...And That's
My Opinion©
By Sandy Goldman
The Rogers Park Community
Curmudgeon
Some Get It Right - Some Get It Wrong
Lerner Columnist Marcella Tardy Got It Right!
In her "And by The Way" column
of April 5, 2000, Marcella said that several people came to a down-zoning
meeting to hear Alderman Joe Moore answer a question asked by community
resident David Stahr.
She's right!
The question was about $57,100
contributed by developers and real estate interests to the Alderman's recent
campaign and about the $105,218 borrowed from various other Democratic
political committees and from his father. Mr. Stahr asked if that would make
Alderman Moore beholden to developers and real estate interests. A handout
flyer distributed at the meeting states "special interests give campaign
contributions to gain access and influence the decisions of elected
officials." Mr. Stahr asked whether attempts to repay the loans would open
the Alderman to a serious conflict of interest in development projects in the
49th Ward. (To read electronic filings of contributors
go to www.elections.state.il.us/CDS/Pages/FiledDocList.asp?)
The question was ruled "out of
order" by the facilitator, an affable gentleman who I have known for many
years. He is the immediate past president of the New Rogers Park
Community Council and is their representative on the Alderman's Zoning Advisory
Committee.
It grieves me to say that in fact it was
the arbitrary decision that was out of order. At no time was there any
statement or declaration that the meeting would be held in accordance with
Roberts Rules of Order or any other parameters.
The facilitator was obliged to let the
question stand. Then the Alderman could choose to respond or not respond.
Alderman Moore is perfectly capable of defending himself, as he did in Marcella
Tardy's column, albeit out of the public glare with no opportunity for rebuttal.
Many people did come to the meeting to
HEAR Alderman Moore instead of READING it in the Lerner Newspaper.
They deserved no less!
It used to be, during the term of Jimmy
Carter, that I believed some government officials were beyond reproach, but
since Larry Bloom and the goings-on at City Hall and the Secretary of State's
Office, I can no longer hold that opinion.
In days gone by, community organizations
and block clubs would act as ombudsmen and a sort of "loyal
opposition" up and down the governmental hierarchy. Today, for reasons
best known to only a few, they seem to act not only as shields, but shills!
¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
The News Media Continue to Get It Wrong
If you grew up in Chicago, you knew that
you lived in a certain neighborhood. There is Rogers Park, Lakeview,
Belmont-Cragin and Roseland. If you were Catholic there was even a further
delineation; you lived in Rogers Park in St. Jerome, St Ignatius, or St.
Margaret Mary parish, with a sub-division, if you were a kid, such as "the
Patch", "Vienna" or "the Blacktop" (but that's a
different story).
There are 77 distinct neighborhoods in
Chicago, from Rogers Park, designated on city maps as Area #1, all the way to
Edgewater - Area #77, even though it is the neighborhood area immediately south
of Rogers Park.
Last week a newscaster on WGN-TV referred
to a fire at 6144 N. Winthrop as occurring in Rogers Park. That address,
however, is in Edgewater. It is a fact that Edgewater (Area #77) begins at
Foster Avenue (5200 North) and runs along Lake Michigan and the east of Clark
Street, ending at Devon Avenue (6400 North). More often than not, the media
makes this error in stories dealing with fires, murders, rapes, muggings and
more. Often phone calls to correct these errors are met with hostility and
derision together with an attitude that "We can't possibly be wrong, we're
reporters."
Well they are wrong and they are guilty
of some pretty sloppy research or they using antiquated information and figures
which do not show Area #77 (Edgewater). Some time ago (perhaps 20 years),
Community Area #1 was divided. One portion was Rogers Park (Area #1) and a new
area was created, designated Edgewater (Area #77), thus the non-sequential
numbers. Census information from 1980 might still show Area #1 extending south
to Foster Avenue (5200 North), as do some outdated maps.
One other inexcusable possibility is that
they are using the police station designation.
The officers came from the 24th District
whose headquarter building is called the Rogers Park Police Station. Their
domain goes from Juneway Terr. (7800 North) to Thorndale Avenue (5934 North) on
the south. Then it gerrymanders westward along Elmdale and Peterson (both of
which are 6000 north).
Part of the problem is that so many media
people have not grown up in Chicago. They come from out of town and move into
the suburbs or the high rent section of Lincoln Park, the Loop or Near North.
The importance of all this is that many
neighborhoods, and Rogers Park is one, are trying to rebuild, renew and attract
a healthy income mix. The continual erroneous reporting of the location of even
one bad news story tends to create a negative perception; one which multiplies
itself, causing irreparable harm to the diligent efforts of so many people.
...And that's my opinion.
And I'm Sandy Goldman
Send
me your e-mail address or those of others who would be interested and I'll add
them to my rapidly growing distribution list.
To Email Me: smgoldman@ameritech.net