2023 Municipal Elections

 Did you miss this blog? I've been posting more at another blog I started called Ninth Ward Chicago, I expect to post there for the forseeable future.

Though to be honest I do wonder about JP Paulus' thoughts on Congressman-elect Jonathan Jackson who was elected in the midterm election just last month. He discussed the race to succeed Congressman Bobby Rush of the 1st Congressional District from earlier this summer.

Well now that the gubernatorial and midterm elections are now over, we turn our attention to the municipal races in Chicago. We will be voting for the city council, city clerk, city treasurer, for people to serve on their police district boards, and of course for mayor.

One of the people running for mayor against the vulnerable incumbent Lori Lightfoot is one Ald. Roderick T. Sawyer. In 2011 we covered the race where Sawyer - the son of a former Alderman and Mayor in Eugene Sawyer - was able to defeat incumbent Ward 6 Ald. Freddrenna Lyle in a runoff. Now over a decade later, Sawyer hopes to be another son of a mayor to take the office on city hall's fifth floor.

A channel on YouTube called Next News Network which is a right ring channel takes a look at the mayor's race and quotes Ald. Sawyer who referred to Mayor Lightfoot as thin-skinned. [VIDEO]

Now with Sawyer seeking the mayor's office that means he must give up his seat on the Chicago city council and that means there are man candidates who want to succeed Ald. Sawyer. Worlee Glover at Concerned Citizens of Chicago shared a list of candidates for Ward 6 Alderman in 2023. Of course the deadline to submit petitions for the 2023 elections had passed on Monday and we're headed into the period of petition challenges.

We had one candidate for mayor to drop out in Ward 15 Ald. Ray Lopez who opted to run again for his seat on the city council.

Just to open the discussion here, who would be your preference for mayor next year? Would you give Mayor Lightfoot a second term in the mayor's office?

Also I have to ask about Eddie, he was a frequent commentor during the weirdness of 2020 through 2021. Where are you big guy? Let us know you're OK out there.

BTW, happy holidays to all.

#Tucker on the crime problem and the grinches who rob volunteers and burn down Christmas trees

 

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this segment from Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News with you today because the commentary you see by host Tucker Carlson discusses some local events that perhaps you missed. Most certainly I missed these events.

To bring home some of the points Carlson is discussing here is there needs to be a reckoning on the crime issue nationally. Certainly it's an issue not just in the city where last weekend a group of youths converged near Millennium Park to cause enough issues for the police to start making plans to address any future disturbances. Basically as a reaction problem as this issue has been going on for a while as this isn't the first time I wrote about youths coming to downtown to cause problems as theft, vandalism, or even just causing major disturbances.

So he starts off with attacks on Christmas trees because well tis the season. And the first thing he mentions was that a group of My Block My Hood My City volunteers were robbed putting up holiday decorations in the history south side Bronzeville neighborhood. 

BTW, if you don't want to listen to Carlson here's a story from CBS Chicago. According to the article this crime occurred at 48th & King Drive and part of a team of volunteers putting up Christmas decorations from  35th Street to 115th Street.

Stossel: Coronavirus cans the bag ban (taxes)

[VIDEO] Grocery stores and pharmacies are considered essential business as people still want to pick up prescriptions and over the counter medication. People also still have to eat and while many restaurants are open for take out orders only, your best bet is still go to the grocery store and find your ingredients so that you can cook.

I noted this a while ago in a post about coronavirus numbers and the effect of the pandemic on "essential" retail. A few grocery stores aren't allowing for the usage of re-usable bags I know for sure the Jewel-Osco, Whole Foods Market, and Target if you go to a cashier they won't package your items in your reusable bags.

Personally reusable bags are very convenient, however, what's noted in this John Stossel video is that there are many of us who don't take the time out to clean them. Sometimes I throw them in the washers, however, sometimes it's just something that I don't take the time to do. If you don't clean them then you could be carrying microbes on your reusable bags that are often dangerous.

