Greetings!

Two major construction projects are underway in the ward and will be affecting traffic on both Armitage, and at Barry west of Lincoln. Please look for alternate routes and if you are parking in these work zones outside of work hours, please park clear of equipment and move your car well before work starts during weekdays.

The weather was pretty intense today and we are working on clearing viaducts of water, as well as several arterial streets with backed up water. Now is good time to check sewer covers to make sure they are clear of landscaping debris. The City and surrounding suburbs were hit pretty hard with rainfall and many areas are flooded. For more information on the system and learn why we have flooding, check out the Friends of the River system graphic and info here.

The City Council met twice this week to pass several major ordinances including the pro-business package that now allows businesses to do many things we have been advocating for over several years. A-Frames signage for businesses is now passed, along with an extension of our food delivery cap at 15%. We tried to pass reforms to the ROW signage process that would have cut weeks off of waiting for signage as the process wends it way through aldermanic offices. The reforms would have been a substantive change but were separated from the main business package vote. Many cities take just a few weeks to get signs approved, Chicago's can take months. Alderman have abused the system in the past and held up simple licenses of restaurants in alleged extortion schemes, so businesses have a point about wanting to pass the Mayor's business reform ordinance.
The ordinance also uses $10 million in federal relief to offer targeted grants to businesses impacted by the Covid pandemic, clarifies the minimum wage ordinance so chain businesses do not undercount employees, and requires that domestic employees be paid at least $15 an hour, with a contract. This was a very good business package overall and supported by groups like the Illinois Restaurant Association, the SBAC-IL and our local chambers of commerce who have been working with us for years on these reforms. I was glad to see almost all of their long standing requests incorporated into the mayor's proposal and passed by aldermen.

The council also affirmed the new corporation counsel for the city after aldermen used parliamentary maneuvers to delay her appointment. The question of how parliamentary procedure is used did come up on both Wednesday and Friday, and at the same time Alderman Beale made a motion to circumvent the Illinois Open Meetings Act during the actual council meeting in a bizarre end around on parliamentary procedure. The demand to push through his ordinance eventually ended with him finally withdrawing the motion.

We also voted on a compromise language for LSD, which excluded almost all buildings and refers to LSD as LSD DuSable Drive on the outer portions. The last minute compromise by sponsors allowed for many of us to vote on a compromise version of the naming and geography, and ended the acrimonious, haranguing name calling in the meeting. Compromises of renaming the new Riverwalk or Millennium Park were rejected. DuSable will now have a park, harbor, school, museum, bridge and LSD named after him.

The Council also voted to pass about $18.5 million in funds to rebuild some parks located in TIF Districts. Finally, we passed the Urban Forestry Advisory Board (UFAB) with the great assistance of Openlands and many environmental activists. I'm proud to work with Openlands and our many governmental agencies to create the UFAB. Passage of our ordinance ushers in a new level of cooperation to save and (re)build our tree canopy and tackle the climate change problem. We haev seen the devastation caused by recent Derecho storms, as well as the Emerald Ash Borer that has destroyed millions of trees in the Midwest and Chicago, especially in our parks. I thank Openlands for their long term advocacy for UFAB and the joint efforts to provide a healthy environment for us and future generations.

The Secretary of State of Illinois will no longer suspend a license for any ticket debt, fines, or fees. This change includes suspension and holds due to: parking tickets, vehicle compliance tickets, red-light camera tickets, automatic speed camera tickets, traffic tickets, and abandoned vehicle fees. Read below for more details. If you are planning on getting a new license or other documentation from the Secretary of State's offices, call ahead to see what you need and where to obtain it. The SOS lines downtown at the Thompson Center wrap around the block and may have you waiting in line, so call ahead.

Alderman Scott Waguespack