Today in City Council

Greetings!

Keeping Chicagoans in Their Homes

As a strong supporter of the Keep Chicago Renting ordinance, I am proud to say that today the City Council voted to stop large banks from kicking families that pay their rent and are good neighbors out of their homes. Due to buildings falling into foreclosure, many single family homes and residential buildings have sat empty to become a nuisance all over the city. This ordinance keeps families that have been renting these homes in place to stop both the vacancy blight and keep good tenants and neighbors in their neighborhood. I want to thank the Keep Chicago Renting Coalition for their years of hard work to help the City pass this ordinance.

Making A Bad Deal Slightly Better

During the aldermanic briefings on the parking meter amendment, I demanded from the Mayor's Office that an independent budget analysis be done to determine if the City was truly benefiting from this change. At the time, I had full intentions of voting no.

Following through with my request, the City contacted Navigant Consulting, an independent firm that provides financial risk management analysis, to review the proposal. In summary, their 500-hour analysis showed two things:

The settlement for the future adjustments for taking various parking meters out of service equates to a net present value in excess of $1 billion over the remaining 73 years of the contract.
For the other portions of the contract, the City under-estimated the savings by $1.2 million.

The other controversial portion is the free parking on Sundays. However, this portion can be changed if businesses are unfairly impacted.

While I continue to push hard for an independent budget office to provide aldermen with information needed to make an informed vote, I believe the work the Mayor's Office did to get this independent analysis is a good start in that direction. Based on the results of this detailed report and the alternative options of doing nothing or the likelihood of losing an expensive legal fight, I voted "yes" on this amendment. At this point, I believe this is the best option we have to save the City a little money on this horrible deal. For more detailed information about the parking meter amendment, click here.

Best,

Ald. James Cappleman, 46th Ward

46th Ward Events

(Check out the Ward Calendar for more events by clicking here.)

Neighborhood Nights

Neighborhood Nights in the Ward's parks and playlots returns on Wednesday evenings. These events will allow any resident to meet with Ald. Cappleman and discuss any issue or just come to chat. Call Chris Jessup with any questions: 773-878-4646 or email at Chris@James46.org. In case of rain, the event will be at the Ward Office.

When: Wednesday, June 5 from 5pm - 7pm

Where: Gooseberry Playlot at 4448 N. Malden

Pivot Multi-Arts Festival

This festival kicks off with a weekend celebration that include performances throughout the day for all ages. Food and drink vendors such as Goose Island Catering and Events, Heritage General Store, and Dimo's Pizza. Fun for the whole family. At night, the historic bank doors open for music entertainment for a 21 and over crowd. For more information about this exciting event, click here.

When: Weekend of June 8-9 from Noon to late night

Where: FLATStheatre (former vaudeville theater/bank building at 1050 W. Wilson

Bike Uptown's 10,000 Ripples & Pivot Arts Bicycle Tour

Bike Uptown and Uptown United are co-sponsoring this leisurely bike ride to visit all the 10,000 Ripples emerging Buddha sculptures and end at the Pivot Arts Festival at 1050 W. Wilson. To be a great example to the children who will be riding along, be sure to wear your bicycle helmet. To learn more about Bike Uptown, click here.

When: Sunday, June 9 from 1pm - 2pm

Where: Starting at Bronco Billy Playlot at 4437 N. Magnolia

CAPS (Community Policing)

The CAPS Beat meetings are the best forum to address chronic public safety issues. Community members, businesses and organizations are encouraged to attend or have a representative attend this meeting. Ald. Cappleman or a representative from the ward office will be available to answer further questions.

Not sure where or when your police beat meeting is? You can find your police beat and CAPS meeting information here.

46th Ward News

Aster Playlot Will Get a Make-Over

This playlot, located at 4639 N. Kenmore, will get new playground equipment later this year. A huge thanks to the hard work done by Chase Park Advisory Council (CPAC) and Chase Park. CPAC and Chase Park will be working with the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Park to determine construction dates and playground design. Stay tuned for details.

New Mural under Montrose Viaduct

A special thanks to eight students from the Sunlight African Community Center who had a part in painting this mural located under the Montrose viaduct along Lake Shore Drive. This piece will remain up until extensive work is done over the bridge at this site in the coming years. The mural highlights the essential role that the parks play for the area's children while also reinforcing the importance of reading.

Sunlight African Community Center's mission is to aid and assist African immigrant youth in all aspects of community development and empowerment. To learn more about this wonderful organization that has contributed to the betterment of the neighborhood, click here.

Shooting Last Night at Wilson/Magnolia

Last night, at around 6:30 p.m., a man was shot in the leg by a shooter driving by. The victim is a well-known gang member that has committed many gang-related crimes. After this incident, I was at the CAPS meeting for this beat at Truman College to create solutions around these persistent gang issues. I am also working with the mayor's office and building managers to force the few people that are creating most of the violent crimes in our ward out of their homes. As always, please report an suspicious activity (including suspected drug sales) to 9-1-1 and please attend your CAPS meeting so that the police can continue to target areas where suspicious activity is taking place.

City Parking Stickers, Residential Parking Permits, Visitor Passes

In an effort to help residents avoid long lines at the City Clerk's office, we are once again hosting a City Sticker Day. This is an opportunity to purchase your city sticker, residential parking permit & visitor passes if you live in an area with zoned parking.

When: Thursday, June 13 from Noon - 6pm

Where: 46th Ward Office, 4544 N. Broadway

To purchase your City Sticker online, click here. If you purchase them online, you can also order residential parking passes if you live on a street with zoned parking. To purchase your city sticker, you will be required to have a copy of your car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The light blue visitor's passes will expire at the end of this month.

Summer Day Camp

Day Camp and Extended Day Camp is available for children ages 6 - 12 years, Monday through Friday from July 1 - August 9. You can either register in person at any park district or online by clicking here. Inquire about financial assistance and a payment plan option at your local park.

Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Some residents have expressed a desire to raise funds to help out those people who have been affected by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. If you are interested in creating a task force to work on this project, please email chris@james46.org.

Development Updates

For the latest news on economic development and the Zoning & Development Committee, please click here.

James headshot