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* Press release…
Following a thorough review by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) of the Brighton Park environmental report, the State of Illinois will not proceed with an asylum seeker shelter at the 38th and California site. IEPA cited concerns related to insufficient soil sampling and remediation. Given the significant time required to conduct additional sampling, to process and analyze results, and to implement corresponding further remediation, the State will work with the City to identify alternate shelter options.
The State is expediting efforts to launch the previously announced brick-and-mortar shelter site in Little Village with plans to have 200 beds available to families and people with disabilities. Since the City of Chicago selected the Brighton Park site, the State has requested alternate sites from the City as any additional shelter will operate as part of the City’s current shelter system. The State is also working with the Archdiocese of Chicago to explore additional options for brick-and-mortar shelter sites.
“My administration is committed to keeping asylum seekers safe as we work to help them achieve independence,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We will not proceed with housing families on a site where serious environmental concerns are still present. My administration remains committed to a data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response and we will continue to coordinate with the City of Chicago as we work to expand available shelter through winter.”
“IEPA would not approve the proposed Brighton Park site for residential use, based on our regulatory standards for remediation of contaminated properties,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “The well-being of residents and workers at the site is our highest priority, and current and planned site conditions do not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions.”
IEPA conducted a thorough review of the Environmental Investigation and Corrective Action Summary prepared for the City of Chicago and identified several concerns with the sampling and remediation work performed at the Brighton Park site. IEPA found:
• The limited nature and insufficient number of soil borings conducted at the site does not provide a comprehensive assessment of environmental conditions across the site.
• Additional soil sampling is needed to further determine if there is additional contamination at the site and to fully investigate potential sources of contamination that were identified from historical site use.The remediations implemented thus far do not satisfy IEPA standards and are insufficient. At a minimum, an expanded engineered barrier between contaminated soil and human exposure would need to be installed to address exposure concerns. Further investigation might also identify additional contamination that would require additional remediation.
Using IEPA’s Site Remediation Program guidelines, the insufficient sampling and remediation at the Brighton Park site does not meet State cleanup standards for residential use.
…Adding… The mayor responds, but the city actually chose the site…
Mayor stressing the point that the state of Illinois entered into the agreement with GardaWorld to build at Brighton Park.
— Tahman Bradley (@tahmanbradley) December 5, 2023
…Adding… Sun-Times…
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chair of the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, welcomed the state’s decision to halt construction.
“This is why, for months, I’ve seen saying we should have been purchasing, leasing and fixing buildings as opposed to going through this base camp strategy. ,,, I’ve never thought that would be the way to go because they’re tents in the winter in the city of Chicago. That’s enough problems as it is,” Vasquez said Tuesday.
“It makes sense to find the safest way possible because we don’t want situations where, years from now, we find out people are ill — especially when you’re talking about kids that are on that site. It makes sense to do all our due diligence to treat people the way we would all want to be treated in that situation,” he added.
* Tribune…
Reaching for comment Tuesday, local Ald. Julia Ramirez, 12th, said she was relieved at the news but hopes the Johnson administration learned a valuable lesson on responding to environmental concerns before proceeding with any construction.
“For us, it was a concern that they were constructing even before the environmental report,” said Ramirez, who long opposed the city’s rollout of the now-scuttled base camp. “What’s really important is that when they’re looking at other lots … that we would have done this over what a month and a half ago, two months ago, and have that conversation, done the environmental report, before proceeding with any other work.”
…Adding… NBC 5 has the mayor’s comments…
Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.”
“There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said.
Johnson acknowledged alternate locations are being explored, but did not specify which could be a likely backup.
“I’ve been planning for Plan B, C, and D, and E and F, from the very moment that I became the mayor of the city of Chicago. And so whether it’s 115th and Austin, or 38th and California, or any other brick and mortar location that we’ve identified, that can serve the purpose of this mission, know that my administration is planning ahead,” he said.
…Adding… City points finger at state…
After announcing last month its intention to support the city’s humanitarian migrant shelter mission, the State of Illinois entered into an agreement, leveraging its original contract with GardaWorld, to construct and operate a basecamp at a site previously identified by the City at 38th and California. Shortly after entering into its agreement, the State instructed GardaWorld to proceed with construction of the base camp simultaneous with the performance of the environmental assessment and remediation work previously contracted by the City.
