Friday, January 30, 2015

Mailers From the 21st Ward

This was a race that first appeared to be one to watch but inexperience and political foolishness has turned it into a non-factor race. Most major endorsement organizations(AFL-CIO, CTU, SEIU,etc) has passed on endorsing any candidate.

Here is Alderman Howard Brookins mailer

New Alderman Roderick Sawyer Flyer

This is the second mailer from Alderman Roderick Sawyer. This one list several accomplishments as well as a partial list of endorsements




#Aldertrack #Chatham #Englewood #GreaterGrandCrossing #ParkManor

New Ald. Beale mailer #Aldertrack

We recently received this Beale flyer in the mail. It's similar to the last one, but makes slightly different points from the first one.

Also please don't forget about the DCP 9th ward forum at Progressive Church - 26 E. 127th St. - on Satuday at 2 PM.

Does the flyer below persuade you to give Beale one more term as 9th ward Alderman?

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Black World Cinema program for February


Every February Black World Cinema has a program commemorating Black History Month. Normally they screen a film the first Thursday every month. During Black History Month a film is screened every Thursday. We just received this email in time for next month's events:
Black World Cinema is now in it’s 10th year at SMG Chatham 14 Theaters and in February will present the BLACK FUTURE MONTH film series.

Black Future Month will explore AfroFuturism through real science documentary, the science of the imagination in drama, animation, comic books and the experimental ideas of Black Radical Imagination.

The 4 week series will take place at Chatham 14 Theaters, 210 W 87th St, every Thursday at 7pm. General dmission is $6 per ticket. Every week we will feature someone from the science or creative community to engage the audience with lively discussion about the exciting films being screened during February.

Please share this email with friends, educators, film fans and kids(not for the Feb 5 program). If you have marketing ideas for this program, places we should contact, please email floydwebb @ gmail.com with your suggestions. Thanks, hope to see you in February.
Every week I do plan to advertise the week's movies during Black History Month or for BWC Black Future Month. This looks very interesting and hopefully I can catch one of these films if not all of them.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Summary of the 6th Ward Townhall Meeting on Nuway Methadone Clinic

This past Saturday, January 24th, Alderman Roderick Sawyer hosted a town hall meeting on Nuway Methadone Clinic. There were several reporters, Glenn Reedus of the Crusader and Andrea Watson of  DNAinfo.com there and they have their stories which are pretty accurate but there are some issues that I feel are important to the community that will get lost in the political spin that is out here.

The owner of Nuway Community Services, which is the holding company for the clinic, Mr. Olajide Soloja did come and address the community,

He didn't provide the answers that most of the 100+ in attendance wanted to hear. He stated that the business was previously located on the 600-700 E 75th vicinity. One remark that he made especially didn't go over well with most is when he indicated he now owns the building located at 110 E 79th. He stated he is making improvements to the property but that didn't mean much to the audience.

The building at 110 E 79th has been a medical building for years but has changed hands over the years as doctors and doctor groups including the City of Chicago health clinic moved out or died.

At the meeting, a number of residents openly discussed personal and family issues with drug addition and understand the need for services but did not condone the behavior of some of Nuway's clients behavior. Also, the owner of  Gilead Behavior Health Clinic located at 132 E 79th scolded the owner for not taking a more proactive role in monitoring what is going on and around his facility because it is having a negative affect on other operators in the building who have operated for years basically transparent to the community. One operator that is located in the building, Emages which offers services to those convicted of  DUI's, also disclosed they have a program for sex offenders and have operated for over 15 years. The representative did not go into detail but there will be a follow up with the owner on what kind of services they are offering.

Several, Nuway employees made passionate presentations about how they came to work for Nuway. They all stated they completed similar programs and used it as springboard to become counselors and other positions. One employee's presentation caught the attention of the crowd as he asked for the opportunity to work on a solution to the problem. Stating that it was highly unlikely the owner would relocate the clinic since he owned the building, it was in everyone's best interest to try and identify the issues and work on a solution.

