Latest News
Alderman testifies on behalf of keeping Prescott Elementary School open -Scott Waguespack - Feb. 04, 2010
At the Chicago Board of Education meeting on February 3rd, I testified and submitted this written comment to stop the closure of a local school, Prescott Elementary on Ashland and Wrightwood. On Saturday, Feb. 6th, almost 500 parents, teachers, children and neighbors joined in the fight to keep Prescott open during the school board hearing at Prescott at 10 a.m. Here are some excerpts from the fight to keep Prescott open!
AOL/YOU TUBE Video of the presentation on Wed. Feb 3rd at the Board of Education. Alderman Waguespack testifies against closure of Prescott Elementary
Prescott Saved- ChicagoNow - Chicago Public Schools issued a last-minute press release tonight striking Prescott Elementary from the list ...
It Doesn't Take Much to Be a Maverick - Chicago Reader - - Dec. 16, 2009
And of the five aldermen who voted no on meter privatization, only one, the 32nd Ward's Scott Waguespack, came out and said it was a lousy deal. ...
Tax Rebate Available for Chicago Homeowners Chicago Public Radio December 7, 2009 - only Ald. Scott Waguespack voted "no" on the program.
Privatizing Water System could be a risky move for Chicago - Chicago Tribune -November 16, 2009 by the Chicago Tribune
"The fact that they've refused to answer any questions (about a potential water lease) suggests there is something in the works," said Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, one of only five aldermen who voted against the mayor's parking meter ...
Local governments rush to privatize - U.S. PIrg
Waguespack On Daley: "The Old Way Of Doing Things No Longer Works"
Progress Illinois, October 28, 2009
This is a clip from a recent interview with FOX Chicago and commentary from Progress Illinois.
On FOX Chicago Sunday this week, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) warned that if Daley is allowed to ram through another parking meter-style deal, the city would be "in big trouble." Moreover, he pointed out that the ongoing privatization talk is emblematic of a bigger problem. "[The city] needs a new influx of ideas and policies," he told co-hosts Jack Conaty and Dane Placko. "The old way of doing things no longer works." Watch it:
Youtube Video "The old way of doing things no longer works"
WAGUESPACK: We have a structural problem in this city that needs to be changed. It's about policies and philosophies for the way we run the city. Those need to change [...] If we do with the water system or the sewer system what we did with the parking meters, this city is in big trouble.
Chicago to landmark home of Richard Nickel - Preservation Magazine, Oct. 2009
"It's not every day that an endangered historic building is saved in Chicago, but that's what happened earlier this month." We worked with Preservation Chicago and the new homeowner to reach a compromise that will save the Richard Nickel house for future generations. Thanks to Raj Fernando, the homeowner for taking part in this difficult, yet great compromise for everyone.
Preservation Chicago background.
WTTW highlights Richard Nickel.
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Listen to Scott on Gerard McClendon CLTV <here>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARKING METER LEASE NEWS
Download the 32nd Ward Parking Meter Privatization Assessment prepared by my office on December 3, 2008 in response to the Mayor's privatization proposal. We prepared this report after my request to see the city valuation was rebuffed in the finance committee. We only had two days to prepare a response but there was something wrong with the deal from day one.
You can also download the City of Chicago's CHICAGO METERED PARKING SYSTEM CONCESSION AGREEMENT here.
Project Magee meets Mr. Magoo - The blacked-out public document. View <here>
Meter Madness - Fox News Chicago
Fox Chicago Interview on the meters with Dane Placko
Some Aldermen say dump meter deal
June 3, 2009 Fox Chicago Interview with Tera Williams
Chicago Parking Meters Part II
by Ben Jarovsky & Mick Dumke, ChicagoReader.com, May 19, 2009
Listen to Scott on WLS 890 AM - talking about the parking meter deal <here>
Aldermen Weigh Privatizing Parking Meters
Mayor scoffs at criticism on parking meter increases
Dan Mihalopoulos and Hal Dardick, Chicago Tribune "Clout Street", December 5, 2008
...Ald.Scott Waguespack (32nd), one of the five aldermen who voted against the deal, said the city could make more money in the long run --- about $4 billion --- by continuing to operate the meters.