The City contracted Terracon Consultants, Inc. to conduct a field investigation under a sampling plan that was developed for this specific site in accordance with an emergency response protocol under the Illinois Emergency Management Act. The investigation included soil sampling, groundwater sampling, and soil gas sampling which yielded soil analytical results, groundwater analytical results, and soil gas analytical results. Per the findings, the City conducted remediation work which included both the removal of contaminants and the introduction of new materials to eliminate safety risks for individuals who would reside in temporary residential housing.
Despite being made aware of the above assessment and remediation process, the State provided no additional guidance on its preferred methodology or assessment criteria, nor raised any concerns about its own decision to move forward with construction prior to the release of Terracon’s report.
The City’s goal has been and continues to be to move with urgency in providing shelter for new arrivals currently sleeping on the floors of Chicago Police Department district stations, airports and sidewalks. We have been planning for both the present and the future of the new arrivals mission by standing up nearly one temporary shelter a week and reducing the number of new arrivals sleeping at emergency staging areas and outdoors from nearly 4,000 to approximately 600.
Between November and December of 2022, a total of eight buses arrived in Chicago from the Southern border. In November of 2023 alone, 79 buses arrived in the city from the Southern border. We have received clear signals from Texas officials that the number of buses will continue to increase, so the urgency of the moment remains. We will continue partnering with stakeholders in meeting the moment and providing for new arrivals.
We look forward to partnering with the state on finally standing up the CVS shelter site through its contract with GardaWorld and we will work collaboratively to achieve the state’s expressed commitment to fund additional temporary residential shelter for new arrivals as winter and more buses arrive.
…Adding… Right back atcha…
Mayor Johnson said earlier the state didn’t communicate guidelines on assessing migrant camp.
Gov spox responds: “while the City might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the State is not” https://t.co/Gky7OaCVsK pic.twitter.com/0uzgaBdkZf
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) December 5, 2023
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 11:50 am
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Why am I not surprised?
Comment by very old soil Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 11:56 am
Jeez. Add this to the list of blunders…
Comment by Chicago Blue Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:01 pm
What an embarrassing failure by the Johnson administration. A competent administration would’ve moved on to alternative sites the moment concerns were raised about toxic waste. Even if the state EPA gave the site its approval, concerns about remediation would still be bounced around and a cadre of lawyers would be prepared to pounce.
Amateur hour.
Comment by Telly Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:04 pm
The whole idea of a tent camp in winter was doomed from the start. It would have been a disaster when the first January “polar vortex” hit. (One of the ironic impacts of global warming is that it makes big loops in the polar front more common.)
Putting people in tents on an old industrial site was another doomed idea. It takes years to assess and characterize these sites; a quick eval and cleanup was not possible.
Putting those two together and you have a very predictable result.
On the other hand, looking for vacant space in actual buildings constructed for residential or office use makes a lot more sense and should have been the main focus from the start.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:04 pm
If only there were, oh I don’t know…50 SHUTTERED SCHOOLS that the city could use. You know, those buildings that already have cooking and bathing facilities. And that aren’t tents.
Comment by Sad Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:05 pm
This is just a colossal screwup. Mayor “we must welcome migrants” just tried to put them on a toxic waste. Since we must assume this was not his intent, we must conclude this is the result of more failed staff work. Maybe if he gave a rats patootie about governing and properly staffed his government, we wouldn’t be seeing this kind of failure so regularly.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:06 pm
Has the mayor had a week of good PR? It can’t just be incompetence at this point. Rich Guidice is chief of staff with CPZ as deputy. Do they have no say over Jason/Stacy/Ronnie? How does this keep happening with experienced people at the helm?
Comment by DisappointedVoter Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:08 pm
===those buildings that already have cooking and bathing facilities. And that aren’t tents. ===
You’re assuming that CPS kept those buildings in good working order. I highly doubt that. Also, residents in disinvested neighborhoods have made it pretty darned clear they don’t want that to happen.
Simple solutions are usually neither.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:08 pm
===How does this keep happening with experienced people at the helm? ===
It’s always the principal.
Always.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:09 pm
This is the best example yet of the phony and performative nature that is the essence of this administration and its allies in the Council.
I guess “Environmental Justice” means it’s ok to poison thousands of our most wretched and desperate residents because you’re too busy with sloganeering to put them someplace safe.
