Results tagged “lonalane”

While many in the city expressed outrage when it was discovered an aide to 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney was using a homemade placard to park his Lincoln wherever he pleased, one Alderman thought, "You know, that's not such a bad idea." Ald. Lona Lane (18th) has floated out a measure that all 50 of the city's aldermen should get a special "sign or sticker" identifying their vehicles. Lane says this is needed so they can attend meetings of "block clubs" on permit-only streets -- avoiding the awkwardness of asking the host for a visitor pass -- and also so aldermen can check out police or fire scenes unfettered:

Lane said the sign would also be valuable when she tries to help family members get information about emergencies such as car wrecks. "A lot of times, police and the fire department won't tell them what's going on. They just say, 'Get back, get back.'"

We can see Manny Flores now, cruising around in his car with police scanner in hand, at the ready to rush to an emergency scene to relay information back to victims' families. It will also help aldermen get around firetrucks when perhaps they've had a few too many. Lane insists the sign/sticker could not be used to dodge parking meter tickets, telling the Trib, "I don't want to get beat up on this. I don't have any parking meters in my ward. This is not for parking meters at all." Of course not! The city's parking enforcement workers will gleefully issue meter violations to an alderman's car without fear of retribution. Ald. Lane's proposal is expected to be reviewed by the Traffic Committee, and if passed will go in front of the city council for a rubber stamp approval vote. [Trib]

The Chicago City Council held off on voting on a controversial ban on urban chickens yesterday. Since urban chickens are all the rage, it seems like a perfect time to ban them, right? Southwest Side Alderman Lona Lane (18th), who proposed the ban, said she didn't know why the vote on the ban was held up. Maybe it is, as the Sun-TImes suggests, because Mayor Daley has a thing for urban poultry: "Let's be realistic,"...

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...

Southwest Side Alderman Lona Lane (18th) isn't feeling like chicken tonight, chicken tonight. She's introduced an ordinance to amend a four-year-old pigeon ban to include chickens. The ordinance would make it a crime to "import, sell, own, keep or otherwise possess any live chicken" in a district zoned for residential use. It would also require a separate food establishment license for those who want to slaughter chickens. "I was alerted that some of the people...

This election has been one of the most significant in recent memory. With seven new aldermen set to take office in May, including the wife of Jesse Jackson Jr. in the 7th Ward, the stage is set for a new power struggle in Chicago. This year, more than any other, saw the city's labor movement — especially the service-sector unions — flex their political muscle. The result? A record-low turnout in the mayoral vote, and...

Well, another municipal election has come in Chicago, and in many wards (but not all) it's gone. As expected, Richard M. Daley sailed to re-election, set to eclipse his father as the Chicago's longest-serving mayor, in spite of Ben Joravsky's best efforts. At the time of this writing, a few things are clear: there will be a few runoffs this year, including Madeline Haithcock - Bob Fioretti (2nd), Dorothy Tillman - Pat Dowell (3rd), Shirley...