The redrawing of the ward map is a hot topic around the city and today the aldermen approved a new ward map with the vote of 41-8. Most notable is the objection from Alderman Fioretti, who represents most of the South Loop. The Tribune sums it up:Less than two hours after putting the finishing touches on a new map of the city's 50 wards, the Chicago City Council approved it over the vehement objections of some aldermen whose political futures are imperiled by the redrawn boundaries.
The vote was 41-8, a strong enough majority to avoid putting dueling maps before voters in an election.
But the lopsided approval of the map does not avoid the possibility of a lawsuit, which several aldermen said was inevitable.
At issue were the different population sizes, with some South Side wards having more than 4,000 fewer constituents than their North Side counterparts. Some aldermen said those deviations violated the one-man, one-vote principle.
Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, whose ward was shifted from south and west of the Loop to a ribbon-shaped area south and west of Lincoln Park, decried what he called an unnecessary rush. There's no city election under the new boundaries until 2015.
An attempt by Fioretti and Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 36th, to invoke a routine delay of the vote, in part to give the public a chance to review it, was out-flanked by a parliamentary maneuver.
At one point before the meeting, Fioretti yelled at Maria Guerra, who works in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, as she explained the impending maneuver to him.
"Don't people have a right to see this?" he asked afterward.
It does seem strange that they can just shift an elected official out of the area that voted him into the office. We assume some legal wrangling is next up.
Anyway, somewhat connected and of interest to us is Fioretti's push to turn Motor Row into an entertainment district. It seemed like he had the vision for this, but given the newest developments it seems like this is going to take a back seat as Alderman Fioretti now has to fight for his "south side" life.
(Hat tip: ND!)
(Image from Chicago Tribune)
Losing him is Bad for the Sloop.
ReplyDeleteHis office is in the Sloop, now all the focus will be south of the sloop withthe new person. WEAK move
Terrible news for our "neighborhood", as this means the South Loop is now split among 4 wards!
ReplyDeleteSo, does this mean that we (in the South Loop) essentially have a lame duck alderman until 2015? With no incentive to improve anything, because he's gone at that point. Or, is it a possibility he would run again here, in 2015, to try and get some of his old territory back.
ReplyDeleteThis could be bad or good to lose Fioretti but how do we find out which of the 4 wards we are in? The map on the Trib's site is confusing.
ReplyDeleteMore confusion and less progress for Chicagoans...
ReplyDeleteI like Fioretti. This is BS!
ReplyDeleteThe timing of this and the way they are drawing the lines makes no sense. This is really bad for the Sloop.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anon @ 1:55pm. With the Trib's map, I cannot tell if I am in the 3rd or 4th Ward now. Does anyone know what the dividing streets are?
ReplyDeleteThis is garbage. How does it make sense for one ward to run roosevelt ect to Hyde park? Different demographics and needs. How can we stop this?
ReplyDeletecan someone explain how this will change the south loop i.e. taxes/development?
ReplyDeletethis news makes me sick to my stomach....i will be contacting my realitor soon
ReplyDeletethanks Rahm, you liberal corrupt piece of trash
It means all cash/focus will go way south to the hood and south of roosevelt is screwed
ReplyDeleteThey'll probably stop that awesome grocery store that was coming next year and push that further south
here's a better map (read 'em and weep): http://www.wbez.org/no-sidebar/approved-ward-map-95662
ReplyDeleteWe're screwed. Anyone south of Roosevelt.
ReplyDeleteI am sure Fioretti or his people read this blog...and to that point regardless of the mindless city board ( which we should all vote to fire whomever pushed this), we thank you ald. Fioretti for your efforts and passion to turn the sloop to the next great part of Chicago....we will fulfill that dream!
ReplyDeleteI am totally appalled by the map, most of the aldermen (excluding Fioretti), and the overall way this redistricting went. I was at the public meetings regarding the maps and heard person and person discuss their concerns. All of the aldermen (again, excluding Fioretti) were not listening, talking to each other, texting, etc. There really does not seem to be any regard to the neighborhoods or the people in the neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteOne person at the public meetings said something along the lines of, "this map is not the voters picking the map, it's the aldermen picking their votes."
Anyways, bottom line, this is horrible for South Loop and it's unfortunate for Fioretti. It's really disappointing that those who are supposed to have us and the city in their best interest is clearly not the case. Hopefully Fioretti will continue to be a great aldermen for this area until the change occurs in 2015.
I find it interesting and disturbing that the people here have the same negative attitude about our southern neighbors as our northern neighbors have of the sloop. The sloop should be rooting for the further development and stability of bronzeville aka douglas, it will help to strengthen this area.
ReplyDeleteYes it is possible that both areas can be developed at the same time and it will not take away from the sloop.