Comment by northsider (the original) Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:09 pm
Johnson is lucky Chicago doesn’t have a recall provision or he wouldn’t last another year at this rate. I never thought anyone could make Lightfoot look great this soon after the election but he’s done it
Comment by Old time independent Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:10 pm
somebody’s got some ’splainin’ to do.
Comment by We've never had one before Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:13 pm
At least Pritzker’s team didn’t waste too much time here. Not that they really have the time to spare..
Comment by Nick Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:13 pm
Incompetence courtesy of CTU.. a staff way over their heads.. total disaster of progressive governing..
Comment by NotRich Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:16 pm
“I never thought anyone could make Lightfoot look great this soon after the election but he’s done it”
Well, maybe not great. But at least modestly more competent. She put some inexperienced folks in place but she also put a lot of very capable folks in there. Johnson? Well, he’s got Rich Guidice, but he seems to be Chief of Staff in name only. Jason Lee is the real Chief and he has clearly demonstrated that he lacks both the experience and ability to succeed. Maybe Johnson should have looked for more than being a politician’s son and some progressive street cred.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:16 pm
If you watched the “Honeymooners” tv show, there is a point in a lot of stories where Ralph Kramden realizes he screwed up again and has this Sad Sack look on his face. My mayor is Ralph Kramden - again.
Comment by levivotedforjudy Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:17 pm
As a leftist and Johnson voter, this is yet another infuriating spectacle. It’d be one thing to fail while striving for a progressive outcome - but building a tent camp at the outset of winter on a contaminated site? Alienating your supporters while failing to deliver even on this poorly-conceived solution? Terrible for the migrants, for the city, and for those of us who expected the mayor would act with humanity and empathy in this crisis.
Comment by Mark D Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:19 pm
These are just such dumb mistakes. Johnson needs to step back, reset, get rid of some folks, and start down a new path. Now.
Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:19 pm
10+ years of leftist organizing and work torpedoed by a mayor who is too paralyzed with indecision to hire staff. Absolutely incredible.
Comment by We Were Happy Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:20 pm
Lori Lightfoot certainly had her critics and detractors, but I cannot recall anyone suggesting that she was a “one term” mayor during his first year in office. That came much later. As for Johnson, the “not ready for prime time” comments have been a constant in year one.
Brandon Johnson has time to improve, but will he? One of his recent mayoral press conferences was probably the worst such performance since Bilandic could not manage snow removal during the 1979 blizzard and accused his critics of seeking to crucify him.
Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:24 pm
Please excuse my typographical error.
Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:31 pm
==total disaster of progressive governing==
This doesn’t have anything to do with “progressive governing.” This is a total disaster of governing, period.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:31 pm
I posted some time back when the mayor said he would have these camps up by “Winter”. I think I said the over/under he had to have them up was December 15th. The over unfortunately looks to be the winner…or in this case winter.
Comment by Nagidam Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:44 pm
As MBJ and his team continue to soil the bed, there won’t be enough sheets in the city of Chicago to clean up Johnson’s mess.
One bad decision follows the next. Lack of research and planning for the city’s migrants is an embarrassment to his administration and will follow Johnson everywhere.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:45 pm
Well the other guy was a lesson plan writer. Doubt he’d a done much better.
Agreed, not a great idea to build tents.
The texas guvnor made his point.
Comment by Jerry Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:46 pm
I suspect the other shoe to drop on this issue is going to be that the contract with GardaWorld has provisions for this scenario that result in the city still being on the hook for millions to them, even if they don’t build this site.
Comment by Riversidian Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:46 pm
===How does this keep happening with experienced people at the helm? ===
What experienced people are you referring to?
The experience that matters is city/municipal governance, corporate relationship development, legal issues outside of niche non-profits, and high level finance (bond markets, distressed assets, etc.). Few and far between in the Mayors Office….
Comment by LastModDemStanding Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 12:49 pm
I wonder how the Mayor’s Office responds, if at all.
What an absolute disaster of a week for the Mayor…and it’s only Tuesday. If he doesn’t make some significant changes in direction this week, he’s going to be facing possibly insurmountable credibility issues on every issue he’s facing or proposing. People are going to be treating him like a lame duck and going around him wherever possible.
However, he lives in an echo chamber and is hiding from media…so I’m not holding my breath.
