Since several members on the committee are new to City Council, Chairman George Cardenas (12) started Thursday’s meeting with an icebreaker, asking everyone to say their name and ward. Later in the meeting, an aide walked around the chambers and requested that everyone, including press and aldermen, write their name on a sign-in sheet.

Start time: 10:19

Committee members present: Chairman George Cardenas (12), Brian Hopkins (2), Gregory Mitchell (7), Toni Foulkes (16), Walter Burnett (27), Ariel Reboyras (30), Deb Mell (33), Carlos Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Harry Osterman (48)

The Committee listened to a presentation regarding ComEd’s summer preparation plans and modernization efforts around Chicago, part of the company’s requirement to give an annual infrastructure update to the City Council. It has been doing so for the past 17 years, every year since the franchise agreement with the City of Chicago began.

According to David Reynolds, Commissioner of the Department of Fleet and Facility Management, 2014 was ComEd’s best performance year on record. The Department of Fleet and Facility Management oversees all franchise agreements with the city, and regularly inspects ComEd facilities. Reynold said the service improvement was largely due to years of infrastructure developments. The company spent $335M in capital investments in 2014 alone.

As for their summer preparedness, ComEd projects a 13% increase in energy usage this year compared to last summer. But it won’t be as high as 2011, which broke usage records.

Terry Donnelly, Chief Operating Officer for ComEd, also read a similar statement on the company’s investments.

But Ald. Cardenas quickly shifted the conversation to the franchise agreement’s expiration date: 2020. Cardenas told Reynolds and Donnelly that five years will pass quickly and he wants to ensure ComEd makes structural changes, including hiring a local, diverse workforce. He said he never sees a ComEd truck with a city sticker and demanded to know exactly how many Chicagoans are employed by the company. Donnelly said they have 169 Chicagoans on the payroll, excluding contractors.

Ald. Cardenas, Ald. Osterman, and Ald. Reboyras asked most of the questions during the hearing, although Ald. Brian Hopkins did ask how the provider addresses a spike in 311 calls when there is a power issue. Those calls are immediately diverted to ComEd, Reynolds said.

The Committee on Zoning meets today at 10:00 a.m. Among the proposed zoning changes on the agenda is an application [#18378] to construct a three story Whole Foods containing 79,5000 square feet of retail on the corner of Belmont, Ashland and Lincoln Avenues in the 44th Ward to replace an older Whole Foods just two blocks north on Ashland. Novak Construction purchased the former LaSalle Bank site and Ashland Belmont, LLC is the applicant on record for the project.  Under development for over seven years, this site had previously been slated at different times for apartments, a rumored Walmart and a Target.

The University of Chicago has requested a zoning change [#18336] to construct a new charter school, The University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn, on the property known as Residential Planned Development Number 723, land currently owned by the City of Chicago. The University had originally proposed expandingtheir Woodlawn campus, but eventually decided to build a new facility on the property which expands over several addresses, or about two acres of land between 63rd and 64th Streets and Greenwood Ave. According to the application, the school for middle-school and high-school students and will be three stories tall and about 70,000 square feet. It will also include “extensive green roof space, outdoor activity space, on-site parking, and community space”.

The Committee is also scheduled to discuss a zoning change to a property in River North near Merchandise Mart. The Chicago Transit Authority and Design Studio LLC own the plot on 201-223 W. Hubbard Street and 412-420 N. Wells Street–it’s currently a parking lot underneath the elevated CTA train. They’ve requested a zoning change to allow for construction of a new office building with commercial space on the ground floor.

There is also a request in the 39th Ward to rezone a one story high brick and concrete block building and adjacent lot on 6024-26 N Keystone Ave into manufacturing plant. The applicant, Peter Spyroboulos, intends to build on the existing structure.

A typical day for freshman 7th Ward Alderman Gregory Mitchell starts before sunrise. Between setting up his new ward office and getting acclimated to the City Council, Mitchell says he needs the time, because there is much to do.

“I’m like a perfectionist,” Mitchell joked. “So, I am always not satisfied with the ways things are going. I want to be up and running now.”

Mitchell, 44, a former financial analyst who ran a mostly self-funded campaign, pushed through a crowded field of candidates and defeated incumbent Natashia Holmes during the April runoff. Holmes was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2013 to fill the seat vacated by Sandi Jackson after she resigned from the council at the same time her husband, Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr. was being investigated for tax fraud.

It’s a ward that has seen a lot of turnover. With Mitchell’s recent election, Holmes’ two years in office, and Sandi Jackson’s one-and-a-half terms in the Council, four different aldermen have represented the South Side Ward in the past 10 years. According to Mitchell, this turnover has led to a lack of constituent services. It was the biggest complaint he heard from voters during the campaign. Making it worse, Mitchell charges his predecessor didn’t use any of her allotted $1.3 million dollars of aldermanic menu money.

But as a lifelong resident of the 7th Ward, Mitchell remains unphased and excited for what’s to come.

“I have the canvas that I can work with,” Mitchell said. “I know what we have. I know what we don’t have. I know what we need. I know what we don’t need. So I am ready to set it and get the ball rolling.”

Asked if he plans to run for 7th Ward Committeeman next year, Mitchell responded without hesitation, “Absolutely!”

Citywide Priorities: Like most of his peers in the Council, Mitchell expects the city’s pension debt to be the biggest priority. “I don’t know if this is the elephant in the room. I think the elephant is out. Dealing with the pension. That is something that we are going to dive right into,” Mitchell said, adding that he’ll detail more action items once he settles into his assigned committees.

Local Priorities: “Set up the ward office and let the constituents know where I am located and to have the staff trained up to provide that above and beyond customer service,”  Mitchell said he wants to streamline the process and provide a direct line of communication from City Hall to the ward office. Mitchell says he has received a lot of support from the administration, City Clerk’s Office and neighboring Ald. Michelle Harris (8) and former Ald. John Pope (10).

Caucus Alignment: At this point in time, Mitchell is only committed to the Black Caucus. He says he wants to learn more about Council procedures and the issues other aldermen face in their wards before making other allegiances. “I want to see who best represents what I am going through and the things I need to do in the 7th Ward,” Mitchell said. “I am going to start my collaboration with those aldermen that share the same issues that I have and pick their brain.”

Ward Office: 2249 E. 95th Street

Chief of Staff: Former 18th Ward candidate Chuks Onyezia.