"We are privatizing something for a quick shot in the arm," Waguespack said...<more>
72 hours for 75 years
Alderman defend parking meter lease, regret the rush
Ben Myers, Chicago Journal, December 10, 2008
Chicago aldermen were given 72 hours last week to say yes to $1.16 billion inimmediate revenue. They did so overwhelmingly on Nov. 4, by a 40-5vote. <more>
Mayor's Meter
Hard to know what history will say about meter lease because no one discussed it
Chicago Journal, Our Views, December 10, 2008
Our aldermen, with virtually no warning or public dialogue, have awardeda75-year lease of the city's parking meters to Morgan Stanley.
We are the first city in the country to lease out our parking meters. Maybe there are good reasons why no one else has done it. But there isno good reason for not discussing it thoroughly before the vote. Which points directly to the administration of Mayor Richard Daley. <more>
Ald. Waguespack Says Lease "Bad Deal" for Chicago
The Expired Meter, theexpiredmeter.com, December 9, 2008
Below is 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack’s thoughts on the recent Chicago Parking Meter Lease deal. Ald. Waguespack voted against it.
Here is a copy of the e-mail blast he sent to 32nd Ward constituents.
Well said alderman. <more>
Geek's Naughty and Nice List
The Expired Meter, theexpiredmeter.com, December 24, 2008
Being that it's Christmas Eve, I thought I needed to take a quick accounting for the year and send a quick e-mail to Santa Claus before he leaves the North Pole, to make sure he has these particular people on his famous naughty/nice lists.
NICE LIST
...Alderman Scott Waguespack: 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack, is one of the Fantastic Five (see above), in fact the most vocally opposed to the crap lease plan.He also stood up for constituents who got improperly towed before a running race in his ward this summer, and has been working to resolve several other parking issues in the ward. Santa should bring you a nice gift, but you are probably too ethical a guy to accept a gift that might be perceived as a bribe. <more>
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Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Sunshine Ordinance
Civic Federation Report, Sept. 21 2009
A specter is haunting Chicago City Hall-the specter of transparency for the city’s massive TIF program.
Opening a Window on Daley's Piggy Bank
Chicago Sun-Times, February 23, 2009
When homeowners hear the phrase "tax increment financing districts" --also known as TIF districts -- their eyes glaze over, if they know about them at all.
...That's why we support a modest proposal from two aldermen, Manny Flores and Scott Waguespack, to put all of the information from TIF projects in one convenient location on the city's Web site.
...Flores and Waguespack's proposal is a small step, but an important one, in the right direction. <more>
Mick Dumke, Chicago Reader-Clout City, February 11, 2009
Over the last two decades Chicago's tax increment financing program has reaped billions of dollars in public money that ended up in special-use accounts controlled almost exclusively by Mayor Richard M.Daley, with almost no public oversight. For years the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky was the only reporter to complain. Now the Reader's dogged coverage of this issue is being dropped at Daley's door.
Two frustrated aldermen are now calling for some major reforms of the TIF program, and they're starting by taking on the oversight issue.
First Ward alderman Manny Flores and 32nd Ward alderman Scott Waguespack introduced a proposal at the City Council meeting Wednesday requiring that full documentation of TIF deals be posted online in a "comprehensive and usable fashion." If passed the ordinance would mandate that by the end of this year the city post every specific agreement,amendment,attachment, order, audit, and record for every use of money from Chicago's roughly 160 TIF districts.<more>
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Under New Ownership, Republic Workers Are Headed Back To The Job - Republic Windows
Angela Caputo, www.progressillinois.com, February 26, 2009
Last month we broke the news that the laid-off Republic Windows workers could soon be back on the factory floor if California-based Serious Materials succeeded in its bid to buy the shuttered Chicago plant.
Well, the deal has been sealed.Yesterday, a bankruptcy court signed off on Serious' bid to buy the factory and, under an agreement between the new owners and UE Local1110, all of the former Republic workers will eventually be making eco-friendly windows at union-wages. More from a UE Local 1110 release: <more>
Workers in sit-in to get jobs back under new owner - Republic Windows
Robert Mitchum, Chicago Tribune, February 26, 2009
The sale of a Chicago windows factory where workers staged a six-day sit-in last December has been approved by a bankruptcy judge, clearing the way for the business to reopen in about a month and rehire those workers,union officials said.
