Better Know An Alderman: Mary O'Connor, 41st Ward
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Better-Know-An-Alderman-Mary-OConnor-41st-Ward-167039665.html#ixzz24IVNIwM0
The 41st Ward, which includes
the Far Northwest Side neighborhoods of Edison Park, Oriole Park and
Norwood Park, as well as O’Hare Airport, has been described as
“quasi-suburban.” It’s a popular residence for cops, firefighters and
other municipal employees who have to live in the city, but don’t desire
an urban lifestyle. Until the election of Ald. Mary O’Connor, in 2011,
it was the only ward represented by a Republican on the City Council.
The ward’s attractions include the city’s oldest building, the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House, which dates back to 1833, Taft High School, the inspiration for the musical Grease, and a great strip of French and Italian restaurants along Northwest Highway, including Café Touche, Zia’s Trattoria, Nonno Pino's, and Moretti’s Ristorante.
1. What has been your most significant achievement as alderman?
I’m very pleased that the 41st Ward has seen a series of important infrastructure improvements over the last year. We are addressing water and sewer issues, utilities, roads, bridges, transit stations and an increasing number of street resurfacing projects. We have a lot more work to get done, but I’m confident we are headed in the right direction.
2. Why and when did you decide to run for the City Council?
I made my decision to run for alderman of the 41st Ward in the summer of 2009. I have a great amount of respect for the generations of residents before me that worked so hard on making our ward the best place in Chicago to call home and I wanted to build on that legacy. I grew up in the area and I just felt that our corner of the city wasn’t living up to its full potential. As a small business owner and president of my local business chamber, I felt I had a unique perspective on how best to implement a real revitalization.
3. Do you have a political mentor? Why do you admire this person, and how did he or she influence you?
Alderman Patrick O’Connor and Alderman Tom Tunney have both served as political mentors to me. Alderman O’Connor has served in the council for over thirty years and has been a reliable sounding board throughout my first year in office. Alderman Tunney and I have similar professional backgrounds in the hospitality industry, which is helpful when it comes to working on making Chicago more business-friendly.
4. What project is your ward most in need of?
The 41st Ward is home to some of the best neighborhood schools in the City of Chicago, but many are overcrowded and in need of important capital improvements. Much of my first year in office has been spent advocating for the needs of these schools with CPS, the Board of Education and the Mayor’s office. They know that I will not rest until each and every one of our schools get what they rightfully deserve. There is no issue more important to me.
5. Has crime increased in your ward this year? What do you think are the causes of, and the solutions for, the citywide increase in violence?
Crime in my ward has essentially remained flat over the last year. Some police beats have seen a slight uptick in property crimes like garage burglaries and motor vehicle thefts, while others have seen a drop. As for the horrific acts of gang violence that have impacted so many other communities, I think more needs to be done to provide these individuals with alternatives to a life of violence. We need more after school programs for young adults, more gang awareness programs in schools and more faith-based efforts to take back these communities. Most importantly, we need to turn around this economy and put people back to work.
6. Has the installation of parking meters affected traffic or commerce in your ward? What could Chicago Parking LLC do to make things easier for businesses in your ward?
Constituents and local businesses are becoming more and more frustrated with the parking meter deal that was negotiated during the previous administration. Back when the city owned these meters there was a mutual understanding that residents wouldn’t get tickets on Sunday mornings, holidays and certain community events. The situation today is quite the opposite. In fact, it seems like this new company purposefully sets out to target motorists. That kind of aggressive enforcement discourages people from supporting our local businesses here in the 41st Ward and hurts our ability to compete with the neighboring suburbs along our borders. There are some things that the parking meter company could do to generate goodwill. This corporation makes a fortune off my constituents I would like to see them give back to the community like many of our local merchants. It would also be helpful if each ward was granted a waiver from parking fees for special events.
7. What feature is your ward best known for?
The 41st Ward is known for its beautiful, suburban-like character. We have great schools, friendly residents and a very tight-knit collection of communities.
8. How do you feel about transferring street sweeping and garbage pickup to a grid system, rather than leaving them under the control of the alderman?
