July 5, 2006
"PERESTROIKA" ARRIVES IN SHILLER'S 46TH WARD
ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART
Almost 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and of communist domination of Eastern Europe, "perestroika" -- the attempt by Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to restructure that country's economy which paved the way for the fall of communism -- has finally arrived in the 46th Ward.
Long derided as the "Uptown Commune" and driven by Alderman Helen Shiller's vociferous soak-the-rich, share-the-wealth, feed-the-poor philosophy, the forces of Marxism-Leninism reigned supreme until recently. Shiller and her erstwhile allies such as Slim Coleman and his Heart of Uptown coalition, once would have joyously welcomed the ward becoming an appendage of Cuba or some other "people's socialist revolutionary" country. Now, incredibly, Shiller is doing a Gorbachev and capitulating to capitalism.
Rampaging free enterprise, as exemplified by the eradication of low-income housing and their replacement by upscale condos and two-flats, is epidemic in the 46th Ward. After decades of obstructionist tactics designed to delay or impede zoning changes and opposition to the elimination of taverns by voting precincts dry, Shiller has adjusted to reality, namely, that her ward cannot forever remain a Third World state.
Every wealthy property owner's entry into the ward, which precipitates the exit of some "poor" renter or homeless shelter dweller, causes Shiller's political base to wither. The anti-Shiller "haves" are inexorably outnumbering Shiller's "have-nots." Shiller was re-elected to her fifth term in 2003 by 1,704 votes, getting 58 percent of the votes cast, a veritable landslide given 46th Ward history. In that race, Shiller's foe was Democratic Committeeman Sandra Reed, who had Mayor Rich Daley's endorsement. Reed also ran in 1999, and Shiller won by 1,250 votes (55.5 percent). In 1995 Shiller beat Democratic Committeeman Bob Kuzas by 1,528 votes (57 percent), in 1991 she beat Mike Quigley (now a county commissioner) by 961 votes (52.9 percent), and she won her first term in 1987 by ousting incumbent Jerry Orbach by 498 votes (51.3 percent).
Shiller's vote trajectory appears to be upward, as her winning percentages are increasing. But the reality is that her raw vote has decreased. She had 9,751 votes in 1987, 8,613 in 1991, 5,988 in 1995, 6,272 in 1999 and 6,240 in 2003. Shiller's base vote is about 6,000, and it is declining slightly.
But, as Shiller, age 59, contemplates her prospects in the 2007 election, optimism reigns. That's because she has:
(A) Made an alliance with that flaming capitalist, Mayor Rich Daley, whom she supports on most City Council issues. She endorsed Daley in 2003, even though he endorsed Reed. She will do likewise in 2007, and Daley will endorse her.
(B) Got the mayor to back her signature ward redevelopment project, the Wilson Yard at Montrose Avenue and Broadway, which will contain 5 acres of commercial property and 500 "mixed-income" residential units. Opponents, such as the Uptown Neighborhood Council, are livid about the project's rental subsidies, public funding and unfocused commercial aspect. An Aldi store will lease space, but Target has yet to confirm, and the idea of movie theaters has collapsed. The city's planning department is proceeding to approve permits.
And (C) got her ally, Tom Sharpe, elected the ward's Democratic committeeman in 2004. Shiller and Sharpe were supporters of Harold Washington back in 1983, and Sharpe lost a bid for 1st Ward alderman in 1991. He moved to Uptown in 1996, and he filed to run against Reed in 2004. His attorneys challenged Reed's nominating petitions, and she was disqualified, so Sharpe won the committeemanship unopposed. "Helen never wanted to be committeeman, and now we have united all Democrats in the ward," said Sharpe, who is a county management analyst. Sharpe said his organization will back the Daley-Shiller ticket in 2007.
With Reed's removal, in only one of the 50 wards are the alderman and the Democratic committeeman antagonists: the South Side 2nd Ward, where Alderman Madeline Haithcock has long feuded with Democratic Committeeman (and U.S. Representative) Bobby Rush. In 2004 Alderman Gene Schulter (47th) finally won the ward committeemanship after Ed Kelly's retirement, and Sharpe took Reed's place in the 46th Ward.
