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In a press conference earlier this morning, Daley announced that Cortez Trotter has resigned. The first and only disaster chief has been in place for just 14 months, but is now leaving for a job in the private sector.
The position was created as a response to a lot of things, including the fatal 2003 fire at 69 W. Washington St., the abominable response 
to Hurricane Katrina and the threat of biological warfare or an extreme health epidemic. During his reign he coordinated a downtown building evacuation to test the city's disaster preparedness, which led to the development of the new emergency alert service from the Building Owners and Managers Association.
Other than these things, which are excellent steps in the right direction, we're kind of at a loss. The job is finished? As a former fire commissioner (the first African-American one at that) and someone with 30 years working in the city, we thought the appointment could do some good.
It's not that he hasn't, it's just, well, do you feel any more prepared? Most of us have seen the posters, banners and signs at bus stops with lists of things that you should always have on hand in case a worst case scenario becomes THE scenario, but we weren't one of the 3,000 people evacuated from our building. Seriously — have you seen how people behave during a fire drill?
Trotter denounced the report from Homeland Security ranking Chicago one of the least prepared cities in America with regard to disaster readiness. We were even pretty hyped by his undisguised anger at Homeland Security for making the city a scapegoat 90 days after it passed an inspection from the agency.
So, basically, we want to see our own report card. What's changed in 14 months? Are all of the agencies and departments that would be on the front line of a disaster communicating better now? If a terrorist attack happened on a Tuesday when the horn is scheduled to go off, how would we know? (Sorry, that one has always bothered us.) With all he did to raise awareness and more, we're obviously glad that there was a disaster czar. We just wonder if in such uncertain times whether it would hurt so much to still have one.
Image via Malcolm X College's website.
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Well, if reports from
secondcitycop.blogspot.com
chicagodispatch.blogspot.com
or other related venting forums are to be believed, this city is not in ANY way prepared for a disaster. First responders have no clue as to whether there even is a plan, let alone any details!
Cortez is some politician's cousin or something. His credentials to be the ambulance chief were that he was a paramedic. Than his credentials to head the OEMC were that he was the ambulance chief. And so on and so on. No college degree.
Cline supposedly took the fifth in a fed case 20+ years ago. Huberman has no emergency experience, but was placed in charge of the OEMC. Velazques was an HDO lackey.
By and large there is NO faith by the troops in any of Daley's bosses. Disaster preparedness? By all reports, when the big one hits the first responders are prepared to skate out of town in the first ride available.
And why not?
Well, JP, as least we will have a spiffy downtown and clean streets to show off to all those TV news cameras and the out-of-town first responders who may be called upon to help with a huge city emergency, I guess, assuming we would need mutual aid. Depening on where this disaster takes place, perhaps they can use the Bean as a central command post, and Navy Pier as a sleeping area, and get some fresh air and catnaps on one of our rooftop gardens. They can do triage in the bike lanes, I suppose. We can set up makeshift hospitals in all the shoddy condos that have been built--they often seem better suited to temporary uses anyway. Finally, I am sure more than a few city officials, bureaucrats and connected lawyers and insurance agents have ready access to shoeboxes full of cash, which may come in handy in a post-attack environment. We already know at least a few city officials pack (illegal for the rest of us) easily concealed heat, so they can be called upon to restore order--or, as one might have it, preserve disorder, whatever the case may be.
+1 to Vise77
Pre-October 1871, the city's "disaster plan" was just taking out massive amounts of insurance policies against fires, floods, and riots.
We all saw how well that turned out.
I say we put Brownie in charge he did such a great job with Katrina.
Finally, Alicia, a really good article. Congratulations!
Do we know whether the vacancy will be filled, or is the job going to disappear and it functions absorbed by other personnel (or left to rot)?
JP
You have no clue what you are talking about, Trotter related to one of Chicago's give us our "Daley" Bread Mega church ministers, actually
he actually has a BA degree in "Go along Get along" and PhD in "Public Mumbling" and carries a certification in See, Hear or Speak no Corruption. For these stellar qualifications, he has been amply rewarded with nice shinny suits and big cars
So an overpaid hack (CT)leaves because he didn't get an even more overpaid job (Chief O'staff). He did not make Chicago safer. He approved the gates that will close down access to the highways in case of emergency. He helped coordinate the removal of the only facility in downtown that could accommodate C-130s and C-17s in case the big one happens requiring shipments into or out of the Loop. (Yup, Meigs Field). Oh, and that move dismantled the coordinated units of fire dept. and scuba rescue team at Meigs. Last year there were lots more dead bodies pulled out of the lake than usual and methinks its related to moving the air sea rescue to near 95th street. But I don't expect the City is really tracking that grisly information. Cause the main function of a six figure Chicago employee is to say yes to DA MAN/DA MARE and make sure DA MAN/DA MARE looks good.
Ferdy: It seems like this is it for the position. Looks like it'll rot.