In an order filed Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jacqueline P. Cox approved the sale of assets from Republic Windows & Doors, the Chicago company which abruptly closed the doors of its Goose Island plant in early December, prompting the worker sit-in that drew national attention. Republic Windows later filed for bankruptcy. <more>
Firm buys plant where workers staged sit-in - Republic Windows
Chicago Sun-Times, February 26, 2009
There's good news for laid-off workers whose sit-in at a Chicago windows plant drew national attention to the plight of laborers last year. <more>
Activists, Alderman zero in on TIF 'taxation without representation'
Medill Reports Chicago, February 13, 2008
One Chicago alderman is making a promise to taxpayers across the city: Whatever the political risk, he’s going to push for TIF reform....I already know that’s coming,”he said. “But I ran against the machine before. I’m not interested in staying in office just to make the mayor happy.” <more>
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE INVESTIGATION:
NEIGHBORHOODS FOR SALE
How cash, clout transform Chicago neighborhoods
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2008
1st in an occasional of series
DEVELOPERS: Many give to aldermanic campaigns in quest to build bigger, pricier projects.
ALDERMEN: They decide who can build what. Money, not planning, often drives process.
HOMEOWNERS: They are often left out of the decision-making and boxed in by towering structures.
Zoning: Pay-to-Play (video)
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2008
Please note: The video "Matlaked Again" that was featured in this segment was not produced by the campaign, as stated in their commentary.
What is upzoning? (graphic)
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2008
Neighborhoods for sale (photos)
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2008
Look up zoning changes in your neighborhood
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2008
Community input an illusion
Chicago Tribune, January 28, 2008
2nd in an occasional of series
ALDERMEN: They decide who can build what. Money, not planning, often drives the process.
ADVISORY GROUPS: Billed as neighborhood's voice, they are often stacked with developers.
Tribune's Dan Mihalopoulos and Robert Becker talk about zoning in Chicago
Chicago Tribune, January 28, 2008
Daley defends system of aldermanic zoning decisions
Chicago Tribune, January 29, 2008
Aldermen should decide what is built in wards, mayor says.
Your Alderman, Your Street
Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2008
Feds: City building inspectors bribed
Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2008
Who calls the shots in your backyard? Not you.Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2008
5th in an occasional of series
Tribune investigation:
In a system city officials call a national model, aldermen collect campaign donations from developers. Developers benefit from looser building rules approved by aldermen. And residents?
Tracking neighborhood changes
Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2008
Zoning reality, reform divide
Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2008
Zoning code cutting edge, Banks says
Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2008
Cracking Chicago's Code
Chicago Tribune
Look up zoning changes in your neighborhood.
The database was created from the records of every meeting of the City Council's Zoning Committee from 2003 through 2007, encompassing the most recent full term of the Chicago City Council.
Factory Occupation Brings Quick Results - Republic Windows
PilsenProle BlogSpot, December 22, 2008
Workers who took over shuttered factory will try to reopen plant - Republic Windows
tmcnet.com, December 11, 2008
City Council to Consider Ordinance Targeting Parking Company Accused of Assault, Other Abuses
Stephanie Gray, Chicagotalks.org, December 15, 2008
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) asked a Chicago City Council committee last week to stop parking companies from booting cars on private property in his West Side ward. <more>
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Mapping into the future
Community asked to help steer neighborhood's master plan
Josh Adams, Chicago Journal, November 19, 2008
From the generic to the grand, most facets of the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods have been plotted as part of a massive effort to steer development in the coming years. Now, the makers of this map want residents, visitors and business owners to chime in on everything from bike lanes to parking garages. <more>
Two Parking Garages at Six Corners?
Proposal to reshape parking in busy area
Micah Maidenberg, Chicago Journal, December 17, 2008
Two developers want to build parking garages on adjacent streets just north of the heart of Wicker Park and Bucktown.
If built, the garages would offer more than 270 parking spots within a block of the busy North, Damen and Milwaukee intersection. The neighborhood currently relies on surface lots and metered and unmetered street parking. <more
Bucktown developer forges ahead despite flack
Andrew Schroedter, Chicago Business, December 18, 2008
(Crain's) - Developer Krzysztof Karbowski co-produces an award-winning television show, but his plans to redevelop a prominent Bucktown intersection hasn't won any accolades with the locals.