Comment by NIU Grad Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:02 pm
I am not overlooking the human element of this situation, people being housed in tents in the middle of a Chicago winter on toxic ground. But, as budgetary pressures continue to strain the city and city tax payers, what will the final cost of this fiasco be?
Why oh why didn’t they listen to the concerned residents who made the claim about the toxic substances on site, do some testing before this whole process began.
Now what?
Comment by Chicago Voter Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:09 pm
===listen to the concerned residents who made the claim about the toxic substances===
Yes, because that’s what was driving the residents. Right.
They found out about the pollution from the city and then conveniently added it to their list of grievances. Instead of demanding that the site *in a residential neighborhood* be cleaned up, they used the topic to their own political advantage. And that’s all fine, but now they have a known toxic waste site down the street from their homes. That’ll be so great for residential housing prices.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:13 pm
== those buildings that already have cooking and bathing facilities. And that aren’t tents. ==
The city and Archdiocese engaged in talks over using abandoned Catholic schools/rectories/convents back in the spring. Most have fallen in to disrepair and the city was turned off by the potential costs as well as the time frame required to get them in better shape. So the city turned the offer down. Seems like a penny-wise-dollar-foolish decision now.
They did agree on using St. Bart’s on the northwest side recently (as Isabel linked in one of her round-ups.) So maybe they’re reconsidering that option. The shuttered Catholic schools are probably better suited than the closed CPS schools because most come with congregate facilities that were once used to house nuns and priests. Though, as Rich points out, using those location will surely engender some local opposition.
Comment by Roman Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:16 pm
==Mayor stressing the point that the state of Illinois entered into the agreement with GardaWorld to build at Brighton Park.==
This comes almost six years to the day BVR said “I am not in charge. I’m trying to get to be in charge.”
Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:23 pm
Its fashionable to diss Daleyites on this page. What I wouldnt give to have competent people in charge at this point.
As a former county commissioner himself, I really thought Johnson would work better with other elected officials.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:30 pm
I kind of like Brandon; he seems to have a good heart. I’m opposed to 99.9% of his political goals but that’s a different matter.
I’m trying to picture him telling GardaWorld he has to pull the contract that he probably shouldn’t have signed in the first place.
His good heart wasn’t likely too helpful there.
Pritzker had to be the heavy if you think about it…
Comment by sassy brat Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:30 pm
“I suspect the other shoe to drop on this issue is going to be that the contract with GardaWorld has provisions for this scenario that result in the city still being on the hook for millions…”
Crews of city workers have been there for weeks. I would imagine they sunk millions into this location.
Comment by Sonny Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:31 pm
Should have Never gone this far, given the environmental damage on the property
Comment by Uncle Tanoos Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:39 pm
I wished we had a businessman running the gubbamint. They’d know what to do! / snark intentional
Comment by Jerry Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:48 pm
==the contract with GardaWorld==
It should be available publicly, perhaps on the DPS )Dept of Procurement Services) website. I say *should* because I cant say for certain.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:51 pm
== the city was turned off by the potential costs as well as the time frame required to get them in better shape ==
You would think a pro-union mayor who could ensure a quick permitting and inspection process could rely on the trades to get any remodeling and repairs done quickly … /s
Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 1:57 pm
Multiple levels of failure here-
The State has a contract with Garda World but that does not require you to enter into a contract with them, you just didn’t know any better and thought it would be an easy solution. It isn’t.
The EPA remediation/thoughts should have had a preliminary vetting prior to even choosing the sight. A quick assessment would have seen the years of industrial and allowed to walk away long before the alderwoman and her aide got chased down the street. Lesson learned.
Coordination with the Mayor of NY about the pitfalls of tent cities should have been discuseed with his staff in AUgust as they already had tents going up.
Alderman Vazquez confirms what Alderwoman Taylor said- they should not be on the 5th floor. Sitting on the outside throwing policy bombs, is their wheelhouse. Governing, day-to-day nuts and bolts is not what they do.
Comment by Frida's boss Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:07 pm
===but the city actually chose the site===
Either some person was went, “How about?” or some Leslie Knope had a great idea about how to get the state to pay for cleaning up industrial waste.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:12 pm
What an absolute clusterfracas.