[Ed. Note: This is our first ZBA hearing report. We plan to cover future hearings and would like feedback from those who regularly attend ZBA hearings and who follow them closely. Please drop us a note if you have comments.]

It was a marathon day for the Zoning Board of Appeals, with board members spending a bulk of the first half of the day-long meeting grilling medical marijuana dispensary applicants. After working through a routine collection of special use applications for nail salons and barber shops, board members spent hours voicing concerns over security, ownership, and community involvement with the dispensaries. By the end of the day, nearly all the nail salons were approved but the future of three dispensaries was still up in the air until ZBA’s next meeting in August.

Start Time: 9:21 a.m.
Members Present: Jonathan Swain (chairman), Sam Toia, Sol Flores, Sheila O’Grady
Meeting Agenda – Map

Modern Cannabis, LLC – 1st Ward

The first and only successful marijuana dispensary applicant of the day was Modern Cannabis, LLC and their proposed dispensary relocation to 2847 W. Fullerton Ave; a hearing that took just over thirty minutes. Their initial application made headlines as a unique partnership between a pharmacist, Barry Golin and arcade/bar owners, Danny and Doug Marks. The Marks initially wanted to set up shop in the expanded game room of their bar at 1368 N. Milwaukee Ave. but argued Thursday before the board that their new Fullerton location is a better fit. Tom Murphy, attorney for Modern Cannabis, says the Milwaukee location, “gave us the opportunity for enhanced security.” Their initial and revised applications were both approved by the state.

There’s no public parking outside the new location, but Murphy says there will be valet service. ZBA Chairman Jonathan Swain expressed concern almost immediately about transporting patients to and from the building without a secure parking lot. Owner Daniel Marks says they’re applying for a valet loading zone, and they’ve located off-street parking spaces and a valet company for patients. They also plan to have appointments for handicapped, sick, and infirmed patients to meet at the train or their parking spaces.

The board approved the dispensary relocation on condition of Ald. Joe Moreno’s (1) approval of the valet loading zone, and also strongly encouraged the owners to consult with newly-elected Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), whose ward borders the new location.

DNA Info reported the applicants hoped to have their shop up and running by August. They say it was one of the first dispensaries to be granted a special use permit by the city in October.

Harborside Illinois Grown Medicine, Inc – 8th Ward

The owners of Harborside Illinois Grown Medicine, Inc. faced more difficulties in their hearing. Their proposed dispensary in Chatham, at 1111 East 87th St., faced over an hour of questioning from the Board. CEO Les Hollis, a former investment banker with Goldman Sachs, says their project is a joint venture between California-based Harborside, the biggest dispensary operation in the country, and Illinois Grown Medicine, which has a marijuana cultivation operation in Illinois. Hollis says they’ve already been awarded a state license, but the state has not approved the relocation.

Chairman Swain pressed Hollis and Craig Moore, who is handling Illinois Grown Medicine’s real estate matters, about their community outreach efforts and the new location. Hollis argues that the new location, which they describe as a wellness-medical campus, is better suited for their business. He says after the designation of the Pullman historic district, Ald. Anthony Beale (9) suggested they move further north. Hollis says Ald. Michelle Harris (8) supports the Chatham location.

Board members peppered owners and attorney James Vasselli (Del Galdo Law Group) with questions about charitable contributions, day-to-day operations, and ownership, but the consideration seemed to derail over the accuracy of economic disclosure statements.

“I need Illinois Grown Medicine LLC,” Chairman Swain said, “IGM LLC is not Illinois Grown Medicine LLC. That’s Business Organizations [from] law school first year. Those are two separate companies.” There seemed to be a mixup between IGM LLC, which is related to the dispensary business, and Illinois Grown Medicine LLC, which is related to a separate cultivation business.

Swain then said until the paperwork error was fixed, the Board would have to postpone deliberation. Ownership percentages were brought up later in testimony. “Let me get with my attorneys and make sure we get this right,” Hollis said.

Testimony continued for nearly an hour after the ownership mixup. The Board continued to push the group on security, hiring, and the cost of the product for patients. There was only one person who spoke against (you guessed it)–Mr. George Blakemore. ZBA will return to the issue at their June 19 meeting.

Before a lunch break, all applications regarding salons and barber shops from the morning’s proceedings then quickly passed, with the exception of Paradise Nail Corporation’s application, which Ald. Patrick Thompson (11) asked to be continued, and DBA Mercy’s Unisex Salon, which had objectors, but no expert to testify in favor.

When the Zoning Board of Appeals reconvened for their afternoon session, they postponed hearings on two proposed medical marijuana dispensaries in the 41st and 50th Wards.

420 Capital Management, LLC – 50th Ward

Thomas S. Moore, attorney for 420 Capital Management, LLC, requested a continuance for his client’s application to open a medical marijuana dispensary on 6501 N. Western Avenue, because he was recently hired to replace the applicant’s former attorney. The local alderman, Debra Silverstein (50), opposes the location for the dispensary because of its proximity to a neighborhood park. She sent out a ward-wide email reminding residents of the ZBA hearing and was present for the hearing in the Council Chambers.

Union Group of Illinois, LLC – 41st Ward

The Board approved Ald. Anthony Napolitano’s (41) request to postpone a hearing on a medical marijuana dispensary in the 41st Ward, despite concerns from the applicant’s attorney, who said a delayed hearing could jeopardize their application with the state. Union Group of Illinois, LLC applied for a special use permit to open a dispensary on 6428-30 N. Milwaukee Avenue shortly after the state approved their application on February 3, 2014. But Ald. Napolitano said he had little knowledge of the application.

“Just coming into the office on the 19th, I don’t feel that my ward has had enough time to review this or even understand it,” Napolitano testified. “It’s only been nine days since anything has been put in front of anyone in the ward.”

The attorney for the applicant, Joseph P. Gattuso with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, said while he understood the alderman’s concerns, the company had been in talks with Napolitano’s predecessor. Gattuso added pushing the hearing to August “will kill us” because the applicant has until June 3rd to submit a zoning approval to the state.

A Fresh Start Sober Living Environments, Inc. – 1st Ward

The ZBA meeting concluded with one of the lengthiest debate of the day; nearly four hours was spent hearing testimony on a proposed expansion of a for-profit drug rehabilitation center on 530 N. Marshfield Ave. in the 1st Ward part of West Town.

