Monday, September 26, 2011

On the chopping block.

Due to budget cutbacks, the 22nd District station and/or the Mt. Greenwood library are both regarded as "dispensable" and are on the chopping block. Some people are saying that there are alternatives to keeping these facilities open. I say wrong.  It is going to be up to our local leaders to save them. See the recent article in the Sun-Times:

The chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee acknowledged Wednesday that Police Supt. Garry McCarthy could “unilaterally close police stations” without City Council approval and said Chicago’s financial crisis is “so dire” that the closings must be considered.
Politically, Mayor Rahm Emanuel needs aldermanic support if he hopes to sell residents on the idea that closing neighborhood police stations will not make them less safe.
Governmentally, it’s another story, according to Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th).
“”The police superintendent could unilaterally make the decision to close police stations. I don’t know that the City Council would play a role in that,” Burke told reporters after addressing a group of students in the City Council chambers.
Pressed on whether he could support such a move, Burke said, “The financial challenges of the city are so dire that nothing can be taken off the table. ... Everything has to be considered.”
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley once embraced a consultant’s proposal to close seven police stations to free 400 officers for community policing, only to abandon the idea and start building new police stations. Daley viewed police stations as community centers and anchors for neighborhood development.
On Wednesday, Burke shot down that notion.
“I don’t see the citizens going to the police station to have cake and coffee. They go there to report a crime. But, most of the reporting of crime is by telephone or other means,” he said.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that McCarthy is exploring the politically volatile idea of closing district police stations to save millions and free scores of officers for street duty.
McCarthy is under the gun to cut at least $190 million from the Police Department’s $1.3 billion-a-year budget. He is under further pressure to put more police officers on beat patrol at a time when the city cannot afford to hire more officers.
Sources said fire station and library closings are also on the table as Emanuel struggles to erase the city’s $635.7 million shortfall without raising taxes, cutting police or using one-time revenues. That’s even though Daley’s building spree also included libraries and fire stations.
Asked Wednesday if Chicago has too many firefighters and paramedics, Burke harkened back to what happened in 1980 when then-Mayor Jane Byrne tried to take on the firefighters union.
“That would go down in the history books as one of the great political conflagrations of our history,” Burke said, referring to the bitter firefighters strike.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous9/26/2011

    22 is brand new. They won't shut it down.

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  2. Anonymous9/26/2011

    The mt greenwood people dont read anyway.

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  3. Anonymous9/26/2011

    The library is important for the kids. Adults can find whatever they need on-line.

    The station is nice, but it's probably more space than 022 needs. It has to be 5 times the size of the old one. Maybe Rahm could rent part of it to a charter school and cut OUR taxes.

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  4. Anonymous9/26/2011

    The Greenwooders can go to the Beverly library. Its not that far.

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  5. Anonymous9/26/2011

    The new 22 is so nice. I can't believe they want to shut it down.

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  6. Anonymous9/26/2011

    The blogger is making some misleading statements, though maybe not intentionally. Readers here are under the impression that our local police station and Mount Greenwood Library were specifically named as possibilities for closing. That is not the case. The wording on this blog makes it sound that way though. Why would Mount Greenwood Library be any more likely to close that the other two libraries in our ward? I won't assume that any of our libraries will be on the chopping block unless I hear otherwise in an official report. People need to know that closings were proposed, but let's not create panic here by saying our ward is specifically named for closings.

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  7. I stand by what I have written. It is up to our elected leaders to head these closings off. If they wait to act until they get an "official report", it will be too late.

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  8. Anonymous9/27/2011

    CITY INCOME TAX?

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  9. Anonymous9/27/2011

    guns and ammo people protect you and your family. the state, city, and country will collapse soon.

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  10. Anonymous9/27/2011

    Did you see that article in the paper this morn, they were talking about a merger of the city with the park district, its going to happen but not because more efficent, it because the city wants to get ahold of the park dists well funded pension fund. Good bye pension fund.

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  11. Anonymous9/27/2011

    big box stores going in at evergreen golf course are going to make the trafic bad.

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  12. Anonymous10/01/2011

    TURN 022 INTO THE NEW SOCIALIST FREE CHEESE LINK CARD HATE WHITEY AIDS CLINIC FOR THE SOUTH WEST SIDE,

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  13. Anonymous10/07/2011

    21st and 13th districts will close before 22.

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