Comment by Suburban Mom Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:12 pm
“I wished we had a businessman running the gubbamint. They’d know what to do! / snark intentional”
Don’t know why there’d be snark here. The businessman in Springfield is the one who keeps bailing out the “progressive” former teacher in county commissioner. At this point the contrast between a former business person and a progressive ideologue couldn’t be more stark. Da Mayor is looking worse and worse by comparison every day.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:17 pm
Can someone in the Mayors Office point to the said Plans B, C, D, E and F? Because it doesn’t feel like there was a Plan A at this point.
Comment by LastModDemStanding Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:24 pm
Brandon Johnson is the Liz Truss of Chicago mayors — he’s gone from elected to beyond embarrassing in the shortest time ever. And now he’s desperately trying to offload responsibility for poor policy decisions onto to the very state government he’s also playing chicken with in hopes of forcing it to shoulder the costs of housing asylum seekers. It’s frightening to think how much damage the Mayor and his not-ready-for-primetime players may cause in the next few years, especially with the convention coming up. Chicago and the state deserve so much better.
Comment by Flapdoodle Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:34 pm
==Its fashionable to diss Daleyites on this page. What I wouldnt give to have competent people in charge at this point.==
Counterpoint: parking meters. That was gross incompetence. Remind me who was Mayor?
Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:39 pm
115th & Halsted, not 115th & Austin.
Comment by James the Intolerant Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:40 pm
Shocking things are going so poorly given all his experience governing…
Comment by Monk Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:42 pm
Question, why is every failure by a progressive administration seen as proof progressive administrations always fail 100% of the time? A lot of non-progressive administrations fail, yet none are held up as an example of a systemic failure of an entire ideology. Criticizing Johnson’s administration is fair. Using his administration to criticize all progressive administrations is not. Why does it constantly have to be pointed out that he is progressive? Was it also constantly pointed out Lightfoot was not progressive.
Also, it’s rich (no pun intended) ya’ll criticize Johnson for not having experienced people in his administration. Where exactly is he supposed to find such people? Considering about the only things Democrats and Republicans work together on regularly is keeping progressives out of positions of political power.
America is the only industrialized nation in the world without universal healthcare. You think this “bash progressives at all costs” mentality doesn’t contribute to that? We have nothing but ourselves to blame.
Comment by Former Downstater Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:46 pm
===Where exactly is he supposed to find such people? ===
The list of people who’ve applied is a whole lot longer than the list of people who’ve been hired.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:48 pm
I keep a Webster dictionary in my office to make sure words are used properly. I think I need to show Mr Johnson the definition of “plan” as he is obviously perplexed and using it improperly.
Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 2:49 pm
“Question, why is every failure by a progressive administration seen as proof progressive administrations always fail 100% of the time?”
Nice straw man there. Nobody said that in this thread. The issue is his incompetence and his penchant for bringing in inexperienced ideologues instead of experienced pros. He’s in way way way over his head. Is that because he’s a progressive? No. But his election was viewed by many of his supporters as an opportunity to prove that progressives could govern. To quote Alderman Taylor, “We’re pretending like now we got the power, let us show you how it’s supposed to be done. And we look real stupid, right now.”
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:18 pm
Oh, and “Where exactly is he supposed to find such people?”???? Is that a joke? There are an ample supply of experienced and successful government professionals who know City government. Other than Rich Guidice, who kind of looks like window dressing at this point, he’s pretty much ignored all those people. Remember, he’s been mayor for almost seven months and he still only has TWO comms staff for example (compared to the usual 8-12). There is zero excuse for that seven months in. Zero. Total failure.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:21 pm
It is no secret at this point that the admin has interviewed, gave offers and then rescinded or delayed start dates to qualified staff for different teams and departments.
Another terrible response from the mayor. Is the mayor even prepped?
Comment by DisappointedVoter Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:38 pm
When will the Johnson administration just own up to the fact that they’re over their skis and need help? Trying to spin this - unartfully at that - against the state is a real head scratcher. Sooner they do an internal and external advisor shake up the better. Johnson has a lot of potential, but he needs to be surrounded with people who have enough experience and expertise to make up for where he has gaps. Too many folks on his team have close to zero experience running big things in and outside of government.
Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:41 pm
Maybe they could arts and crafts up some signs and hold a protest march. Chant “this is what democracy looks like” for a few hours. Go back the their roots and play to their strengths. That might solve some problems.