The applicant, A Fresh Start Sober Living Environments, Inc., operates eleven group homes in Chicago for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. The homes don’t accept insurance or offer on-site treatment, none of the staff are trained medical professionals, and the weekly cost of renting a room ranging from $175 to $300, according to testimony from the company’s president, Leonid Goldfarb.

Goldfarb sought approval to add an additional four beds to his West Town facility, which is a three bedroom, 2 ½ story, single family dwelling zoned to hold 8 occupants. He said the expansion was necessary to help their mission of “saving people’s lives” because recovering addicts who live in a communal setting are less likely to relapse. He was represented by former Zoning Committee Chairman William J.P. Banks and received support from Robin Belleau, the Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyer’s Assistant Program, which houses many of its law students, lawyers, and judges recovering from alcohol and drug addiction at Fresh Start sites.

But during the lengthy cross-examination and public comment portion of the meeting, a coalition of neighborhood residents, who had created their own legal defense fund, raised safety and legal concerns. They accused the applicant of running the facility like a hostel, underreporting the number of occupants living in the building, and lying about safety measures that had been put in place. The resident group submitted evidence alleging rampant drug use by tenants, police reports that had been filed against tenants over the year, and pictures of abandoned cars they believe were left by former tenants.

Ald. Joe Moreno (1) also spoke in opposition. He said while he is usually a proponent of these kinds of facilities, he can’t get behind the applicant because they didn’t proactively seek his support when they first opened their doors. “I didn’t meet these people until the City Law Department said they needed a special use permit,” Ald. Moreno said. “Then they went to court and that’s why we are here today. We are not saying anything about the mission, we are talking about the operation. They are not able to handle the clients and what they said they are doing.”

The Board voted a continuance on A Fresh Start for June 19 when they will hold their next meeting.

Arriving for a lunch date Friday afternoon in River North, Ben Winick looks rumpled. It’s a practiced look he’s become known for over the last ten years in Springfield that becomes both him and the policy positions he’s been steadily risen through. Most recently nominated as the director of the new City Council Office of Financial Analysis, Winick is expected to be formally appointed to the new position when the Office’s oversight committee meets for the first time some time in June.

His new job won’t be easy. Chicago is in a financial crisis, the City Council has a long history of rubberstamping mayoral budgets, and he’ll be expected to exhibit independence from the mayor while working for Budget Committee Chairman Carrie Austin, one of the mayor’s closest allies. But Winick has a positive attitude. “Chicago is a tremendous city. A very vibrant city with a vibrant diverse economy,” he says. “There are certainly challenges moving forward, but nothing that I would say is insurmountable, especially for a city as great as Chicago.”

Last Friday Aldertrack sat down for lunch with Winick to learn a bit more how he thinks he can bring financial independence to the Chicago City Council with five staffers and a $500,000 annual budget. He ordered bacon and scrambled eggs.

Originally from Galesburg, in Western Illinois, Ben Winick is the son of the late, highly regarded Knox County Democratic Chairman, Norm Winick, a man from whom many other county chairs took their lead. Ben got his start in Democratic politics, volunteering and working on local campaigns, then after finishing college at University of Wisconsin, he landed a policy job as a senior advisor to then Lt. Governor Pat Quinn in 2005. There, he was exposed to the machinery of state government and became a trusted advisor to Quinn.

Then, in January 2009, Winick moved with Quinn to take over the governor’s office after Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached. Quickly, Winick experienced a trial by fire in the governor’s legislative affairs operation, which meant budget issues. “Unlike most governors, there wasn’t a transition,”says Winick. “Blagojevich was arrested and next thing you know he’s gone. So it was a small group of us trying to get our arms around things trying to understand what the heck was going on.”

That year, for the 2010 budget, the state legislature decided to take a pass on enacting a budget, instead putting together a lump sum and declaring Gov. Quinn responsible for figuring out how much should go to what agencies. Winick, as a member of Quinn’s legislative affairs team, suddenly became a budget expert, holding implementation meetings with all the state agencies.

“I became more entrenched in the legislative process but [also] more involved in budget issues with the Governor, says Winick, “Until the Governor appointed Jerry Stermer as Director of OMB and then Jerry called and said, ‘I would like you to come over and work at OMB.’”

From there Winick worked his way up the ladder, eventually becoming Chief of Staff of the Office of Management and Budget, and in late 2014, after Pat Quinn appointed Stermer as Comptroller to succeed the late Judy Barr Topinka, Winick become Director of OMB.

But then something interesting happened. After Republican Bruce Rauner assumed the Governor’s office in January this year, he asked Winick to stick around for a while, an unusual move, considering how partisan the position tends to be.

Amanda Vinicky, statehouse reporter for Illinois Public Radio, says that shouldn’t be a surprise. Winick is, she says, “respected for being smart and wonky. For all of the top people [former Gov. Pat Quinn] trusted, Ben was known as the budget guy who knew his stuff and knew the in and outs.” Because he was asked to stick around for a few months after Rauner took over, it says something about how important he was to the process, Vinicky says.

Then, in late March, Winick left OMB and the Rauner administration, landing as Vice President for Policy at Innovation Illinois, a non-partisan advocacy group led by staunch Quinn supporters. A newly created group, Winick is working out of temporary space in the startup incubator 1871, in Merchandise Mart.

The Committee on Financial Analysis (COFA), led by Budget Committee Chairman Carrie Austin (34), is not expected to meet until later in June. Winick thinks he won’t start work until July, giving him a scant three months to hire a staff and set up an office before the mayoral budget is likely to come out in September.

There’s also likely to be some intense discussions on COFA, which besides Austin, includes Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke (14), Ald. Rick Munoz (22), Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) and Machinists Local 126 Business Director Joseph Pijanowski. Carole Brown, a managing director at Barclays and former CTA Chairman, was originally slated for the committee but will not join since she was recently appointed Chicago’s Chief Financial Officer.

Besides an analysis of the mayoral budget, with some suggested options for Council to act on, Winick’s new office will have eight other priorities as part of the enacting legislation, including analysis of the city’s annual audit, analysis of ratings agency actions, and quarterly reports of financial impact statements from the city. Is it realistic that he can do all that in the first year?

“It will be a difficult task, but I think it can be done, says Winick slowly. “I think all of those things can get done in the first year.”

