Inauguration of 31st street & Kostner Bridge
CHICAGO (CBS) — Some community activists are
organizing to fight a proposal to raise the price of a city sticker in Chicago.
They’ve started a petition drive against a plan by Ald. Proco Joe Moreno to raise $21 million by raising sticker prices based on the kind of car you drive.
Raul Montes Jr., who is leading the effort, says: “It’s like everything is going up, parking meters, city stickers now. What’s next? Taxes? It’s difficult to live in the city.”
LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Mike Krauser
Reports
The activists gathered on a street corner in Wicker Park, where you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants to pay more.
“No, I don’t want to pay more for a city sticker. I am paying plenty already,” said one resident.
SUV and pick-up owners would pay $155, up $35.
The owners of smaller vehicles, now paying $75 would pay $95.
Owners of small hybrids would have to pay $25 for a sticker, rather than the current $75 for passenger vehicles, while large hybrids would pay $65.
Ald. Moreno has said longer-term, higher sticker prices would get people to buy more fuel-efficient cars.
Monetes says most people are hurting.
“Not everybody can afford it,” he said. “Maybe he can with his salary. But I can’t personally. I don’t think everybody can go out and buy a hybrid like he can.”
He suggests aldermen cut their salaries and budgets.
CHICAGO, Ill (WBBM)– Community activists in the Little Village neighborhood are calling on Mayor Daley and Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel to reconsider their intentions for the Wal-Mart developments in Chicago, WBBM-AM’s Michelle Fiore reports.
At a news conference Sunday afternoon at 26th Street and Kolin, Raul Montes Jr. said people could benefit from having a Wal-Mart more centrally located in the city, vs. the locations on the South Side, which are currently planned.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Michelle Fiore Reports
Montes says Wal-Mart would do well at 26th and Kostner, which has been vacant for years. Montes says he and others in Little Village have sent letters to their alderman over the past few months and have so far, gotten no response.
He says they feel ignored.
PRESS CONFERENCE AGAINST "DOUBLE DIPPING" in the State of ILLINOIS Thompson Center
Speaker Raul Montes the Community Activist
AMVETS & American Legion Celebrating Manuel Perez Jr’s Birthday
In Attendance: Members and Raul Montes Community Activist
PRESS CONFERENCE AGAINST "DOUBLE DIPPING" in the State of ILLINOIS Thompson Center
TRANSCRIPT OF THE CBS-2/BGA INVESTIGATIVE REPORT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH AT 10 P.M.
Reporting Pam Zekman
CHICAGO (CBS) - How Do Aldermen Spend Their 'Piggy Bank' Money?
Munoz Accused Of Hoarding Funds For Park While Some Residents Demand Improvements
Chicago's 50 aldermen have a multimillion-dollar piggy bank.
It's referred to as a "menu" because they use the money to pick and choose improvements for their wards. CBS 2 and the Better Government Association joined forces to see how the money is being spent.
2 Investigator Pam Zekman and the BGA look inside the "Aldermanic Piggy Banks."
Community activist Raul Montes wants 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz to fund blue-light police cameras for dangerous corners.
Why isn't he doing it?
"That's a mystery," Montes said.
Each Chicago alderman gets $1.3 million a year to spend on ward improvements. Records obtained by CBS 2 and the BGA found that a majority of them spend most of the money on improvements such as street lights, speed humps, road resurfacing and blue-light cameras.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2007 WARD MENU
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2008 WARD MENU
But in the last three years, Munoz has only spent about $41,000 -- leaving more than $3.85 million just sitting untouched in his fund. Munoz said he has an idea about what the money will be put toward: street improvements around a proposed park in his ward.
"We decided to try and save that money to see if it could be used as a negotiating tactic and tool towards building a new park at 31st and Kedzie," he said.
The Chicago Park district would have to approve and pay for the $18 million dollar project.
Given that it's not a done deal, Zekman asked Munoz why he wouldn't spend some of the money on blue-light cameras in problem areas.
"If it were up to some neighbors, they would want to have a camera on every corner -- that's just not doable," Munoz said.
But Montes has collected more than 1,000 signatures from residents and business owners like hardware store owner Jose Hernandez.
"It's a shame that people who have the ability and the money to do things -- they don't do it," he said.
Andy Shaw, director of the BGA, sides with the frustrated constituents.
"If there's a big project out there, have the mayor and the city take care of the big project," Shaw said. "The menu is for the little things that aldermen have to do for their constituents."
Every year, 50th Ward Ald. Bernard Stone spends all of his menu money, mostly on streetlights to help deter crime. But he admits to one fact of political life.
"You take care of the people who take care of you -- you know, the people who voted for you," he said. "That's not Chicago politics, that's Politics 101."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
La Villita: ¿Cómo está el barrio?
La Villita: ¿Cómo está el barrio?
"Eran como las siete de la noche. (El vehículo) se metió hasta adentro, tumbó toda la pared, ya estaba la camioneta adentro de mi cuarto, se subió encima de la cama", contó González.
"(Cuentan que) Según venía otra camioneta y por no chocar se desvió; pero él más bien se distrajo porque venía comiendo, tenía como un burrito porque llenó toda la puerta del closet de chile, de salsa", recordó la mujer.
"Todavía estoy traumada, cada rechinada que oigo me asusto. Oigo que pasan bien rápido en la noche. Yo siempre estoy aquí y los carros no hacen el alto", denunció.
El concejal Muñoz dijo que efectivamente lo fue a ver la vecina de esa esquina y le hizo una petición "de que quería unos árboles ahí enfrente de su casa y los árboles se plantaron en mayo". Sin embargo, dijo desconocer cualquier otra petición de un semáforo, barrera o tope.
