1st Ward Report

ALDERMAN MORENO, BICKERDIKE PARENTS AND TEACHERS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE TO DEMAND ANSWERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ABOUT THEIR PLAN TO SAVE DUPREY/VON HUMBOLDT AND MAKE THEIR CASE FOR KEEPING LAFYETTE OPEN

Chicago, IL- A press conference at Duprey/Von Humboldt School was held earlier today to demand an answer from the Board of Education about the community-made merger plan to save the school. This press conference was another appeal of this community, before tomorrow’s board of education vote, against the misguided plan to close the only public elementary schools in East Humboldt Park.

“We all came together and actually produced a workable idea to save this performing school,” said Alderman Moreno referencing the merger plan, which was presented in-detail at public hearings last month. “We offered our idea; we deserve and demand an answer from the Board,” he continued. 

The merger plan would include merging the two elementary schools already in the same building, as well as moving the Child Parent Center - currently located across the street - into the first floor of the merged Von Humboldt and DuPrey campus. This community supported plan addresses the alleged utilization problem by boosting the population in the building while also ensuring that students are able to attend school in the same campus of their East Humboldt Park community. 

 “Proposed School closings in the City of Chicago threaten to destroy the lives of low – income and minority children in Humboldt Park and around the city,” said Magdalene Thurmond, a parent of two students at DuPrey school. “We are asking the school board to support our plan to merge these two schools instead of closing them because we deserve to have a well resourced school in our community that is safe and easy for our students to travel to.”

The speakers at this press conference also called for keeping Lafayette School open, which has 150 students with special needs. Lafayette was placed on the the school-closing list based on being classified by CPS as underutilized.

“The CPS formula that determines utilization is unfair because it doesn’t take into consideration the diverse needs of the student population from school to school. It also doesn’t take into consideration the state laws that limit class size in the special education instructional environment,” said Alderman Moreno, who does not represent the neighborhood where the school is located but said he is helping at the urging of various parents.   

“Lafayette should also stay open because our music program gives hope and opportunity to less fortunate kids, said Rosemary Vega, who has two children at the school. “Closing down Lafayette is shutting down our community,” she continued.  

“Every school is unique and needs to be evaluated based on its populations needs and not a one size fits all formula,” said Martin Ritter, an organizer with the Chicago Teacher’s Union.  “It is our hope that the School Board will consider this as it deliberates on May 22.”

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TIF ACCOUNTABILITY O R D I N A N C E

WHEREAS, The City of Chicago has created Tax Increment Financing (T.I.F.) districts in various communities to finance economic development projects with the intent to improve the local economy, create jobs, and spur property value growth across Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made government transparency a priority of his administration and as a result, T.I.F. eligibility studies, redevelopment plans, maps, and other documents related to T.I.F. districts are available on the City of Chicago’s website and data portal; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Emanuel’s T.I.F. Reform report outlines specific steps to increase transparency by making data and project performance data available; and

WHEREAS, the public benefit of T.I.F dollars for a public infrastructure project is much easier to assess than T.I.F expenditures for private entities; and

WHEREAS, while the Chicago Data Portal lists expenditures by T.I.F. district, the City must do more to make project performance data related to private projects available in order to weigh the T.I.F. outlay against the public benefit; and

WHEREAS, information about the total dollar amount of the T.I.F. subsidy, jobs promised, jobs delivered, and other performance metrics are currently available online in various documents but this information should be aggregated into a single centralized and searchable database on the City of Chicago Data Portal; and now, therefore,

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO:

Section 1. Chapter 2-45-155 of the Chicago Municipal Code be amended by adding the new language below:

2-45-155 Tax increment financing (T.I.F.) Sunshine ordinance.

The following T.I.F.-related documents for each active T.I.F. district shall be made publicly available on the City of Chicago, Department of Housing and Economic Development website:

1. The ordinances establishing each T.I.F. district, including all attachments, and any amendments thereto;

2. The ordinances authorizing each T.I.F. redevelopment agreement, including any attachments, any amendments thereto and accompanying Economic Disclosure Statements;

3. Written staff reports presented to the Community Development Commission related to T.I.F.- funded projects;

4. T.I.F. overviews prepared by the Department of Housing and Economic Development and annual reports prepared pursuant to 65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-5(d);

5. City-issued Certificates of Completion and any required annual employment certifications prepared pursuant to T.I.F. redevelopment agreements.

All such ordinances as described in (1) and (2) above shall be made available on the City of Chicago, Department of Housing and Economic Development website within seven business days

of their passage and publication in the Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago. All such documents as described in (3), (4) and (5) above shall be made available on the City of Chicago, Department of Housing and Economic Development website within fourteen business days of their completion in final form. The Department of Housing and Economic Development shall create and maintain an online and searchable database for public consumption on the City of Chicago Data Portal for every private project funded by any active T.I.F. district starting with fiscal year 2004 in the City of Chicago within one year of project completion. The database shall be made available by July 1, 2014. The database shall include the following information:

1. Project location by address and ward

2. Total budget of project

3. Total T.I.F. subsidy

4. Total T.I.F. subsidy as a percentage of project budget

5. Project start date

6. Project completion date

7. Total jobs agreed to in redevelopment agreement

8. Total jobs created

9. Public capital improvements completed as part of project

10. MBE/WBE and job/community hiring commitments met - if applicable

11. Total sales tax creation - if applicable

12. Pre-development property tax generated

13. Post development property tax generated

The T.I.F. documents described above for T.I.F. districts established from and after July 30,2004 will similarly be made available by July 30, 2009.

