Quick mayoral roundup
Tuesday, Dec 18, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
…Adding… Corrected…
* Oh, for crying out loud…
* Good move…
* Onward…
* Press release…
This morning, Susana Mendoza addressed the City Club of Chicago, laying out her bold vision to shape Chicago for the next generation and put the city’s neighborhoods first. During the speech, Mendoza unveiled her 50NEW Initiative to rebuild public schools as strong academic centers and hubs of community activity that will also help address violence in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
50NEW is a comprehensive plan that would use extra space in existing neighborhood schools to offer daycare, supper for students, family services, job training, and more. Instead of closing schools, 50NEW would help transform them into community hubs where Chicago families can access a quality public education alongside the support services they need to thrive.
50 represents the community schools that will be created within existing, underutilized school buildings over the next eight years. NEW stands for Neighborhood Education Works reflecting the program’s steadfast commitment to building a strong public education system for the next generation.
“We have to think boldly and transformationally,” said Susana Mendoza. “Instead of asking which 50 schools we should close next, I’ll be focused on which 50 underutilized schools we should be doubling down on, turning them into true community hubs and stronger academic centers. I’m ready to get to work on our schools at every level, from the neighborhood school my son attends, to implementing my 50NEW Initiative to transform the most under-resourced neighborhoods in our city. I’m excited to work with all Chicagoans to shape our future together – a future based on a vision for the next generation, not just the next four years.”
* And I totally agree with Laura Washington…
“Ja’Mal Green needs to fix his pacifier,” replied former state Sen. Rickey “Hollywood” Hendon, Wilson’s political consultant and a lifelong Machine pol.
I agree with Hollywood on this one. If you want to play with the big boys and girls, you’ve got to be one.
Yes, the system is unfair. Yes, it was set up to favor those who know how to play the game. But those are the rules. If you aren’t tough enough to surmount a pile of paperwork, you aren’t ready for City Hall.
In 2019, Chicago will need a mayor with the muscle and moxie to take on the bullies and blowhards.
Weak, whiny politicians seem to be in vogue these days, although Illinois just rid itself of one of the prime local examples of these self-made victims.
* Related…
* What Does the Next Chicago Mayor Have in Mind for Affordable Housing?
* Preckwinkle vows to dump Police Supt. Eddie Johnson for denying code of silence: “It’s very important that police be accountable for their conduct. And if you won’t even acknowledge that there’s a code of silence in the Police Department, how can you possibly do that? . . . If you start out by saying . . . we have never condoned or covered up bad police behaviors, I don’t think that’s a characteristic of an effective leader.”
* Emanuel, Johnson fire back at Preckwinkle for targeting superintendent: Without mentioning Preckwinkle by name, Johnson accused the county board president, now running for mayor, of misconstruing or misinterpreting what he had to say about the code of silence in a deposition.
* Mendoza Calls Preckwinkle a ‘Bully’ Over Petition Challenges
* Lightfoot: Give Preckwinkle a ‘bag of coal’ for bad-faith petition challenges
* Susana Mendoza on Her Battle to Become Chicago’s Next Mayor
- supplied_demand - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 11:49 am:
Mendoza’s plan isn’t perfect and the details need to be worked out, but this is the type of transformational policy the city is crying out for right now. Rahm put us on a stronger footing and stabilized finances, it is time to re-invest in the communities.
That said, where does the money come from? Is it existing resources, some form of program consolidation, or new dollars?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:10 pm:
–Weak, whiny politicians seem to be in vogue these days, although Illinois just rid itself of one of the prime local examples of these self-made victims.–
He’s a lousy governor, but he’s got a heckuva future as a bridge-burner. I think he burned every one he came across in Illinois.
- Chucky Jay - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:19 pm:
I’ve met Ja’mal. I like him, he seems to have good intentions. But he’s not remotely ready to be mayor. I don’t know that any of the current field is what Chicago needs, but it certainly doesn’t need someone doing this on a lark. It needs someone who is prepared to tackle the problems on day one, not spend the first 100 days learning what the different departments do.
- Molly Maguire - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:24 pm:
It’s hard to defend the dreaded “milennials” when they do stuff like this. Was never too impressed with Mr. Green in the past: mixing it up cops, relentless self-promotion.
- thechampaignlife - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:26 pm:
===he’s got a heckuva future as a bridge-burner===
A bridge too far.