Stossel takes aim at the attempts by governments around the nation to ban plastic bags. Chicago has asserted a 7 cent bag tax to encourage use of reusable bags. It's understood that they want to discourage use of those plastic "Jewel" bags. Unfortunately whether or not you use a "Jewel" bag or a paper bag, you still get charged a 7 cent tax. And paper is not only better for the environment not only because they are reusable (even if fragile as you see in video above) they are also recyclable, yet if we use a paper bag from a store we STILL get charged a tax.

Another thing of note is that while Whole Foods, Target, and Jewel that I know of for sure seemed to have waived collecting the city' bag tax. If you go to Mariano's and use a bag with them they will still charge you the 7 cent tax.

In my opinion, who knows if this is going away. Since the pandemic has caused the shut down of many businesses, surely tax revenues are down. Since in many places there is already a bag tax enacted, my idea is this is one convenient tax that won't go away. Especially since people during this difficult time still got to go out to shop for "essential" items.

Any other retailer - especially grocery stores - still charging you the 7 cent bag tax? Let us know...

Capitol Fax: Chicago’s black flight problem

Rich Miller writes about the decline of the Black population in Chicago based upon an article you might have read in the Chicago Reader. BTW, it's in line with the population decline in Illinois.

Chicago’s black flight problem https://t.co/CsJw87pxY2

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) January 29, 2019

The article about "Black flight" from the Reader was written by PeteSaunders. You can follow him on Twitter @petesaunders3 or visit his The Corner Side Yard blog.

Congressman Rush: S. Side Target customers looking for economic justice, respect #cutthecard #notanothercent

Before I share the editorial published Nov. 16th from our long-time Congressman Bobby Rush I do understand what he is going for here. He seems to be making a racial appeal as far as the closing of Target stores in two predominantly Black areas of the south side.

There are some who will note that in different years Target has closed many stores around the nation. Also the retail landscape is different today and many retails don't wait too long before they pull the plug on any location.

Though I will note that the opposition to Target's closing especially in Chatham is likely driven by their own work in bringing Target to the community. For those community activists who worked to get the Target that opened during the holidays of 2002 the coming closure is certainly seen as a slap in the face.

Meanwhile a brief snipped of Rush's editorial and please read the whole thing

When Target made public its callous decision to close its stores in Chatham and Morgan Park, many residents of Chicago’s South Side were shocked and angered. After all, they were loyal Target customers who spent their hard-earned money in these stores, conveniently located in their communities. Their anger grew into action and as their congressman and resident of the South Side, I joined them as they demanded Target Corp. keep the stores open and work on a turnaround plan.

Simply put, the residents’ demands of Target are about economic justice and respect. Their position is deeply rooted in the innate self-dignity and self-esteem they have for themselves and their community. The idea that residents are “begging” Target to stay is ill-informed, insulting and rooted in a sense of pride, a sentiment that leads to destruction as is stated in the ancient biblical proverb.

We have seen the truth of this proverb born out in communities throughout the South Side. Retailers come to these communities and take our money, often against the backdrop of poor customer service. Then, they leave in the cover of night, with little or no warning and with little or no explanation. In the wake of their departure, neighborhoods are left with abandoned, defunct structural eye-sores and fewer and fewer retail and grocery choices. This is why the engaged and focused South Side residents understand their fight is about Target specifically and disinvestment in general.

Of course let's bear in mind, Congressman Rush was involved in the Black Friday boycott of our local Target store, so in addition to this editorial he's definitely on the front lines. 

Joravsky: Does the Second Amendment apply to black people?

GO FALCONS and props to student artist who created this

Another item I missed from Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky bouncing off of the police shooting of Harith Augustus

With all the attention focused on the police shooting of Harith Augustus in South Shore, the silence coming from the gun rights groups is deafening.

I mean, just about everyone else has weighed in, one way or the other, on the July 14 shooting, including Black Lives Matter activists, Mayor Rahm, and the Fraternal Order of Police.

But not a word from the normally loquacious spokespeople for the National Rifle Association like Dana Loesch, Oliver North, or Wayne LaPierre.

