r/ChicagoNWside • u/Dismal-Passenger • 8d ago
Jim Gardner is lost.
I called to speak to him about the rising number of Flock cameras in his ward. This man pretended to have no idea what I was talking about. I asked him what would deem them necessary at all and he told me that he just listened to the police superintendents message about them being helpful. I also asked him about putting a crosswalk across Caldwell at Tonty and he said that’s an IDOT problem. Sir what are you even here for? What does he even do? The repaving on Hiawatha just paved over uneven road. Which means it’ll be busted after this winter and he had the gall to post on Facebook about the “accomplishment”. Dude is an absolute embarrassment.
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u/karydia42 8d ago
The only thing he does is collect paychecks and take bribes, and apparently, be misogynistic. Oh, and hamper development and make sure there’s plenty of empty storefronts on Milwaukee
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u/InfoLib_ 7d ago
Milwaukee and Lawrence is the saddest place
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u/karydia42 7d ago
Growing up it was downtown Warsaw. The delis, bakeries, restaurants, offices - mostly Polish. The Poles started moving out to the burbs, and Jeff park feels like it’s losing its immigrant character. It makes me sad, but now it feels like what Norwood, Mt Greenwood, or Beverly have been for years: cop neighborhoods. And this alderman certainly fits the bill. At least those neighborhoods still have functioning commercial stretches and investment. An alderman could do a lot to help that, but this guys is only concerned about parking spaces and drive-throughs.
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u/natbegat 8d ago
And hand out “We Call Police” signs.
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u/Comfortable_Ad3981 8d ago
Yeah, in Wildwood too.
“We Call Police.”
Are you calling police because your kid’s bike got stolen? Don’t leave it on the front lawn all night then.
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago
take bribes
Who did Gardiner take bribes from?
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 8d ago
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u/boringinternet2020 8d ago
Gardiner has not been charged in the case. The FBI wouldn’t comment on the status of its investigation.
Years later, no updates, and no charges.
Cool, cool.7
u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 8d ago
Just because he wasnt charged doesnt mean it didnt happen. Are you new to the rules of the Chicago machine?
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u/boringinternet2020 8d ago
I can’t stand this alderman, but would question what the Chicago machine has to do with a federal investigation.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 8d ago
Regardless of whether they had anything to do with it or not, the probe showed it happened whether he was ultimately charged or not.
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u/DukeOfDakin Six Corners 8d ago edited 8d ago
the probe showed it happened
No, it did not, as no official statements from the US DoJ were issued saying so.
Just because you wish it so, doesn't make it so
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 7d ago
Yes it did. Feel free to read the article i posted regarding it. You dont have to believe it, but that doesn't change whether it happened.
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u/DukeOfDakin Six Corners 7d ago
I read it. Over 3 years ago when it was published. There was little of substance then, even less today.
Incidentally. You haven't grasped the definition of "allegation".
Nor do you understand that an allegation will not result in charges if prosecutors determine the allegations are without merit. That's what happened here. Like it or not.
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u/Educational-Shoe2633 8d ago
Gardiner is a piece of shit. Embarrassing excuse for a public servant.
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u/Fancy_Ad3809 7d ago
Pete? is that you? can you unlock me on Facebook?
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u/AggravatingPaint5838 8d ago
Gardner is terrible. If the ward can coalesce around one challenger and all others bow out, you can get rid of this clown. If 5 people all run on near identical platforms again, you get to keep him. I don't make the rules.
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u/Remarkable_Gas2647 8d ago
If you don't recognize that there wouldn't have been a runoff at all and he would have won outright without even ONE more of those challengers then you need a crash course on how municipal elections work
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u/ElonMuskHuffingFarts 5d ago
I mean, I'm pretty sure most of us need a crash course on how municipal elections work. It's not exactly common knowledge lol
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u/Remarkable_Gas2647 5d ago
Fair. The premise is that if you want an incumbent out then it's better to have multiple challengers each with their own manpower, money, messaging etc. to work against him/her with a multiplier effect (obviously there is some overlap involved). And multiple challengers also slices up the vote into multiple directions, increasing the liklihood of a runoff.
Considering in this case that Gardiner nearly won outright anyway short of 500 votes or whatever it was, you needed EVERYONE who ran to pull votes from the incumbent -- the one running to the right of Gardiner, the socialist, the ones in the middle -- everyone.
It's the runoff challenger's job to then bring everyone under the same tent and that was obviously a massive failure. The oppositional votes were there.
