Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) is among those who wants to get more information on oversight for the Chicago Infrastructure Trust before it goes to a vote. He's created an alternative ordinance that would give City Council more oversight over the Trust. more ›

And politicians wonder why voter turnout was so low? more ›

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, facing criticism by unions, aldermen and residents for the Chicago Public Library's decision to close on Mondays, is firing back. more ›

Food truck enthusiasts find themselves in good company these days. If you count yourself among them, check out this petition to allow food trucks to cook on-board after you finish that empanada. more ›

The city finally revealed its long-planned renovation project for the labyrinthine intersection at Elston, Fullerton and Damen that's confounded commuters for years. That six corners intersection flummoxes an average of 70,000 commuters a day and is one of the banes of 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack's existence. Waguespack says he receives more calls about this intersection than anything else and believes that the development in recent years around the intersection makes rehabbing it a priority. more ›

A press release from State Representative John Fritchey yesterday indicates a slight rift between 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack and Fritchey over supporting the state Democratic ticket. more ›

This past Sunday's perfect autumn afternoon in Holstein Park was a flurry of excited bakers, sporks, ice cream, silent auction item and of course, pie, for the 2010 Bucktown Apple Pie Contest. more ›

While Ald. Bob Fioretti announced that he plans to declare his candidacy for mayor soon, the first alderman to do so, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), an early favorite to challenge Mayor Daley before he announced his retirement, has announced he won't be running for Mayor after all. As he had indicated to us a few weeks ago, the issue, more than anything else, was the ever-widening field of candidates. Wags told Fran Speilman of the Sun-Times, “The field has become just too wide. Too many people jumping in, which makes it more difficult for anybody, even with a platform, to get out there and talk about the issues. No one’s talking about the issues. It’s all about who’s the most popular." He's now moving ahead with his previous plans to defend his aldermanic seat in the 32nd Ward. more ›

Below is more from my interview last week with 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack in which we touch on schools, unions, and more on the budget. more ›

A few weeks ago, when I first scheduled an interview with Ald. Waguespack, the notion was to get a bit of background about one of the leading candidates who was likely to step up and challenge Mayor Daley in next year's Mayoral Elections. But, just a few days before we were due to sit down, Daley turned the local political world on its ear with the announcement of his retirement. Suddenly, there's an abundance of candidates, some serious, others less so. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 people considering running, the field is more crowded and this, certainly, will have an effect on Ald. Waguespack's decision to run. Someone who's been outspoken against Daley in his term as alderman, Waugespack talked with me about his initial victory over the Machine in 2007 to win his ward, what he's done for the ward, and some of the challenges facing the City of Chicago as it heads into new territory under new leadership next spring. And, yes, about his mayoral aspirations. more ›

Yet another candidate has announced implied he may or may not enter the race for mayor. Fox Chicago is reporting that former State Senate President Emil Jones has been talking about maybe giving it a go against Mayor Daley come the February 2011 civic elections. Well, that's if you believe political insiders because when actually asked about the run, Jones was, like Ald. Leslie Hairston, less than enthusiastic: more ›

Overshadowed by violence, music, and fake robots this weekend, the Tribune and WGN released the results of a recent poll examining the approval rating of Mayor Daley and guess what? It was really low. But does it even really matter? The poll was taken from 500 registered city voters last week and Daley's approval came in at just 37 percent, a result of weary voters fed up with parking meters, failed Olympic bids, political corruption, and violence. And, according to the Trib: "Moreover, a record-low 31 percent said they want to see Daley re-elected, compared with 53 percent who don't want him to win another term." more ›

Citing the cost of the project, the City is scrapping a plan to mount cameras on street sweepers that would film illegally parked cars, giving the City proof to ticket the scofflaws and generate more revenue. Street sweepers have been at the center of a lot of controversy lately, what with that new schedule in place. And, according to CBS 2, there are still issues with simply keeping the machines running. more ›

The Chicago Department of Transportation has proposed lifting the rush hour parking on ban on 225 city blocks. Some of the reasons given include making parking available for shops, getting rid of outdated restrictions (such as those put in place for alternate Dan Ryan routes in 2006 and 2007), and even bicyclist safety. more ›

If you're on Scott Waguespack's mailing list (hint: we are) this landed in your inbox yesterday afternoon. Wags has been a reliable independent on the city council, and he won his seat in the 32nd Ward after a hard runoff election. Funny, though. We didn't think the meters were going up to $5 a minute until next year. But, hey, nothing surprises us anymore... more ›

The day before another hike in the city's parking rates goes into effect and a day after we looked back on the year that was in the Parking Meter Lease Saga, both the City and the company in charge of the meters have gone on the defensive. The new rates technically begin tomorrow, but technicians won't start phasing the new rates into the meters until Monday and it'll take most of the month of January to get the new rates locked in at all meters around the city. And as the new rates roll out and a new round of complaints get set to roll in, the defense begins. more ›

After Mayor Daley's budget presentation last week, speculation swirled over what city services would be next to get the privatizing treatment. CBS 2 reported over the weekend that lucky city asset to be the city's water system. The station cited an unnamed trade publication as a source but the rumor was confirmed by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) who told CBS 2, "We've already heard inklings that they're thinking about it...They've had discussions. Why is the public not at the table?" more ›