While the Office on Financial Analysis has a broad purview, it only has oversight over parts the City Council has direct budget authority. That means no oversight over the Public Schools, Transit Authority, Housing Authority or the Park District.

The enacting legislation for the new office also includes a key phrase, “All aldermanic briefings related to COFA reports shall be coordinated through the Chairman of the Committee on Budget,” effectively giving Chairman Austin total control over any work produced by Winick. An important part of how his office will operate.

What follows is a condensed and edited version of Friday’s interview.

Aldertrack: What happens to reports? Have you talked with Ald. Carrie Austin about it?

Winick: Not really. Not at this point. I would be working close with the Budget Committee and looking for the most appropriate way to go, depending on their vote.

Do you have a vision that your work would be available to the public?

It would be my expectation that I would be working collaboratively with Budget Committee Chairman Austin. Things will be made public as appropriate.

Usually the mayor introduces a budget, there’s two weeks of hearings and then whatever the Mayor wants gets passed. Do you see your position changing that?

I don’t want to say that I see this position changing that necessarily. I think a lot of it depends on what is in the Mayor’s proposal [and] through my analysis whether there are alternative decisions that can be presented to the City Council. Maybe when the Mayor presents his budget this fall, it may be something like where there aren’t really too many good alternative options out there. That’s something we’re just going to have to wait and see.

Will the City of Chicago have flexibility, based on the circumstances presented to them in Springfield?

The legislative session is still going on. I was there for Gov. Rauner’s speech [to the City Council] . We’ll see what happens this session.

How do you stay independent? Your boss is one of the Mayor’s closest allies and people on your board are closely tied to the mayor.

To me, my big focus on this is just to give an honest review of what is being presented by the Mayor and what the options are to the City Council. That is my main route to maintaining my independence. I have discussed this with the aldermen, I’m going to be a straight shooter, I have some things with the Mayor’s Office I might agree with, I might not. I don’t necessarily see this–it’s not my role to be nitpicky about what’s going on with the City’s budget. It’s my role to help the City Council [understand] what is actually in the plan and what are some of the options for them to consider. I think that is going to be my angle of maintaining independence. I’m here as a resource, “OK guys, the numbers don’t lie, it is what it is.”

What do you see your relationship with places like Civic Federation and the Committee on Tax and Budget Accountability?

When I was with the State, I had a good working relationship with the Civic Federation and CTBA. I definitely plan on reviewing their recommendations, both in terms of what they have suggested in the past as well as going forward. The city has challenges and I think in my role I need to be open to all ideas in terms of moving forward.

Do you have any ideas in terms of what costs and expenses you might focus on?

That’s something I can’t really discuss right now, in terms of not wanting to get ahead of the process.

Have you been briefed at all, seen any of the documents, or are you still outside the door?

I’m still outside the door. I’m not planning on starting until July, so right now I’m going through documents that are publically available.

Are there any revenue ideas or savings from across Illinois or other states that you have in mind that you might be able to bring with you? 

Again, that’s a thing that I’ll be able to talk about more once I get through the process and working with the members of City Council.

What’s the difference between what you will do and what the inspector general does?

A lot of the inspector general’s audit functions are focusing on things that have already happened. Whereas, I think it’s my job in working with the City Council to be a resource on, “these are the options before you today. And these are the actions you might consider moving forward, and not in the past.” More forward looking.

Do you think your new job is to tell Moody’s to go stick it?

I don’t think Moody’s cares what I have to say.

I think the review process for that would be to say, this is what Moody’s or Fitch or S&P or Kroll’s said, this is why they said it. These are potential actions to get them to reverse course.

Do you think Chicago’s getting a raw deal from Moody’s?

Without being more in depth in what’s going on with the city, I can’t comment on that.

A former U.S. Marine who also worked as the chief of staff at the Illinois Capital Development Board in Springfield, newly elected 36th Ward Alderman Gilbert Villegas wants people to know that while he may be new to City Hall, he is not new to government.

“So, I know how it works, and I know how it doesn’t work and I’m looking at capitalizing in the areas where [government] does work and addressing issues  where it doesn’t,” Villegas told Aldertrack in a recent interview.

Gilbert Villegas beat Omar Aquino, a candidate backed by Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios, in a runoff to win the newly redistricted, predominantly Hispanic seat on the Northwest Side of Chicago. The ward’s former alderman who now represents the 38th Ward, Nick Sposato, endorsed and supported Villegas throughout the campaign. Sposato also gave the Villegas his old ward service office. But Ald. Sposato wasn’t Villegas’ only supporter, his campaign also received support from State Rep. Luis Arroyo, Sr., his son, Cook County Commissioner Luis Arroyo, Jr., and Cong. Luis Gutierrez.

Villegas is also co-founder of StrataGem, a government relations and business development services consulting group, and a former lobbyist for the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association.

Priorities: Villegas says he will be spending most of his first term addressing ward-related issues, because that’s what voters were most concerned about during the election. “I’m really going to focus on my platform, which was peace, public safety, education, accountability, city services, and economic development,” Villegas explained, adding that he will be working with the local police commander to find out what resources he needs to address issues of crime. “And I’m calling my ward office like a community command center, where we will be able to have dialogue, you know, monthly, or quarterly, or whenever it is needed for hot topic issues,” Villegas said.

Caucus Alignment: Villegas ran as a progressive candidate and secured the endorsement of mayoral candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia during the runoff campaign, but he says at this moment he is only committed to the Latino Caucus. “I feel there are issues that need to be addressed as it relates to employment, as it relates to diversity.” Villegas believes the Latino Caucus will help him do that. Villegas says shortly after winning the race he was also approached by leaders of both the Progressive Caucus and Paul Douglas Alliance, but, “is not prepared to make a decision,” on either of those groups.

Biggest Obstacles: Like most of his peers in the Council, Villegas says addressing the city’s pension debt will be his biggest obstacle. He advocates for more communication between City Hall and Springfield. “We need to engage and work with our state officials and governor’s office and have the governor take a look at implementing legislation that is favorable to the city,” Villegas said. “Also, we need to be more active in getting as many dollars as possible from Springfield. We need to take a look at the motor fuel tax. We’re putting in over 50-cents on the dollar and only getting 45-cents back.”

Ward Office: Sposato’s old office, 6934 W. Diversey Ave.

