Because Rogers Park Deserves Better

Every week, I hear from neighbors who are frustrated. Frustrated about the lack of support for small businesses. Frustrated with crime on their block. Frustrated that so many promises are made — and so few are kept.

I feel that frustration too.

For years now, I’ve done what I can from the outside. Promoting local shops. Cleaning up trash. Attending meetings. Asking the tough questions. Standing with people who felt unheard.

But more and more, I’ve been asking myself: Is it time to do more?

Some of you have asked me if I’m thinking about running for Alderman. I’ll be honest — I’ve thought about it. Not because I want to be a politician, but because I believe Rogers Park deserves better representation — someone who shows up even when there aren’t cameras, who’s not afraid to speak truth to power, and who truly puts the community first.

If I ever decide to run, it will be because I believe that together, we can make Rogers Park safer, stronger, and more accountable. Until then, I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done: being present, speaking up, and standing with you.

We all deserve better — and I’m ready to help build it.

— Bill Morton

To the Business Owners Who Keep Rogers Park Alive

You open early. You stay late. You pour your time, your money, and your heart into serving this neighborhood — and I see you.

I’ve watched small business owners in Rogers Park fight to survive in a system that doesn’t always listen, one that too often favors the big and well-connected. You deserve better.

Over the years, I’ve tried to do my part — promoting local shops, organizing events, and connecting neighbors to the businesses that make our community unique. I’ve sat across from many of you, listening to your stories and frustrations.

That’s why, when people ask me if I’m thinking about running for Alderman, I don’t dismiss it. I think about you.

I think about how much more we could do with real support from City Hall. With someone who’s already here, who already knows your names — and who’s already stood with you when times were tough.

If I ever take that step, it won’t be to become someone new. It’ll be to better serve the people I’ve already been standing beside — the ones building something real, one customer at a time.

Thank you for everything you do for Rogers Park. I’m here for you — now, and always.

— Bill Morton

Rogers Park Deserves Better

Every day, I walk through the streets of Rogers Park—our streets—and I see a neighborhood full of potential, but weighed down by neglect. It’s heartbreaking.

The 49th Ward should be thriving. Instead, our small businesses are shuttering, our streets are dirty, crime is creeping up, and longtime residents feel ignored. It’s clear that the current leadership under Alderman Joe Moore is failing us. I don’t say that lightly. I say it because I live it, every single day, alongside my neighbors.

Too often, concerns brought to the Alderman’s office go unanswered. Transparency is lacking. Community input feels like an afterthought. And while politics continues behind closed doors, real people are left without real solutions.

But I still believe in Rogers Park.

That’s why I continue to do what I can—highlighting local businesses, supporting neighborhood events, attending community meetings, and talking directly with residents about what matters most to them. I'm not a politician. I’m just someone who cares deeply about this neighborhood and refuses to sit by while it declines.

I'm not interested in titles. I'm interested in results.

We need leadership that listens. We need advocacy that doesn’t vanish after election season. And more than anything, we need neighbors to come together and remind City Hall that we are still here, still paying attention, and still demanding better.

Rogers Park deserves clean streets, safe blocks, thriving businesses, and honest leadership. Until we get that, I’ll keep doing what I can—day by day, block by block—to help move us forward.

—
Bill Morton
Resident, Rogers Park
Community Advocate