The Poland native clashed with some neighborhood residents and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack this fall over his proposal to convert the Northwest Tower, an Art Deco office building at 1600-1608 N.Milwaukee Ave., into a 90-room boutique hotel. <more>
Wicker Park Hotel Plans Move Forward
Northwest Tower gets zoning despite alderman's objection
A developer who wants to turn the tallest building in Wicker Park into a hotel won the approval of a zoning committee this week despite the objection of skeptical local Ald. Scott Waguespack. <more>
The 'trust us' approach
Chicago Journal, Our Views
October 22, 2008
Back in April, when Chicago Journal first published a story about developer Krzysztof Karbowski's idea to convert the Northwest Tower into a hotel,this editorial page argued that converting the tower into a hotel should be done with "as much planning and foresight as possible."
It's clear now - after community meetings and last week's Zoning Board of Appeals session - that hasn't happened. Karbowski's attorney, the powerful James Banks, nephew of 36th Ward Alderman William Banks,basically said to the ZBA: trust us. <more>
Permit granted for hotel project
Zoning Board grants three-year permit
Micah Maidenberg, Chicago Journal, October 22, 2008
... After three years, the permit requires the developer to appear again before the ZBA for review. The three-year limit was recommended by Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Arnold Randall. A spokesman was unavailable to explain why the office pushed the permit with this caveat...
... At the ZBA hearing last Friday, Waguespack called the plans "deficient," citing a lack of service, storage, employee and management areas in Karbowski's plans; lack of detail about room amenities; lack of provision of meeting space and gyms; and no separation in the hotel's elevators for guests and service staff. <more>
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Wary of crime, neighbors learn a little defense
Violent crime down, but with some expectations
Ben Myers, Chicago Journal, November 19, 2008
...The14thDistrict CAPS office and 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack organized the self-defense workshop. Around20 residents attended, learning basic techniques from Frank Roman, who formerly worked for the police department and park district... <more>
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Children's Museum Passes City Council
The full Chicago City Council voted on Wednesday, June 11, to move the Chicago Children's Museum into the heart of Grant Park.
This vote came on the heels of the May 15 Chicago Plan Commission vote and the June 5 Zoning Committee vote; both in favor of the Museum move to Grant Park.
Wednesday's aldermanic vote was 33-16 in favor of the move.
I voted against the Museum's move into public land and agreed with Alderman Reilly. My general comments during the Council meeting are attached below.
Other alderman voting NO were Manny Flores (1st); Pat Dowell (3rd); Toni Preckwinkle (4th); Leslie Hairston (5th); Sandi Jackson (7th); Sharon Dixon (24th); Ed Smith (28th); Rey Colon (35th); Tom Allen (38th); Brian Doherty (41st); Vi Daley (43rd); Tom Tunney (44th); Eugene Schulter (47th) and Joe Moore (49th).
Articles on the vote:
Skyline - Children's Museum: Now the real battle begins--in court
Suntimes - Children's Museum to be built in Grant Park
Chicago Tribune - Duel at Grant Park
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Statement Opposing the Children's Museum by Alderman Waguespack at City Council meeting.
Thank you Mr. President:
All across the city, Chicagoans clamor for treasured greenspace, determined to balance the reality of city life with a respect for nature, culture, quality of life and the justice saving this space requires. Yet now, when it really matters,many of us are willing to award our greatest treasure, Grant Park to the Children's Museum, a private entity. What is appalling is that after 172 years of holding firm, we are being asked to give it away without any due diligence done on behalf of the Museum.
It is time for Aldermen to stand up and do the "heavy lifting" elected bodies are required to do when it comes to decisions that impact the past, present and future of a city, as greatly as this will.
Aldermen must show that we are accountable to our constituents of our wards and of the city, to our parks and to history and we must show that we have acted responsibly, in every instance, when determining the future of what we hope will be a true global city.
Responsible action by our City Council happens only when we have all the information necessary to make any decision. While we hear fuzzy opinions about the Children's Museum size, Hobbit like design, parking, and architectural magnificence, the Museum proponents have utterly refused to address feasibility, much less legality. Backers of the plan to site a new Chicago Children's Museum in Grant Park would have us vote on this site without conducting a feasibility study, as all such Museums must do, and instead they would have us risk spending millions of taxpayers' dollars on potential litigation.
