Mudslinging mars 2nd Ward runoff
By Vivian Malli
Heavy-handed campaign tactics are bringing new lows to the mudslinging battle between 2nd Ward Alderman Madeline Haithcock and challenger Bob Fioretti in the April 17 runoff election.
Haithcock, who earned only 21% of the
popular vote in the February election, labeled Fioretti, who recently was
re-endorsed by the Chicago chapter of the National Organization of Women, as
a “stalker of women” in a mailing that reached nearly 13,000 households in
March.
Fioretti,
who denounced the flyer as “lies and slander,” filed a lawsuit requesting a
temporary restraining order on distributing the mailers and a judicial order
for Haithcock to retract publicly statements made in the mailing.
Meanwhile, Fioretti accused Haithcock of “bribing” former opponent Larry Doody by offering to pay $74,000 of his campaign debt to endorse her. Both Haithcock and Doody dismissed Fioretti’s allegations as “malicious lies.”
Fioretti, who led the six-way February race with 28% of the vote, sought endorsement by former candidates David Askew and Doody, who instead backed Haithcock in a March press conference. “I don’t think that [Doody and Askew] represented the interests of the people at any given time,” said Fioretti, who also described their endorsement of Haithcock as hypocritical. “Eighty percent of the people in this ward voted for change. And I’m going to keep giving that message out.”
Although Doody and Askew previously lambasted Haithcock for being
inaccessible, both defended their recent endorsement of her as a better
alternative to Bob Fioretti.
“I want change, but do I want that change to occur by putting the wrong
person in office?” believe that Mr. Fioretti’s mission is in the best
interest of the ward.” Askew believes Haithcock “now takes seriously the
concerns that were brought about in the campaign,” said Audra Wilson,
Askew’s campaign manager. “She’ll be making significant improvements.
She still has a clearer vision or plan for this ward than Bob Fioretti.”
Haithcock feels the ward has improved significantly under her tenure. “I’ve
improved a lot of schools,” she said. “Two of them had scores that
skyrocketed. I have a lot of restaurants and a lot of childcare places that
have come up. I think the 2nd Ward is second to none.”
Her current ward projects include a facility for autistic children, a senior
housing complex on Roosevelt Road, new dwellings on Madison Street, a retail
mall at Canal and Jefferson Streets anchored by Home Depot, and affordable
housing in Roosevelt Square and Jackson Square.
Haithcock
also touts relocating the Pacific Garden Mission, which will include
state-of-the-art facilities for the homeless. The mission’s move to 14th and
Canal Streets “should be finished by this fall,” Haithcock said. “There’ll
be training and assistance for [the homeless] to go to work on the bus.”
Haithcock has adopted Askew’s campaign platform of greater accessibility and
“smart growth,” a plan involving community-based advisory councils to
approve new developments and address retail deserts in the ward’s West and
South Sides with diverse shops and basic amenities.
Fioretti promises to be a more accessible Alderman and is aggressively
courting voters by greeting residents in front of highrises five days a
week, knocking door-to-door, and visiting churches on Sundays.
“When I’m elected Alderman, not only
will I have town hall meetings, I’m going to go knocking on doors and stand
in front of highrises at least once or twice a year,” said Fioretti.
Haithcock plans to improve education with mentoring partnerships throughout
the community, crediting David Askew with the idea. “You can take a lesson
from somebody else,” she said.
Fioretti asserts the
communityschool partnership was his idea and plans to reduce class sizes and
upgrade textbooks for public schools. Although opponents say changing class
sizes in no way involves Aldermanic authority, Fioretti vehemently
disagreed.
“Askew has said that reducing class size is outside of an Alderman’s
control? I will not sit back and pass the buck and say it belongs to some
other entity,” said Fioretti. “Our children’s future is at stake here.”
Fioretti believes there are other ways to circumvent educational
bureaucracy, pointing to Crane Technical High School, which received a
substantial grant from the Lloyd A. Fry Association “to create smaller
learning centers for 500 students over the next ten years in conjunction
with the federal government.”