Being in good company like lakeview is with lincoln park, goldcoast/strretterville, etc. is good for us. That area needs the marciano store more than us(I know I went to school there) I really don't care about another grocery store although I think its a done deal and the store will be here soon.
There is a huge difference between douglas and englewood they aren't synonomous. I wonder have the people here actually ever visited the area or have some unbiased knowledge. The fact that people use the word bronzeville instead of the actual name is telling. If you haven't then u are just as bad as the people to the north who marginalise the sloop.
I think this a great opportunity to unite all the south loop neighborhood organizations/alliances and demand a referendum. Why are we keeping the status quo for the number of black wards when about 200,00 of them have fled the city? Oh I forgot they're the loudest group in the chamber, along with the Hispanic groups. Yet the quiet non-black, non-Hispanics get sacrificed to prevent racial council wars. Pathetic!
ReplyDeleteThese current area Alderman like Dowell, Will Burns, Solis, etc. who signed off on this legislation are proving with their signatures that they are racist hypocrites. The West Loop and the South Loop are two of few real diverse post racial areas in the city and these lying idiots just signed off on the most segregationist ordinances in Chicago history. In the future, if they every cry about problems of race, they should be pelted with empty beer bottles.
ReplyDeleteThere is no part of the current 2nd Ward that is even in the new 2nd Ward.
Here is who got screwed:
1. Voters in the entire current 2nd Ward who had our votes stolen by those above.
2. The Near North people who are now in an even worse gerrymandered is 2nd Ward.
3. Asian neighborhoods around Chintatown.
4. Successful, courageous educated people of all colors and backgrounds in the 2nd Ward, who contradicted the the historical Chicago model by creating model diverse neighborhoods of the Near South and Near West area in the last 15 years.
5. All Voters of Chicago
The other bad part of this move is that all the schools serving the current 2nd Ward area (South Loop, Jones, Skinner, etc.) are now divided up between several Alderman now, with no accountability to residents of this area that pour more than $100M a year in property taxes (of about 50% that goes to CPS funds). So now we loose our collective voice, and a key alley as our requirement for educational asset development and school reform will be left up to 4 or 5 Alderman who have atrocious records on setting high standards for educational delivery in their wards.
It was hard not to witness the tension that the current South Loop School principle had in having to deal with you 'crackers' and 'uncle toms' represented by Fioretti.
CPS wants no interference in their operation from an educated & organized community. Ditto for the Jones College Prep LSC, who do not like the idea that you Near South Crackers & successful 1%-er African Americans are potentially being given a neighborhood allotment to Jones, despite the $120,0000,000 from TIF funds you are paying for.
When I read that Alderman Dowell scuttled plans to make National Teachers Academy a more successful school for serving the growing Jr. high and High School age kids in the South Loop, Chinatown, and Near South side, I was shocked. Just look at the schools being closed in the 3rd & 4th Ward that support her current constituents. Is this her plan for the new 3rd Ward?
Breaking up an emerging neighborhood into multiple wards will spell certain death to any consistent and cohesive policy for us residents. This is a sad, yet typical, example of Chicago politics.
ReplyDeletethis map is totally confusing. When you go here and type in your address it tells you your new ward. But, for Printers Row, it tells me our new ward is 42, but the new map shows 4!
ReplyDeletehttp://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/ward-redistricting-2012/index.html#41.93548729665268,-87.73338317871094,11,0,0
"The fact that people use the word bronzeville instead of the actual name is telling."
ReplyDeleteSorry you are the confused one. Douglas is a community area, Bronzeville is a neighborhood within Douglas directly south of us.
And this isn't about keeping our neighbors to the south down. It's about having a voice that is heard. It's very clear they don't want to give the South Loop any power considering they went as far as to break us up into 2 completely nonsensical wards.
Absolutely disgusting.
you should call the city and have them take down that huge sign that says "BRONZEVILLE" at MLK and 23rd Tatiyana
ReplyDeleteJesus.....
TAYIAH,
ReplyDeleteYou are misreading or misunderstanding this as the new map has nothing to do with our views of the Southern Neighbors. Most agree and hope for a continued improvement of these areas like the Gap, Bronzeville, etc. Let private entities make that happen.
The primary anger is that the new ward assignment & borders of the West Loop & South Loop are based only on RACE, (and we won't even get into the probability that the Alderman who remain unscathed, are now compromised to owing their votes to the Machine that kept them there)
There was ZERO voter input, and the council's decision has nothing to do with more effectively ensuring a more accountable and less corrupt government that provides better city services, nor is it seeking a more cohesive development and deployment of community, educational, and infrastructure needs to continue this transformation.
