A few weeks back, we brought you news of an aldermanic hissy fit that threatened the life of the Logan Square Farmers Market. Alderman Rey Colon objected that campaign material for his opponent in the last election had been handed out at the market, and tried to shut it down. The response was immediate - on every website that covered the story, angry comments piled up - and a few days later, Colon withdrew his formal opposition to their permit in the city counsel. Even then, it was unclear what would happen to the market. The Tribune reported Friday that Colon announced that he would support the market going forward. more ›

We've been proud to see small, neighborhood-based farmers markets spreading rapidly throughout the city over the past several years. But this is Chicago, and eventually a market would run into the harsh reality of city politics. We've discussed the bureaucratic obstacles to creative foodspaces before, but Gaper's Block reports a new twist - Logan Square Alderman Rey Colon is trying to pull the permit for the Logan Square Farmer's Market. Allegedly, Colon is angry about political campaigning (for his opponent in the last election) at the market, by an employee of the managing organization, the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. reports a new twist - Logan Square Alderman Rey Colon is trying to pull the permit for the Logan Square Farmers Market. Allegedly, Colon is angry about political campaigning (for his opponent in the last election) at the market, by an employee of the managing organization, the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. reports a new twist - Logan Square Alderman Rey Colon is trying to pull the permit for the Logan Square Farmer's Market. Allegedly, Colon is angry about political campaigning (for his opponent) at the market, done by an employee of the managing organization, the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. more ›

Mayor Daley's rubber stamp continues to lose members as Ald. Ginger Rugai (19th) has announced she will not seek reelection for her spot on the City Council. Rugai becomes the fourth female alderman to announce she won't be coming back next year, joining Vi Daley (43rd), Helen Shiller (46th) and Mary Ann Smith (48th); Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) could also be leaving if she wins the race for Cook County Board President in November. Rugai said she wasn't worried about any backlash and is confident she'd win another term but felt it was time to step down: “I’ve served the community now for almost 36 years — 20 of those as alderman. I’ve always known when it’s time to make a change." She's putting her support behind Committeeman Matt O’Shea in the upcoming election to replace her. more ›

It's been quite a week for 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston. After putting feelers out about running against Daley for mayor of Chicago she then backpedaled and played the "misunderstood" card. So it was only a little awkward yesterday when she appeared before the fourth estate with Mayor Daley to laud the opening of a Walgreens that sells fruit and vegetables in a South Side food desert that only a mega-corporation could love. more ›

There must be something in the coffee in the City Council chamber these days. While a number of aldermen are packing it in or thinking about it come next February's civic elections, a few are actually considering taking a run at Mayor Daley. Aldermen Scott Waguespack (32nd), Robert Fioretti (2nd), and Tom Allen (38th) have all expressed some form of interest in kinda/sorta/maybe considering a run. And you can now add Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) to that list. Like Waguespack, Hairston voted against the parking meter lease, a topic of conversation that's seen new life of local political discourse thanks to the fact it's making someone a boatload of money while the city has almost blown through all the money it got from the deal. more ›

48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith told Fran Spielman at the Sun-Times yesterday that she would not be seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal elections. “You have to be vigilant about crime, buildings enforcement and education. Everything within the borders of the community [is] your responsibility. Flooding, business development, beautification, schools, clinics and so on. If you do it right, it’s an enormous responsibility. I’ve loved doing, but it’s also 24/7,” Smith told Spielman, acknowledging that she was tired of being "all things to all people." Smith joins 46th Ward Alderman Helen Shiller in retirement this year, leading what could be as many as eight-to-ten of the city's aldermen retiring this year. more ›

After all that huffing and puffing about Mayor Daley's proposed property tax relief plan, the City Council's Finance Committee backed down on their challenge and passed Daley's plan with a few minor changes. The committee had initially balked at the plan, prompting Daley to lash out at the challenge. more ›

On Tuesday, the City Council called on Tim Mitchell, Daley's Superintendent of Parks, to answer questions about the District's plans to install parking meters at city beaches this fall. The Park District will contract with Standard Parking to manage the meters, which will charge users a dollar an hour for parking at city beaches. In July 38th Ward Alderman Tom Allen expressed outrage at the deal, saying "The slogan is, 'Come out and play' —not 'come out and pay.' We want to revisit this. People own the lakefront. People own the beach. In this economy, that's the only vacation people can afford." more ›

Later Tunney acknowledged that there isn’t a consensus in the LGBT community whether to pursue a special category as a qualified minority. He told the Sun-Times: more ›

