Ward 49 of the City of Chicago includes most of Rogers Park and parts of West Ridge.
Showing posts with label Mayor Daley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayor Daley. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, December 10, 2007
Big Box Ordinance
Big Box Ordinance
Ordinance in Chicago requiring "big box" stores to pay higher wages passes
August 3, 2006
The Chicago city council passed an ordinance on Wednesday a week ago that requires retailers such as Target, Home Depot, and other big box-store operations to pay a higher wage than the state minimum and offer benefits to their employees within Chicago city limits. The mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, opposes the ordinance, though he has yet to state whether or not he intends to exercise his veto power. Because of the ordinance, Target has already put on hold the building of one store in Chicago's south side and other new developments are in jeopardy.
The ordinance applies to stores of at least 90,000 square feet operated by companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Starting in July of 2007, employees of these stores have a minimum wage $9.25 per hour and $1.50 per hour in benefits. By 2010, this will rise to $10 and $3, respectively. After 2010, the increases will be tied to the cost of living.
The current state mandated minimum hourly wage rate is $6.50 for an Illinois employee.
Sources
Ordinance in Chicago requiring "big box" stores to pay higher wages passes
August 3, 2006
The Chicago city council passed an ordinance on Wednesday a week ago that requires retailers such as Target, Home Depot, and other big box-store operations to pay a higher wage than the state minimum and offer benefits to their employees within Chicago city limits. The mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, opposes the ordinance, though he has yet to state whether or not he intends to exercise his veto power. Because of the ordinance, Target has already put on hold the building of one store in Chicago's south side and other new developments are in jeopardy.
The ordinance applies to stores of at least 90,000 square feet operated by companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Starting in July of 2007, employees of these stores have a minimum wage $9.25 per hour and $1.50 per hour in benefits. By 2010, this will rise to $10 and $3, respectively. After 2010, the increases will be tied to the cost of living.
The current state mandated minimum hourly wage rate is $6.50 for an Illinois employee.
Sources
- "Chicago City Council Approves 'Big-Box' Ordinance". Associated Press, July 26, 2006
- Fran Speilman "Boxed out: Target says forget it". Chicago Sun Times, August 3, 2006
- Gary Washburn "‘Big-Box’ ordinance puts new Target on hold". Chicago Tribune, August 3, 2006
- Ryan McMaken "Chicago Mandates a "Living Wage"". Ludwig von Mises Institute, 27 July 2006
- "Minimum Wage Laws In States". U.S. Department of Labor, April 3, 2006
Friday, December 7, 2007
Graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is often regarded by others as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism.
Gang relations with graffiti
Groups that live in industrial or poor areas may use graffiti for various purposes, especially if many groups populate one specific area or city. The main use is to mark either territory or "turf" by tagging a space such as a wall on building near or on the boundaries of a gang's turf to inform other gangs of their presence. Usually, this type of tag will have the name of the gang. They are also used to communicate with other gangs, usually to warn them of a coming assassination of a certain member, by either writing the member's street name and crossing it out, or by finding tags by the member and crossing them out.
If a gang overwrites another gang's tag, it is also the symbol of a takeover of a gang's turf or a sign of aggression toward the gang. While most cities now take measures to prevent this, such as washing or erasing tags, it was much more common in the mid 1980s when crime waves ran high.
Graffiti in Chicago
Chicago's mayor, Richard M. Daley created the "Graffiti Blasters" to eliminate graffiti and gang-related vandalism. The bureau advertises free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call. The bureau uses paints (common to the city's 'color scheme') and baking-soda based solvents to remove some varieties of graffiti.[30]
In 1992, an ordinance was passed in Chicago that bans the sale and possession of spray paint, and certain types of etching equipment and markers.[30] The law falls under Chapter 8-4: Public Peace & Welfare, Section 100: Vagrancy. The specific law (8-4-130) makes graffiti an offense that surpasses public drunkenness, peddling, or disruption of a religious service punitively with a fine of no less than $500 per incident.
See also
Vandalism
Visual pollution
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is often regarded by others as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism.
Gang relations with graffiti
Groups that live in industrial or poor areas may use graffiti for various purposes, especially if many groups populate one specific area or city. The main use is to mark either territory or "turf" by tagging a space such as a wall on building near or on the boundaries of a gang's turf to inform other gangs of their presence. Usually, this type of tag will have the name of the gang. They are also used to communicate with other gangs, usually to warn them of a coming assassination of a certain member, by either writing the member's street name and crossing it out, or by finding tags by the member and crossing them out.