The audience requested that this gentleman represent the clinic on the task force that was being set up. The task force was suggested and a cross section of residents volunteered to serve. Yes, some left the meeting just as upset as they came in the meeting and want the facility to relocate and others left upset for other reasons We will see if there if the follow through that was stated will actually happen.

2015 Elections: Video on demand

[VIDEO] We'll start with this video by Richard Wooten running for Alderman in the 6th ward. In 2011, Wooten did a series of videos intended for the various neighborhoods contained then in the 6th ward. Wooten retails his attention to the various neighborhoods of the remapped 6th Ward noting the diversity as far as income or even age. Those videos he did in 2011 were pretty good I hope he will do something similar to those videos before the election next month.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

DCP 9th ward candidates forum...

The Developing Communities Project is hosting a candidates forum on January 31st, 2015 at 2 PM. It will be held at Progressive Church located at 26 E. 127th St. For more details refer to flyer below.



DNA Info: Alderman Wants to Bring Coffee Shops, Bars to Desolate State St. Stretch

When Alderman Sawyer first got into office in 2011 he was talking about the need for businesses around the 6th ward's L stops. So would developing a business strip along stretches of State Street would help in that effort.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer dreams of bringing coffee shops, restaurants and bars to a desolate stretch of State Street in the neighborhood where he grew up: Chatham.

By doing so, he hopes he can transform and revive the once-vibrant community by persuading the younger generation to remain in the neighborhood — and even coaxing young families to move here.

“We still have young people who aren’t choosing Chatham as a destination place to live, even though I think we have decent housing stock, because we don’t have the stuff they like,” the 6th Ward alderman said.

Sawyer has targeted the strip between 69th and 79th streets, the site of many empty storefronts, vacant lots and few thriving businesses.

Last week, the City Council Committee on Zoning approved Sawyer's request to rezone State between 76th and 77th streets to allow retail. He also is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation to make the strip more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.
Well there is plenty of room for redevelopment between 69th and 79th Streets. What would you like to see along that stretch of State Street?

Monday, January 26, 2015

Highland Community Bank closed and Seaway Bank 2.0 suffers a "glitch"

Highland Community Bank
Today in the news I saw that Highland Community Bank HQ @ 1701 W. 87th St. had been taken over by the FDIC. Over the years Seaway Bank had attempted to buy Highland but to no avail and somehow Highland was able to survive. There are those who follow community lenders who wondered WHEN that small lender would finally fail. 

Today we have our answer.
Regulators have closed a small lender in Chicago, making it the second U.S. bank failure of 2015 following 18 closures last year.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday that it has taken over Highland Community Bank, which operated two branches.

The bank had $54.7 million in assets and $53.5 million in deposits as of Dec. 31.

United Fidelity Bank, based in Evansville, Indiana, agreed to assume all of Highland Community Bank's deposits and to buy the failed bank's assets.
So that makes it only three Black-owned banks in Chicago, which includes Seaway Bank, Illinois Service Federal, and New Orleans, Louisiana based Liberty Bank (which operates a branch on Chicago's west side formerly owned by Covenant Bank and Community Bank of Lawndale).

Speaking of Seaway it was recently in the news that they have been hit with a consent order by the FDIC:
Seaway 2.0 has stumbled on a glitch.

Seaway Bank & Trust, Chicago's largest African-American-owned bank, based on the South Side, has been slapped with a consent order by its regulators. The order requires it to hold elevated capital levels, strengthen management, halt dividend payments to investors and beef up controls to detect money-laundering and other criminal activity by customers.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. along with the Illinois Division of Banking issued the order Dec. 16, little more than a month after Seaway had declared itself a successful turnaround following restatement of six quarters worth of earnings that substantially improved the bank's financial condition.

The order, which the bank consented to without admitting or denying charges of unsafe or unsound banking practices, requires Seaway to boost its “Tier 1” capital to 8 percent of its assets within 60 days. Based on Sept. 30 figures, the bank would need to raise nearly $8 million to hit that benchmark.
Seaway is celebrating 50 years in business this year. Hopefully they won't go the way of Highland Bank in the near future.

In the meanwhile as you read in the article for Highland, they will be taken over by Indiana-based United Fidelity Bank. In fact if you clicked on Highland official website it's noted on that with a link to that bank.