One can go to the Jones Lang Lasalle website, one of many consultants working on the proposal, to find out how a feasibility study is conducted for such projects. There are matrixes, charts, and maps that outline the criteria for site selection, a very professional and thorough investigation.
But while we are all ensconced in the arguments about size, the cavelike nature of the museum, parking, and who will foot the bill in the end, we have failed to address rule number one in museum development; feasibility.
If the Planning Commission was not tasked with providing the scrutiny of typical municipal urban planners, then it is left to us to take up that mantle, and apply a level of scrutiny our residents demand from us as urban planners of our respective wards. The process of demanding facts and transparency cannot be shed simply because someone has determined that aldermanic prerogative no longer applies. Without openness and transparency, we will never attain the goal of a global city suitable to host an Olympic event.
The time to ignore and dismantle our aldermanic prerogative is not when it is being used for the benefit of our parks. The backers of the museum have clearly stated that Alderman Reilly should be stripped of his aldermanic prerogative. There may be a point in saying Alderman Reilly alone should not determine what gets built in Grant Park.
But Alderman Reilly is not alone.
Alderman Reilly stands with millions of Chicagoans, historical figures like Aaron Montgomery Ward, over 170 years of protection, and Aldermen like me and you, who as one, will demand that the land of the people not be sold to the highest bidder.
If proponents of the Museum wish to ignore aldermanic prerogative, so be it. Then we as a City Council must act as one, to save Grant Park. Again, the burden is not Alderman Reilly's alone.
Racism, economic elitism, cronyism and, not in my back yard (NIMBY) are decoys that muddy the waters of feasibility and aldermanic prerogative. We have a duty to extinguish these loathsome and irresponsible fears injected into the debate.
We should instead provide justice to Chicagoans today and for future generations.
Our collective "NO" to the Children's Museum will protect the park for years to come and allow it to remain forever open, clear, and free for all.
(Scott Waguespack, Alderman 32nd Ward)
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Children's Museum to be built in Grant Park
by Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, Jun 12, 2008
What Mayor Daley wants, Mayor Daley gets--even if it involves Grant Park and invading a local alderman's legislative turf.
... Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) stood with Reilly.
"If we wish to ignore aldermanic prerogative, so be it. Then, we must act as one to save Grant Park. ... Racism, economic elitism, cronyism and a not-in-my-backyard attitude are rotten red herrings that muddy the waters of feasibility and aldermanic prerogative. We have a duty to extinguish these loathsome fears and shed them from the debate," Waguespack said.
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Listen to Scott on WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight on April 30, 2008.
Chicago's Independent Caucus
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Patrick Botterman Tribute
Patrick Botterman Loved Taking on the Machine
by Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-Times, Mar 12, 2008
Patrick Botterman wasn't your typical political consultant. For one thing, he wasn't in it for the money...
Suburban Democratic Campaign Manager dies of heart attack
Posted by Dan Mihalopoulos, Chicago Tribune Clout Street, Mar 11, 2008
Patrick Botterman, veteran Democratic political operative and Wheeling Township Democratic committeeman, dies at age 44
Chicago Tribune, Mar 12, 2008
Wheeling Township committeeman, political operative often aided underdog...
Botterman recalled for galvanizing Democrats in suburbs
by Ashok Selvam, Daily Herald, Mar 12, 2008
Harper College Trustee Dies
by Amie Shak, Daily Herald, Mar 11, 2008
Patrick Botterman
by Mark Brown, Chicago Reader, Mar 11, 2008
Patrick Botterman, political strategist and Harper trustee, dies
by Mario Bartoletti, Arlington Heights Post, Mar 11, 2008
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Bloomingdale Trail News
Bloomingdale Bike Trail controversy precedes the actual trail
by Joyce Dominick, Medill News Service, May 17, 2008
Right now the abandoned elevated rail line along Bloomingdale Ave. in northwest Chicago is frequented by restless teenagers and the occasional transient. But there's a plan to transform the deteriorating tracks into a three-mile paved bike trail with benches, lighting, and fencing. <more>
"Instant Park" appears on Milwaukee Avenue
The Trust for Public Land, Friends of Bloomingdale Trail reclaim local green space
For Immediate Release; Constance Buscemi, constance.buscemi@cityofchicago.org; Sept 6, 2007
The Trust for Public land celebrated parks and promoted the need for more parks in America's cities by converting public street parking spots into temporary public parks.
