State of the Ward
By Alderman Sposato
Dear Friend,
As we enter this Holiday Season and I complete my first six months as the 36th
Ward Alderman I want to take this opportunity to update you on events that have taken place in our community. When I decided to run for Alderman I promised if elected we would create anew system of open and accessible government for the 36th Ward.
Over the course of the last six months we have started implementing a new form of community government that has had a real effect onthe neighborhoods and people throughout our community
community.On May 16th we opened our new 36th Ward Community Service Office located at 6934 W Diversey. We have been running full steamever since.
I want to give credit to my 36th Ward office staff and toour 36th Ward Streets & Sanitation staff who have done a remarkable job in hitting the ground running and ensuring that our office has been accessible. We have been striving to provide top notch service to the constituents of the ward. Providing accessibility to me and my office staff is one of the steps I have taken to deliver on my promise of opening up our ward government to the community.
A major part of my new ideas for representative government for the 36th
ward was to create several advisory committees that would provide me with community input on issues involving our Parks,Schools, Libraries, Crime, and other community development issues.Over the course of the last six months we have been signing upresidents that want to participate and the advisory committees arenow meeting once a month to discuss the issues they feel we shouldbe focusing on in our ward. This has been a tremendous asset to me providing an insight into different areas of our community.In addition to advisory committees I have made other steps to include as many people as possible in our Ward Government.
ward website, created asystem of email blasts to update residents on what we are doing bothat 6934 W Diversey and down in City Hall, we have startedcommunicating through Facebook, and started a series of communitytown hall meetings. The response from the community has been remarkable.
When given the chance to have a voice in the direction of our community, 36th Ward residents haven't hesitated to step up andget involved. Our town hall meetings have been averaging between 75-100 people but a few of our meetings have drawncrowds that reached 200-300. I have heard from several members of our community that they like the meetings but feel thatthere should be better follow up information provided. That is why in the coming weeks I will be adding an area to our websitethat will contain my decisions on many of the issues discussed in these meetings. Communication and information is essentia lto our partnership.
Changing the culture of government in the 36th
ward has not been the only challenge we have been faced with over the last fewmonths. For many years the City has looked to one time fixes to address fiscal problems, only to see them come back worse a
few years later.
We needed to change how this city was operating! This year’s budget negotiations were historic for a number
of reasons 1) the City has never been faced with such economic difficulties and 2) the new City Council and Mayor needed to
figure out how to work together to address these issues. Mayor Emanuel’s original budget proposal contained $6.3 million
dollars in cuts for the Library system, Health Care, Graffiti removal crews, and front line public safety operations at the 911 callcenter.
In response to issues raised by myself and other members of the Progressive Caucus Mayor Emanuel agreed torestore $4.3 million in cuts he had proposed including $3.3 million that will prevent 100 planned layoffs and allow the libraries tomaintain their six day-a-week schedule during summer months and other holidays when school is out.
While this budget wasfar from ideal it addressed the
dire fiscal situation and didn’t kick the can down the road. Although we had to make some tough
decisions the choices we made this year will prevent even larger cuts in the future and help get our city back on track. As we move forward into the winter months I would like to encourage you to take a minute each day to check on any elderly or disabled neighbors.
Last year we saw this city come together as one community to help each other through the blizzard and Ihope we can continue that spirit of cooperation this year.I promise that as long as I serve as your Alderman I will continue to strive to provide you with a voice in our ward's direction. Donot ever hesitate to contact me at (773) 836-0036 or info@aldermansposato.com.I look forward to hearing from you! It is my honor and privilege to serve you. Thank you for your continued support.Sincerely,Nicholas Sposato
Alderman, 36th Ward
well we (41st) ward got our website. That was all she really promised.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of town hall meetings and advisory committees. Open forums help to promote communitcation.
ReplyDeleteI also like that Alderman Sposato uses his website to explain decisions he makes.
Alderman O'Connor did promise an Education Advisory Board and to stage a protest and march down to city hall over understaffing at the 16th Police District. America
ReplyDeleteI like the community involvement. So, what's the story with the remap? I read Alderman Sposato's ward may be drawn out? I hope it won't happen. We need more progresives who represent the people and not a party.
ReplyDelete6:16pm
ReplyDeleteAlderman O'Connor is an elected official. If we, the voters tell her we want an advisory board or improved communication, she should accomodate US, not the other way around. She was elected as a public servant to serve us - we are not here to serve what is best for her political career. If she can't or won't communicate or involve the citizens in advisory committees or give us rationales as to why she voted as she did - she needs to go. Plain and simple.
No wonder they are erasing Sposato's ward off the map. He serves the people and not himself and the powers that be. Head north and run against O'Connor....Please!
ReplyDeleteHave not heard one word from Alderman O'Connor about crime and what is being done about police understaffing.
ReplyDeleteI just looked at the 41st Ward website - not much there.
ReplyDeletewebsites and advisory committees take time - give Mary O'Connor some time to develop communication systems.
ReplyDeleteSome people prefer reading print news, some watch TV, some like web-based news,social media, and there are people who like meetings. In this day and age, you really have to address all forms of communication.
ReplyDelete"Communication and information is essential to our partnership".
ReplyDeleteThis is the sentence I like. Elected officials who form partnerships with constituents are wildly popular and trusted.
To 11:17: Didn't Sposato run in the same election as O'Connor and get sworn in at the same time as O'Connor. What do you mean give her time? She is the one who was promising every thing to every one and has produced a big goose egg.
ReplyDeleteThanks 3:20! Your comment is very eloquent and true.
ReplyDeleteAlderman O'Connor did promise to create a community (not CPS) education advisory board. I am still waiting.
ReplyDeleteI just got the Alderman's email and it had some info about city services, not much though. And an winter safty event scheduled for Monday - not to mmuch notice. What disappoints me is the lack of interaction. Without real town hall meetings, community forums and advisory meetings there is no real back and forth discussion about what we want for the community. The email is an informercial, as well as the website and facebook.
ReplyDeleteWhy is the alderman of the 36th ward posting on the 41st ward website?
ReplyDelete@8:39am I posted this information at the request of a reader. The alderman did not.
ReplyDelete