If there is one thing that Chicagoans absolutely will not tolerate, it is a lack of responsiveness from Chicago and surrounding communities when a snow or ice storm hits. Based upon the responses from people on the street and in the media today, the heat is ratcheting up on Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation as the streets have frozen over. The grumbling on the street and at the supermarket this morning was palatable, and cell phones all over town are buzzing with crankiness about the snow and ice piled high this morning, many hours after the snow stopped last night.
This morning several of Chicago's Aldermen appeared for the cameras, calling for better snow control from S&S; although it did seem that the squeaky wheels might be getting the grease. On the one hand you have Ald. Billy Ocasio who claimed on camera this morning to WGN-TV 9 News and others that he "drove around for more than two hours looking for a salt truck" last night. On Chicago Tonight last night, the most vocal critic was Ald. Tom Allen, who appeared to question why Snow Czar Matt Smith was using a "wait-unti-the-snow-quits" approach instead of a "clear-it-while-it-happens" approach, no matter what it costs. Allen appeared with Ocasio this morning and echoed last night's message that Chicago should not be covered in snow and ice more than a couple of days, and that if it takes more money to get it done, well that's what the city's primary municipal responsibility should include, along with water, fire/emergency, and police services.
On the flip side, the Trib reported South Side Ald. Pat Dowell had noted her streets had been cleared at 3:30AM, and she seemed pretty pleased with the response on her side of town. This is an interesting perspective, considering that I was on the phone with a couple of people during the storm, one who was navigating South Side primary arteries (Matt Smith claimed primary arteries were first priority). My clearly angry friend said that after leaving work, also located on a primary south side artery, and staying only on primary arteries; that she had seen up to 6 S&S salt trucks "running with their blades up and not laying down any salt." It took her greater than 2 1/2 hours to get to her home just a few miles away from her job. The question is, was Pat Dowell a frequent caller to S&S and that's why she got her streets cleaned so early this morning, or did the entire city just clueless as to how the plan works as Matt Smith seems to be asserting in his AM presser?
Up here in Uptown, every side street is screwed. The ice has taken hold, and on the several side streets I checked this afternoon, several right off of Marine Drive (which carries tons of people on CTA buses along with Sheridan and Broadway), there appeared to be zero salt laid down or even a pass by an S&S truck. Of course the local Ald. up here, Helen Schiller, barely can keep her eye on all the drug dealers, hoes, and crazies walking around, let alone actually get S&S to clear the streets; so who knows whether she actually picked up the phone to complain about the poor snow removal service. She's way more concerned with helping the developer of Wilson Yards rip off the ward's TIF funds, by appearing in court for his benefit instead of more than 2,000 folks who've signed a petition and filed a lawsuit to halt the project and return it to the original plan. Who would be surprised if she was just letting us ice over so we can't make it to the public hearings or to court.
Of all these Aldermouths, Allen and Ocasio have it right. The City of Chicago has only a few real core responsibilities when it comes down to it. On the top of the list is snow control. Chicagoans will tolerate a lot of crap--poor public transportation, high taxes, skyrocketing fees and fares, faulty automated traffic camera systems, drunk and disorderly police officers, even a Governor who's a total mobster. What they won't tolerate is having to navigate an uncleaned icy street, an alley piled with garbage, dirty water, or poor fire or police coverage. If Matt Smith doesn't get his head out of his keister and realize that he has screwed up, that he's providing major firepower for people to go after the Mayor's job, and could fix the whole situation just by being competent, not perfect; he's going to get his ass handed to him faster than you can say "Jane Byrne."
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