We're a short time away from hearing all about Mayor Daley's budget for 2010 - hint: it won't be pretty! - and Daley continues to slash at the budget like Jason Voorhees so that he can avoid raising taxes to help fill a budget gap in the neighborhood of $500 million. Items have been trickling out in the days ahead of his presentation to the City Council and now we've got a clearer idea of what's going to be cut. We already know that the city's non-union workers will be asked to take nearly five work weeks worth of furlough days (24 to be exact), that there will be no cost of living increases in wages, and at least three more reduced services days. Daley has also suggested that while money from the Skyway lease will remain untouched, he could borrow heavily from the parking meter lease to help cover the budget gap. more ›

If you didn't attend any of Hideout's "Soup and Bread" events this winter, you're getting a mulligan today with an encore presentation featuring soups from Hideout bartender Anastasia Davies Hinschsliff Martha Bayne, Celestial Kitchens' Celeste Dolan, and Karen Gerod and the wonderful staff at Swim Caf&3233, which was a regular participant in the series. more ›

The public has always been in the dark, it seems, about TIFs, the way they are used to pay for city improvement projects and the beneficiaries. Therefore we’re thrilled to hear about a new “TIF Sunshine” ordinance being proposed in the City Council. Wicker Park Aldermen Manny Flores (1st) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) submitted an ordinance - now backed by 22 council members including senior Alderman Bernard Stone (50th) - that would force city government to post all TIF documents, from weekly payroll filings to annual reports, on a city-funded website. The pair argued that the benefits of the service, in terms of time and transparency, far outweigh the small costs of the endeavor. Check out the ordinance here [PDF]. more ›

Today, aldermen learned that the time-frame for suing Republic Windows & Doors to recoup $9.3 million in TIF funds that was issued to the company has expired. The money was given to Republic on the condition "that the company create 549 jobs and retain them for eight years." Unfortunately for the city, that agreement was signed in June 1998, meaning it expired two-and-a-half years ago. Corporation Counsel Mara Georges told the City Council today that even if the city did have legal standing to sue Republic, their chances of succeeding were slim: "It's a bankruptcy with very few assets. They don't even own the building anymore. It's a market dependent on the construction industry. And with the economy being what it is, they don't have a lot of prospects." Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) was among many aldermen who called for amending future TIF deals to prevent a similar occurrence, saying, "Republic Windows clearly knew that something was wrong as their business declined. They didn't tell anybody. They basically just walked out of town on us." more ›

Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd) has come to the defense of Bucktown residents whose cars were towed this weekend apparently without any warning to make room for a 5K race. Ald. Waguespack wrote a letter asking that those whose cars were towed be reimbursed for expenses incurred. Race organizer John Corrigan, however, insists that residents were properly notified of the race. more ›

One of the races that we've been watching this winter is the Democratic Primary in the 3rd Congressional District. Incumbent Dan Lipinski is hoping voters will send him back to D.C. for a third term, but he's facing a tough challenge from Mark Pera, an assistant county prosecutor from Western Springs. That challenge may have gotten a little tougher yesterday when Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool endorsed Pera. If you don't remember the 2004 general... more ›

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... more ›

As the rest of the media fawned over the new city council, and reminisced on the follies of councils past, other silliness was going on in the realm of politics in the City by the Lake. Let's take a look at what's up here in town: The Old Council Does One Last Thing. Following up on an issue that we wrote about a while back, it seems that the City Council's zoning committee has held... more ›

Just days after Ted Matlak lost re-election to Scott Waguespack in the 32nd Ward, a proposal to upzone a group of buildings north of The Crotch has surfaced. According to the Chicago Journal, local developer Krzysztof Karbowski has purchased the Northwest Tower at 1600 N. Milwaukee for $5.17 million, and is asking for a zoning change so he can build out the office tower, converting it to residential units, convert the adjacent Hollander Fireproof Warehouse... more ›

A piece that ran in Sunday's Tribune got us to thinking about the ramifications of last week's election here in Chicago. Much has been made about the significance of the nine new aldermen that will take office in May, especially those that had the support of labor. Dorothy Tillman, Madeline Haithcock, and Shirley Coleman all went down, beaten by union backed candidates. Toni Foulkes in the 15th Ward, an actual union member, beat Felicia Simmons-Stoval... more ›

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... more ›

Much like the French, many people gearing up for tomorrow’s election are nervous about the results; the vote on the 17th is, without doubt, one of the most significant contests to take place in our city in years. With a dozen council seats up for grabs, and voter distrust and anger at an all-time city high, it’s no wonder that the Machine is uneasy. While the future of the City by the Lake is at... more ›

Boy oh boy, the shit is starting to fly! Now that the Aldermen and their challengers have taken the gloves off, you better believe it's game on in your neighborhood! This week, we dedicate this edition of the Hump Day Political News Roundup to kickin' ass and talkin' shit. Yee Haw! 32nd Ward Candidate Sues Incumbent. That's right, Scott Waguespack has had it with Steady Teddy's bullshit. So he's filed a $5 million lawsuit against... more ›