The debate over the new ward boundaries for the city (and obviously the Sloop) is set to shake things up as we head into the future. As most of us know, Bob Fioretti has manned most of our neighborhood these past couple of years. This could be changing.The Chicago Journal has a good article summarizing the various proposed changes for the neighborhood:
Two dueling maps are aiming to redraw Chicago’s political battle lines, and both upset the apple cart for aldermen in the South Loop, adding new politicians to the dense area’s mix.
One map, led by the council’s Hispanic Caucus and independents, adds two new aldermen to the South Loop, splitting the neighborhood between a total of four representatives in city council. Another, submitted by the council’s Black Caucus and old-school Democrats, would keep the South Loop mainly in two wards, save for a few small slices.
The neighborhood’s massive population boom in the last 10 years made the 2nd Ward one of the few in the city that gained population, while most others lost people. Though it’s often used as a political tool, the remap’s goal is ostensibly to balance out the population between the wards.
For those of you who are more visual here are two links to the different proposals:
- Hispanic Caucus and independents (map on page 3) - split Sloop with 4 aldermen
- Black Caucus and old-school Democrats (map towards the end and above) - keep Sloop with 2 aldermen
On one hand, it would be good to see one "alderman" be our point person and to be THE person that we go to when we need something done for the betterment of the neighborhood. On the other hand, our neighborhood has seen explosive population growth and maybe we deserve to have numerous aldermen fighting for our interests in city hall.
Let's hear your thoughts?
(Hat tip: SC!)