===she’ll donate $12,800 that Ed Burke has raised for her over the last 30 years to charities===
I much prefer this approach than giving the money back to the donor. Giving it back is literally choosing to give money to a corrupt person, a racist, or whatever the issue is in question which they can use to further their agenda.
===Yes, the system is unfair. Yes, it was set up to favor those who know how to play the game. But those are the rules.===
But the rules suck, everyone knows they suck, and the only people who can change them are the ones that made the sucky system or who can drag themselves through the mud long enough to get pulled to the dark side. I for one would like to see more collegial leadership and less CTE-inducing contact sports in politics. How do we get there?
- DuPage Bard - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:30 pm:
Many of these mayoral candidates don’t seem to be ready for prime time. Some have already dropped out. Others are hoping that 12% gets them to a run off. With a saturated field who knows?
Whiny candidates are totally in vogue now. Have been for a while. Saying you can cut deals and move the ball forward means your an insider and the media has made insiders the problem of all of the publics problems.
Instead of looking to who can negotiate, get things done and put their ego aside (looking at you Scott Drury), editorial boards across the state have championed the whiner. Have pushed for the crybaby. They don’t push for the folks that cut the deals and make the sausage. The want the whole pig already served and delivered. If it isn’t delivered correctly they blame the butchers.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:40 pm:
Mendoza’s 50NEW Initiative sounds like a good idea. Most of those schools have sat on the market since closing with little to no serious consideration for redevelopment any time soon anyway. Maybe increasing their scope beyond elementary education will promote better usage.
- Blame Game - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 12:42 pm:
she’ll donate $12,800 that Ed Burke has raised for her
That only covers the money Toni has taken from Burke, what favors has she done for him? There is no way he has not called her and asked for something..a job for someone, a raise for someone, a contract, a payment expedited…
What is the real cost of the Toni/Ed relationship to taxpayers over the years?
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 1:36 pm:
“If you want to play with the big boys and girls, you’ve got to be one.”
As Mr. Dooley explained twelve decades ago, the game being played ain’t bean bag.
– MrJM
- AnneBancrupt - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 1:41 pm:
Citizen, the plan Susana speaks of is something Vallas has been drilling down on for the last 5 months. Much like everything else, Susana is cherry picking other people’s ideas and packaging them with a cute, sweet little name, like 50 New.
Besides, have you been inside some of these closed down schools? The ones left languishing on the market for five years have been doing so for a reason. They’re not in a prime location or they have been vandalized beyond repair.
Like everything else in Susana’s make believe world of being a city girl and offering bold transformations, hers was spun by none other than KJD Strategies.
- SaulGoodman - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 1:47 pm:
So… I looked up Ja’mal in the voter file. He’s there. He’s been registered. He voted in 16 and 18.
- Perrid - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 2:01 pm:
Rich, Paris walked back the line about Green not being registered. Something about the registration being at his old address and not his current one.
- Shytown - Tuesday, Dec 18, 18 @ 3:44 pm:
Susana owned the Chicago Tonight interview. Home run.
== AnneBancrup ==
Maybe you should read the stories as Mendoza is not talking about the schools that already closed; she’s talking about those currently underutilized and operating.
And that’s a great idea and if this KJD Strategies came up with it then they’re worth every penny.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 19, 18 @ 6:46 am:
“Besides, have you been inside some of these closed down schools? The ones left languishing on the market for five years have been doing so for a reason. They’re not in a prime location or they have been vandalized beyond repair.”
So how would you like it if one of these schools was next to YOUR house? Repurposing them is a great idea, no matter whose idea it is.
- AnneBancrupt - Wednesday, Dec 19, 18 @ 8:54 am:
Anon: go take a look at some of the schools that haven’t been sold. They were stripped of electricity. What happened then? They had no sumps, flooded and have had no heat for 5 years. They are filled with mold and other airborne particles that will have effects similar to first responders volunteers at 9/11. All you can do is tear them down.
So, KJD and Susana better have better plans than what happened the last time around with their good friend Emanuel.
Don’t speak about what you don’t know.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 19, 18 @ 10:57 am:
“Don’t speak about what you don’t know.”
I know that if you live next to an abandoned building your property value goes down, and some banks wont even insure your home. These abandoned schools are now a blight in the neighborhood and need to be dealt with. By the way chlorine works wonders on mold.