The decision to switch to a grid system is one that I supported because of the clear cost savings for the city by establishing a more efficient system. I did so knowing fully well that I would have to give up some control over garbage control in the ward but unfortunately, our city is in bad financial shape and we have a responsibility to make sure tax dollars are being spent wisely. Reducing sanitation costs over the long term was the right decision.
9. How would you spend an ideal Saturday afternoon in your ward?
My ideal Saturday afternoon is spent getting some exercise by walking a neighborhood street in my ward. It allows me the opportunity to clear my head, meet constituents and follow up on requests that come through my office.
10. What is your favorite book, television show and meal?
The Devil in the White City, The Good Wife & Pizza
11. Do you have a tattoo?
I have no tattoos.
12. What are your thoughts on social media?
I have mixed feelings about social media. I can certainly appreciate it as a tool for communicating with constituents. It is a great way to keep people informed of events, share photos, or discuss important projects taking place in the community. However, it can also be a place for people to make some fairly wild assumptions or claims that often mislead the public about some very important issues or projects. Often times these individuals are anonymous so you have no idea what their motivations are. Vicious personal attacks also pop up and that can be difficult to stomach. I’ve had to develop a pretty thick skin since being elected. I guess that comes with the territory.
13. How do you feel about food trucks?
I ultimately voted to support the Food Truck Ordinance because I think it’s important for our city to encourage new enterprises. The final version contained more protections for public health and did less to hurt the brick and mortar establishments that employ so many throughout the city.
14. Will you vote Obama or Romney?
I support the reelection of President Obama.
15. Have you ever bought a Groupon, and what was it?
I have never purchased a Groupon.
The alderman should take a look at the crime reports before stating "crime is flat". Crime is climbing, there is nothing flat about it.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true, the alderman is working on infastructure projects long neglected by Doherty, isn't she functioning more as a Ward Manager, like they have in New York City, where I am from), rather than a a genuine alderman? I ask because Chicago has 50 alderman, and most of them are functioning as ward managers and not true municipal leaders who make legislative decisions, think critically and strategically about the future of the city, understand city finances and more of the complex functioning of the office. To date, this alderman has done almost no strategic planning for the ward or the city. She hasn't introduced much of anything, legislatively. And in regards to advocating for improvements in local education, especially at the secondary level, I just don't see it. We need people like Mary O'Connor to be ward managers, for sure. But what this ward needs most is an old-fashioned, educated, savy and knowledgeable legislative wizard to be the alderman of the 41st Ward.
ReplyDeleteI see you linked up with a couple of other blogs - good idea. Interesting timing after reading the alderman's comments about social media. As long as it works for her, social media is aok. The minute it works against her, well you read it, she questions OUR motivation. Isn't that just like a politician - the world orbits around them.
ReplyDeleteThe alderman and her staff can't control social media, so of course they don't like it. This blog is named 41st ward citizen's, its not named 41st ward alderman's blog. I for one like to post anonymously, so I can say what I really want to say without city building inspectors showing up at my door. Politicians and their minions have long memories of who spports them and who doesn't.
DeleteCommunication was one of the most talked about issues in the 41st Ward aldermanic race. Yet, here we are with the alderman not really using social media except as a PR bulletin board for her own interest. I have asked several questions on the alderman's face book page, always stated in perfect English and without any profanities, yet my direct questions are either deleted or ignored.
DeleteFuthermore, the alderman refuses to host town hall meetings. She didn't show up to the last town hall meeting about public safety and we still haven't had a public town hall meeting about schools in the ward. I am getting the impression this alderman is either afraid of her constiuents or doesn't really want to know what they think.
Pat, she just collects a check and votes the way the machine tells her. Shame on the ward for electing her. The ward turned it's back on quality.
DeleteDo you mean the quality of being overserved on a regular basis at the Emerald Isle pub? How nostalgic.
Deletesomeone should tell O'Connor to read her own ward's compstat crime reports. She obviously needs some educating and updating on crime in the ward.
ReplyDeletePLEASE READ AND GOOGLE MISSING PERSON ANTHONY CATALANO! HE WENT MISSING IN MARCH 2009 FROM HER WARD AND WAS AN ALLEGED MEMBER OF THE CHICAGO OUTFIT AND MAJOR DRUG DEALER SO HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?
DeleteIf that's his story, I say, "good riddance".