Chief of Staff: Magdalena Fudalewicz

The City Council Committee on Finance met for less than five minutes Tuesday morning because no one signed up to submit public testimony on a proposed ordinance to issue additional Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds, capped at $2.5M, for the Goldblatts Supported Living Project, a redevelopment project turning a former Goldblatt's Department Store building into an affordable housing complex for senior citizens. Pursuant to federal tax law, the City must hold a public hearing, known as a TEFRA hearing, before the full City Council can approve the issuance of these types of bonds. Chairman Ed Burke (14) read a prepared statement before adjourning the meeting. The City’s Department of Planning requested additional bonds to pay for higher than expected construction costs associated with the project.

TEFRA hearings, named after the federal Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 and the federal Tax Reform Act of 1986, are mandated by the Internal Revenue Service to provide a reasonable opportunity for interested individuals to express their views, either orally or in writing, on the issuance of bonds and the nature of the improvements and projects for which the bond funds will be allocated.

There was no discussion on Ald. Joe Moreno’s (1) proposed ordinance to amend permit fees SSAs have to pay to provide services in the public way. Raymond Valadez, Ald. Moreno’s Chief of Staff, says the item was incorrectly scheduled for yesterday and will be discussed at the Finance Committee’s next meeting in June.

Committee Members Present: Chairman Ed Burke (14), Marty Quinn (13), Matt O’Shea (19), Michael Zalewski (23), Jason Ervin (28), Ariel Reboyras (30), Scott Waguespack (32). Newly elected Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) was also present in the Council Chambers, but he is not a member of the committee.

Hailing the ordinance as a good first step and touting the mayor’s support, a group of aldermen, workers, business owners, and labor gathered in the City Hall 2nd floor hallway on the first day after inauguration in support of paid sick days for private employees.

The press conference included speeches from workers like Abraham Cabrera of ARISE, who said he’s been working in food delivery for 15 years and never had a paid sick day, putting his childrens’ well-being at risk. Christine Cikowski, the owner of Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Avondale, spoke, saying that while her business does offer paid sick leave, the fact that other private businesses do not hurts her bottom line. Photo here.

Melissa Joseph, director of equal opportunity policy at Women Employed, said, “82% of voters support earned sick time. How is anyone going to step away from that? This is law in 18 other cities, and three states. This is a public safety issue.”

Ald. Joe Moreno (1), who sponsored a similar ordinance last year, called the new ordinance made public Tuesday “a starting point,” but no one at the press conference specified a timeline for passing the ordinance, and referred questions to the mayor’s office. “If we don’t see progress we’ll have a different kind of press conference,” Moreno said.  Other aldermen attendees included Jason Ervin (28), Raymond Lopez (15), John Arena (45), Walter Burnett, Jr. (27), Carlos Rosa (35) and Toni Foulkes (16).

In a non-binding city-wide referendum in this year’s general election, 82 percent of voters answered “Yes” on whether private employers should offer paid sick leave. Many supporters at Tuesday’s press conference, including members of ARISE Chicago and Teamsters Local 742, and Women Employed, held up signs saying so.

The ordinance calls for earned sick time:

• For a personal family illness or preventive care


• Due to incident of domestic or sexual violence


• Because of school or building closure due to a public health emergency


• Full and part-time employees:could earn 40 hours of sick time per year if employer has fewer than 10 employees


• Full and part-time employees:could earn 72 hours of sick time per year if employer has more than 10 employees, accrued hourly for every 30 hours worked.

Following yesterday's inaugural festivities, the Progressive Caucus sent out a release laying out their priorities:

• "ensuring that the City upholds its end of the pension promise to its workers"


• passing legislation for "earned sick time and paid maternity and parental leave" and $15 an hour minium wage


• "hiring at least 500 new police officers above the rate of attrition"


• "expand the capacity of the Inspector General"


• "fighting for an elected, representative school board, advocating for fair treatment and compensation for our teachers, and by calling for increased accountability for charter schools"

The Caucus is made up of 11 members: Ald. Leslie Hairston (5), Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald. Toni Foulkes (16), Ald. David Moore (17), Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22), Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29), Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35), Ald. Nick Sposato (38) and Ald. John Arena (45).

The new terms for Chicago’s elected officials commenced Monday at a packed Chicago Theater with a stage full of celebrating politicals, their families, and concluded with a speech from Mayor Rahm Emanuel that was long on aspirations and short on solutions.

As inaugurations tend to be, the event had plenty of symbolism. Bookended by a blessing from a West Side, predominately Latino church and a passionate rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” from the South Side-based Chicago Children’s Choir, Mayor Emanuel’s nineteen minute speech focused on Chicago’s duty to its youth and the need to recover a “lost generation” in some of Chicago’s most disadvantaged communities. The speech mentioned “youth” or “children” 36 times, but only mentioned “pension” once, with no word of the city’s budget woes.

The speech sidestepped specific policy goals and the fiscal problems looming over city government. As many other news outlets have pointed out, because of our money problems, it seems that the big pieces of Chicago’s future will be decided over a table in Springfield, not City Hall. Emanuel chose to not only ignore that fact–recently brought home by Gov. Bruce Rauner in a speech to City Council–but talk about something else entirely.

The audience, chock full of mayoral supporters and aldermanic friends and family, cheered on the Mayor’s speech, roaring with approval at its completion–with a vitality only matched by the greeting given to former Mayor Richard M. Daley and former President Bill Clinton when they took the stage at the beginning of the ceremonies.

In contrast to the 2011 inauguration ceremonies, which was held outdoors at the Pritzker Pavilion and open to the general public, getting into this year’s event required tickets and for attendees to squeeze through a phalanx of Chicago police. A highly controlled event, there were still a few unplanned moments, such as the reappearance of the guy who had yelled, “Nice!” at Emanuel’s Election Night party; he somehow figured out how to reprise his line at the top of his lungs about eight times during the ceremonies.

But even before the Mayor took over the mic to discuss Chicago’s most vulnerable–he was the penultimate speaker–several speakers referenced the same theme.

The inauguration included the showstopping poem from Harold Green III, “Something to Live For”, which illustrates the struggles many living in poverty face, and the blessing administered by Fellowship Flock Church Pastor Lynette Santiago, who gave a modern take on the Christian Beatitudes, which asks those to bless those less fortunate.