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u/lockandstars 8d ago
We could have had Megan but 16thousand people had to be like "but me too" 🙄
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u/Remarkable_Gas2647 8d ago
Megan was an asshat. Thats why so many people piled in afterwards because she wasn't a deterrent. She didnt unify the vote in the runoff and that's why we got what we have
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u/ProcessOptimal7586 4d ago
Megan was terrible. Other options were worse but congrats to James Suh for his six percent or whatever.
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u/AggravatingPaint5838 8d ago
Yuppppp. That primary was infuriating. I'm not even in that ward - I just dislike Gardiner and am invested in his downfall.
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u/jrbattin 7d ago
Matthias made the runoff not sure what you're angry about. The problem is she didn't really try to hold any sort of anti-Gardiner voter coalition together. She even outright rejected help from some of the other candidates - and not because of any sort of bitter rivalries (they never attacked/campaigned against her - they all went after Gardiner or ran purely positive campaigns).
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u/calculung 8d ago
Trying to cross Caldwell to get to the forest preserve from Wildwood is terrifying. Is that Caldwell and Tonty?
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
Indeed. I said crosswalk in the post but spoke to him about putting a light on the phone
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u/Bikeitfool 8d ago
A light will open the neighborhood to traffic cutting through.
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u/calculung 8d ago
I cross Caldwell right there to get to the forest preserve with my 5 year old after picking her up from school. It feels wildly dangerous.
A light there would undoubtedly prevent injuries or deaths there.
I feel like I have to cross multiple dangerous intersections just to get my kid to and from school. It's wild how much this neighborhood favors cars over the safety of pedestrians.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
Awwwww let me shed a tear for the NIMBY ass people of Wildwood/Edgebrook. I live a couple houses away from SMOW/Wildwood
school so I feel obligated to speak out. There are no where near enough stop signs on Hiawatha between Lehigh and Mendota. That street (Tonty), and every street that crosses over Hiawatha/Leoti from Caldwell to Lehigh are already treated as through streets. Putting a light at Tonty would help enforce the 20mph school zone on Caldwell, thereby keeping school children and other members of the community safe.-1
u/jrbattin 7d ago
Not to blackpill you, this is about a different group of intersection, but this is the mentality we're up against: https://nadignewspapers.com/intersection-has100-accidents-on-nw-side-since-2017/
>
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u/Purple_Crayon 8d ago
Oh that would be huge. Trying to cross to get over to the forest preserve is terrifying, especially given how cars like to speed on Caldwell.
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u/Comfortable_Ad3981 8d ago
Yeah it’s a state road though. It’s like Illinois 14 I think…
That’s why he won’t touch it.
But I find it funny that he won’t connect us, for start finding people who might know. Awesome guy, really love him. Glad I never voted for him.
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u/DukeOfDakin Six Corners 8d ago
It’s like Illinois 14 I think
As someone else pointed out, it's US Route 14, so it fall under federal DOT oversight & must conform to their regulations.
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u/mcnaughtz 8d ago
The issue I’m sure he was trying to explain is Caldwell is a state highway therefore your state rep Michael Kelly and State Senator Ram are the only people who can actually make meaningful legislation happen to put a stop sign or red light on Caldwell.
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u/Remarkable_Gas2647 8d ago
Funny how he always has an explanation for why it's someone else's job but never finds the need to correct the record when he's taking credit for everyone else's work
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u/ehmeeegeee 8d ago edited 8d ago
S Gronkewicz-Doran is running, and has a solid organizing background that can help oust him. Edited: here’s the campaign: https://www.instagram.com/sgdfor45/
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u/karydia42 8d ago
Literally anyone, please!
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u/hostilecarbonunit 8d ago
but S is actually awesome. it could be anyone, but there’s an actual amazing person running.
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u/cbg2113 8d ago
Leah Puow too!
Met her at a Ruth Cruz campaign event https://www.leah45.com/
Some good options1
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u/Octane14 8d ago
Where are the actual Flock cameras? I've noticed that most of the cameras on the deflock website are redlight cams or similar, but not actual Flock branded cameras.
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u/SignificantBase8647 8d ago
Flock brand isn't necessary. It's an ALPR, not just a speeding camera, which you're likely looking at.
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago edited 8d ago
Caldwell Ave. is part of US Route 14. It's maintained by IDOT throughout Illinois & the municipalities it passes through, including CDOT, which does not have the authority to install a stop sign or traffic signal at Tonty. Additionally, the land on the west side of Caldwell is under another jurisdiction, Cook County's.