And it's weird, 'cause if ever there were a case tailor-made for the NRA to join—or even lead—it would be this one.

Consider what we know from the footage released by Chicago police.

Unless I've missed something during the course of the past month, the attention on South Shore seemed to have died down. However it's a good question, in the case of Mr. Augustus, where is the NRA? Does a "right to bear arms" for self-defense stop at Chicago's city limits? Does it exist only outside of gun-violence plagued communities?

Read the whole piece and let us know what you think!  

African American Business: Do We Really Care

Another good piece written by Worlee Glover over at Nextdoor:

• There have been several comments making the suggestion that the community decide to use restrictive covenants on the sale on business/commercial properties in our community. A restrictive covenant restricts a certain demographic from purchasing property in the community.
  
  If you follow the paper trail of some properties in Chatham, Beverly and other communities there are documents that contain the language that the sale of the property to Negros(African Americans) is forbidden. Almost 50 years ago the federal courts struck down restrictive covenants and introduced fair housing laws ans well as other real estate laws that made restrictive covenants unenforceable. 
  
  Men such as Marion Manor(Manor Realty), Vernon Jarrett and other African American real estate professionals from this community were on the forefront of the movement. They started an organization called the Dearborn Realtist Board which is still in existence today. They also desegregated the Stevenson Hotel(Conrad Hilton). 
  
  Fast forward to today. the comments state that preference should be given to African American businesses but the question in my mind do we really care anymore. 
  
  Over the years African American businesses have closed because of a lack of support or when the owners retired they received insulting offers from African Americans wanting to purchase the business. Such businesses were:
  
  
  • Khan & Nate- High end clothing 
  • Mr Ebony- High end clothing 
  • Clark Gas - Gas Station 
  • Calumet Paint- Sherwin Williams paint 
  • Williams Hydroplant- Lawn & Garden 
  • Harolds #2(71st State)-Food Service Establishment 
  • All Dry Cleaners 
  • Chatham Foods-Grocery Stores 
  • Collins bros-Grocery Stores 
  • RL Dukes- Car dealership 
  
  There are more, but you get the point. Then when we get young African Americans wanting to open businesses, we fight them to the bitter end such as on 75th. So is the call for African American business real or lip service?

Decline of Black Chicago

Also known as: "How the Great Migration to Chicago became the Great Black Exodus" written by Alden Loury a senior editor for WBEZ

In its many forms — individual, institutional, structural and systemic — racism has blocked the flow of African Americans into certain communities and isolated them in others.

The restrictive covenants, redlining and white flight of yesterday have been replaced by stiff resistance to affordable housing, high-cost housing that effectively prices out some people of color, disinvestment in communities of color regardless of their economic heft, and more white flight.

Practically shunned by all others, homes and businesses in many South Side and West Side neighborhoods draw interest only from African Americans. That means a constricted market for homebuyers and business owners, resulting in lower market demand, fewer customers and lower values.

Almost a decade after the latest recession, some black neighborhoods in Chicago are still waiting on economic recovery.

Found this through the e-mails of The Daily Line! Often lots of goodies there and if you're so inclined they have subscription service also! 

Will Outrage Lead to Political Change in Chicago?

If you followed our twitter feed over the weekend we shared a number of tweets with regards to an emerging sexual abuse scandal at Chicago Public Schools. I think one of those tweets has reports an incident that took place at nearby Simeon High School involving a track coach.

This tweet found at the Newsalert blog yesterday is from Dan Proft who offered his comments.

Is this enough? Is systemic sexual abuse of children in CPS enough for Chicagoans to hold their political leadership accountable for the first time in my lifetime? I ask because I honestly don't know the answer. https://t.co/1Pml7Oj594

— Dan Proft (@DanProft) June 6, 2018

The title for this post comes from the Newsalert blog and Steve Bartin added this simple statement "Don't bet on it". And I'm more in line with Dan Proft - who for those of you who don't know is a long-time Republican activist - neither of us knows the answer to that question.