Given that property taxes are causing widespread concern, Haithcock plans to
extend the 7% property tax cap with the Cook County Board.
“The Mayor and everyone else on the City Council wants to extend the 7% tax
cap,” said Haithcock.
Fioretti believes Haithcock only supported the tax cap after he introduced
the idea and blames her for raising taxes by $74.6 million in 2005 when she
approved a “2005 City of Chicago budget which included hikes in the sales
tax, restaurant tax, hotel tax, cigarette and liquor taxes, and the tax on
natural gas,” he said.
Fioretti pledged he will not accept campaign contributions from developers
and plans to prevent other Aldermen from accepting developer money at the
expense of constituents.
“I’ve never taken any [developer] money as a candidate, and I will not as an
Alderman,” Fioretti said.
“If the decision is good for the community and the neighborhood, then it
shouldn’t require a campaign contribution to the Alderman. This incumbent
Alderman has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers while
ignoring the needs of the residents.
When I am elected, and I will be elected on April 17, I will introduce an
ordinance that will prohibit Aldermen from taking money from developers.”
Haithcock believes Fioretti already has broken his campaign promise and is
spreading mistruths.
“I do not have developers putting money in my pocket,” she asserted. “When
developers do something, they have to be approved by the community. Fioretti
has accepted $26,500 from a developer. He’s dishonest and he lacks
credibility.”
Haithcock is referring to contributions Brian Farley, an attorney and a
partner in his family’s real estate development firm, PMD Co., made to
Fioretti’s campaign. Fioretti insists Farley is an attorney, not a
developer, but has returned the money.
“We’ve returned those checks to avoid any misperception or confusion,” said
Fioretti. “This is a pledge about trust. Residents must have no reason to
doubt that their Alderman represents them rather than campaign
contributors.”
Doody was concerned about Fioretti’s representation of convicted real estate
developer Robert Krilich, who is serving time for racketeering and other
offenses related to bribing municipal officials on zoning changes in Oak
Brook. Fioretti asserted a judge asked him to defend Krilich years later on
an appeal.
“I have a very diverse practice and represented people that haven’t followed
the law,” Fioretti said. “I was asked to come in on an appeal years later.
If you look at the facts, I came in on a habeas corpus position,” which is a
legal avenue to challenge a sentence and other forms of state custody.
Haithcock came in for criticism herself because of her Big Box vote. She
lost support from the unions when she voted against the Big Box ordinance
that would have mandated a wage of $10 per hour plus benefits for stores
larger than 90,000 square feet. Yet, she defended her position as an issue
of maintaining one standard for all businesses.
“I didn’t vote for” the big box ordinance “because it wasn’t a level playing
field,” she said. “Why would you tax a certain number of businesses and not
the other? I’m not for or against Big Box. When did we let unions start
doing the negotiations? The unions are the ones that establish unions on
businesses. It’s not the City’s job to do that. We have no business giving
minimum wage inflation. That’s up to the state and the federal government.”
While opponents and residents have criticized her for being absent from
community functions, Haithcock suggested that her age and energy level have
affected her ability to participate in such events. When the Gazette asked
her why she did not appear in previous candidate forums, Haithcock
responded, “I was working very hard and not as young as I was when I came
into office. I was very busy; and, you know, you tire out when you get a
certain age.
“But with revived strength, I have listened to what my opponents said and
what the constituents said, and I have improved upon that.”
Haithcock, Fioretti to debate on April 9
Second Ward Aldermanic candidates Bob Fioretti and Madeline Haithcock will have a candidates' debate on Monday, April 9, at Soka Gakkai, 1455 S. Wabash Ave. Free parking is available.
There will be an opportunity to meet and greet the candidates between 5:45
and 6:30 p.m. The candidates forum will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Hosts are the Greater South Loop Association, the Columbia College Chicago
journalism department, and Printers' Row Residents. Call (312)
913-1211.
