Results tagged “lesliehairston”

Following a course similar to previous transparency ordinances that he's proposed, 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores, along with Leslie Hairston (5th), Eugene Schulter (47th) and Joe Moore (49th), introduced the long awaited Olympics oversight ordinance (PDF). City Hall introduced a competing proposal that would put two aldermen on the organizing committee for the games if Chicago wins the 2016 bid. Flores's ordinance establishes three levels of oversight, including a City Council oversight committee and authority for the city's inspector general to monitor the games. The Flores ordinance also requires Olympic committee members who earn more than $50,000 to publicly disclose their financial dealings with the games.

Seven months after they approved Mayor Daley's parking meter privatization deal, the City Council held a hearing to angrily express their outrage over the deal. This from the same City Council that voted 45-5 to approve the deal and, when one alderman complained about the lack of time for review, prompted the classic response from Ald. Mell (33rd), "How many of us read the stuff we do get, OK?. I try to. I try to. I try to. But being realistic, being realistic, it's like getting your insurance policy. It's small print, OK?" Small print, indeed.

Judge Joan Lefkow handed 28 aldermen their asses today, denying their request to force the City to disclose the names of the police officers accused of brutality. Lefkow said that the case is currently being appealed (busy day at the 7th Circuit), but if the aldermen want to sue the City, they can. Have you been wondering which 28 aldermen signed the petition? We sure have. We called Manny Flores's office and were told there...

Amidst all the hoopla leading to U.S. Senator-elect Barack Obama's coronation -- er swearing-in -- some other interesting Chicago political doings happened this past weekend: Obama's successor for the State Senate was selected and sworn in on Saturday. Chicago City Colleges senior attorney, Kwame Raoul, 40, was selected to fill out the remaining two-year term of the South Chicago lakefront 12th State Senate District. Because the seat was held by a Democrat, Obama's replacement was...

This week has been a rough one for the amateur impersonation circuit here in Chicago. Police are no longer fooled as two members of the Chicago guild gave less than stellar performances this week.

The Starbucks at 71st and Stony Island celebrated its July opening yesterday, and Magic Johnson, Mayor Daley, and Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th) were on hand for the ceremony. The tone wasn't all smiles and caffeine though, as Daley, of course, unleashed some haterade.

Many neighbors see the shop as a mark of newfound respect for black buying power and a harbinger for more new stores. Hairston, for one, dreams of a Target, a Best Buy and maybe a Kinko's. ...

Continue reading "Starbucks a-Brewin' On the South Side"

Known to Hyde Parkers as simply "The Point", Promontory Point at 55th and Lake Shore Drive is a favorite place for bar-b-ques, frisbee, and just hanging out. The former Nike missile base is one of the best places to catch a breeze on a sweltering summer day, and is protected from the lake by giant limestone blocks that have crumbled from decades of stormy lake weather. Last winter, then-Park District Superintendant David Doig announced replacement of the limestone with concrete barriers, similar to barriers constructed further north. But Hyde Parkers strongly protested the plan, Doig left his job, and a stalemate ensued.