Speaking after the festivities, several aldermen praised the Mayor for addressing what they believe to be an issue that doesn't get a lot of attention at City Hall. And when asked if the Mayor should have spent more time on addressing the city's financial issues, many aldermen agree that just because it wasn't discussed, it doesn't mean everyone isn’t thinking about it.

Ald. George Cardenas (12) called the inaugural speech “very motivational” and praised the Mayor for “sending a strong message of optimism.” When asked about the Mayor’s decision to sidestep the issue of the city’s finances, Ald. Cardenas said it was “more important” for the City Council to, “talk about the little things that mean a lot”, adding, “I think the financial piece we’ll figure it out. I think eventually we’ll come to terms that there are some things that we need to put on the table and make some concessions to get our house in order.”

Aldermen Willie Cochran (20), Walter Burnett (27), and Joe Moore (49) agree.

“His speech was directed straight at the areas where we have the biggest challenges in our community: focusing on family, resources, support, and overcoming challenges,” Ald. Cochran said, adding the state of the city and state’s finances aren’t,  “something we are unfamiliar with.”

“I thought it was timely, fitting,” Ald. Burnett, one of the Mayor’s biggest supporters in the Council, said of the Mayor’s focus on youth. “Of course we did not talk much about the financial challenges we have ahead of us. I thought something would be spoken about that.” Burnett added, “I think that making sure our kids are safe and get a good education is all part of our financial challenges,” Burnett said both issues go, “hand-in-hand.” Burnett also suggested the theme was a decision likely made following the reaction Emanuel received on the campaign trail. “I think that really gave him a really great opportunity to get more engaged in the communities and feel the pulse [...] and I think the best of us have to help the rest of us.”

Ald. Moore was equally surprised, but not without praise for Emanuel. “I think everyone was expecting to have, yet another address on the city’s fiscal crisis,” Ald. Moore said. “We’re all very aware that we have some very tough decisions to make, but far too often ignored in the political discourse is the crisis facing our young people.” Ald. Moore’s Ward, which includes Rogers Park, is plagued with much of the youth violence and poverty the Mayor addressed in the speech.

Even Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), a member of the Progressive Caucus, commended Emanuel for giving a  “hopeful” speech and liked the Mayor’s promise of  increased cooperation with the City Council, something Ald. Sawyer says was missing during Emanuel’s first term. “I am happy to talk to [Mayor Emanuel] at any time,” Sawyer said. “You know, I’ve already talked to him more this term than I had the whole first term. The cooperation has been really great, so I am really encouraged by that.”

New Alderman Milly Santiago (31), who ran as a “progressive” and aligned her runoff campaign with Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, also defended the Mayor for not addressing the financial issues facing the city, saying there is a time and place for such a discussion and an inauguration isn’t one of them. When asked if she was surprised by the speech, Santiago responded, “Remember, this is a day of celebration, and I think people expected some sort of a soft statement, a soft speech to welcome all the new members of [the] City Council.” She says she and the other new members had a recent discussion with the Mayor on the “tough issues [they’ll] be facing”. She plans to  “compromise and work” with the Mayor “in any way possible, if the changes and and his promises are real”.

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) replied in similar fashion. “I think that we all know that is the issue and we are going to be addressing that. I think today what the Mayor was doing was reaching out to all of Chicago to get engaged and help solve this problem.” Thompson added, “Obviously, financially, we want to leave this place better to the next generation than we had it, and our parents did a good job [..] We want to make sure that we engage the youth because they are the new leaders of tomorrow. So, I think, it’s important to have them involved.” Ald. Thompson said that when the time does come to discuss the city’s finances, “everything will be on the table” when the city looks for new sources of revenue.

Unlike his peers, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) was not as thrilled about or encouraged by the Mayor’s pivot to disenfranchised youth. “He didn’t mention the words pension, finances, or the crisis that we have in those areas,” Ald. Waguespack said, calling it a “lost opportunity” to detail a plan and suggested the Mayor’s silence indicated there isn’t a plan. “You can’t address the death and destruction and the poverty and the  education woes that we have without fixing the finances at the same time,” Ald. Waguespack said a lot of communities and local organizations are already working on the issues related to the Mayor’s speech and it will be the job of the Progressive Caucus to keep Mayor Emanuel accountable and focused on addressing the city’s pension debt, which Ald. Waguespack called a funding issue. “The whole city is counting on us to do that. I don’t think anyone else will.  We have to step up and we’re going to have to provide solutions.”

Today Aldermen, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Treasurer Kurt Summers and Clerk Susana Mendoza will be sworn in for a new four year term at 10:30 a.m. at the Chicago Theater. The event is invitation only. Aldertrack will be tweeting photos from the event along with our usual witty observations.

If you've missed it, we've been running profiles of all the incoming new aldermen. We also interviewed a few during the election cycle. Here's links to the video interviews, campaign debates and the profiles we've done so far.

2nd Ward – Brian Hopkins - Video Interview - Profile
10th Ward – Susan Sadlowski Garza - Debate
15th Ward – Raymond Lopez - Video Interview - Debate - Profile
17th Ward – David Moore - Profile
18th Ward – Derrick Curtis - Video Interview
24th Ward – Michael Scott, Jr. - Video Interview - Debate - Profile
26th Ward – Robert Maldonado - Video Interview
29th Ward – Chris Taliaferro - Debate - Profile
31st Ward – Milly Santiago - Video Interview - Profile
35th Ward – Carlos Rosa - Video Interview - Profile
41st Ward – Anthony Napolitano - Profile

Susan Sadlowski Garza will become the first Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) member to serve on the City Council when she is officially sworn in to office today. She says the biggest change to come to the 10th Ward–which was helmed by John Pope for 16 years–boils down to one issue: more community input.

And for Garza, who represents a ward with some of the fewest boundary changes in the city, a former industrial powerhouse until the late 1990s, that doesn’t just mean constituent services. The 10th Ward is home to one of the biggest plots of undeveloped land, roughly 600 acres of prime real estate on Chicago’s lakefront. It’s the last and largest piece of undeveloped lakefront land in the city, and Garza wants complete transparency between the site’s developers, McCaffrey Interests, and the residents who live near by.

“I want to make sure that whatever is put there is a green [project] with union-led jobs, and that people in the neighborhood have a say in what is happening. We need to have a community benefits agreement,” Garza said, adding that she is  looking forward to sitting down with the developer to work out a plan for the former U.S. Steel South Works site that first opened in 1901.