It's very serious to talk about sexual abuse of public school students. And let's go further we're learning more and more about sexual harassment in state government. Just yesterday news broke of allegations of sexual harrassment towards state house speaker Madigan's chief of staff Tom Mapes which sparked Mr. Mapes to resign. Regardless who knows if this will result in long term political changes.

McCarthy for Mayor. What do you think?

I wanted to write about this last week. It was already in the news that former police chief Garry McCarthy is running for mayor of Chicago. He was looking at it and now he dropped his hat in the ring? Can he get signatures on his petitions? Does he have good lawyers on hand to defend against challenges? Most important when he does get on the ballot, does he have support?

Well one problem with support, Rich Miller opined on this. Can McCarthy raise the money necessary to take on Mayor Emanuel?

Does McCarthy even have a path to victory? https://t.co/VDj2e2v77d

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 22, 2018

A conservative Democrat in Chicago who “loathes” raising money? He’s gonna run to the right of campaign cash-loving neo-liberal Rahm Emanuel in that liberal city without loads of dough? Good luck with that, dude. Two Chicago-based members of the Cook County Board lost their re-elections Tuesday after fighting hard against the pop tax. And he wants to run as a law and order guy, but a legalizing marijuana referendum just got 73 percent in the city.

Also last week Lynn Sweet speaks with McCarthy about his bid. A series of videos shown on the Chicago Sun-Times' YouTube channel. Let's start with why McCarthy who began his police career in New York City, then moved on to Newark, New Jersey, and then was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago by 2011. [VIDEO]

And this is probably why many Blacks may be hesitant to support McCarthy and the reason is Laquan McDonald. He attempts to answer this with Lynn Sweet [VIDEO]

Stanley Moore: The Reintroduction of Rope a Dope

Stanley Moore

Worlee Glover wrote this post on Wednesday over at Nextdoor. I realize this is probably what many frustrated voted don't want to hear. You can run for office or be an incumbent and subject yourself to events that may prove not to be favorable. So what commissioner Stanley Moore did was use respected politicians and avoided events that were unfavorable for him. As a result Moore is assured of another term as a county commissioner.

Worlee's words are below!

Did Englewood leaders propose closing their own schools?

President of R.A.G.E. Asiaha Butler explains her role in coming up with an education plan for CPS and she further explains that she never proposed closing down any schools in Englewood. Her op/ed was published in Chicago magazine last week.

Published in September 2011, the Educational Strategic Plan laid out 12 detailed goals that would lead to the necessary transformation of education in our community. It included important data about the enrollment and academic achievement of all the schools located in Englewood. It touched on the need for appropriate parental/caregiver support, early childhood programs, improved, culturally relevant curriculum, high-quality administrators and staff, social-emotional learning, post-secondary career development, and more.

Nowhere did we suggest closing schools.

In fact, the strategies we listed were aimed at making schools more appealing for students and parents alike. But after filing the report in 2012, CPS suddenly lost interest in our work. Not only did the district turn its back on the Englewood CAC, it was difficult to keep parents and community stakeholders engaged. This was around the time I posted to Everyblock about the dire need for community involvement. Then, we were up against potentially 10 elementary schools closing, and although I walked away from the CAC at that time, I made sure my voice was heard on why these schools should remain open. After exhaustive research and effort to convince CPS that not all schools slated for closure were lost causes, the city decided to close six of the original 10—still the highest number for any neighborhood in Chicago.

Our strategic plan was shelved, enrollments declined, more charters opened, and many of the educational institutions that we knew are now boarded-up, vandalized buildings that remain as a reminder of the injustice we face in communities like Englewood.

I was extremely disappointed when I found out the Educational Strategic Plan created under my leadership five years ago had been dusted off and used as a bible for the school closures and new high school proposal in Englewood, which was officially announced last summer. (The final public hearing will be January 30, and the school board can vote on the plan as soon as next month.) CPS says the closures are necessary because the high schools are under enrolled and performing poorly.