If a gang overwrites another gang's tag, it is also the symbol of a takeover of a gang's turf or a sign of aggression toward the gang. While most cities now take measures to prevent this, such as washing or erasing tags, it was much more common in the mid 1980s when crime waves ran high.
Graffiti in Chicago
Chicago's mayor, Richard M. Daley created the "Graffiti Blasters" to eliminate graffiti and gang-related vandalism. The bureau advertises free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call. The bureau uses paints (common to the city's 'color scheme') and baking-soda based solvents to remove some varieties of graffiti.[30]
In 1992, an ordinance was passed in Chicago that bans the sale and possession of spray paint, and certain types of etching equipment and markers.[30] The law falls under Chapter 8-4: Public Peace & Welfare, Section 100: Vagrancy. The specific law (8-4-130) makes graffiti an offense that surpasses public drunkenness, peddling, or disruption of a religious service punitively with a fine of no less than $500 per incident.
See also
Vandalism
Visual pollution
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Graffiti Blasters
Graffiti Blasters
Graffiti Blasters is a program of the city government of Chicago, Illinois to eliminate graffiti and gang-related vandalism. It uses baking soda-based solvents and paints matching the city's official color scheme to erase all varieties of graffiti.
An initiative of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Graffiti Blasters costs about $4 million annually and promises free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call to 3-1-1. Prior to the program's inception, the city considered itself responsible for removing graffiti if it was on city property, but private property owners had to shoulder the cleanup costs for graffiti on their own property. Perhaps as a result, Graffiti Blasters has won much praise from landowners, business owners, as well as Chicagoans in general. By contrast, it has won much disdain from taggers and other groups, and a tagging crew called "FMD Crew" was formed in direct response.
In 1992, an ordinance was passed in Chicago that bans the sale and possession of spray paint, and certain types of etching equipment and markers.[1] The law falls under Chapter 8-4: Public Peace & Welfare, Section 100: Vagrancy. The specific law (8-4-130) makes graffiti an offense that surpasses public drunkenness, peddling, or disruption of a religious service punitively with a fine of no less than $500 per incident.
See Also
Vandal
External links
Official Chicago webpage with program information
Graffiti Blasters is a program of the city government of Chicago, Illinois to eliminate graffiti and gang-related vandalism. It uses baking soda-based solvents and paints matching the city's official color scheme to erase all varieties of graffiti.
An initiative of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Graffiti Blasters costs about $4 million annually and promises free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call to 3-1-1. Prior to the program's inception, the city considered itself responsible for removing graffiti if it was on city property, but private property owners had to shoulder the cleanup costs for graffiti on their own property. Perhaps as a result, Graffiti Blasters has won much praise from landowners, business owners, as well as Chicagoans in general. By contrast, it has won much disdain from taggers and other groups, and a tagging crew called "FMD Crew" was formed in direct response.
In 1992, an ordinance was passed in Chicago that bans the sale and possession of spray paint, and certain types of etching equipment and markers.[1] The law falls under Chapter 8-4: Public Peace & Welfare, Section 100: Vagrancy. The specific law (8-4-130) makes graffiti an offense that surpasses public drunkenness, peddling, or disruption of a religious service punitively with a fine of no less than $500 per incident.
See Also
Vandal
External links
Official Chicago webpage with program information
Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. His 2007 re-election set him to become the longest running Mayor in Chicago (a record currently held by his father Richard J. Daley), should he remain in office past December 25, 2010.
Chosen by Time Magazine in its April 25, 2005 issue as the best out of five mayors of large cities in the United States,[1] he has presided over such successes as the resurgence in tourism, the modernization of the Chicago Transit Authority, the building of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's North Side, as well as the near South and West sides. He remains widely popular with city residents, taking over 70% of the mayoral vote in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Recently, he has been in the public eye for playing a large role in making Chicago the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Daley is the fourth of seven children and eldest son of Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Daley, former mayor and first lady of Chicago, respectively. Originally from Bridgeport, a traditionally (and partially) Irish-American neighborhood located southwest of the Chicago Loop, Daley graduated from De La Salle Institute and obtained his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor from DePaul University. Prior to earning his law degree, Daley served in the Marine Reserves.[2]
Mayor Daley is married to Margaret Daley, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and is still undergoing treatment.[3] They have four children: Nora, Patrick, Elizabeth and Kevin. Daley's second son, Kevin, was thirty-three months old when he died of complications of spina bifida in 1981. Kevin's death still weighs heavily upon Daley; he typically refers to Kevin in the present tense, as if he were still alive.