Sponsors: 

Ald. Ameya Pawar

Ald. Joe Moore

Ald. James Cappleman

Ald. Pat Dowell

Ald. Will Burns

Ald. Michele Smith

Ald. Joe Moreno

Ald. Harry Osterman

Ald. Brendan Reilly

Ald. Rey Colon

The 19 year old son of Nancy Arroyo, one of our CAPS organizers, was tragically injured in a car accident… Please consider purchasing tickets to this event.

I bought ten tickets and will give them to 1st Warders, first come first served. Just come to my office and ask for Jerry.  

O’Hare Terminal 5 Concession  

Job Interview Event

Thursday, March 7 - Friday, March 8
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Candidates with previous experience in food/beverage and retail. Must be able to pass federal background check to work inside the airport.

Available positions include:

• Sales Associate
• Bartender
• Busperson
• Cook
• Host/Hostess
• Server
• Supervisor
• Dishwasher

Where:

Hilton Chicago O’Hare - International Ballroom
10000 West O’Hare Avenue
Chicago, IL 60666

OR APPLY ON-LINE: http://www.chicagot5.com/main/2013/02/27/march-7-8-or-apply-online-ohare-terminal-5-concession-job-interview-event/

We have 2 SSA’s in our ward and they do exceptional work to improve the areas they represent… 

SSAs, often known as Business Improvement Districts in other cities, provide a fair and transparent way to finance and manage programs to create, maintain and manage clean, attractive and competitive commercial districts. 

They supplement city services and I fully support their work.

Tomorrow, the leaders of the Wicker Park Bucktown SSA will present on their achievements and challenges, during its first five years (it was established in 2005).  

If you want to learn more about SSA’s; how they work and what they do, attend this discussion at the Bucktown Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee Avenue tomorrow at 6 p.m. 

Saturday, November 17 - Fountain Decorating Social and Family Fun Fest Fundraiser in Wicker Park

COST: Fountain Decorating Social - No Charge     Kid’s Fun Fest - $45 PER Family Tickets at http://wpfunfest.eventbrite.com and at door. 
RSVP FOR FOUNTAIN DECORATING TO: wpgarden@aol.com

FOUNTAIN
DECORATING SOCIAL & 
FAMILY FUN FEST
A FUNDRAISER

Saturday, November 17 
at  10am – 4pm
Wicker Park – 1425 N. Damen

Bring Holiday Food to Share!
Bring to INside Warm Room
RSVP FOR Fountain Decorating
dougrwood@aol.com

Sponsored by
Wicker Park Garden Club, Wicker Park Advisory Council, The Chicago Park District,
The Care of Trees

We invite you to our Annual  Fountain Decorating Social combined with a Fundraiser for Maternal Child Health Advocacy Council (MCHAC) and Wicker Park Advisory Council (WPAC). 

Guests will decorate the historic Gurgoyle fountain with lights and garland and the 12 urns with greens, dry flowers, and ornamental grasses.

10-12 Cut Up 30 Trees for Greens
BRING LOPPERS if you have them.
10-12 Prepare Grasses and Ornaments
12-4 Decorate Urns, Fountain Base, and Field House Entrances

Inside the gym and in the east meeting room, children will be able to do crafts, play games, enjoy a bounce house, get their face painted, hear storytellers, and listen to music from local children’s performers.

The day will end with the lighting of the fountain at 4pm.   The LED lights are donated by The Care of Trees.  

ADVISORY: PRESS CONFERENCE: Aldermen Announcing the Formal Incorporation of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus (“CCCLC”)    Media Contact: Matt Bailey- 773.331.3516

CHICAGO - The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus (“CCCLC”) will announce its formal incorporation to maximize the effectiveness of the Caucus on matters of importance to Chicago’s Latino community, such as education, immigration, business development, and crime reduction. Along with the official formation of the CCCLC, it also established a Foundation. The Foundation will focus on scholarships and community building.

WHAT:           Latino Aldermen formally organize Chicago City Council Latino Caucus

WHEN:           Monday, October 29, 2012 at 10 a.m.

WHERE:  Chicago City Hall, Room 201 A, 121 North La Salle Street

INVITED/
ATTENDEES:    

                Ald. Danny Solis,  25th Ward, Chicago City Council Latino Caucus Chairman

                Ald. Joe Moreno, 1st Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. George Cardenas, 12th Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. Ricardo Munoz, 22nd Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. Ray Suarez, 31st Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. Rey Colon, 35th Ward, Founding Member

                Ald. John Pope, 10th Ward, Invited Member
             

                Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th Ward, Invited Member
           

                Ald. Ed Burke, 14th Ward, Invited Member

                 Ald. Toni Foulkes, 15th Ward, Invited Member
          

                Ald. Michael Zalewski, 23rd Ward, Invited Member
              

                Ald. Richard Mell, 33rd Ward, Invited Member
          

                Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 36th Ward, Invited Member

TONIGHT, at The Bedford, 1612 W. Division at 6 p.m.— Community meeting about the possibility of lifting the liquor license moratorium between Augusta and Division.