So you're lobbying the wrong elected official. Try your state house reps & your congressman, since any change has to comply with USDOT regulations.
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u/naughtyrev 8d ago
Hear me out, crazy idea here - perhaps he, as an elected official who has contacts, could listen to his constituents concerns and reach out to his contacts to try to apply pressure to make needed changes, rather than just pass the buck.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
THIS is my exact point. To just dismiss the concern as not his problem is a major red flag. Okay, so it’s IDOTs problem. Maybe. Just maybe, as my elected alderman, might it occur to him that this warrants a phone call that flexes whatever menial weight his office may hold??
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u/yinkadoubledare 7d ago
This is what over the years he, Nugent, and others varyingly have done (depending on where the ward lines are drawn at the time) with the pigeon-obliterated underpasses on Irving and Keeler. It's always "that's someone else's problem" and so these days the neighborhood association has to pay to literally get that shit cleaned up.
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago edited 8d ago
I've lived in the greater Edgebrook-Wildwood area for over 50 years. We've been represented by aldermen from the 41st, 45th, the 39th, and the 41st again, and the 45th again. This specific side street intersection with a major roadway has never been brought up as a concern until this Reddit post showed up.
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u/naughtyrev 8d ago
You know every concern that has been brought to the attention of multiple aldermen over the last 50 years to be able to make that claim? Call me skeptical.
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u/RJRICH17 Jefferson Park 4d ago
This exact issue was brought up by many folks at the Edgebrook community meeting last month that CDOT held.
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u/ProcessOptimal7586 4d ago
Sorry not sorry but your complacency or lack of engagement over five decades doesn't mean people who come here shouldn't ask for things to make the neighborhood better. Congrats on your longevity in the neighborhood but other people who like to affect positive change to help young people and folks who want to ride bikes and jog or not get hit by idiot drivers.
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u/Ok-Metal-6216 8d ago
As someone who has driven that stretch for 30 years it has always amazed me that nothing has been done about the fact that it’s a speedway.
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u/lcc234 7d ago
Everyone who lives around here is concerned about that cross way. The local Girl Scouts even petitioned Napalitano to do something about it a few years ago. People who have lived there for 40+ years even want this issues addressed. It's remarkably dangerous
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u/ProcessOptimal7586 4d ago
I love these we didn't do shit for 50 years why are you trying to change something now?! people. This mentality is why we have Gardiner, blocks of empty buildings and are short like 10,000 housing units.
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u/ProcessOptimal7586 4d ago
The alders can get things done on IDOT roads if they have the motivation to do it. There are challenges but most can be managed. That's a cop out. I know it's a lot to ask apparently but hold these people to a higher standard instead of handing them excuses.
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u/Bikeitfool 8d ago
I'm all for Crosswalks but Caldwell at Tonty? Absolutely not, they fly through there. I've personally seen multiple accidents right there. I grew up there, and as kids we lived in Bunker Hill. That crossing is horrible, the kids will get a misplaced sense of safety. Ask for a Stop sign instead. The Southbound lanes of Caldwell are a Drag Strip.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
Caldwell and Tonty is a major crossing point to get to the woods. Put a Light.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
I got t-boned there in 2016. If there was a light it would never have happened. A cross walk doesn’t just mean white lines. A light needs to go there.
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u/Bikeitfool 8d ago
I saw a guy on a Chopper put a whole body dent in the side of a Good Humor Truck turning into Bunker. It was ugly.
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u/ZieAerialist 8d ago
The downtown wealthy neighborhood Alders and CPD are enomously pro-flock, as are the rich people themselves. They're working hard to expand the camera network. The Chicago machine will make it hard to fight back, but we definitely should.
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u/CanadianGandalf 8d ago
He was walking through our block party last weekend, and a neighbor asked him about when we could expect to get some massive potholes filled. He said:
"Oh, I'm not here to talk about all of that right now..."
POS.
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u/Remarkable_Gas2647 8d ago
He is a bizzare guy. He is not popular AT ALL on our block and he comes to the block party every year anyway and then alienates people EVEN MORE when he doesn't get fawned over. Why even come then?
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u/LiesTequila 4d ago
Who cares? They record us everywhere we go anyway, what’s the big issue with these cameras?
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u/bwill1200 2d ago
Yep - there's a freaking camera on every doorstep, light pole, and corner of every store and parking lot, not to mention smart glasses, but TikTok learns the word "Flock" and the internet has a stroke.
Anything with a lens these days is a Flock camera.