Mayor Daley is brother to William M. Daley, former United States Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, and John P. Daley, a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Commissioners on which he serves as the finance chairman.
Daley grew up as, and is to this day, a fan of the Chicago White Sox over the crosstown Chicago Cubs.
Political beginnings
Daley was elected to his first public office as delegate to the 1969 Illinois Constitutional Convention. On the strength of his father's political machine, Daley next ran for and won a seat in the Illinois Senate, serving from 1972 to 1980. He left Springfield to become Cook County State's Attorney, serving from 1980 to 1989. Daley's tenure as county prosecutor was interrupted in 1983 with his first mayoral campaign, losing in the three-way primary to Congressman Harold Washington. Incumbent Jane Byrne, a former protege of Daley's father, was also defeated.
Four years later, on November 25, 1987, Washington died in office of a heart attack. The Chicago City Council elected an interim mayor, David Orr, who served from the day of Washington's death to December 2, 1987. As Orr stepped down, Eugene Sawyer won a special election. However, a second election was held in 1989 to fill the remaining two years of what would have been Washington's second term.
As a result, Sawyer faced voters for the first time, and Daley challenged him in the primary. After defeating Sawyer handily, Daley moved on to the April 4, 1989 general election against Aldermen Timothy C. Evans and Edward Vrdolyak, a former Democrat who had antagonized Washington on the city council while Washington served as mayor. After winning the general election, Daley took office as Mayor of Chicago on April 24, 1989.
Political positions
Despite Daley's opposition to the War in Iraq, his only surviving son Patrick enlisted in the U.S. Army and announced the decision publicly on November 30, 2004.
Daley has been a supporter of gun control, with a de facto ban on handguns in Chicago.[4] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[5] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.
Daley is also a supporter of LGBT rights and Chicago's gay community. Chicago hosted the Gay Games VII, with Mayor Daley officially opening the games at opening ceremonies.
Daley is helping create initiatives to increase green roof usage within the city. Chicago City Hall's own rooftop, completed in 2001, is a pilot of that program. His advocacy of cycling has led to proliferation of city bike lanes, bicycle racks and bike safety programs[3][4][5]. Another of his pet projects, and a quite successful one, was bringing the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum to a permanent home in Chicago.
Daley took over the Chicago school system in 1995,and has brought graduation rates up from 51% to 54%. Daley emphasizes that in order to keep the middle class from fleeing to the suburbs, a city needs a strong and effective school system, and he believes that such a school system is the first step to fighting urban crime and poverty.[6]
He appointed Lori Healey to direct the Department of Planning and Development in 2005, to encourage the revitalization of emerging neighborhoods.
Daley has also been an advocate for Chicago 2016 Olympic bid, which was selected as the United States Olympic Committee's applicant bid on April 14, 2007
Criticisms
Meigs Field
One of Daley's first major acts upon re-election on February 25, 2003 was the demolition of Meigs Field on March 30, 2003. A small lakefront airport adjacent to Soldier Field, it was used by general aviation aircraft and helicopters. Its single runway was demolished overnight, with work starting just as local news was going off the air, and with high powered lights being shone towards Lake Shore Drive to prevent photography of the destruction. A unilateral decision by the mayor without approval from the Chicago City Council or Federal Aviation Administration, the act resulted in public uproar. Aviation interest groups unsuccessfully attempted to sue the city into reopening the airport, claiming Daley had been trying to close Meigs Field with non-safety-related reasons since 1995 to create a park. However, the only citation handed over to the city concerned a failure to notify the federal agency of the plans within a thirty day time period as required by law. The city was fined $33,000, the maximum then allowed by law.
Other citations were not handed; the courts noted it was well within Daley's executive powers and jurisdiction to make the decision he made. The city has since agreed to a settlement with the FAA, the terms of which include both the $33,000 fine and the repayment of $1 million from taxes to federal airport development grants. The city admits no wrongdoing under this settlement.[7]
Daley and his supporters argued that the airport was a threat to Chicago's high-rise cityscape and its high profile skyscrapers, Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center. Daley defended his decision with the now-infamous quote "Mickey Mouse has a no-fly zone", referring to the restrictions in place over Orlando and Washington, D.C. and his longstanding conviction that Chicago should have similar restrictions. In reality, closing the airport made the airspace less restrictive. When the airport was open, downtown chicago was within Meigs Field's Class D airspace, requiring two-way radio communication with the tower[8]. The buildings in downtown
Chicago are now in Class E/G airspace, which allows any airplane to legally fly as close as 1000 feet from these buildings with no radio communication at all[9]
He also argued that the lakefront needs to be opened to all residents of Chicago, not just the relatively small portion of the population who have the necessary resources to operate an aircraft. This led to the development of current Northerly Island park venues, including a concert staging area.
