We did a lot of complaining and moaning about snow plowing - or, rather, the lack thereof - this past winter. And we weren't alone. The Mayor's reasoning: they didn't have the money to pay for the overtime for the unions. Eventually, the Mayor relented. Now, Daley's looking to cut out that problem altogether. Aldermen were alerted by Daley's aides today that the Mayor is going to start soliciting bids from private companies for a contract to plow the city's streets. Regardless of what you think about privatizing city services, color us scared to death about this one. Given the horrendous transition on the parking meter hand-off, we can't imagine how badly the city will be paralyzed if this item comes to pass and they screw it up again. more ›

Swamped by citizen complaints, cranky aldermen, and a whole lot of snow, Mayor Daley has finally relented and put the city back on its regular snow plow plan. His controversial plan to cut back on side street plowing and avoid overtime pay proved quite unpopular as it made driving hazardous and dangerous all over the city.

"Unfortunately, it didn't work out very well," Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi told aldermen at a Tuesday hearing on the subject. "Now that we are in the extreme winter months of January and February, we know that we are going to have to plow and spread salt as we always have and as we did last year. So, we should expect then a significant increase in service on side streets in future snows."

At this morning's City Council meeting, concerned aldermen will get to address their complaints about the city's snow plowing (or lack thereof) to the Mayor's aides in charge of snow removal. Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi and Transportation Commissioner Thomas Byrne will face the Council's Transportation Committee, which is headed by Ald. Tom Allen (36th), the most vocal critic of the Mayor's new snow removal plan that abandoned side-street plowing to (allegedly) save money. However, Allen is back-pedaling now, saying the issue “has kind of become a moot issue since the experiment failed and they’re back to a common-sense approach. They’ve returned back to normal snow removal.” more ›

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?