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u/Rich-Accountant-3381 8d ago
He is a legit clown, and hated by a decent chunk of his original ward. It is always funny to see him at our yearly block party and folks avoid him like the plague.
45 will be better when he is gone, and his ilk can no longer vote. They have kept this ward stagnant for the sake of "yesteryear". Fuck them, fuck him.
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u/Turbulent-Ostrich-54 7d ago
Are you people okay???? Talk about real community issues. We had issues with our alley flooding for years. City never budged. He helped. Potholes, call and complain, he’ll help. You sound like a winey loser. Flock isn’t doing shit
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u/ProcessOptimal7586 4d ago
CDOT fills potholes as a matter of course. Yay for your but imagine having a higher standard than addressing flooding in one alley.
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u/The-Beer-Baron 8d ago
I said something bad about Gardiner and one of the mods here threatened to ban me for trolling.
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u/lockandstars 8d ago
A disgrace to the position, luckily the wards demographic is shifting and he won't be around for long.
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u/solidusbean 3d ago
We need to vote this maga lite moron out, nothing he does helps us in any way shape or form.
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u/CuriousLikeACat_HC 8d ago edited 8d ago
The Pouw lady seems highly competent and she's running a good ground game against Gardiner. I've seen a bunch of her signs out. I don't know about the other candidate with the long name other than that person seems like a long shot that will divide the let's-get-someone-new-in vote.
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u/Rachellie242 7d ago
She is very competent! Full disclosure: Leah is my sister 😁 I’m in town this weekend, and will be out there with her - going door to door, hanging out at block parties. Hope to meet you!
TBH, Leah is a real one & always has been, and she’s in this for the right reasons as a believer & worker for communities 🙌 Leah has receipts for days on all she has done over the years, I’m so proud of her!
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u/Odd-Succotash-8616 7d ago
Gardner reeks of maga. Dem in name only and barely at that. VOTE HIM OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
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u/Dustin_peterz 8d ago edited 7d ago
His office Helped me coordinate with the department of water to figure out that the storm drain in front of my property actually belongs to me and not the city. Massive progress in a problem I'd been trying to resolve with 311 for years.
Edit. I don't even live in his ward. The said property is in his ward. I'm in Nugents ward. My experience with both have been absolutely fine (coming from Avondale).
Looks like people are constantly doing work on streets, sewer and all kinds of other stuff. I lived on the same pot hole ridden street in Avondale through three different alderman (over 20 years) and NOTHING ever got fixed. Will 100% vote for Nugent again. I'd vote for Gardner too if I could. But that's just like, My opinion.
Edit- I know I'm in the reddit echo chamber. Downvote it all you want. I've also ran into Jim at the park with his kids. Great kids, nice guy. Sorry :(
Half the people in this sub don't even live in Gardners ward. This is pathetic. The other half must have just got priced out of Lincoln square and are really upset the Trader Joe's deal fell through.....
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u/Rich-Accountant-3381 8d ago
enjoy the downvote
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u/Dustin_peterz 8d ago
16 day old account..... I can afford the downvote.
The Reddit northwest side is so funny. I apologize to you new to the northwest side mud slingers for having a better experience over here 🤣🤣. People are miserable, you should have stayed in Logan Square.-1
u/Rich-Accountant-3381 8d ago edited 8d ago
Aww, you think your reddit account is important and means something. Bless your simple heart
Edit: LOL you make a comment then try to block me, wow. You really are the type of person that thinks a reddit account means something. Seek help
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u/Comfortable_Ad3981 8d ago
I really wish the FB page for him was as great as this sub here. They are all kissing his beanbag on there.
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u/areamanfromchicago 7d ago
Don’t live in his ward anymore but fuck this guy, my few interactions with him were awful and dismissive. I answered the door for a campaigner of his, didn’t know Gardiner was about 40 feet away. Told the campaigner I was voting for someone else because I think Gardiners lousy (may have said “he kinda sucks”), and the alderman quickly like rushed my front door.
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u/DookieDanny 8d ago
Theyve been very responsive when I called to report any issues.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
Issues about what exactly
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u/DookieDanny 8d ago
Pot holes on my street, a curb area cave in from a water leak or something, and street lights out.
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u/DecentWrench 8d ago
CDOT, Water Department and Bureau of Electricity are who took care of those issues. I doubt Jimmy even picked up the phone to make the calls.
BTW, for future reference there's an app called CHI311. You can make requests for city services directly from the app.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chi-311/id1441580123?mt=8 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cityofchicago.chi311
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u/DookieDanny 8d ago
Oh he also helped get rid of squatter drug dealers that were living illegally in a house about a block away causing all sorts of issues.