Are the loss of Black-owned neighborhood banks a loss for our neighborhoods?

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Mailer in the race for 9th ward Alderman

Received this mailer for 9th ward Alderman Anthony Beale recently. It touts his accomplishments and his future goals for the ward. There are pictures of himself during a groundbreaking for an athletic center and the opening of a new store. He mentions new grocery stores, however, Harold "Noonie" Ward has been hitting him on that fact. Although Walmart does sell groceries even if it's not considered a grocery store.

If you have any mailers to scan and share with us feel free to e-mail, Facebook, or Tweet us.

Also this was recently recieved in the mail however Aldertrack noted this mailer from Beale's challenger Harold "Noonie" Ward. It resembles a speeding ticket and attempts to attach Ald. Beale to the controvery involving those red light cameras in the city. Other than the lack of grocery stores in the 9th, this is another issue Ward has hit the incumbent Alderman on.

Mailer In the 6th Ward Aldermanic Race

Received this mailer recently in the mail from Alderman Roderick Sawyer. It states his stance on education as well as his endorsement by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).


There have been allegations that someone is going in residents mailboxes and removing mailers. If there are any other mailers, please contact us and we will post.


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Wards 9, 17, & 21 candidates forum Trinity Church


We may have known about this for a while now but tomorrow at Trinity United Church of Christ a candidates forum for wards 9, 17, and 21. This information was emailed to us today.
  • 9th, 17th and 21st Ward Candidates Forum
    Trinity United Church of Christ
    400 W. 95th Street - Sanctuary
    Chicago, IL 60628

    Sunday, January 25, 2015
    2:30pm to 4:45pm
If anyone has any candidate events we should know about feel free to e-mail us, tweet, or post to our FB page.

2007 elections: YouTubin' the locals...

[VIDEO] Today we're going back two election cycles to find this post via Gaper's Block regarding the 2007 elections. Author Richard Carnahan takes a look at some of the notable YouTube videos posted before the city elections of that year.

Unfortunately most of those videos posted there no longer exist. As a matter of fact some of these videos could be viewed as offensive so those that aren't available you should be glad you can't see them. Regardless there are still some videos of note in that post.

The best video of that cycle (shown above) was done by our old friend artistmac who lived in the 3rd ward. In fact in that post he wrote the very last comment in that Gaper's Block post. For almost 9 minutes he drives around Bronzeville showing the condition of the ward as it was represented by then Alderman Dorothy Tillman. He especially notes all the vacant lots and not much development.

Of course artistmac, had documented a lot of events during the 2007 elections from the February elections to the April run-off especially a debate where Tillman only sent a representative to a candidate forum. All this representative did was make the audience mad when she simply stated that Tillman had other things to do.

Either way in the run-off election of 2007, Ald. Tillman would be defeated by current 3rd ward Alderman Pat Dowell. And it appears artistmac's 3rd ward is about to get some grocery stores in the future with a Mariano's coming soon!

If you have any YouTube videos for the 2015 races to share feel free to do so. Send us a tweet, post to our FB page, or send a quick e-mail!

Friday, January 23, 2015

9th Ward: Bulletin newspaper photo page of Rosemoor forum

The recent candidates forum hosted by the Rosemoor Community Association held this past Tuesday. This page from the Bulletin has been distribuing in my e-mails so it's worth sharing on the blog. You will see leaders of Rosemoor along with 9th Ward Ald. Beale, and Ted Williams III, and Michael LaFargue on this page.

VIDEO: Ted Williams for 9th ward Alderman

[VIDEO] If you subscribed the daily e-mail newsletter from Aldertrack you saw this video by candidate for Alderman Ted Williams. He discusses his background - especially as a professor in the City Colleges of Chicago - in addition to his future goals if elected Alderman of the 9th ward.

BTW, Aldertrack kind of opined on the video as apparently it was shot horizontally vertically. They even shared this hilarious video regarding "vertical video syndrome". You'll laugh, but if you - the reader - ever ran for Alderman in the future I do hope that you would produce a more professionally done video. Professor Williams seemed to barely have a enough space for himself in the frame.