Children's Museum
On September 28, 2007, Mayor Richard Daley's proposal—a new $100 million Chicago Children's Museum near the Grant Park playground—had been protested by Alderman Brendan Reilly, Figiel, Cate Plys and local residents.[14]
See also
Graffiti Blasters
External links
Article on Daley's Corruption
City of Chicago official site
Mayor Richard Daley 2007 official campaign site
CityMayors profile
Mayors Against Illegal Guns homepage
Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. His 2007 re-election set him to become the longest running Mayor in Chicago (a record currently held by his father Richard J. Daley), should he remain in office past December 25, 2010.
Chosen by Time Magazine in its April 25, 2005 issue as the best out of five mayors of large cities in the United States,[1] he has presided over such successes as the resurgence in tourism, the modernization of the Chicago Transit Authority, the building of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's North Side, as well as the near South and West sides. He remains widely popular with city residents, taking over 70% of the mayoral vote in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Recently, he has been in the public eye for playing a large role in making Chicago the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Daley is the fourth of seven children and eldest son of Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Daley, former mayor and first lady of Chicago, respectively. Originally from Bridgeport, a traditionally (and partially) Irish-American neighborhood located southwest of the Chicago Loop, Daley graduated from De La Salle Institute and obtained his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor from DePaul University. Prior to earning his law degree, Daley served in the Marine Reserves.[2]
Mayor Daley is married to Margaret Daley, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and is still undergoing treatment.[3] They have four children: Nora, Patrick, Elizabeth and Kevin. Daley's second son, Kevin, was thirty-three months old when he died of complications of spina bifida in 1981. Kevin's death still weighs heavily upon Daley; he typically refers to Kevin in the present tense, as if he were still alive.
Mayor Daley is brother to William M. Daley, former United States Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, and John P. Daley, a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Commissioners on which he serves as the finance chairman.
Daley grew up as, and is to this day, a fan of the Chicago White Sox over the crosstown Chicago Cubs.
Political beginnings
Daley was elected to his first public office as delegate to the 1969 Illinois Constitutional Convention. On the strength of his father's political machine, Daley next ran for and won a seat in the Illinois Senate, serving from 1972 to 1980. He left Springfield to become Cook County State's Attorney, serving from 1980 to 1989. Daley's tenure as county prosecutor was interrupted in 1983 with his first mayoral campaign, losing in the three-way primary to Congressman Harold Washington. Incumbent Jane Byrne, a former protege of Daley's father, was also defeated.
Four years later, on November 25, 1987, Washington died in office of a heart attack. The Chicago City Council elected an interim mayor, David Orr, who served from the day of Washington's death to December 2, 1987. As Orr stepped down, Eugene Sawyer won a special election. However, a second election was held in 1989 to fill the remaining two years of what would have been Washington's second term.
As a result, Sawyer faced voters for the first time, and Daley challenged him in the primary. After defeating Sawyer handily, Daley moved on to the April 4, 1989 general election against Aldermen Timothy C. Evans and Edward Vrdolyak, a former Democrat who had antagonized Washington on the city council while Washington served as mayor. After winning the general election, Daley took office as Mayor of Chicago on April 24, 1989.
Political positions
Despite Daley's opposition to the War in Iraq, his only surviving son Patrick enlisted in the U.S. Army and announced the decision publicly on November 30, 2004.
Daley has been a supporter of gun control, with a de facto ban on handguns in Chicago.[4] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[5] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.
Daley is also a supporter of LGBT rights and Chicago's gay community. Chicago hosted the Gay Games VII, with Mayor Daley officially opening the games at opening ceremonies.
Daley is helping create initiatives to increase green roof usage within the city. Chicago City Hall's own rooftop, completed in 2001, is a pilot of that program. His advocacy of cycling has led to proliferation of city bike lanes, bicycle racks and bike safety programs[3][4][5]. Another of his pet projects, and a quite successful one, was bringing the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum to a permanent home in Chicago.