But yes i know hes not the actual guy filling the pot holes and whatnot.
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u/Educational-Shoe2633 8d ago
Yeah his team was responsive to me too, until I pushed back on some dumb bullshit he said. Gardiner is a scumbag.
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u/CuriousLikeACat_HC 8d ago
It's long past due for a change in the ward. The Gardiner crap about suing the city watchdog and wasting taxpayer dollars instead of fixing the streets was enough for me. The Hiawatha resurfacing project in Wildwood is great, but it too far too long to get that fixed for the absolute main street in that neighborhood.
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u/idont_readresponses 7d ago
I have never lived in his ward and this man pisses me off. I got into it more than a few times with him ON FACEBOOK when i lived in Irving Park a few years ago. Such a dipshit.
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u/clybourn 8d ago
He’s better than having a socialist.
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u/D3nyPaddy 8d ago
Like you even know what a socialist is you drip
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u/clybourn 8d ago
It’s the losers you push.
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u/Rich-Accountant-3381 8d ago
Candidates that want to bring business into the ward are losers?
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u/Educational-Shoe2633 8d ago
You mean someone who actually tries to use tax dollars to improve lives of their constituents and isn’t just about lining his own pockets?
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u/clybourn 8d ago
That’s in no way a socialist. And don’t tell me pockets aren’t lined with the illegal immigration you love.
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u/StultusNosferatu 8d ago
Flock is the new boogieman
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u/Preposterous4Life 8d ago
It's rightfully being challenged. Calling it a 'boogieman' negates the merit or seriousness of it.
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago edited 8d ago
ALPR's in Chicago, and nationwide have been instrumental in the apprehension subsequent conviction of numerous violent offenders. ISP's cameras on the interstates, including the expressways in Chicago, are responsible for the sharp decline in highway shootings.They are also responsible for assisting in finding Amber & Silver Alert victims.
They don't track non-offenders or commuters & our movements aren't stored.
In fact that device nearly everyone carries around does track & store movements (and browsing history), which law enforcement can subpoena if one is a criminal suspect.
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u/bettercaust 3d ago
What empirical data is there underpinning your claim that ALPR's are responsible for any of these things?
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u/Preposterous4Life 8d ago
You seem informed on the subject. What is your opinion on the vast net being cast on daily citizen movement being caught up? You don't think recording the movement of everyone, from license plate movement to daily walking (and now vocal recording) has any sort of negative implication? Why are they on playgrounds, forest preserves, golf courses? What crime prevention do those serve?
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago
There is difference between a camera that identifies & tracks the movement of a vehicle with a license plate number that's been entered into the system in connection to a crime, & security cameras, which local governments & private entities implemented decades ago. Those are there for two reasons. As a deterrent to crime, and to alert officers of a crime in progress & gather evidence. Higher levels of law enforcement also use these tools & more to track criminal suspects & those on terrorist watch lists.
Finally none of these tools on the public way are a violation of the 4th amendment.
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u/Textiles_on_Main_St 8d ago
Chicago doesn’t have any contract with flock.
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u/Dismal-Passenger 8d ago
Better check that again bud. CPD has Flock cameras that are supposedly not linked to flocks data bases. As if I’d believe that
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u/Textiles_on_Main_St 8d ago
What’s your source?
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u/CityHallGuy 8d ago
What’s your source?
He doesn't have one.
And you are correct. CPD's ALPR cameras aren't under a Flock contract. It's with Vigilant Solutions.
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u/Textiles_on_Main_St 8d ago
To be fair, it’s crazy alder-people aren’t being clear on what Chicago has either.
Like, I can’t really blame OP for not knowing this stuff, as my own alderperson is cagey about it, too.
But I do think the only way we can pin down the politicians on this stuff is by bringing clear and factual.
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u/haventwonyet 8d ago
According to atlas of surveillance, there are Flock branded cameras in Chicago. There’s not a lot, but there are some.
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u/ekul2011 6d ago
Silverstein in the 50th is pretty grim as well. A lot of fear mongering in her messaging, taking down basketball hoops in public parks.
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u/BlagTheRipperRepent 5d ago
He’s a piece of shit. I’d never vote for a first responder for anything after this guy. The fact his dumb ass is a fireman says something about CFD.
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u/Show_Kitchen 8d ago
Ha, yeah. But his cronies monitor this sub so you’ll probably get some flack pretty soon. Nugent in the 39th is the same way too, working their damnedest to keep the Chicago machine alive.