STEWART 2,031
    MARC KAPLAN 1,339
    CAITLIN MCINTYRE 144
    SCOTT BASKIN 825
    write-in Sandra Reed 18
    Total 13,924

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  40. @HMPF You and a recent aldermanic candidate have stated that 100% of the Uplift's graduating class enrolled in college. Where did you find this statistic? One would hope that it was true but according to the CPS web site only 65.7 % enrolled in college. I am not trying to knock Uplift, I hate when people don't substantiate their claims of facts.

    The CPS Web site for Uplift: http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Pages/school.aspx?unit=2210

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  41. @ helen
    I am just telling you what is on the Chicago Public School Web site for Uplift. If the CPS site is wrong, Stef should definitely contact them and have this rectified and also call the local media outlets so the school can receive accolades similar to Englewood Urban Prep Academy.

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  42. While Uplift is correcting their information on the CPS site, they should re-file their 2010 report with the state, which is even more damning.

    BTW - even if 100% of your graduates "going to college" where true, the fact that less than 1/2 are graduating in the first place, well below the averages for the Sub-Region, District and State, is, as was mention before, pretty dismal.

    Even figuring the drop out rate in and assuming the 100% number were true, the site's 60+% college enrollment rate doesn't pass muster.

    https://research.cps.k12.il.us/resweb/PageServlet?page=schoolprofile&class=profile.SchoolProfile&schlid=610394 - State Report Card 2010

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  43. Yeah Stef, what gives? This isn't the first time I've seen you come on here defending Uplift with uncited stats, and then remain silent when people provide links to official stats that strongly suggest you're lying or misinformed. If you know for a fact that the official stats are out of date or otherwise wrong, please let us know and explain yourself!

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  44. I am not defending Uplift, never have, ever. I think it's a pit-hole. It's a horrible school, so are Stewart, Brennemann, and McCutcheon. We have some of the lowest performing schools in the city, you can check this out on the CPS website. Helen Shiller or one of her special soon to be unemployed staffers is defending Uplift, but again with lies and misinformation. Only 65% of the 57% of students at Uplift who even graduate go to college, that is a far, far cry from 100%. Urban Prep can back up a 100% college enrollment, Uplift is far, far from it, only 57% even graduate and barley more than half of those go to college. The CPS report card for Uplift is seriously sad, but I guess that is what Helen thinks low-income people deserve.

    That Target never needed TIF funds, they should have gone somewhere else. Again, greater good of the ward. Those TIF funds should have gone to the park district, the schools, the existing low-income housing, the infrastructure, cleaning up the litter everywhere. But Helen Shiller thinks low-income people deserve to live in trash, be in gangs and not receive a proper education. That is why the majority of residents in the ward voted for either James or Molly, it's called an election, it's is how our representative form of government works. It's not that 60% voted for another candidate, the majority of the voters voted for 2 candidates, those who will be on the ballet. If Helen didn't like the outcome of the election, perhaps she should have come out and endorsed someone so those who enjoy living in squaller would have known who was continue to ensure the sub-par conditions of the ward. It's time for us to move past the negligence of Shiller, and we are.

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  45. Sorry Stef, I confused your post with HMPF, who I in turn confused with a poster named Nikki who in a thread a month defended Uplift with information clearly at odds with reality. Her posts on that thread were removed by her. I wonder if Nikki has morphed into HMPF...

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  46. After thinking about this circus of a debate even more, I would tend to think this is going to benefit James more than Molly.

    Molly is not shy about her plans for lots of business development and she's got more than a few questionable ties outside of the ward. Shiller's gotta hate her for FWY and her plans to gentrify 46.

    James on the other hand wants development, but seemingly more on a scale where community input will be sought out. And unlike Molly's mama, he's ACTUALLY a social worker who has experience working with people from all walks of life.

    I would tend to think if Shiller were to look at both candidates "big picture," she better put her tail between her legs and steer her voters towards James. She may be a real pain in ass but she isn't stupid.

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  47. Helen is backing Molly silently that is her candidate of choice. She has forgiven Molly for FWY with the help of Ed Burke.

    The last person Helen wants to win is James Cappleman. James was always at public meetings asking Helen nicely about things and holding her accountable. Helen can't stand him.

    The reason Rahm is staying silent on this runoff is also because of Burke. He doesn't want council wars.

    A lot goes on behind the scenes folks.

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  48. A - Helen has forgiven Molly? You heard this where?

    Helen always seemed like the type to hold a grudge...

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  49. I don't think Helen is "backing" anyone. But A does have a point regarding Helen's dislike for James. She does not do well with being asked questions of any kind. Like most narcissistic personalities she does not like her actions to be questioned. Her defense is just to ignore them or to say they are racist and uniformed. Maybe you have noticed this from Helen over the years.