De acuerdo con Muñoz, "el hecho de que los automóviles no están respetando el alto es un tema policíaco, de que se necesitan más policías, para que puedan multar la infracción, dar el tiquete de tráfico".
Raúl Montes Jr., activista del barrio, aseguró: "Ya le pedimos al concejal que pusiera una barrera, hace siete meses. Hoy le pedimos que ponga topes y letreros que digan ‘zona de escuela’ y una barrera. Pedimos una cámara o hasta un semáforo", exclamó en una manifestación realizada el pasado 16 de junio.
INVERSIÓN Y EMPLEO
El barrio de La Villita sigue siendo un puerto de entrada para los inmigrantes mexicanos en Chicago y uno de los más densos de la ciudad. La necesidad de infraestructura como escuelas, parques, clínicas, centros comunitarios es constante. Pero ahora también es urgente la creación de empleos.
Inauguration of 31st street & Kostner Bridge
By ABC News Archives
TRANSCRIPT OF THE CBS-2/BGA INVESTIGATIVE REPORT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH AT 10 P.M.
Reporting Pam Zekman It's referred to as a "menu" because they use the money to pick and choose improvements for their wards. CBS 2 and the Better Government Association joined forces to see how the money is being spent. 2 Investigator Pam Zekman and the BGA look inside the "Aldermanic Piggy Banks." Community activist Raul Montes wants 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz to fund blue-light police cameras for dangerous corners. Why isn't he doing it? "That's a mystery," Montes said. Each Chicago alderman gets $1.3 million a year to spend on ward improvements. Records obtained by CBS 2 and the BGA found that a majority of them spend most of the money on improvements such as street lights, speed humps, road resurfacing and blue-light cameras. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2007 WARD MENU "We decided to try and save that money to see if it could be used as a negotiating tactic and tool towards building a new park at 31st and Kedzie," he said. The Chicago Park district would have to approve and pay for the $18 million dollar project. Given that it's not a done deal, Zekman asked Munoz why he wouldn't spend some of the money on blue-light cameras in problem areas. "If it were up to some neighbors, they would want to have a camera on every corner -- that's just not doable," Munoz said. But Montes has collected more than 1,000 signatures from residents and business owners like hardware store owner Jose Hernandez. "It's a shame that people who have the ability and the money to do things -- they don't do it," he said. Andy Shaw, director of the BGA, sides with the frustrated constituents. "If there's a big project out there, have the mayor and the city take care of the big project," Shaw said. "The menu is for the little things that aldermen have to do for their constituents." Every year, 50th Ward Ald. Bernard Stone spends all of his menu money, mostly on streetlights to help deter crime. But he admits to one fact of political life. "You take care of the people who take care of you -- you know, the people who voted for you," he said. "That's not Chicago politics, that's Politics 101." (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
CHICAGO (CBS) - How Do Aldermen Spend Their 'Piggy Bank' Money?
Munoz Accused Of Hoarding Funds For Park While Some Residents Demand Improvements
Chicago's 50 aldermen have a multimillion-dollar piggy bank.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2008 WARD MENU
But in the last three years, Munoz has only spent about $41,000 -- leaving more than $3.85 million just sitting untouched in his fund. Munoz said he has an idea about what the money will be put toward: street improvements around a proposed park in his ward.
La Villita: ¿Cómo está el barrio?
El Concejal Ricardo Muñoz habla de los proyectos para atraer inversión al barrio de La Villita, el trabajo con la policía para instalar más cámaras de videovigilancia y la repavimentación de calles
FABIOLA POMAREDA / La Raza | 2010-06-27 | La Raza
Vecinos de La Villita se reunieron en el cruce de la 28 y Kostner, la semana pasada. Foto Fabiola Pomareda/La Raza
"Eran como las siete de la noche. (El vehículo) se metió hasta adentro, tumbó toda la pared, ya estaba la camioneta adentro de mi cuarto, se subió encima de la cama", contó González.
"(Cuentan que) Según venía otra camioneta y por no chocar se desvió; pero él más bien se distrajo porque venía comiendo, tenía como un burrito porque llenó toda la puerta del closet de chile, de salsa", recordó la mujer.
"Todavía estoy traumada, cada rechinada que oigo me asusto. Oigo que pasan bien rápido en la noche. Yo siempre estoy aquí y los carros no hacen el alto", denunció.
El concejal Muñoz dijo que efectivamente lo fue a ver la vecina de esa esquina y le hizo una petición "de que quería unos árboles ahí enfrente de su casa y los árboles se plantaron en mayo". Sin embargo, dijo desconocer cualquier otra petición de un semáforo, barrera o tope.
De acuerdo con Muñoz, "el hecho de que los automóviles no están respetando el alto es un tema policíaco, de que se necesitan más policías, para que puedan multar la infracción, dar el tiquete de tráfico".
Raúl Montes Jr., activista del barrio, aseguró: "Ya le pedimos al concejal que pusiera una barrera, hace siete meses. Hoy le pedimos que ponga topes y letreros que digan ‘zona de escuela’ y una barrera. Pedimos una cámara o hasta un semáforo", exclamó en una manifestación realizada el pasado 16 de junio.
INVERSIÓN Y EMPLEO
El barrio de La Villita sigue siendo un puerto de entrada para los inmigrantes mexicanos en Chicago y uno de los más densos de la ciudad. La necesidad de infraestructura como escuelas, parques, clínicas, centros comunitarios es constante. Pero ahora también es urgente la creación de empleos.
