July 26, 2006
"HUMPTY DUMPTY" STROGER'S POLITCIAL EMPIRE IN DANGER
If the Stroger Succession is a fairy tale, no happy ending is guaranteed. Todd wants to take the golden slipper from dad John and become Cook County board president. But it's quite possible that Humpty Dumpty is more applicable. Will county votes gag at the switcheroo and elect Republican Tony Peraica instead? Stroger's 8th Ward is overloaded with county jobs, as is the 7th. John Stroger, commissioner since 1970 and president since 1994, resigned all his posts. Son Todd, the 8th Ward alderman, became committeeman and president nominee; 7th Ward Alderman Bill Beavers got John's nomination for county commissioner. They're a Tag Team. Todd will be the "black face" of county government, protect his ward's jobs, and do what John Daley tells him. Beavers will have a vote, and keep support for Todd firm. There's a trickle-down effect. If Todd loses, his aldermanic seat is in jeopardy. And Beavers will have trouble handing off his aldermanic job to daughter Darcel, who will likely face Sandy Jackson, wife of U.S. Rep, Jesse Jackson Jr., in the 2007 ward race. Full Article...
July 19, 2006
BUYERS' MARKET DIMS AREA HOUSING VALUES
The long-anticipated "buyers' market" has finally exploded onto the real estate scene. The sale price of existing housing is stagnating, and marketing time is lengthening. Over the past 15 years, in the sizzling "sellers' market," housing demand was so intense that sellers got 95 percent of the sale price, and the property was sold within days. A buyer's mentality in a buyers' market is: Take my offer, or shove it. Offers usually start at 75% of the asking price, and sellers need to grab it if they want a quick sale. Sellers are frustrated, as they've read media stories about soaring property values. Realtors are frustrated, as they've told their clients that their property is worth the asking price. And creeping interest rates have flattened the refinance market, and are discouraging new purchases. It's attitude adjustment time: Your property isn't worth what you think it is. Full Article...
July 12, 2006
CITY PRECINCT WORKERS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
Chicago's army of Democratic precinct captains just ain't what it used to be. In those halcyon Days of Yore, when Richard J. Daley ruled the Machine, all of Chicago's 3,500 precincts, in all 50 wards, had a "captain," as well as a number of assistant captains. That "captain" had a city or county job, was on call 24/7, and served as the precinct's ombudsman. Any problem, be it personal, family, or criminal, was then taken to the alderman, who took it to City Hall, and got the favor done. And the quid pro quo was a vote in the next election. But those days are over. Voters don't ask for favors. They demand services. And the role of the precinct captain has withered; their main job now is to accumulate petition signatures, and to have an election day presence. As the Hired Truck scandal indicated, Mayor Rich Daley used city patronage to create a "flying squadron" of city workers (through the HDO and other groups) to invade various wards and work for his candidates. That will soon end. But with 50,000 city and county jobholders, somebody will eventually find some way to extract their time and money. Full Article...
July 5, 2006
"PERESTROIKA" ARRIVES IN SHILLER'S 46TH WARD
It is often said that conservatives, over time, become less conservative, and liberals become more liberal. But Chicago Alderman Helen Shiller's durable 46th Ward Commune, with it's share-the-wealth, soak-the-rich, feed-the-poor, and stop commercial and residential development philosophy, is unique unto itself -- like a Third World country. But the "people's socialist revolution" is over. "Perestroika" -- the accommodation of communism to the inevitability of capitalism -- has finally arrived in the 46th Ward, and has been tentatively embraced by Shiller, who is now a staunch supporter of Mayor Rich Daley. Low-income housing in the Uptown ward is being replaced by upscale condos, two-flats and townhouses. The ward's "have not" majority is now a slight minority. Shiller has been endorsed by Daley for 2007, and City Hall is backing Wilson Yard, 5 acres of commercial development and "mixed income" residences at Montrose-Broadway. Nearby yuppies are incensed. They don't want any more subsidized housing. Shiller will likely win again, but it will be her last term. Full Article...
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