Party Crashers at Kennedy-King Opening

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 19, 2007 6:00PM

Yesterday should have been a great day in Englewood, with the official opening of the new Kennedy-King College campus at 63rd and Halsted.

Then Arenda Troutman (pictured) and Shirley Coleman showed up to get their natural clowns on. The two deposed and controversial aldermen claimed that they weren't invited to the opening, even though it was due to their lobbying that Kennedy-King relocated to this very part of Englewood (with possibly a little bit of "skin" for Troutman in the process). Both claimed that they were unaware of the ceremony. When each arrived at the scene (Coleman 35 minutes into the ceremony dressed like a giant Hostess Sno-Ball, while the indicted Troutman claimed she found out after "leaving court") they forced people out of their seats and made a scene of the snub, while supporters of Troutman held signs in the audience.

Coleman and Troutman may feel that they have justifiable rights to be at the ceremony. Unfortunately, politics is politics, and the voters in their respective wards spoke months ago. That's why they're both former aldermen. As for Coleman's and Troutman's claims that they weren't invited and unaware of the ceremony, take the latter claim with the proverbial grain of salt. We'd like to think the invites were lost in the mail, but assume that Coleman and Troutman were not invited because of the controversy surrounding each of them, leaving them to resort to the one card they have left to play.