ALSO, Gaper's Block years ago did a post about videos related to races for Alderman. I'm looking for it and when it's found will be posted here as an illustration.

Is anything that Williams said that would sway your vote for him in the 9th ward?

EDIT: I forgot to note that next Friday Williams will host a meet & greet also posted in this morning's Aldertrack daily e-mail
  • Ted Williams, III (9) will hold a meet and greet Friday, January 30 at 6:30p at his campaign office, 11625 S. Michigan Ave.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

DNA Info: CPS Schedules Makeup Days for January Cancellations

Those two days earlier this month where CPS students had no class because of the cold weather well they have to make up those days somehow:
On Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, snow and frigid temperatures forced CPS to cancel classes. "To ensure students receive the valuable instructional time that was intended" for those days, CPS has scheduled the two makeup days, including one that will delay summer break for a day.

Jan. 30, which was scheduled to be a School Improvement Day without classes, will now be a regular attendance day for all CPS students, officials said.

June 17, which was supposed to be the first day of summer break, will also be a regular attendance day. Summer break will begin June 18 instead.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

VIDEO: Joseph Ziegler is running Chicago Alderman in the 21st ward


[VIDEO] You may have seen this interview on CAN-TV. Joseph Ziegler is running for Alderman of the 21st Ward interviewed by former Chicago Alderman Virgil Jones. He talks about what's going on in the 21st ward and his future plans if he was elected Alderman.

Ziegler is running against current Ald. Howard Brookins. This edition of The Underground Railroad runs about 30 minutes.

ALSO, you may have seen this in your Aldertrack e-mails if you have been subscribing.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Russ Stewart: Emanuel to the rescue in wards on South Side


Been a while since we've heard from Russ Stewart here on this blog. He analyzes the races for Alderman in the south side wards and says the Mayor is going to send resources to his favored candidates. So this is what he says for the races we're looking at in the coming election.
6th Ward (Chatham, Park Manor): This is the Jefferson Park of the South Side, filled with lots of middle class homes and home owners. Sawyer ousted pro-Daley Fredrenna Lyle (now a judge) in 2011 by 104 votes, and he faces four male opponents in 2015. Emanuel will fund Richard Wooten, but Sawyer will win.
...
9th Ward (Far South Side): After losing a 2013 bid for Jesse Jackson’s congressional seat, incumbent Anthony Beale’s stature nosedived. He faces seven opponents, the most credible being Michael LaFargue. It will be Rahm to the rescue in a Beale-LaFargue runoff.
...
21st Ward (Washington Heights): Three-termer Howard Brookins is chairman of the council’s Black Caucus, and he is generally supportive of the mayor. He faces seven opponents, so a runoff is certain. The ward runs from the Ryan west to the Penn Central tracks, between 79th Street and 99th Street. Brookins was embarrassed in 2008 when he lost the primary for state’s attorney, and again in 2012 when his chief of staff got caught in an FBI sting. The aide took a bribe to facilitate a liquor license, and pleaded guilty in December. Brookins was not implicated. A onetime Brookins ally, insurance agent Joe Ziegler, formerly of the 18th Ward, likely will meet Brookins in the runoff. Brookins will need Emanuel’s money to prevail.

#MBMHMC 6th Ward...104 votes

[VIDEO] This week Jahmal Cole takes time to interview the three candidates for 6th Ward Alderman in 2015 - incumbent Roderick Sawyer, previous candidate for Alderman in 2011 & police officer Richard Wooten, and finally former 6th Ward streets & sanitation superintendent Brian Garner. They all have their visions or perhaps reasons why they're running for Alderman.

The end of the video was most interesting as Sawyer discussed mainly what he hoped to do in the term he won by 104 votes in 2011 which was to clean up the issues of the 6th Ward. His next term he hopes to really work on issues of econonic development. Of course, he'd have to get through the 2015 elections.

Is anything said by Wooten, Garner, and Sawyer that would sway your vote next month?