In Chicago, The Trust for Public Land (TPL), along with Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, created an "instant park" at 1801 N. Milwaukee Ave. to call attention to their work with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and other supporters to create more parks and green space for Chicago's neighborhoods - particularly the Bloomingdale Trail.
"The Bloomingdale Trail is an ambitious project, and one that will bring new green space to many Chicago communities," said Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd). <more>
Scope Out the Rail Trail
$1.5 million for engineering study another baby step in building linear park
Micah Maidenberg, Chicago Journal, September 24, 2008
The Bloomingdale Trail, an abandoned piece of vaulted rail infrastructure that cuts through Bucktown and stretches deep into Logan Square, has long been considered one of Chicago's most ambitious rails-to-trails projects. Advocates envision a linear park floating through Northwest Side communities, squeezing much-needed green space out of derelict space. <more>
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New Street Sweeping Signs and Schedule
Please check the city street sweeping schedule to determine when street cleaning will take place in your neighborhood. New signs implemented by the Mayor's Office for street sweeping contain the same information, but are now multi-colored.
Visit 32nd Ward Street Sweeping for the schedule.
Street sweeping signs posted on your block are enforced from April 1 to November 30, weather permitting.
To avoid parking tickets, do not park on the streets scheduled to be swept between 9am and 3pm.
We also ask residents and businesses to clean curbs and alleys around their respective homes and businesses. It helps keep neighborhoods clean!
 No Parking Monday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |  No Parking Tuesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |  No Parking Wednesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
 No Parking Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |  No Parking Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
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Political Corruption & Transparency
Listen to Lawrence Lessig's views on transparency in government.
Lawrence Lessig (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic. He is currently professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of its Center for Internet and Society. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark and radio frequency spectrum,particularly in technology applications.
At the iCommons iSummit07 Lessig announced that he will stop focusing his attention on copyright and related matters. Instead he will work on corruption in the political system. This new work may be partially facilitated through his wiki "LessigWiki"which he has encouraged the public to use to document cases of corruption.
http://wiki.lessig.org/index.php/Corruption
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Residential Parking Community Meetings
Chicago's Residential Permit Parking program is designed to restrict parking on designated residential streets during specified hours to provide residents of densely populated areas with reasonable parking near their homes.
The 32nd Ward currently has 15 separate parking zones for 70 zoned streets. In order to ease the permit application process and make parking more available to 32nd Ward residents, the 15 zones will be consolidated into 6 regional zones. This will only affect streets that are currently zoned for residential parking. Streets in Lincoln Park and Ukrainian Village already have unified zone parking and will not be affected by this change. The new zone numbers will take effect on July 1, 2008, the start date of the calendar year for city stickers and permit parking stickers.
Please click here for the proposed zoned map.
Two meetings will be held in Wicker Park and Bucktown to discuss the unification of zones, as well as the possible change of hours on the signs:
February 14th, 2008 - Wicker Park/Bucktown Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee 6pm-7pm
February 20th, 2008 - St. Mary of the Angels Church, 1850 N. Hermitage, Parish office, 2nd floor 6pm-7pm
If you cannot attend one of these meetings, but would like to learn more or voice your opinion, please contact our office at 773-248-1330, or email us at 32ndward@gmail.com
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Independence has been a decade in the making for Operation Kosovo
Chicago Tribune, Feb 25, 2008
When Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, it was a culmination of a nearly decade-long effort by its government leaders and international organizations to usher the heavily Albanian region into official statehood.
But one small, minimally funded group at the Chicago-Kent College of Law play edits own part in helping the young country to its feet.
OperationKosovo, an organization founded by Chicago-Kent professor Henry Perritt spent 10 years sending Kent students and undergraduates from the Illinois Institute of Technology to Kosovo to work on various nation-building projects, from economic development, to helping war-crimes tribunals, to promoting local tourism...
One of the first students who visited Kosovo with Perritt shortly after the 1999 NATO bombing campaign was Scott Waguespack, now alderman of Chicago's 32nd Ward. He said that the work he did in Kosovo -- including helping to develop the region's economy and infrastructure after the 1999 fighting and working with current Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci -- helped shape his future career as a Chicago politician. <more>