I can’t help but think that these issues could have been solved, or at least improved, if the district had taken up some of the CAC’s proposed solutions five years ago. Since then, enrollment has dropped by 80 percent at each of our neighborhood schools. Three CPS CEOs have come and gone—Brizard, Byrd-Bennett, and Claypool—yet, the district did not engage with the people who they originally asked to help create solutions. It’s a slap in the face for them to come in now and conveniently use our old strategic plan as a way to justify their decision to close four schools.

Sounds like someone at CPS already had set their agenda regardless of whatever the group headed by Butler would come up with. When you think about it, that's a shame. It's definitely a slap in the face for the idea of participatory decision making when you don't listen to the people who are telling you what they need.

I recommend that you read the whole thing.

Influence on an elected school board by the teacher's union?

http://www.cpsboe.org/

Thursday on the Capitol Fax, there was a discussion on whether or not an elected school board for CPS would result in a heavy influence by the Chicago Teacher's Union. The CapFax links to the Chicago Reader

And an elected school board isn't exactly a fringe idea. According to education advocacy group Illinois Raise Your Hand, 94 percent of school boards around the country are elected, and Chicago's is the only one in Illinois appointed by law. Several nonbinding referenda over the last few years have shown again and again that Chicagoans want to elect their boards. So what's the argument for having the board appointed by the mayor?

Supporters of an appointed board say it removes politics from the board's composition. If you ignore for a second that Chicago has run on patronage since its inception, this still makes very little sense. An elected school board would represent the diverse viewpoints of members' constituencies the same way any legislative body does. But an appointed board only represents one point of view: the mayor's. What the politics-free argument truly is after is a board that will oppose the Chicago Teachers Union.

With this being said my position has been in favor of a hybrid board both appointed and elected. This is provided that it's considered constitutional if you will. What are your thoughts?

Additional thoughts on a new Englewood high school

You know I didn't do coverage of a new high school in Englewood the justice it deserved this year. A recent post shared several stories talking about underutilized and low enrollment high schools. That in addition to the closure of four Englewood area high schools that will close for a new high school. So allow me to go back to June of this year with this article from the Sun-Times where CPS chooses Englewood for a new high school set to open in 2019.

Then earlier in the year I wrote this piece before the decision was made. A new high school could've also been placed in Chinatown or Roseland. In light of the other news involving the low enrollment of 17 other CPS high schools, I just wanted to share this post written in January on the "Shedd School" blog.

Basic gist of that post, a new high school better have something to offer that the other high schools in an area doesn't. I wasn't talking about selective enrollment or magnet programs exactly though certainly programs that would ideally attract those families with a child who will soon transfer to high school. So at this point I would like to share that post with you all.

HUFFPOST: Wake Up, Black Community

N'Digo's publisher Hermene Hartman writes about the changes taking place in Chicago and how these changes affect Black Chicago:

There are two Chicagos, one Black and one White. There are two districts in the city – the White one north and the Black one combining the South and West Sides.

By the time Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s term is up in 2019, the city will be revamped, the redesign of Chicago will be complete, and the divide will be greater than ever through economic maneuvers.

The Black community, the Black vote, as usual is being taken for granted by the Democrats and ignored by the Republicans. You can see it everywhere and the Black community is losing as the renaissance of the city goes forth before your very eyes.

Taxes are increasing, housing is changing, and the cranes in the south loop and downtown Chicago are erecting condos and hotels as fast as possible. Hyde Park is a new community with high-rise rentals and new stores as they prepare for the Obama library.

And then it goes on:

The Black community is asleep, a sleeping giant, the voting elephant in a room where Black lives don’t matter in reality. Wake up, if you please, and look at the surroundings.

The neighborhoods are changing rapidly and Black folk don’t matter and we don’t know the plan. Hopefully we will look through the political talk and hold the politicians accountable.

Crime is rampant in our neighborhoods that will change soon, bringing new land development and new populations. Displacement abounds. New schools are coming. New stores are coming. New restaurants are coming, but they are not for the Black community that is currently in those neighborhoods now. Economic development is not coming our way. The newest innovation is pianos in the park, where Blacks are afraid to play, ride bicycles or picnic for fear of being shot, while listening to the tinkling piano music, I suppose.