Comment by Franklin Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:57 pm
MBJ owns this, but it reflects poorly on his team — all of his team. Serious people should question how they are going to handle the convention given this mess.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:58 pm
“Is that a joke? There are an ample supply of experienced and successful government professionals who know City government.”
And how many of their values align with Johnson’s? The Democratic party has a long history of shutting out people whose views are truly progressive.
I understand it may not appear that way to people who think Joe Biden is a Communist. But to the rest of us, who live in reality, progressives are routinely shut out of politics.
Comment by Former Downstater Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 3:59 pm
Progressives keep getting called out because they like to consistently tell everyone their progressive values are always right. They also like to bully people into their agenda and even speak from the dais that if you don’t follow them then their people will roll them.
So when they’ve shown they are incapable of governing guess what- you want to yell from the rooftops how great you are you don’t get to hide in a corner until the problems go away and cry that people are being mean.
Comment by Frida's boss Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 4:00 pm
== As a former county commissioner himself, I really thought Johnson would work better with other elected officials. ==
The Cook County Board is basically a glorified budget committee. The countywide elected official really run the government. County commissioners, particularly those who represent city-based districts, are among the most anonymous elected officials in Chicago. They don’t pass meaningful ordinances and they are rarely involved in delivering constituent services.(It’s little different for suburban-based county commissioners who have unincorporated areas they represent, where the residents rely on their commissioners as if they are aldermen.)
This is a big part of the problem for Johnson. His government experience is thin to begin with, but it is even thinner than you think because the experience he does have was accrued at the Cook County Board — a government body that does very little governing.
Comment by Roman Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 4:01 pm
“Nice straw man there. Nobody said that in this thread.”
So the term “total disaster of progressive governing” wasn’t used on this blog in an earlier comment?
Comment by Former Downstater Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 4:01 pm
“planning ahead”? Mr Mayor, it’s way too late to claim that.
Comment by Leslie K Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 4:13 pm
=I understand it may not appear that way to people who think Joe Biden is a Communist. But to the rest of us, who live in reality, progressives are routinely shut out of politics.=
This makes no sense. Resurgence in labor politics and new Squad-like candidates created a new class of progressive operatives. Many applied. In some cases, Team Brandon even reached out to solicit them. For whatever reason, the admin fumbled the ball, and they don’t seem to realize their current skeleton crew is in far over their heads.
Comment by We Were Happy Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 4:39 pm
=== wasn’t used on this blog in an earlier comment?===
Yes. By one person. Your argument was global. If you’re gonna complain about a comment then make it about that one comment and not everyone.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 6:20 pm
It does no good for the two leaders to start openly criticizing each other. Their actions can speak for themselves. We’re all in this together.
Another thought — a bit contrary to my own expectations, I have found the “progressives” at the state level to be among the most practical actors in our government.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 6:51 pm
This is from the Terrace report:
AIS (Department of Assets,Information, and Services) provided Terracon with an environmental summary radius report by EDR, historical Sanborn Maps, as well as the proposed locations of the winterized shelters to aid in the creation of a site-specific Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP). ** The SAP was reviewed and approved by AIS. **
“AIS directed…”
“Per AIS request…”
AIS is not the IEPA and the City should know this.
Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 8:11 pm
Contracts, contracts, contracts…
Gardaworld got a big contract as did Sanchez Group (who also hold other large city contracts), who happen to be big donors to the alders and mayor.
It’s incompetence and lack of foresight to develop a site at the same time as the environmental study is done on it. It’s a shame that people on the inside really thought they could get away with it knowing that it is a risk.
Didn’t this same group also protest a recycling company in the 10th ward all while citing health risks?
Comment by SantosLHalper Tuesday, Dec 5, 23 @ 9:23 pm
An awful ot of money washing around this project a large empty basically non usable got somewhat rehabilitated. Someone benefited. Lots of labor hours etc
Comment by hank Sauer Wednesday, Dec 6, 23 @ 7:44 am
== And how many of their values align with Johnson’s? The Democratic party has a long history of shutting out people whose views are truly progressive.==
Right. In the entire City of Chicago, there are no progressives w public policy / administration experience. You must be kidding me.
The reality is there are dozens of such people, some of whom are right down the street on LaSalle, in fact.
Comment by low level Wednesday, Dec 6, 23 @ 3:26 pm