It is also a slap in the face to the residents of two most diverse neighborhoods in the city, that have created model post-racial anchors, ready to grow South and West. Yet those that authored and signed this legislation are only seeking to maintain & further racists segregate policies in their in their non-diverse enclaves, but will be the FIRST to drop the race card when they appear on TV.
Sadly, and I like you was fooled with this "Hope & Change" mantra; many of these Alderman were spawn from the Obama tree that operates with the the philosophy of 'instead of letting people live together and build the best community for ALL residents, let a limited few in government pick the winners and losers (through racial gerrymandering or maenuvers), then throw in some good class warfare rhetoric, while providing just enough handouts to keep people down and dependent on these clowns', instead of getting out of the way and let them reach their god given potential.
It is pure Geographical Disenfranchisement! This city council, through devolution of Cook and Gov Quinn's ineptness, are increasingly giving themselves greater authority and responsibility to make policy for Chicago including social services, the provision of infrastructure, illegal immigration policy, and community planning with no voter control (see what Daley and these Alderman did with the our Parking Meter and Tollway money)
This political map, especially the loss of the 2nd Ward would be an easy lawsuit challenge. The supreme court has upheld many times since the early 1990's that even in trying to fulfill the equal protection act, that if a government entity gerrymanders a district into a bizarre shape on purely racial considerations, the government entity must have a compelling interest (a near impossibility), and even assuming such an interest exists, the government entity must be narrowly tailored to meet that interest.
For the new map, there is zero reason other than race here that can be proved by the city, factors that an appellate or supreme court would eat-up like:
1. All we have is one party to they can't prove political philosophy.
2. They openly declared the maps as "Black Caucus" and "Hispanic Caucus" and the Alderman numbers...dumb move by a bunch of lawyers.
3. The took what was an overwhelmingly majority race %, and flipped it into an clear minority (they would consider the huge incremental change)
4. There are very well documented city council approved community, social, and TIF development plans that articulate clear goals and action plans 100% contrary the stated reasoning they could ever lie about as their specific evidence for the Ward gerrymandering.
All it takes is one person to file the lawsuit.
Any lawyer out there want to do Pro Bono work on this?
ReplyDeleteI am up for a court room fight~
This battle is far from over. This map won't stand. We will get to vote for it in a referendum or we vote the aldercreatures out in 2015.
ReplyDeleteJust when we were starting to see some community and positive development in the South Loop...
ReplyDeleteThis is unbelieveable - I called Alderman Fioretti's office to discuss this issue and they want the 2nd Ward residents to stand up and scream about this. So, call the city, do you want can, shout from the rooftops about how unfair and inappropriate the new gerrymandered ward map is!
Strom Thurmond said....
ReplyDeleteThis is not as negative as you'all say it is. This helps the chances of creative politicians who will also be creative and effective governors.
Let the re-mapping commence!
couldn't fioretti run for 4th Ward in 2015, since that is where we have all ended up?
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know if we can collectively sue the city for making these unilateral changes? Eg. When I purchased my property in the 2nd ward a few years ago I did so because of the defined ward. Now my property value could be negatively impacted as potential buyers may see our new ward as less desirable. Note: I live in the Praire District. Thanks
ReplyDelete"does anyone know if we can collectively sue the city for making these unilateral changes?"
ReplyDeleteThere is a solid basis for suing the city on the grounds that there is a 9% disparity between the populations of the various wards, which violates the equal representation requirements.
In addition the Chinese community in Greater Chinatown (Chinatown proper plus the areas around Chinatown with large Chinese populations) has a basis for suing the city on the grounds that no Chinese influence (as opposed to majority) ward was created as is also required by the law.
We don't want Fioretti Back, he is extremely corrupt. Ask a few of the local business owners who have been shaken down by his $3500 per plate fundraisers... We also don't want Haithcock or anything close to as useless she was, (in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteWe did get screwed by new map, but it will be challenged and hopefully drawn out with my thought and consequence than appeasing "black caucus" alder creatures...
Also of note, the Supreme Court just handed down a 9-0 decision on Friday re: Texas Congressional districts... The Court seemed to hint that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (the part which brings us this ridiculous racial mapping process) was ripe for reconsideration.
ReplyDeleteIt will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out, especially if Section 5 is declared unconstitutional.
I'm breaking my rule about not responding to stupid comments.. 3,500 per plate is normal and they are politicians.
ReplyDelete$3500 or $200, a shake down is a shake down.
ReplyDeleteCan you be clearer about why this was a shakedown? Did the Alderman imply something bad would happen to business owners that didn't buy tickets? Do you have any evidence?
ReplyDeleteOF COURSE HE DOESNT
ReplyDeleteI would like to get the alderwoman back who had the big hat. She talked gibberish but it was funny.
ReplyDelete