I excerpted a lot more than I should've but read the whole thing & let me know what you think. Whenever the subject of the decline of Black Chicago comes up on this blog, there is a recurring theme. Blacks are leaving the city of Chicago and going to the burbs or out of state - perhaps to the south. Also we're losing population, however, there is a construction boom near downtown Chicago or in Hyde Park.

So right now what do we do to stem the tide?

Garry McCarthy for Mayor pt. 2 #GMFM

So 2nd City Cop finally got into the possibility of Garry McCarthy for Mayor.

Back when he was making his first run at the top job, the media pointed out his documented propensity to use a certain racial slur. During his second run, we pointed out his "holier than thou" attitude when his daughter got pulled over by regular cops and also the numerous broken streetlights that appeared in close proximity to him. Since he's been fired, his choice of company doesn't inspire confidence in his judgement at all.

But he could tap into a certain amount of resentment. And if he opened the doors on how the McDonald tape really got suppressed and who really saw it before the settlement offer, well.....that could sink Rahm before he even got started.

What do you all think? 

Crain's: Why so many young Chicago men pull the trigger

Go Falcons!

One attempt to get a handle on the issue of gun violence in Chicago's crime ridden neighborhoods. At one point in time this blog strived to avoid issues of crime even though I recognize it as a reality in our fair city.

Regardless the fact that a shooting and the volume of them is news not just locally but nationally also is problematic. We all hope for a solution to save our young people. No easy answers, but something has to be done about the violence.

Also for this, there will be three parts to this series. I hope to be able to share the other ones as they're published.

Bill Daley: Chicago cannot keep tolerating gun violence

The former Obama White House chief of staff, former Clinton Secretary of Commerce, and the son & brother of two Chicago mayors has this to say about the gun violence in our fair city's crime ridden neighborhoods

We keep thinking that Chicago's gun violence can't get worse, and then it does. Three children killed in four days in February. Nearly 100 gun deaths already this year, after 766 last year. The latest? Chicago gangs are increasingly using high-powered rifles to maim and kill each other (and innocent bystanders, too, of course). As the Chicago Tribune reports, police say rifles are increasingly becoming popular because, well, "they are deadlier." "Rifle bullets can tear through cars and other obstacles, including standard-issue bulletproof vests worn by Chicago police," the Tribune reports.

If foreign terrorists had infiltrated Chicago to commit this mayhem, is there any doubt that the country would be at war? Why, then, are we wringing our hands but taking so little meaningful action when it's Chicago residents killing each other?

He mentions solutions such as mandatory minimums for those who carry firearms without a permit. Also give police leeway to stop and search suspect without setting any racial profiling triggers. Essentially we're talking about stop and frisk with that which Daley noted:

Many people wrongly believe a federal judge in New York City ruled that stop-and-frisk policies are unconstitutional. In fact, the judge specifically said such tactics can be legal if they don't amount to racial profiling.

A study of New York City's stop-and-frisk policy, published last year in a Columbia Public Law Research Paper, concluded that targeted police stops "based on probable cause or (indications) of actual crime" were associated with "significant crime reductions."

And of course the next step is to establish better relationships between police and citizens especially in those minority communities affected by gun violence. Regardless something needs to change and we can't have innocent people living in a virtual war zone in this world class city.

Via Newsalert

Why did Seaway Bank die?

Cover Seaway Bancshares Inc. 1996 annual report

We've covered bank closings before especially those that directly affected our community. Shore Bank had been a presence in Chatham for example and in 2010 it failed and purchased by Urban Partnership Bank. The loss of Seaway is painful surely for the many longtime supporters and even the shareholders who held stock through Seaway Bancshares from the beginning.

My often stated hope since the failure last month has been that Seaway will be back in the hands of a Black ownership group. It's gone, that bank that was is history. If you want to come up a possible holding company that could own whatever was left of Seaway you need cash for that.

