Report from the Chicago Sun Times and our response
The Mayor Daley letter, at half size (31K).
The Mayor Daley letter, at full size (108K).
In early 1998, the Mayor conviened the Maxwell Street Ad-Hoc Adisory Committee to work out a compromise for historic preservation in the old Maxwell street area. That committee consisted of representatives form the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), The Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, and two City hired outside architectural consultants, Howard Decker and John Vinci. After three meetings, all of us worked out a compromise plan to save 36 whole buildings. It was called the Daley-Decker-Vinci Plan. Everyone at the meeting agreed it was a win-win plan.
Then in August, 1998 UIC decides to renege on the plan. UIC's current stance is to save only the Police Station and three facades.
On November 10, 1998 Mayor Richard M. Daley wrote this letter to Steve Balkin, Secretary of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, to thank Steve for sending him a Save Maxwell Street baseball cap, the official cap of the Coalition.
Richard M. Daley
Dear Mr. Balkin,
Thank you for the Save Maxwell Street baseball cap. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness.
I am pleased to know that the compromise plan has set aside 36 of the historic buildings of the area for adaptive reuse.
Best wishes for continued success.
Sincerely,
Richard M. Daley (hand signed)
Mayor
Report from the Chicago Sun Times and our response
On November 19, 1998, the Chicago Sun Times reported ("Maxwell Street coalition discovers the letter is not the law at City Hall" by Lee Bey, p. 32) that the 'Office of the Mayor' denies the letter is an endorsement. You can judge for yourself. The position of the Coalition is that the Mayor does indeed endorse the full Daley-Decker-Vinci Plan but he is being held back by staff and handlers who are lobbying agents of the University of Illinois. In particular, John Camper, his press secretary, was the head of Public Relations for UIC before working for the Mayor and he led the charge against the Maxwell Street area in 1993 and 1994, leading to elimination of the old outdoor market. Chris Hill, head of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development received a UIC award this year. Lawyers and developers for the UIC South Campus project are big contributors to local Democratic politics. In short, there is an internal dispute within the Mayor's Office for and against the Plan. Hence, the on-again off-again pattern.
The letter is not the only evidence we have that Mayor Daley supports his own plan.
1. Mayor Daley called together and financed the Ad-Hoc Committee that created the plan.
2. Mayor Daley's staff hired the architects, Howard Decker and John Vinci, who drew up the plans.
3. Mayor Daley approved of the plan in private.
4. We saw Mayor Daley in person in the hall at City Hall last week and he expressed genuine concern and made suggestions to us.
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