Monday, January 19, 2015

9th Ward Candidate Forum #Aldertrack

We was e-mailed some information about this event from Alderman candidate Michael LaFargue for the voters of the 9th ward of Chicago.
ALSO, we always have our eyes towards any future candidate forums for Alderman in wards 6, 9, and 21. Please check this spreadsheet via Aldertrack that keeps track of candidate forums around the city. 

GCA 2015 6th Ward Aldermanic Forum

JP Paulus posted information regarding the Greater Chatham Alliance's 6th ward alderman forum. The three candidates for Alderman - posted to the 2015 page - Richard Wooten, Brian Garner, and incumbent Roderick Sawyer will be there.

When JP posted we knew nothing of the venue, in a GCA blast we know the venue and some additional information.
  • CRERAR MEMORIAL CHURCH
    Saturday, January 31, 2015
    8100 S. Calumet
    1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
    400 Seating Capacity, Free Parking Lot
    GUEST MODERATOR: TBA
You'll see the flyer below. You may have also seen this information posted over the weekend to our FB, Twitter and IG accounts.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Today's middle-class readings...

Over the years decidedly I often posted articles that in general pertained to the middle-class with a strong interest in the Black middle-class. It's only appropriate since we wanted to be the neighborhood blog for the 6th Ward as historically that area has been home of Chicago's Black middle-class.

So recently I found two articles that hopefully you'll consider at your convenience. Although we would like to see articles about Chicago's Black middle-class, often I find articles about that same demographic from other cities. In this case one out of New York City and the other out of Detroit.

In the case of New York via the Wall Street Journal written last November:
New York City’s black upper-middle class is fading, while its populations of upper-class white singles and lower-income Hispanics are booming, according to a new report that adds to concerns about a struggling middle class and growing income divide.

Between 2000 and 2010, neighborhoods dominated by the city’s black upper-middle-class residents experienced an 18.9% population decline.

Places such as Woodlawn in the Bronx and Hollis in Queens that were once affluent enclaves of upwardly mobile African-Americans saw a growth in low-income black households at their fringes. These neighborhoods have also had high rates of foreclosure.
It seems that in some of Chicago's Black communities foreclosure has been a major issue. And this has also been a major issue apparently in the Bronx & Queens in New York.

Now here's Detroit from July 2013 via The New Yorker....strangely enough. Anyway it discusses the middle-class in general there, however, they start off with a Black couple who moved into a white neighborhood 40 years ago:
In 1973, Ron and Loretta Martin and their three sons moved into the yellow-brick Colonial across the street from my childhood home, on Detroit’s west side. My father greeted them warmly, despite the fact that most of our neighbors saw them as blockbusters, part of a nefarious conspiracy by civil-rights groups to force integration and break up tight-knit white enclaves. The Martins were one of the first black families on our block. It took a lot of courage to be pioneers, those black families who crossed the city’s racial frontier. And it also took extra money. Black pioneers, as I discovered years later when I wrote a book about Detroit, were usually better off financially than the white people they moved next to. They had to be. Brokers regularly charged blacks a premium to buy or rent in what they hoped would be a safe, secure, integrated neighborhood.

Ron and Loretta were pioneers in another way. He was a police officer, she was a school teacher, and both were at the vanguard of a new generation of black Americans who vaulted into the middle class through public employment. Today, government employment, however fragile, is the mainstay of Detroit’s economy. At the beginning of 2013, the public sector directly provided more than forty thousand jobs in the city. Among Detroit’s top five employers are the city itself, the Detroit public schools, and the federal government. By contrast, the last two automakers with substantial operations in the city, Chrysler and General Motors, employ only about four thousand workers each.

It was not always this way. For most of the city’s history, there weren’t many Ron and Loretta Martins. The traditional avenue to a life of at least modest comfort for black Detroiters—at least after the Second World War, when the factory gates opened up—was the auto industry. The jobs were unionized, and they offered generous health and pension benefits. For the refugees from Jim Crow who’d come to the city, it was a big step up from the drudgery of tenant farming or cleaning houses.