Greg Hinz wrote a piece about why Seaway was allowed to wither. From some of our political leaders the response to this big event was tepid. While it's something I would like to explore in a future post, Hinz pointed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and county board president Toni Preckwinkle for allowing this bank to fail.

The point of this post is to share my ideas as to what happened as I see it. Perhaps even as it has been reported. So four visible indications that Seaway Bank was in trouble long before January.

1. Purchase of two failed banks - As an observer I was glad to see Seaway expand into the market served by the Maywood, Illinois based First Suburban Bank and into Milwaukee served by the Black-owned Legacy Bank. Both banks were purchased the same way Seaway Bank had been purchased itself, both banks were shut down by the FDIC and their state regulators. Both banks failed near the tail end of the sub-prime loan crisis where a number of banks failed around the country. The purchase of those two banks caused Seaway to suffer losses after a long period of profitability.
2. Jacoby Dickens dies - Until 2013 the majority owner and chairman of the board of directors was Mr. Jacoby Dickens. It doesn't take long to do a Google search and find out the impact he's had on the community and the influence he's had in Chicago's business community or even in Chicago Politics. His untimely demise unfortunately moved forward the next series of changes which are the next bullet points. If he was still living it's possible that the executive management team would've remained the same and perhaps the bank would survive.
3. Veranda Dickens takes the reins - Greg Hinz refers to the now former Chairwoman of Seaway's board of directors as "well-intended but inexperienced widow." I will take great pains to not point at her as the reason for the banks untimely demise. Bottom line was that she was at the top when the FDIC shut down the bank. Many of the issues Seaway had predated her succession to Mr. Dickens role in 2014. Regardless, although she wasn't wrong to overhaul the bank and bring in consultants that remained until the very end one can only wonder if this was a disastrous decision at the worst possible time. We see the results of this now!
4. Departure of President/CEO Darrell Jackson - One could say that if former CEO Walter Grady or any of his management team remained at the helm Seaway would likely be OK. Unfortunately Grady retired or who knows perhaps it wasn't his decision. The savior could've been Darrell Jackson except that he departed after only 14 months, with Mrs. Dickens assuming his role on an interim basis afterwards. I did a blog post about this development which asked "What is going on at that bank?" We may never know but one can only wonder did he like what he saw? Either way from roughly October 2015 to January 2017 Seaway Bank had no permanent President/CEO, the consultants remained until the very end, and issues with recaptization. The regulators took note surely of all those factors and pulled the plug.

If you look at quite a few reports by Crain's reporter Steve Daniels you see an anatomy of Seaway's problems within the last three years. I've shared many of his reports especially the issues with gaining more capital for the bank - refer to Daniels' final report before the January failure - or the "c-suite" shuffle .i.e. Darrell Jackson or even attempts in 2016 to get more capitol. Daniels' work was noted by Hinz as they're colleagues at Crain's Chicago Business.

Now the assets that were the former Seaway Bank - also known as Seaway National Bank or Seaway Bank & Trust Company - are in the hands of the Indian-American owned State Bank of Texas. In recognition of Seaway's history and stature in our community they've opted to keep the name. However, I recognize that they have a business to run and they're going to do things their way to insure the success of their business. In spite of what happened we're still talking about business and the main language of business is money. That's the main reason Seaway is gone...

CapFax: Fixing a city that still doesn’t work well

So Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax blog shares with us an op-ed from Crain's regarding small businesses. What does the city have to do help small business start and grow in the city? The second paragraph sums up some of my feelings regarding why we need small businesses in minority communities:

Small businesses can bring a steady stream of opportunities into Chicago's neighborhoods, infusing them with new flavors and innovative ideas, while making city streets safer and local jobs more plentiful. But Chicago's notoriously complicated regulations create bottlenecks, reducing that stream to a trickle.

I suggest you read the whole thing.

BTW, another wrinkle is to ensure that we have a healthy number of small business owners who are from minority communities. Furthermore the comments on this issue at the Capitol Fax are pretty good as well.