For decades, Shiller was a loose cannon in City Hall, with her own foreign policy. She backed crackpot schemes like making her ward a "nuclear-free zone," which probably prompted the former Soviet Union to re-target their ICBM's north of Lawrence Avenue or west of Clark Street. She also introduced council resolutions to condemn South African apartheid and aid to the Nicaraguan contras and to increase funding for AIDS research.
Of late, Shiller has supported slavery reparations, enforcing the Shakman decree to ban political hiring, the smoking ban and "set asides" for affordable housing, and she opposed the Iraq War (supporting immediate troop withdrawal), the Patriot Act and the construction of Wal-Mart stores in the 21st and 37th wards. She supported the mayor's $5.1 billion 2005 budget, even though she had been a lone vote in opposition to the budget for decades.
According to Sharpe, Daley will endorse Shiller in 2007, and Shiller, despite all of the ethics problems in Daley's administration, will endorse the mayor.
Nevertheless, there is discontent in the ward, which extends from roughly Lawrence to Addison Street east of Clark. Buena Park, the area between Irving Park Road and Montrose, from Sheridan Road west, has long been a haven for crime, such as drug sales and prostitution; it also has a large homeless population and numerous shelters. That's changing, as young professionals flock into the northeast corner of the ward near Broadway and Lawrence, which elevates property values to the west. Soon the shelters -- which provide Shiller with a solid vote -- will be history.
Likewise, the expanse of Lakefront condominiums along Sheridan Road from Addison (3600 north) to Lawrence (4800 north) is gradually filling with affluent younger people who are replacing older Jewish residents. Shiller is Jewish, and those elderly condo owners have been loyal backers. That base is now evaporating.
Another key component of Shiller's political base has been gays, who make up about 15 percent of the ward's population. Shiller has been a fervent supporter of gay rights.
Many of those living in the ward's northwest corner (Lawrence to Foster Avenue between Broadway and Clark) occupy single-family dwellings and two-flats, and those buying rehabbed buildings or new construction in Buena Park are vociferously opposed to the Wilson Yards project. They view mixed-income housing as low-income housing, which undermines their property values. The leaders of the Uptown Neighborhood Council are Randy Lehner and Kathy Boyda. One could run for alderman. To date, nobody has announced against Shiller in 2007.
Sharpe's 2007 game plan is simple: Wrap herself in the cloak of Daley and the Democrats. Al Gore won the 46th Ward over George Bush in 2000 16,077-3,886, getting 80.5 percent of the vote. John Kerry won the ward in 2004 19,042-4,750 (80 percent). Voters in the ward, both haves and have-nots, are overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic. If Shiller runs as a traditional liberal Democrat, she wins, but the Bush vote makes a clear trend: The number of affluent Republican voters is increasing.
For 2007, Shiller's opposition is as yet undetermined. Reed, who is black, has been beaten twice, and she no longer is the committeeman; she has lost her credibility to run. Cindi Anderson, who got 10 percent of the vote in 1999, is not running, but Katherine Nathan, who got 20 percent in that election, might. "I don't expect any significant opposition (to Shiller)," Sharpe said.
The key is turnout. It was 19,963 in the 2000 presidential election and 23,792 in 2004. In aldermanic races it has declined from 19,004 in 1987, to 16,265 in 1991, to 11,294 in 1999 and to 10,776 in 2003. With Shiller's base around 6,000 votes, any 2007 foe needs a turnout in excess of 12,000. That won't happen.
The early outlook: An anti-Daley "wave" could jeopardize Shiller, especially since, according to Dick Simpson's recent City Council study, she has backed the mayor on 77 percent of the council's votes over the past 5 years. Longtime "independent" Shiller, now a Daley stooge, will win her sixth term in 2007, but it likely will be her last. By 2011 the ward's "haves" will have enough votes to elect a sympathetic alderman.
In a related matter, U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2) reportedly has decided not to run against Daley for mayor in 2007. Northwest Side Democratic Organization chairman Frank Coconate, who said that Jackson announced his decision in a late-June meeting, called Jackson "spineless." "He could have won," Coconate said. "Chicago voters are ready for change."
Without a credible anti-Daley contender, the opposition forces will find it difficult to field anti-Daley aldermanic candidates. Despite the plethora of convictions in the Hired Truck scandal, Chicago's "Teflon Mayor" looks like a winner in 2007.