But by the time the Martins moved in, those blue-collar jobs were disappearing. Beginning in the early nineteen-fifties, Detroit steadily hemorrhaged manufacturing jobs, losing them to outlying suburbs, small towns, the Sunbelt, and, over time, to Canada, Mexico, and overseas. Today, there is only one auto-assembly plant fully within the boundaries of Detroit.
What do you all think? Could these articles relate to what's going on in Chicago?

Friday, January 16, 2015

6th Ward Aldermanic Candidate Responses to Questionnaires

Both major newspapers and other organizations(labor,civic, etc) ask candidates their positions on numerous issues. Some of the organizations make the responses public. The following organizations have made the responses public and here are the links to the responses



Candidates are in the order in which they will appear on the February ballot.

Roderick T. Sawyer

Chicago Tribune
http://elections.chicagotribune.com/candidates/roderick-t-sawyer/

Chicago Sun Times
http://www.suntimescandidates.com/sawyer--roderick-t..html

IVI/IPO
http://www.iviipo.org/2015QResps/wd06RSawyer.pdf










Richard A. Wooten

Chicago Tribune
http://elections.chicagotribune.com/candidates/richard-a-wooten/

Chicago Sun Times
http://www.suntimescandidates.com/wooten--richard.html

IVI/IPO
http://www.iviipo.org/2015QResps/wd06RWooten.pdf













Brian Garner

Chicago Tribune
No Response

Chicago Sun Times
No Response

IVI/IPO
No Response


Responses do not equal endorsements. The organizations will make endorsements closer to election date.

9th Ward 2015 video on demand


Today's election 2015 video feature ward 9 Alderman candidates Michael LaFargue and Harold "Noonie" Ward. To see who's running in wards 6, 9, & 21 feel free to check out our 2015 page to see who remains on the ballot and who will no longer be on the ballot.

Both videos you see below are via Aldertrack. Feel free to sign up for their daily e-mails.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

I love Chatham t-shirts

Recently we were sent this e-mail about the t-shirt you see above being available for sale. T-shirts that celebrate the Chatham community.
  • Hello everyone. 

    On behalf of the Benjamin "Benji" Wilson alive 25 501c3 charitable organization we have available I love Chatham custom t-shirts.the portion of the shirt that says Chatham was inspired by the pride cleaners sign on 79th St Lawrence. to anyone from our community this sign has been a symbol of pride spanning several generations. 

    Many of our children might not know what the borders of out neighborhood looks like so I was inspired to put Our Map ON THE MAP. The back is simply the Chicago flag with a portion of the Chicago skyline. The inspiration of this design comes from the love and pride that we all share for one another from Chatham. 

    Anyone interested in purchasing shirts may contact me Benjamin Glenn on Facebook or email benjamincglenn @ gmail.com or Curtis Glenn at (773) 966 4197. Thank you

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

6th Ward candidate events = January 14-18

We have a few events sponsored by the 6th ward candidates for alderman. This post is just covering the events of the next few days. We will post more as details arise, such as the 6th Ward Candidate Aldermanic forum, sponsored by Greater Chatham Alliance on January 31.
 

 

6th Ward Townhall Meeting on Nuway Methadone Clinic

On Saturday, January 24, 2015 Alderman Roderick Sawyer will host a townhall meeting on the subject of Nuway Community Services Methadone Clinic located at 110 E 79th Street. The clinic and their clients have been the subject of numerous complaints by nearby businesses, schools  and residents for loitering, trespassing and other criminal activities. 

The clinic has agreed to send a representative to the meeting to state who they are and what they do and hear concerns.  The purpose of the meeting is to find solutions that allow the clinic to operate transparently in the community and not be a nuisance. 

Below is the notice that was mailed to residents between 75-83rd State to King Drive. Also, residents who are unable to attend are encouraged to email, call or visit the 6th ward service office to offer their input.

Meeting Information:
Saturday
January 24, 2015
Greater Institutional Church
7800 S Indiana
11:00 am

Email: Service@6thwardchicago.com


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

#MBMHMC: "Boricua" Humboldt Park


[VIDEO] The latest episode of Jahmal Cole's My Block My Hood My City takes us to the city neighborhood of Humboldt Park on the northwest side. Predominantly Puerto Rican this neighborhood was noted as diverse by their local alderman - Roberto Maldonado. Duration of this video is about five and a half minutes.

