June 11, 2008
City Council Overwhelmingly Approves Children's Museum Plan
City Council this afternoon voted 33-16 in favor of the plan to put the Children's Museum in a hole in Grant Park.
What now? Alderman Brendan Reilly says he's going to court.
Reilly promised a flurry of lawsuits -- and an attempt to seek a temporary restraining order blocking construction. Museum attorney Ted Novak said he does not believe the opposition will be able to meet the high legal standard needed to obtain a restraining order — including bonding and likelihood of success on the merits.But he predicted a marathon court battle.
"Historically, that can take a number of years," Novak said.
Oh, wonderful. [S-T]
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Baaa - aaaa - aaaa. Sheep.
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This was a true test of who is just a political hack in the City Council. Well, the number is at least 33.
I am looking foward to the breakdown of who voted for this ridiculous project. Meanwhile, I'm going to make a contribution for the lawsuit at savegrantpark.org.
And no, I have no connection to that group.
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What exactly is a children's museum, and why do we need one in Grant Park? This city just loves spending our money.
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Da Mare gets what Da Mare wants. No surprises here, we all knew from the beginning it would be up to the courts to shut this thing down...
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@ archie:
That's what I've been saying all along, and no one could ever give me a straight answer.
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My career alderman and Daley appointee, Mary Ann Smith, showed her constituents where her loyalties lie:
Last weekend, anti-museum activists passed out fliers in the 48th Ward, hoping to sway Ald. Mary Ann Smith to their side. But she announced she will vote for the museum project. "I have no doubt future generations will be grateful for having the Chicago Children's Museum in Grant Park," she said. Smith added that the project "will not remove any green space."
Hey, let's break the law, enrich the Pritzger family, and relocate the Chicago Children's Museum/Toy Store to Grant Park ... FOR THE CHILDREN!
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Ward Up the breakdown has already been released:
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/06/how-council-vot.html
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Personally I would rather see park development and money go to putting parks in neighborhoods, where families and children can use them more easily. There are whole west side neighborhoods (Lawndale, Logan Square, etc...) without viable park space.
Yet another downtown museum keeps the tourists centrally located, and the lost park space downtown can be put in the aforementioned neighborhoods. Nice!
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Please, please, someone who can actually beat Daley, please run next time!
I don't know who that is, what with our junior Senator kind of busy these days.
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More loop window dressing for the mayor. My otherwise alright alderman voted yes, jag.
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Man I hope Reilly puts up a good fight. The guy has been solid since he got the job. He is the Elliot Ness of Alderman. No more Naturus crap.
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Aaah! Whatever happened to "forever open, free and clear"? At least Manny voted no.
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Archie: A Children's Museum is a cross between an idea of a museum, and a daycare center.
A children's museum is a bold new model for museums worldwide, as it frees the capital and overhead involved in acquiring actual exhibits (Field, MSI, Notebaert, AIC) and funnels all the money where it belongs, which is in development and fundraising. 'Learning' is an outdated business model for museums in the 21st century and we as Chicagoans must Think Forward!(c) not backwards.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to put a gun in my mouth...
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Now the next step is to put the childrens museum on the first 'retail' level with condo's above it. The slide down the slippery slope has begun. Good bye lakefront, it was beautiful while it lasted.
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BAAAA,
it's you idiots who are the sheep. Trust me, I know sheep, intimately. Let's save Grant Park from people actually using it. Let's do a "Critical Mass" and show everyone how hip we are.
To quote my dad you are all about as "useful as tits on a bull".
To paraphrase the Blues Brothers "I hate Illinois Nimbys".
Nothing would ever get built anywhere in this city if idiots like you room temperature IQ posters were in charge. Drink your PBR's and Fat Tire Brews and let everyone know about your "angst" and artistic pretensions.
You make me want to puke my guts out.
In fact the idea of all of you being lined up in Grant Park and pummeled with PBR cans makes my nipples explode with delight.
I would call you all shitheads but then the other shitheads would complain about being compared to you.
To hell with Reilly too. He ain't nuthin', but a fat feminine manbitch who does the bidding of the worst of his constituents. Time to lead and not bend over there Brendan. Man up and get on top of your "constituents". Nothing but a Cubs Fan and a Bud/Nimby Man. It's time to put a Sox fan in that aldermanic seat.
Now I don't buy "da mare's" explanation of "racism" being behind the Museum opposition. It is nimbyism and the anti-change forces. The Bob Sirott's of the world who want everything to be just like it was.
The whole lot of you can kiss my pale ass.
Ok, was that aggressive enough?
