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Ald. Tom Allen (38) is on our good side (for now) after voicing what we (and you) have been complaining about for a while: that Mayor Daley's new plowing policy is a clusterfuck. Echoing comments that have been bouncing around these parts for a week, Allen said:
The new snow program is 'do nothing.' Irving Park Road was ice-packed. Traffic was crawling after a two- or three-inch snowfall. Cars near schools just slide through intersections, putting every kid who tries to cross the street in peril...I'm getting pounded by my constituents. We don't live in Honolulu. We live in Chicago. We've lost our compass. We have to provide the most fundamental city service. Are we gonna ride from December through March with people's lives in peril trying to cross the street?A-freaking-men. Even better? Allen's solution: he's asked MayDay to set aside $1 million from the city's deals to privatize Midway and the city's parking meters to pay for the whole thing. We couldn't think of a better plan. After all, it's not like that city debt is really ever going to get paid off, so we might as well use some of that money to, you know, keep the city functional. We're just sayin'...
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Good thing we aren't bidding for the winter olympics. hate to see tiny little skater girls getting crushed under the wheels of a RAV-4 that can't stop at a light...
this will never work. Allen is using his brain and invoking logical and reasonable thinking. Daley and Co. don't know what that is.
This IS the problem with that privatization money. It distorts to bottom line of the city. Every alderman and labor union boss can just point to this huge pile of money whenever there is an issue.
Imagine you are irresponsible in your personal budget, racking up credit card debt and living beyond your means. Then a rich uncle dies and you get $100,000. Is your financial problem solved? No. Bankruptcy is just put on hold for a year or two as the fundamental issues in spending are not changed. When the house of financial cards finally tumbles down and the money is gone the hole of debt is 10 time bigger than is once was. All you have left is a bunch of ipods and designer cloths (Millennium park and TIF districts?).
If the city NEEDS privatization money to provide basic city services then things are seriously fucked up. Years of TIFs and pet projects along with aldermanic meddling in how the money is spend (jumping jacks: yes, street salting: no) have created a city budget that funds basic services last, not first. Not a dime of the privatization money should be spent until basic city services are self sufficient and based on yearly revenue sources, not once-in-a-century infusions of cash.
Let this guy run for mayor! Using actual thought-processes and rationalization is an appealing concept these days - just look at what it did for Obama!
There could be an upside to the non-plowing that's been going on.
I have not heard of any big accidents (or even many little ones) Maybe people are slowing waaaaaay down and being uber-careful.
When they plow the streets, lots of drivers get a false sense of safety and drive like it's 80 degrees and completely dry.
I've seen many an accident on plowed streets in the past. It's still slippery, even after plowing, especially when it's a real heavy snow.
I'm not defending the fact that nobody is getting plowed or salted. This is just an observation, and maybe I'm wrong because I haven't researched any statistics, just going by what I've noticed with my own eyes.
Want to know something funny? Yesterday's sun finally melted most of the ice on my street, making it safe for Chicago drivers. Two minutes ago, I saw the city's response to this development in the form of the first salt truck topass in something like 10 days.
Hilarious.
A million bucks? Didn't it cost the city almost $500,000 to remove an inch of snow a few weeks ago? Sounds to me like this is just the first of many asks to the giant, but rapidly shrinking, pool of privatization money. If there is a cent left of that money by 2016, with or without the Olympics, I will be shocked.
BF - some melt over here...except it all refroze last night.
At this point, the city should just say "fuck it" and not touch anything as it's all going to melt tomorrow and Sunday anyway. Save the money, take the lumps, and move on.
But...again...logic....
What Dopplerd said.
What he/she described is one the fundamental challenges the city faces now. Daley is not managing this situation--he is merely moving money, fake and real, around like some shell game and pretending things are much better than they are. Why should he care? No one will vote him out of office, not even if he gets caught fucking an alter boy. And the national press still thinks he's groovy.
While Allen is sounding good on this issue, do not forget he usually is eager to lick Daley's ass on most other issues. Gotta love the selective courage of our aldermen.
FYI: The city has GPS vehicle locators in every plow truck and records this information. Anyone willing to throw out a FOIA request for some data?
Interested Marcus?
dopplerd - actually, yes. my only concern is how cumbersome it could be to leaf through the data. Of course, if there wasn't much plowing, there won't be much data...