Daley took over the Chicago school system in 1995,and has brought graduation rates up from 51% to 54%. Daley emphasizes that in order to keep the middle class from fleeing to the suburbs, a city needs a strong and effective school system, and he believes that such a school system is the first step to fighting urban crime and poverty.[6]
He appointed Lori Healey to direct the Department of Planning and Development in 2005, to encourage the revitalization of emerging neighborhoods.
Daley has also been an advocate for Chicago 2016 Olympic bid, which was selected as the United States Olympic Committee's applicant bid on April 14, 2007
Criticisms
Meigs Field
One of Daley's first major acts upon re-election on February 25, 2003 was the demolition of Meigs Field on March 30, 2003. A small lakefront airport adjacent to Soldier Field, it was used by general aviation aircraft and helicopters. Its single runway was demolished overnight, with work starting just as local news was going off the air, and with high powered lights being shone towards Lake Shore Drive to prevent photography of the destruction. A unilateral decision by the mayor without approval from the Chicago City Council or Federal Aviation Administration, the act resulted in public uproar. Aviation interest groups unsuccessfully attempted to sue the city into reopening the airport, claiming Daley had been trying to close Meigs Field with non-safety-related reasons since 1995 to create a park. However, the only citation handed over to the city concerned a failure to notify the federal agency of the plans within a thirty day time period as required by law. The city was fined $33,000, the maximum then allowed by law.
Other citations were not handed; the courts noted it was well within Daley's executive powers and jurisdiction to make the decision he made. The city has since agreed to a settlement with the FAA, the terms of which include both the $33,000 fine and the repayment of $1 million from taxes to federal airport development grants. The city admits no wrongdoing under this settlement.[7]
Daley and his supporters argued that the airport was a threat to Chicago's high-rise cityscape and its high profile skyscrapers, Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center. Daley defended his decision with the now-infamous quote "Mickey Mouse has a no-fly zone", referring to the restrictions in place over Orlando and Washington, D.C. and his longstanding conviction that Chicago should have similar restrictions. In reality, closing the airport made the airspace less restrictive. When the airport was open, downtown chicago was within Meigs Field's Class D airspace, requiring two-way radio communication with the tower[8]. The buildings in downtown
Chicago are now in Class E/G airspace, which allows any airplane to legally fly as close as 1000 feet from these buildings with no radio communication at all[9]
He also argued that the lakefront needs to be opened to all residents of Chicago, not just the relatively small portion of the population who have the necessary resources to operate an aircraft. This led to the development of current Northerly Island park venues, including a concert staging area.
Children's Museum
On September 28, 2007, Mayor Richard Daley's proposal—a new $100 million Chicago Children's Museum near the Grant Park playground—had been protested by Alderman Brendan Reilly, Figiel, Cate Plys and local residents.[14]
See also
Graffiti Blasters
External links
Article on Daley's Corruption
City of Chicago official site
Mayor Richard Daley 2007 official campaign site
CityMayors profile
Mayors Against Illegal Guns homepage
The Daley family
The Daley family
The Daley family is an American political family from Chicago that is deeply entrenched in a vast political machine system of Illinois. Two family members have held the office of the Mayor of Chicago. Some residents of the Daley family currently reside in Buffalo New York.
Notable members
Richard J. Daley (May 15, 1902–December 20, 1976)
Mayor of Chicago, 1955–1976
Eleanor "Sis" Daley (March 4, 1907-February 16, 2003)
Wife of Richard J. Daley
Richard M. Daley (born April 24, 1942)
Mayor of Chicago, 1989 – present
William M. Daley (born 1949)
U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1997–2000
John P. Daley
11th Ward Democratic Committeeman
Cook County Commissioner
See also
List of U.S. political families
The Daley family is an American political family from Chicago that is deeply entrenched in a vast political machine system of Illinois. Two family members have held the office of the Mayor of Chicago. Some residents of the Daley family currently reside in Buffalo New York.
Notable members
Richard J. Daley (May 15, 1902–December 20, 1976)
Mayor of Chicago, 1955–1976
Eleanor "Sis" Daley (March 4, 1907-February 16, 2003)
Wife of Richard J. Daley
Richard M. Daley (born April 24, 1942)
Mayor of Chicago, 1989 – present
William M. Daley (born 1949)
U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1997–2000
John P. Daley
11th Ward Democratic Committeeman
Cook County Commissioner
See also
List of U.S. political families
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