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schulter voted no! YAY!
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This is so crap. Look at the poll on the Tribune site - at the moment, 86% of people oppose this plan.
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Hey Wardie, do you drink PBR and ride in critical mass? You don't seem the type! he he, But payday is this Friday, so I'm going tp contribute to also keep it "Free and Clear"!
savegrantpark.org.
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You are right. I am one of the pissed-off guys in my car while Critical Mass is blocking the road.
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Irishpirate-
The next time someone in favor of this makes a compelling argument that:
1. The existing site is inappropriate
2. Due diligence was done to look at other sites
3. Grant Park is the only logical site
4. This won't set a precedent for other well-heeled groups to take a slice of GP.
will be the first.
All I hear is a bunch of irrelevant "save the children" jibberish. If you like the fact that the Mayor does what Allstate and Hyatt tell him to do, all power to you.
And if you ever have time to leave Chicago, you might want to visit places like London and New York that manage to get stuff done without inarticulate, nepotism-benefiting 11th ward autocrats running things. All the greatest city in the world business is only believed by provincial mouth breathers.
Oh, and the Sox are nothing more than a junior, second-rate franchise that took our discarded nickname and play the junior circuit's subversive DH wacko baseball in a shopping mall that makes its south exurban fans feel like they never left Orland. I can't wait to find out what ball the hat is under or how high the fanometer is.
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Well, I see that Alds. Preckwinkle and Dowell (whose combined areas represent the African-American south side from roughly 35th St. to 47th) both voted AGAINST the goofy plan. That is refreshing.
On the down side, Fiorettis showed his true colors and voted with the Pritzker-Daley axis of power.
There is a lot of picking apart to do with the list on the Tribune's website. Suffice it to say that most opposition came from white areas on the north lakefront and near-northwest parts of the city.
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Wow, Irish Pirate's drunk already. Even for him that's rare.
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I'm not drunk and the monkey on my back agrees.
Monkey on Back: "IP is totally sober right now".
See.
As for all you geniuses who want to put the Museum in one of the 75 other locations suggested get out your checkbooks and pay for it.
Now as for Wrigley I can't wait till the new owner tries to tear that down. I will be on the first bulldozer. You can cover me in IVY and that don't make me Angelina Jolie and suggesting Wrigley is somehow a great place is like suggesting "da mare" is going to retire and teach "elocution" at Northwestern.
I love the smell of aldermanic votes in the afternoon...........smells like..........Victory!
Don't build anything anywhere and you wool covered eeejits would be happy.
Now if you will excuse me I need to go throw up.
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I think one of the main reasons people oppose this blatant swindle is that the CCM is NOT going to have to "get their checkbook out" and pay nearly as much to relocate on public land. Gee, I wish I was friends with Mayor Daley ... I could build a condo in a corner of the City Hall building with a patio that leads out onto the green roof.
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I hope someone is competent enough to follow the big ticket items each Alderman who switched his/her vote this morning received and catalogue them in the coming months.
Who got their own park for voting yes, money for roads, etc. I'd love to see that breakdown 3-6 mo down the road
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How much does the Art Institute or the 3 Museum Campus museums pay the Park District to be on city land?
Your arguments stink and you smell of elderberries.
All Hail Da Mare. May he and his relatives rule over us for 1000 years!
In five years after the new Museum is built many people will recognize the genius of "da mare" and be thankful that he forced this through. Just like he did with the nearby Millennium Park.
The north end of Grant Park, and the whiny shit-brained "forever open and free" supporters, need an enema and Daley is going to get out the rubber gloves and the lube and give both one.
Bend over boyos cause Boss Daley is grinning and the pain is comin'.
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The mayor is a crook and everyone knows it. He doesn't have much time to go, he's pissed off everyone from Mieg's Field to Marshall Field's to the Children's Museum. He has sold Chicago many many a times to the highest bidder.
BTW He did absolutely nothing to create Millennium Park. That was created by corporate donors - NOT Dailey!
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Jason,
it is D A L E Y.
Now go take a remedial class in spelinng and loggicsz and comme bak tomorow and plae.
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Sure would be nice if the Daley would avail himself to a remedial class, clearly the bar wasn't the only thing he repeatedly failed
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Anyone wanna bet that the museum gets named after da Mayors wife ???!!! I think this is what the whole thing is about. Why else is he pushing so hard for it? He thinks he owns this city, and the city council keeps agreeing !!!
Contact me if you want to lay down some money on it.
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Someone please explain to irishpirate what NIMBY stands for...unless of course, everyone here lives around Grant Park.