DeleteDoherty was an apathetic alderman that was only re-elected by the wannabe republicans of the 41st ward who only looked for the next pint to ease his headaches and prolong the onset of a hangover. O'Connor is still a freshman alderman learning the ropes. It takes time to acclimate to the bureaucracy of Chicago's City Hall and to the needs of the 41st Ward constituents. She's an intelligent person and has a dedicated staff. An alderman doesn't just know what the people need. The people have to come forward and voice their concerns. After meeting alderman O'Connor on a few occasions, I'm confident we'll see more legislative action in her second term. Btw, if you didn't vote in the last municipal election you have no right to complain. Get off your lazy butt and express your opinion in the polls next time!
ReplyDelete...said the O'Conner staffer lol.
DeleteAnyone notice 2 out of the 12 bus routes eliminated by the CTA are in the 41st Ward?
ReplyDelete#64 Foster/ Canfield
#69 Canfield/ East River Road
More service cuts in the 41st Ward.
The CTA cuts have to be voted on by city council. Watch and see how O'Connor votes. She will vote with the mayor even though it means service cuts for her ward.
DeleteRahm here. At ease. Regarding cuts to CTA service in the 41st; I recieved several calls from my largest campaign contributors along the Gold Coast, who were upset that their domestic help have not been reporting early for their workshifts. These assorted Bellboys, Doormen, Maids, Dogwalkers, and silvertray polishers blamed their tardiness on crowded CTA buses. Therefore, I have ordered my good man - CTA CEO Forrest Claypool to pull every bus from your ward, the 41st, and place them on routes serving the Gold Coast.
DeleteYou people are forgeting your place. You pay taxes to me; I then funnel as many of those dollars as possible to my friends. Now get back to work.
Ayn Rahm
If education is such a priority of this alderman, as she states in this interview, why has Taft High School, allocated no capital improvement dollars? The high school is the ONLY high school in the area and it looks like a tear down slum.
ReplyDeleteA disappointed parent
Rahm again. At ease. I've got the Alderman's back on this one. The reason very few dollars are spent on improving Taft has to do with photo opps. As the world is well aware, no one loves your chidren more than me. Not even you. And no one has been pictured in newspapers posing with children more than your mayor. Of course most of these pictures are taken at charter schools, whose owners just happen to be great funders of my campaigns.
DeleteSadly, I can only be pictured with kids in grades K through 6. From grade 7 on, kids are almost always several inches taller than your beloved mayor. There's no way I'll be pictured with kids who look like the Sears Tower while standing next to me, so why would I spend money on improving a high school?
Now you can return to work.
Ayn Rahm
I agree with the alderman completly on the parking meter issue. But I'm confused as to why any alderman voted in favor of Rahm's Infastructure Trust scheme. Why would anyone place faith in the funding of infastructure repair to financial terrorists? We know how profits from parking wind up in the pockets of J.P. Morgan Chase/Jamie Dimon. Knowing how disastrous Chicago Parking LLC has been for Chicago, why then would we turn to another group of financial terrorists to fund our infastructure needs? I'm talking to you, Beltway Insider, turned Investment Banker, turned weasal mayor.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Chicago Teachers Union goes on strike, will Alderman O'Connor stand with the teachers who live and work in her ward?
ReplyDeleteHas Alderman O'Conner stood with ANY city workers who live in her ward? NO. She is completely disconnected from the people who live here, work here and vote here. Time for someone to run against her. Can't wait for 2015.
DeleteI HAVE A BIG QUESTION? WHAT IS BEING DONE IN THE CASE OF MISSING PERSON ANTHONY CATALANO WHO WENT MISSING FROM YOUR AREA IN MARCH 2009? SEEMS LIKE SUCH A HIGH PROFILE CASE WOULD BE TOP PRIORITY? IF ANYONE DOESN'T KNOW ANTHONY CATALANO LIVED ON RIVER RD AND BRYN MAYR AND ALLEGED MEMBER OF THE CHICAGO OUTFIT SO WHY ARE NO LEADS BEING FOLLOWED UP ON AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE CPD DOING ABOUT THIS CASE? AFTER ALL SAFETY IN THE 41ST WARD AND PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE PRIORITY!
ReplyDelete