Get out there and vote!
But it’s hard for Ms. Haithcock to run away from what should be the major issue in the race: the stunning amount of campaign cash she’s accepted from developers whose projects an all-powerful alderman such as herself can block or bless. In the first half of last year, for instance, better than 60% of the $98,000 raised by Ms. Haithcock came from developers, architects and other interested parties. The figure hit 70% of the $55,000 in gifts she detailed in the last half of 2006.
In 25 years of political reporting, I’ve never seen that kind of special-interest percentage for a candidate.
“I get my money from anybody who wants to give it to us,” Ms. Haithcock replies. “I don’t discriminate.”
–excerpt from “High-risers rebel” by Greg Hintz
I guess I have Haithcock to thank for blighting the historic prairie district with the soon to be built, 45 and 34 story monstrosities that are the X|O Condominiums. The developers of X|O didn’t provide proper notice of their intent to build and didn’t post the necessary paperwork until after the fact. It’s amazing what you can get away with in Chicago if you know the right people and grease the right palms. Who says patronage is dead! Haithcock made it pretty clear to my home owner’s association that she doesn’t care about us when we approached her about issues with our developer.
If you live in Chicago, make sure you’re registered and vote in the municipal election on February 27. Find your polling place here.
If you live in the second ward, please make sure you come out and vote. The current alderman, Madeline Haithcock, is destroying our neighborhoods in return for campaign funds from developers. I’m sure she’s probably partially responsible for helping the X|O Condominums get approval to build a 45 story monstrosity in the historic prairie district–not to mention the condo building to the northwest of me, the one to the southeast of me, and the one breaking ground directly to the north of me. All these building are either adjacent to my building or just across the street. Street parking is already at a premium and these new condos that are going up will add hundreds of units and no additional street parking. Did anyone even do a traffic study?
Check here to see who’s running. The Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization has released their list of endorsements. Chicago Tonight and Chicago Public Radio have been providing some excellent coverage of the upcoming election.
You know what they say in Chicago, “vote early and often–even if you’re dead!”