McCaffery Interests is partnering with U.S Steel to develop the land. They have proposed building more than 13,000 single family and high rise units, 17.5 million square feet of retail space, 125 acres of open park space, a marina with docking stations and a new high school. The city has already rerouted and built a new South Shore Drive, U.S. 41, through the site.

Garza is not opposed to development. In fact, she say there has been too little investment in the area, and most of the ward is old and in need of serious repair. “I just don’t want gentrification [and] there has to be affordable housing,” Garza adds.

Garza is a lifelong resident of the 10th Ward and has worked for Chicago Public Schools for 20 years. Her last job prior to her election was as an Area Vice-President of the CTU. She oversaw 69 schools, including all public schools in the 10th Ward. A daughter of one of Chicago’s last regional Steelworkers' District leaders, Ed Sadlowski, Garza has strong labor ties, which came in handy this election cycle. The labor umbrella group United Working Families (UWF) put a significant amount of money and manpower to help her through the runoff, one of the biggest fights after during the runoff.

Garza was named the official winner of the 10th Ward race when the Board of Elections certified the results on April 23rd, but with the threat of legal action from the Pope campaign, she remained in limbo up until last week, when Pope withdrew his court petition and conceded the race. On reflecting on the extended campaign, Garza laughed and said, “It was a long couple of weeks. Let me tell you.”  She adds that she is ready to move forward and get started on the following priorities.

Citywide Priorities: Creating an elected School Board, addressing the pension crisis and finding different revenue sources, like expanding the sales tax, are at the top of Garza’s list. Being the only CTU member on the City Council, Garza says that gives her an advantage of, “having a deep inside of what goes on inside the [city’s] schools”. When asked if she thinks the City Council should have more oversight of CPS, she said “absolutely not”, because she believes educators are the only ones who should be making decisions on education policy.

Local Priorities: In addition to the development project on the lakeshore, Garza will focus most of her energy on building up her constituent service office. She accused incumbent alderman John Pope of having too little transparency in the ward. She plans to institute participatory budgeting and form advisory committees on education, traffic, safety, and business, so that, “everyone has a say in how it’s done”. She says she has already received numerous calls and had “so people walk into her office” to say that they are excited to get started on putting everything together.

Caucus Alignment: Garza is committed to the Progressive Caucus and will consider joining others after she gets settled. She says that she has already received a lot of help with the transition from Ed Burke (14), Pat O’Connor (40), and Rick Munoz (22).

Ward Office: 10500 S. Ewing Ave.

Following yesterday's returns, the clearest change in City Council will be the growth of the Progressive Caucus. Formerly seven members, the new caucus could double to as many as fourteen members when Council is sworn in on May 18. As of today there are ten declared members with settled elections, three declared members still in undecided elections and one other, the 41st Ward's Alderman-Elect Anthony Napolitano, has "been considering" joining the Progressive Caucus, according to campaign staff. Aldermen With Declared Intention To Join Progressive Caucus 5 - Leslie Hairston 6 - Roderick Sawyer 17 - David Moore (elect) 22 - Ricardo Muñoz 29 - Chris Taliaferro (elect) 32 - Scott Waguespack 35 - Carlos Rosa (elect) 36 - Gilbert Villegas (elect) 38 - Nicolas Sposato 45 - John Arena Campaigns Still Unsettled, With Potential Progressive Caucus Members 10 - Susan Sadlowski Garza 16 - Toni Foulkes 31 - Milagros "Milly" Santiago

New Members of City Council

2nd Ward - Brian Hopkins 7th Ward - Greg Mitchell 11th Ward - Patrick Daley Thompson 15th Ward - Raymond Lopez 17th Ward - David Moore 18th Ward - Derrick Curtis 24th Ward - Michael Scott, Jr. 29th Ward - Chris Taliaferro 35th Ward - Carlos Rosa 36th Ward - Gilbert Villegas 41st Ward - Anthony Napolitano Five Remaining Aldermanic Races To Be Determined by Claudia Morell - [email protected] This afternoon at a McKinley Park warehouse used by the Chicago Board of Elections, dozens of campaign staff and media watched Board officials count a few remaining precincts in the 10th, 16th, 21st, 31st, and 43rd Wards that were unable to be transmitted to Board headquarters on election night as well as a pair of recounts for precincts in the 21st and 31st Wards.

The Finance Committee approved $771,320 in legal settlements related to a class action lawsuit filed against illegal permit parking receipts and a medical malpractice suit. They also approved additional bonds to the Goldblatt’s senior living center project in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Complete agenda.

The committee met briefly Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Originally scheduled for the morning, Ald. Ed Burke (14) changed the time so he could spend the morning with Ald. James Balcer (11) at O’Hare Field for a ceremonial return of a fallen soldier.

Committee members present (6 of 34 members): Chairman Ed Burke (14), Marty Quinn (13), Willie Cochran (20), Howard Brookins Jr. (21), Jason Ervin (28), Ariel Reboyras (30).

The committee approved two legal settlements totalling $771,320 brought by the city’s Law Department.

1. Scott D.H. Redman. individual and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff. v. City of Chicago, Defendant, cited as 13 C 3810. [Amount $571,320]

On May 17, 2013, Scott D.H. Redman used his credit card to buy a residential parking permit and noticed the city-contracted vendor put too much of his credit card information on the receipt, which is against the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, or FACTA statute, so he filed a class action lawsuit against the city, according to Leslie Darling, 1st Assistant Corporation Counsel, who testified on behalf of the City’s Law Department.

According to FACTA, it is illegal for a customer receipt to display more than five digits of a credit card number and the card’s expiration date. Darling says the city didn’t know about the non-compliant customer recipients until Redman filed the class action lawsuit against the city. She adds that the issue has been fixed and the vendor will reimburse the city for the full cost of the settlement, which is 20% of the Redman’s original demand of $2.75 million. Redman has filed several of these types of complaints,  according to court records.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28), the only committee member to question Darling’s testimony, wanted to know how many people received noncompliant receipts. Darling responded that 19,044 noncompliant receipts were issued between Jan 21st 2013 and May 29, 2013. She says that those people will be notified once the full council approves the settlement, which amounts to $30 per receipt.

