Say it ain't so, IMD

"Say it ain't so," said the youngster to White Sox outfielder Joe Jackson when the lad learned the Sox had thrown away a world championship in 1919.

            We also would ask the Illinois Medical District to "say it ain't so" after learning the IMD wants to destroy the baseball field at Livingston Park at Polk and Leavitt Streets to construct a life sciences and biotechnology center at the site.

            The park is a shining point of light in the Tri-Taylor community—so much so that the Little League playing baseball there was given a Point of Light Award by the President of the United States. The league brings together children of all ethnic backgrounds, including children from local housing projects. It is named for David Livingston, who used to be in charge of the IMD. In fact, the late Mr. Livingston’s ashes are scattered there. More than $200,000 has been spent on the field, and Mayor Richard M. Daley, Secretary of State Jesse White, and Aldermen Danny Solis and Bob Fioretti have signed petitions to keep the ballpark open.

            To this the IMD says not "it ain't so," but "so what?" IMD officials imperiously declare it is their land and they can do what they want with it. True, but just because they can do something does not mean they should. Particularly since the IMD has at least 40 blocks of vacant land it could use to build the biotech center. Take a drive south of Roosevelt Road and see blocks and blocks of nothing, courtesy of the IMD.

            The IMD was created by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago in the 1940s but is not overseen by them. It is an authority unto itself Beware of organizations with no oversight. They can do whatever they want, and so they do, and if the public does not like it, too bad.

            We urge Mayor Daley, Secretary of State White, and Aldermen Solis and Fioretti to do more than sign a petition by using their considerable influence to politely urge the IMD to build their building on another part of their miles and miles of vacant land and to leave the ball field alone. If IMD management fails to do so, then perhaps legislation should be introduced in the State Legislature and the City Council to restore State and City oversight authority over the IMD.

            Then when IMD bigwigs cry "say it ain't so," State and City officials can reply what Joe Jackson did to the teary-eyed tyke: "Yes, it's so."

 

Affordable housing ordinance a good start

The Chicago City Council, known since the 19th century for bowing to the will of the powerful and moneyed interests, is really trying of late to help the underserved and the downtrodden.

            Last year, the council passed the Big Box ordinance that would have required big retailers to pay decent wages and to provide employee benefits. Just recently, 26 members of the council—a majority—cosponsored the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, which would have required 15% of all units in all new or rehabbed developments with more than ten units to be priced as affordable.

            Neither became law, however, because of Mayor Daley’s excessive caution. He used his only veto in the history of his Mayoral career to shoot down Big Box, and in the case of affordable housing championed a more modest proposal requiring only ten percent affordable units.

            The new law uses a salary of $75,400 to determine affordability instead of the $45,240 championed by the Balanced Development Coalition, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, and Alderman Billy Ocasio. The lower figure would have better assured affordable housing went to people who need it most.

            We urge the Mayor, who has made many bold moves and plans throughout his career, to be equally bold in taking on powerful interests. We feel he was too cautious in worrying about the big retailers who opposed Big Box and about the developers who opposed the original Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. Retailers and developers would not have abandoned Chicago if these tough ordinances had been passed—they are smart enough to know that there are profits to be made here, tough ordinances or not.

            Still, make no mistake about it, the new affordable housing ordinance is a great accomplishment. Developers will have to make at least ten percent of their units affordable, and as the Mayor said, that is expected to produce about 1,000 units of affordable housing each year.

            We commend the City Council and the Mayor for looking out for those City residents who are struggling to make ends meet. We ask that both be bolder in continuing to do so. We expect the City Council will—after all, most new Aldermen who defeated incumbents earlier this year were proponents of Big Box and beat incumbents who were not. Mayor Daley has heretofore been a brake on their boldness, but his support of the affordable housing ordinance shows he at least will not be a barrier to it.

            We hope that in an era in which the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is getting squeezed out of existence, both the City Council and the Mayor become more aggressive in protecting those citizens of Chicago who need help the most.