    Regardless I think as a narcissistic person she also just can't leave office without having something to do with the election. Her questions will do more to talk about her work over the years than about the candidates she is talking to.

    Yea Helen I am sure so many people are calling your office to ask who to vote for. But hey thanks for doing everything you can to save us from your pending retirement. As a narcissist she will never understand that all the help we ever needed was for her to walk out the door and leave us the hell alone!

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  50. The winner of this debate is the one that decides not to show up.

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  51. A,

    I see no reasonable reason to believe Shiller is backing one candidate over another.

    My guess is that she loathes both of them and is using this forum as one last way to give her detractors the finger. After all we won't have Helen Shiller to kick around anymore past May.

    As for any feelings Shiller has towards Slick Eddy Burke I have to imagine they are at best "mixed". She cut her deal with Daley and that meant Burke was simply along for the ride.

    It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't even vote in this election.

    My guess is that a group of her supporters dangled potential support in front of one of the candidates if they attended this forum and the other candidate was forced to join in. I could be wrong. Although, since it's now St. Paddy's Day I'm slightly more likely to be right.

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  52. Nothing happens in Chicago Politics if there isn't a backroom deal.

    Shiller is looking for her next gig. Possibly an appointment to position.

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  53. Nowotny was her choice to replace her initially. She used him to pull the LGBT vote away from Cappleman.

    Also I had never seen Molly on Halsted until late in her campaign. Which I find kind of funny. I have seen James all over the Northside supporting the community as a whole for a long time.(not just when it is election time)

    If Shiller didn't have a dog in this race she wouldn't be involved in this debate.

    I think its pretty unusual for other Alderman to moderate debates of Aldermanic candidates.

    They usually just endorse the candidate they want to win.

    Shiller is caught between a rock and hard place because she can't publicly endorse any of the two remaining.

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  54. quietlyconscious said...
    Sorry Stef, I confused your post with HMPF, who I in turn confused with a poster named Nikki.... I wonder if Nikki has morphed into HMPF...

    'Tis okay, QC: They're all me.

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  55. You guys seem so mad at Helen Schiller.

    1.I don't understand how you can say she is doing nothing about violence.

    2.She is not a policewoman. She works to create social programs that address the root cause. She is not solely responsible for the economic problems that lead to bad behavior.

    3. You want the low income housing to go away so you have an nice neighborhood.

    4. Where do you want the poor people to go?

    5. She has been alderman since 1987. Nobody forced you to buy property around here.

    6. It is not Helen Schiller's problem that you can't flip your condos.

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  56. Wow, sounds like Particles read the misinformation straight from Lakeview Laura or something. Particles -- first of all, your girl is Shiller. second of all, way to be completely discriminatory and assuming about UU readers. third of all, lets stop using numerical organizations for unrelated points. You sound like a real peach, I look forward to meeting you at the debate!

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  57. 1. When I was in 4th grade, I introduced myself by saying, "My name is Patricles, and I like peaches." I had to. It was part of this game the teacher made us play. My friend Mike Dokum said he liked Machine Guns.

    2. I like numbers almost as much as I like turtles.

    3. You didn't answer any of my questions.

    4. You didn't address any of my points.

    5. I am open minded. I don't like crime, either. It makes me so mad when people rob people! I got attacked once. I just think there is a better alternative than blaming an alderman.

    6. Change my mind, I dare you.

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  58. This is not the post for "daring someone to change my mind." Ald. Shiller will be gone in seven weeks, so who cares? Come to the forums and debates in the upcoming week (since you like numbers, you will like that there are FOUR of them) and learn about your new alderman instead.

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  59. Of course. I am going to be there tonight at Gill Park and on Monday at Truman.

    Don't bark at me tonight or I'll hulk out!

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  60. Wow! All of you, with the exception of Patricles, sound like my 21 year old grandaughter and her friends. On second thought no you don't. They sound a lot more mature.
    @Uptown Vegetarian, you wrote "As a narcissist she will never understand that all the help we ever needed was for her to walk out the door and leave us the hell alone!" Why didn't you leave us the hell alone, by not walking through our door? Were you living in Uptown in 1987 when Helen was elected Alderman for the first time? If you were then you know that the crime you speak of is much less than it was back then. If you were not living here then I feel compelled to ask you why you moved here in the first place. Why not Lincoln Park (very little crime, no gangs to my knowledge,
    and it's close to the lake). Either you did not do your due diligence before deciding to live here or you decided to move here in spite of all the things you find wrong with our community. I was going to move out of Uptown now that Helen will no longer be Alderman, but I think I am going to stay. I want to be around to listen to all of you gripe to whomever the next Alderman will be about the same crime, the same drugs, the same gangs and the ever increasing poverty. Good luck selling your condo.

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  61. Wow, a first time poster with an ad hominem attack, defending another first time poster!

    Can you say troll?

    June, please read the Note to Commenters and post again when you can behave.

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