Ald. Maldonado who represents Chicago's 26th ward has something of an extended discussion with Cole over...the dreaded G word. Humboldt Park has been undergoing gentrification as of late. I share this episode as this is likely the discussion as the new Whole Foods Market Englewood is being built at 63rd & Halsted.

Is there anything you would like to say regarding gentrification?
Cole with Ald. Maldonado

Monday, January 12, 2015

Another follow-up to Dec. 15, 2014 Shedd School meeting

Closed Shedd School @ 200 E. 99th St.
Sharon Banks-Pincham is not only a resident of West Chesterfield, she is also an local school council member at Harlan Community Academy who I've had the chance to meet when I attended LSC meetings there. She sent me an e-mail regarding what happened at the Shedd School meeting with 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale on December 15, 2015. For additional context here is a link to the notice that I had recieved via e-mail not long before that meeting.

DNA Info did their own follow-up from that meeting we shared that here.

Friday, January 9, 2015

NAACP Chicago Aldermanic & Mayoral Forums...


If you live in wards 6, 9, & 21 on February 7, 2015 you can check out candidates for your wards and mayoral candidates at Simeon High School located at 8147 S. Vincennes Ave. Of course there are different times for the candidates forum for the schedule wards. Refer to the flyer above titles 2015 candidates forum.

Rate the video: Harold "Noonie" Ward for Alderman 9th Ward


[VIDEO] I'm sure we'll be posting a number of videos between now and election day next month from the many Aldermanic candidates in wards 6, 9, and 21. Last month we posted 9th Ward Ald. Beale's appearance on CAN-TV's Political Forum where he answers various questions affecting the 9th ward and the city.

Today we post about one of his challengers Harold "Noonie" Ward. This is essentially a campaign ad showing various shots around the 9th Ward. We see Altgeld Gardens, DuBois School, and even drive into Pullman with this video. This video is mainly taking shots at Ald. Beale.

Also, Mr. Ward notes that the 9th Ward is the only city ward without a major grocery store. So I suppose he doesn't count the Walmart in Pullman?

BTW, this video was noted by Chicagoist on Wednesday:
 This one is worth a look: it has high-production values, a moody tone and a damning indictment of an incumbent alderman that makes this a must-watch. That the rest of the city has a window into this race, via this video, makes it all that more interesting.

All the same what do you think of this video? Would you vote for Mr. Ward? Do you agree with some of the points of this video?

This video is via Aldertrack who in addition to a "racing form" which you can purchase from them you can also subscribe to daily email giving you various updates for election day 2015.


Thursday, January 8, 2015

6th Ward Aldermanic forum set for January 31

While the exact time, and location, has not yet been settled, the Greater Chatham Alliance has scheduled a 6th ward Aldermanic forum to be held on January 31st. The time and location have yet to be determined. We will post more details as their are known.

This forum will be open to the public.  See the bottom of this post for the e-mail announcement. For questions, you may contact Leslie Honore, Greater Chatham Alliance corresponding secretary, for details at (773) 635-6500 or leslie (at) gcachicago.com

Greater Chatham Alliance hosted a similar forum for the 2011 elections, which seemed to be helpful for many people.

Disclosure: the Sixth Ward writer JP Paulus volunteered for the 2011 forum.
Our Aldermanic Forum is set forSaturday, January 31st.

Location is still being finalized! But get ready for it!

You will be able to see all three of the candidates running for office (in alphabetical order) since we are playing fair here: Brian Garner, Alderman Roderick Sawyer and Richard Wooten. No word if Jerry Pierce is on the ballot yet.

This will be your opportunity to hear the issues, insights, and to really assess who can lead our ward for the next 4 years.

We plan to invite the entire 6th ward communities and want this event to be all-inclusive.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

CPS classes are cancelled for Thursday January 8, 2015


In addition to the info above you may also find this information embedded below via CPS' twitter page. Feel free to retweet if you have a twitter account. The information is primarily regarding city warming centers during the current cold snap. Of course as always there's 311 for any info on city warming centers.