Marcus: Your main concern should be making sure you have a lawyer to back you up. The city loves to ignore or delay such requests from citizens without such support, especially on politically sensitive issues.
The federal government needs to help state and local governments during this economic downturn. For all the mismanagement of the city budget, they've always found the money to plow the streets. Revenues must be severely down for them to cut plowing - proper plowing is Chicago politics 101.
Consumer spending is cratering, which means a lot of city tax revenue lost. Exports are not going to fill the gap as the rest of the world isn't doing too hot either. The federal government will have to be the spender of last resort. I know the looming budget deficit is worrying but we simply have no choice, and if anything, the problem is that Bush and company (including many democrats) squandered the budget surplus during the good times, and now we're paying the piper.
You really start to see the effects of this downturn when state and local governments start hacking away at basic services like this.
"Allen is using his brain and invoking logical and reasonable thinking. Daley and Co. don't know what that is."
He's a member of the Cullerton clan, don't give him too much credit (meaning he's well versed in Chicago politics, well versed). He's a traffic nazi, so that is why he's so upset. He wants to put cameras at stop signs. THAT is something I am all for. Stop signs are a joke in my neighborhood.
Wait, he's "listening" to his constituents?
Who the hell does this man think he is? An elected representative or something?
I was over in Humboldt park last night. California was a staking rink from Fullerton to Chicago. This is not a side street, this is a main drag for the area.
The sidewalks are getting worse as the temps drop. Look, instead of dinging drivers for the horrible murder-crime of being tardy with coins, go after the homeowners and businesses not shoveling or keeping the sidewalk clear. Might actually prevent some injuries/lawsuits.
But again...logic.
My residential street is basically a sheet of ice about 1/4" - 1/2" thick.
Surely Daley remembers Mayor Michael Bilandic.
What are youse guys gonna do aboutit, huh? Vote for Judy Baar Topinka ! Quit yose grippin or you'll end up in front of a snow plow, Now youse got the picture
Vince: I agree with you on principle the issue is two fold.
1. The city planned so poorly that a downturn in the economy started effecting them almost immediately. While the stock market hit a high a little over a year ago the major economic issues didn't start until about September. So the city's leadership has put itself in a situation where even a small downturn in the economy causes immediate problems. Instead of building reserves and conservative spending in good times, our leaders spent like sailors on shore leave and concocted a plan to sell whatever they could to get even more money.
2. The city has built a tax structure that is very convoluted and based much more on a fluctuating sources than it was in the past. Bottled water tax, sales tax, Maxwell street market tax, etc. Much of this was to allow for TIFs that limit where property tax revenue could be spent. When Daley came into office the huge sums of money raised from property taxes in the loop and other high value areas could go to paying for street salting and city services in the far flung neighborhoods. Now with TIF districts that property tax money is locked up in the immediate area. This gave the mayor two choices: Raise property tax in the outlying 'hoods or create a bunch of regressive consumption taxes to fund basic services for the rest of the city. He chose the latter. Now everyone is cutting back on discretionary spending and consumption tax revs are tanking, even while TIF coffers are filled with millions. Remember that property tax revs will not show any decline in property values until 2010 when the 2009 City triannual reassessment goes through so don't believe anyone who tries to blame budget woes on property values.
That said I do agree with you that the Fed can help in funding capital projects (rebuild north LSD, create a midwest high speed rail network, or runways at Ohare) but to give the city money to pay for street salting doesn't create jobs and would just further distort the city's budget mess (see my first post).
Oh look, comedy.
@von erich -- i've thought about sitting at the corner of some streets in my neighborhood (ainslie and oakley, anyone) and doing short videos of people BLATANTLY running through 4-way stops with my digital camera.
i still might do it next year.
Smussy,
I'm more steeped in legal procedures than law enforcement procedures, but if you took those videos to the police, what could they do about it? Could they ticket those people? You would be doing citizen policing, which is saving tax dollars, and every police organization appreciates a neighborhood watch.
If anyone knows, please share your findings. I'd be more than willing to grab a lawn chair and park myself at any 4 way stop in my neighborhood. I'd average 3 offenders per minute.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1317262,CST-NWS-runways06.article
One of the supposed benefits of Midway privatization is lower costs to the city. Apparently we are still footing the bill for deicing and snow removal, while the city streets are left to freeze over.