Be sure to check Part 1 of the interview here if you haven't. more ›

Toni Preckwinkle has been the Fourth Ward Alderman for nearly 20 years. She ran for the post twice prior to winning, in 1983 and 1987, against incumbent Tim Evans. "I came to Chicago when I was 18 years old to go to the University of Chicago. That was 1965, and I've been here ever since. I usually describe myself as having a dilettante's major - I was a general studies and social sciences major and then I got a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I'm a high school teacher by profession," she says. She got into Chicago politics after working with Paul Simon on his race for State Treasurer. "I started working on independent politics in the community in Hyde Park and South Kenwood, with the Independent Voters of Illinois. Larry Bloom, who was married to one of my college classmates, decided to run for Alderman of the Fifth Ward. I was precinct coordinator for him. So I kind of worked my way up from precinct worker to precinct captain to precinct operations. He won, unexpectedly. I think he thought he'd have to take a couple of runs at it before he got elected." more ›

To keep overnight parking free at two lots in his ward, Alderman Joe Moore (D-49) said he will pay the Park District $89,000 a year for three years according to Chi-Town Daily News. Moore says the money will come out of his city stipend (taxpayer money) which aldermen get each year for improvements in their wards. The Park District’s Loyola and Leone parking lots used to be free but the Park District recently approved a 25 cents an hour overnight parking fee to generate revenue needed to balance the budget. The daytime fees at Loyola will increase to $1 an hour. Moore told NBC Chicago, “I don’t have any real serious problems with them increasing the meter rates during the day when parks are open” he said, “But leave us alone at night.”
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Yesterday, Billy Ocasio officially relinquished his seat as alderman of the city's 26th ward; taking his place temporarily is his former chief of staff, Hector Villagrana. But Mayor Daley has up to 60 days to name a replacement and the one Ocasio has suggested - Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús of the New Life Covenant Church - has the gay community worried. WBEZ dug a bit deeper into some of their concerns. more ›

As of today, the 26th Ward of Chicago has a new alderman for now: Hector Villagrana. Ocasio officially began working for Gov. Quinn today, an announcement he made last month. Villagranna talked to WBEZ and assured the residents of the 26th Ward everything is going to be just fine. more ›

U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald announced today the indictment of Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) and Galewood Yards developer Calvin Boender on corruption and bribery charges. Specifically, Carothers was charged with four counts of wire or mail fraud and one count each of accepting a bribe and filing a false federal income tax return and Boender was charged with four counts of wire or mail fraud, two counts of obstruction of justice, two misdemeanor counts of violating federal campaign finance laws, and one count of paying a bribe. According to the U.S. Attorney's press release [PDF]: more ›

Artists beware. If you plan to paint anything on your own property that depicts even the slightest vestige of the Chicago Police Department, you run the risk of being brown-washed. At least that’s what happened to well-known Chicago artist and muralist Gabriel Villa Thursday. He received a call that a large-scale, outdoor mural he had been painting in Bridgeport for two weeks had been covered in brown paint - at the insistence of 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer. more ›

WBEZ is reporting that former alderman and Richard J. Daley adversary Leon Despres has passed away at the age of 101. We highly recommend checking out his memoir, Challenging the Daley Machine. more ›

Some Chicagoans are uneasy about a hot dog stand that will be opening at the corner of Jackson and Western mid-next month. But it's not because the eatery will employ ex-offenders. It's the name that has some people riled up: Felony Franks. more ›

Alderman Sharon Dixon (24th) was arrested for DUI last night after an argument with police. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when Dixon approached a police controlled intersection in the 6900 block of North Sheridan Road. Police were controlling the area due to a fire and Dixon asked them to move their cars so she could get through. According to Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak, when the police told her she would have to move her car, Dixon got out of the car and yelled at the officers. The police simply charged her with obstructing traffic and no proof of insurance. more ›

Mayor Daley’s unofficial city council floor leader, 40th Ward Ald. Pat O’Connor, says he’d like to run for Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s seat but only if the mayor gives him the thumbs up. Receiving Daley’s blessing would be a major bonus for any candidate competing in the special election for Emanuel’s soon-to-be-vacant House seat. So far, six other Chicago aldermen in have expressed some interest in the seat. Those aldermen are Manuel Flores (1st), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Tom Allen (38th), Margaret Laurino (39th), Tom Tunney (44th) and Eugene Schulter (47th). State Representative Sara Feigenholtz has filed her paperwork to run and may be joined by some colleagues. more ›

Just when we were gonna take a long, hard look at his case involving a kickback scheme and the sale of a medical school building, former alderman Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak will plead guilty to federal bribery and fraud charges, according to the case's judge. more ›