#MBMHMC: "Gary Comer" Grand Crossing


[VIDEO] On a recent episode of Jahmal Cole's My Block My Hood My City he visits the Grand Crossing community. He notes the contributions of businessman Gary Comer to the neighborhood. His name is on the youth center and a school located in the neighborhood. Also Cole visits a local eatery Bonfire Grill - @ South Chicago & Cottage Grove where he says if you order a polish sausage: "Don't sleep on the small peppers that come with the polishes. They have a lot of kick to them."

Duration of video about is about 4 minutes. ENJOY!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

CPS schools closed due to weather and other info

Graphic above is shared via CPS' FB page.

Also in light of the recent cold snap we're experiencing right now 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale also sent this information to his constituents today. Ald. Beale's information informs us of a wind chill warning and also city services or warming centers for those city residents who are seeking warm shelter during this winter weather.

Of course you may always call 311 for information for the location any city warming center.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Petition challenges for 21st Ward Alderman



Petition objections for 21st Ward Alderman. You can also view document on petition challenges via the Chicago Board of Elections.
  • 15-EB-ALD-001 | Sharon Taylor | Marvin McNeil | 21st Ward Alderman | ON the ballot; objections overruled | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-002 | Roy Davis | Marvin McNeil | 21st Ward Alderman | ON the ballot; objections overruled | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-025 | Calvin A Lane, Jr | Howard B Brookins, Jr | 21st Ward Alderman | Pending Board Decision | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-035 | Doris Lewis Brooks | CM Winters | 21st Ward Alderman | 1/6/15 10:30 AM Lower Level Conference Room | William J. Kresse 
  • 15-EB-ALD-036 | Doris Lewis Brooks | Ken Lewis | 21st Ward Alderman | Pending Board Decision | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  •  15-EB-ALD-064 | Marquis Frazier | & Robert Allen | Marvin McNeil | 21st Ward Alderman | ON the ballot; objections overruled | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-065 | Marquis Frazier & Robert Allen | Patricia A Foster | 21st Ward Alderman | ON the ballot; objections overruled | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-066 | Marquis Frazier & Robert Allen | CM Winters | 21st Ward Alderman | 1/6/15 11:00 AM | Lower Level Conference Room | William J. Kresse 
  • 15-EB-ALD-067 | Marquis Frazier & Robert Allen | Ken Lewis | 21st Ward Alderman | Pending Board Decision | Lynne R. Ostfeld 
  • 15-EB-ALD-069 | Marquis Frazier & Robert Allen | Joseph C Ziegler, Jr | 21st Ward Alderman | Recommendation Pending | Joe Ponsetto 
  • 15-EB-ALD-131 | Gia D Smith | CM Winters | 21st Ward Alderman | Objector defaulted, but other cases ALD- 035 and ALD-066 pending | William J. Kresse 
  • 15-EB-ALD-132 | Gia D Smith | Howard B Brookins, Jr | 21st Ward Alderman | Overruled but other case, ALD-025, is pending | Richard Zulkey

Friday, January 2, 2015

Petition challenges 6th Ward Alderman

6th Ward Petition challenges. We already noted the withdrawal of Dumars Ervin Franklin and also his endorsement of candidate Richard Wooten. You can also view document via the Chicago Board of Elections.
  • 15-EB-ALD-093 | Kirk R Donley | Dumars Ervin Franklin | 6th Ward Alderman | Candidate OFF the ballot; Board decision | June A. Brown 
  • 15-EB-ALD-102 | Glen Sanderson | Dumars Ervin Franklin | 6th Ward Alderman | Candidate OFF the ballot; Board decision | June A. Brown
  • 15-EB-ALD-095 | Kirk R Donley | Delton Jerry Pierce | 6th Ward Alderman | 1/2/15 1:30 PM |
    Lower Level Conference Room | June A. Brown 
  • 15-EB-ALD-104 | Glen Sanderson | Delton Jerry Pierce | 6th Ward Alderman | 1/2/15 2:00 PM | Lower Level Conference Room | June A. Brown