2. Linda Jackson v Dr. Edward J. Potash and City of Chicago, cited as 10 L 011424 [Amount: $200,000]

Linda Jackson suffered lithium toxicity and kidney damage caused by a perscription she received from a doctor at one of the city run health clinics. She now receives kidney dialysis three times a week while she awaits a kidney transplant. According to Darling, “The prescribing doctor acknowledged, in his testimony, a lapse of judgement and that his prescription and combination with the lithium was not recommended in the absence of close monitoring of the patient’s blood values, which was not done here.” Darling says the settlement is a, “cost effective measure to limit the city’s financial exposure,” and Ald. Burke agreed calling it a, “pretty good deal for the taxpayers”. The committee approved the settlement without any questions.

3. A communication recommending the proposed ordinance authorizing the City to enter into and execute a Loan Agreement with Goldblatts, the authority to issue City of Chicago Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds, Series 2015, (Goldblatts Supportive Living Project), and a Supplement to the Loan Agreement with Goldblatts of Chicago Limited Partnership. Amount of bonds not to exceed: $2,500,000 

The third item on the agenda, brought by the Department of Planning and Development and the Mayor’s Office, asks the city to approve the issuance of additional City of Chicago Multi-Family Revenue Bonds to pay for higher than expected construction costs associated with the Goldblatts Supporting Living Project. The bonds would be capped at $2.5 million. Cities approve these federal bonds to help finance the construction of multi-family housing projects catered to low-income families or elderly residents, the latter of which applies to this case.

The city already issued $18 million dollars worth of multi-family revenue bonds and and approved a $3.9 million dollar loan to help pay for the redevelopment plan to turn the historic Goldblatts Department Store building in the Back of the Yards neighborhood into a senior living center with 101-units.

But according to Lawrence Grisham, who testified on behalf of the Planning Department, additional bonds are needed because of higher project costs due to, “the historic preservation of the building,” and, “structural issues discovered during construction”. Grisham says the city needs to issue a new set of bonds because the original bond agreement, approved by the council in 2013, said the city-issued multi-family revenue bonds must pay for 50% of the project. Since the project costs more than expected, more bonds must be issued so the project does not fail the “50% test”. The committee approved.

Ald. Willie Cochran (20) testified in favor of the bonds. The project is in his ward and he says he is “very proud” of this project because it helps a vulnerable population and preserves a city landmark. Ald. Burke also spoke in favor and reminisced on the fact that the department store use to be in the 14th Ward.

Ald. Burke also deferred one of the eight items on the agenda–a proposed ordinance to exempt and alter certain permit fees Special Service Areas (SSAs) have to pay to the city–because the sponsor, Ald. Joe Moreno (1), had a prior engagement and could not attend Friday’s meeting. The ordinance [O2014-6897] will be on next week’s Finance Committee agenda. There is also a public hearing for the Goldblatts bonds scheduled for the same day.

Items 4-8, filed under “Miscellaneous” business, passed without discussion because they are “routine matters.”

4. One proposed order authorizing two applications for City of Chicago Charitable Solution (Tag Day) permits.

A. Hegewisch Girls Softball League
May 29-30,2015
Citywide

B. RTW Veterans Center
June 24, 2015 - August 24, 2015
Citywide

5. Four (4) orders authorizing the payment of hospital and medical expenses of police officers and firefighters injured in the line of duty.

6. A proposed order authorizing the payment of various small claims against the City of Chicago.

7. A proposed order denying the payment of various small claims against the City of Chicago.

8. A proposed order authorizing the payment of senior citizen rebate sewer claims.

Newly-elected Alderman Chris Taliferro has quite a term ahead of him. Just days after the City of Chicago’s bond rating was dropped to “junk” and the state’s pension plan was ruled unconstitutional, the 29th Ward alderman predicted the pension problem will be Council’s top priority, “I have no doubt.”

Taliaferro says the rush of the past few days preparing for his new term have been a blur. He’s an attorney and is upset that he hasn’t had time to read the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision yet. But as a former police officer expecting a pension, he says he agrees with the ruling. “I know it’s unconstitutional to reduce or remove or take any benefits that were bargained for,” he tells Aldertrack, “It really affects my pension as well, through the Chicago Police Department.”

This is Taliferro’s first elected office. He defeated Ald. Deborah Graham, who had big backing from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Forward–together, they donated $120,000 to her campaign. But Taliaferro came out on top April 7, with 52% of the vote.

Despite the enormous task of helping to set Chicago’s financial future straight, Taliaferro refuses to accept he’s facing big challenges. “I look forward to Monday. I have a vision for the residents of the 29th Ward and I know I’m going to have their support 110%.”

Some of Taliferro’s other thoughts before Inauguration Day:

Top Priorities for 29th Ward: Taliaferro says he’s confronting two big tasks in the 29th ward, which includes Austin, Galewood and parts of Montclare, Belmont Heights and West Garfield Park: crime and economic development. The Ald.-Elect says that might sound like a familiar refrain from his ward’s alderman, but he says, “there are several businesses that approached me about coming to Austin. These are ones that want to grow with the community.”

But first, he says, Austin has to solve its crime problem. Taliferro is a former Marine who taught weapons and tactics during Operation Desert Storm, and started serving with the Chicago Police Department in 1994. He currently serves as a sergeant in the 25th District, which includes Austin. “We have to reduce crime, especially in summer months.”

Taliferro says he’s entertained the idea of creating a police substation in areas that need them most. He says Cook County 1st District Commissioner Richard Boykin has brought up the idea of bringing in the Cook County Sheriff's Department to help the Chicago Police Department.

“Once we clean up the crime or reduce the crime, I think that is such a rich, rich area” that businesses will make their way to Austin.

Possible partners on Council: Taliaferro wouldn’t disclose which aldermen he plans to work with, but says he’s “reached out, sat down, had lunch, gone by their offices,” and several aldermen have offered guidance. He says he is a member of the Progressive Caucus and has plans to join the Black Caucus.

Committee interests: The Ald.-Elect says serving on Public Safety is a natural fit, but he’s under the impression he’ll serve on four or more others.

What he wants others to know about the 29th Ward: “I think we’re going to fight hard to change the misconception of the West Side particularly. The West Side is a rich and vibrant community, so we’re going to fight hard to rejuvenate and revitalize it. It’s not just known for crime or being an impoverished community or the unemployment rate. It’s a great community to live in.”

Other details: His chief of staff will be Pamela Anderson, and his ward office will be located at 6272 W. North Ave.