Tuesday, April 10 - 2nd Ward
Don't restrain yourself--tune in as Eddie Arruza moderates a discussion with Alderman Madeline Haithcock and Challenger Bob Fioretti
Eddie Aruzza: The incumbent has accused her opponent of being a liar and a schizo. He, in turn, has labeled her lazy and a boat without a rudder. It's no wonder that the Second Ward aldermanic runoff has been dubbed the nastiest of next week's twelve races. But aside from the name-calling the ward faces some real challenges, from issues of gentrification and development, to crime, and we hope the candidates will focus on those tonight. The Second Ward covers the South Loop, West Loop, Near West and West Sides, and Little Italy. And now joining us in the order that they'll appear on the ballot are Bob Fioretti, an attorney, and Alderman Madeline Haithcock, who is in her fourteenth year on the City Council. Welcome both of you to Chicago Tonight.
Guests: Thank you.
Eddie Aruzza: Alderman, we'll begin with you tonight. In the February 27th election you received twenty percent of the vote, and your challenger here got more votes than you did, which means that eighty percent of your constituents voted for someone else, which is not exactly a resounding vote of approval for you. What do you attribute that to?
Madeline Haithcock: I attribute it to a lot of things. The five other people in the race, two Caucasians and two Blacks, and then a pack of lies that were told about me. But putting that aside, it doesn't matter what I got then, it's what I'm going to get now. I've done my homework. I know what I have to do. I have to get out there and work. The ward is super-duper. It's second-to-none. And I defy anyone to say that I haven't done a good job. I know I have.
Eddie Aruzza: But if you have done a good job, Alderman, and your fourteen year tenure should be able to speak for itself, why didn't you get more of the vote? Why did eighty percent of the people want somebody else?
Madeline Haithcock: Well, it was a low count in the first place. They...the people did not turn out to vote. And a lot of people, I guess, because I hadn't been around for maybe about a year...I was sick for about three months...and I had surgery, that's neither here nor there. A lot of things just got pushed aside. And now I know what the people want. They have gotten it all before then, and they will get it now.
Eddie Aruzza: And, again, what is it that the people want that obviously you didn't get the message out before the February 27th election.
Madeline Haithcock: They want...well, what happened, let me tell you. There's people that's only been there two or three years and they don't know that the Second Ward was blighted. They didn't have the restaurants, they didn't have the condo's. They didn't have any of the things that we have now. The grocery stores, the Target, the Home Depot. All these things have come in. They didn't have the affordable homes, they didn't have the new senior homes that we've brought in, the new Fosco Park, and I have a lot more to do. But they didn't know. They just thought it was there when they came. And then, of course, I...it was up to me to get these things out. Now I will have like a travelling late night. I will take up to them. I will go from community to community. It's spread out so far, so far from the east to the west side, I have what I call linked development. I will bring some of the development from the South Loop to the West Side.
Eddie Aruzza: Mr. Fioretti, you label yourself as a civil rights attorney. The Alderman here says that you're nothing more than an ambulance-chasing personal injury attorney. What qualifies you to be alderman of one of the fastest-changing wards in Chicago?
Bob Fioretti: First of all, what I've just heard from the Alderman is just perplexing at best. You know, the Alderman hasn't been around. She hasn't been to the West Side. She hasn't been through the ABLA Homes. I knock on doors day-to-day, every day for the last several months. And the first question I ask is 'when was the last time you saw your alderman?'. And even with all of the publicity on this case...on this race, we hear the same response inevitably: 'I don't know who he is. I've never seen him'. This case is about real problems [at this point we note, amusingly, the attorney-challenger's second consecutive misreference to the aldermanic "race" as a "case"], real issues, that affect people across this ward, and yes, crime, development, giving people a say in the ward, that's the biggest problem that we have, that people don't have a say, and they've never had a say here in this ward, and people want to know where the...what the issues are that affect them. They want to have better schools. They want to deal with the crime rate. This alderman was absent at a press conference on March 5th where the ABLA Homes...there was almost ten people arrested. Half of them were juveniles. She was absent at the March 25th press conference in the ward. That was an open air drug market, by the way, where five thousand dollars a day profit on heroin and cocaine. The same...
Eddie Aruzza: OK, but let's get back to the question that I asked you instead of accusations at this point. What qualifies you to be alderman of this ward?
Bob Fioretti: My experience. I've had an open book my whole life. Thirty years of being a lawyer. Thirty years of devoting to public service. Whether it's raising scholarships, raising issues, dealing with people. I've been hired by preservation groups to help them out. I've also worked on community efforts having...dealing with AIDS, dealing with health foundations, dealing with the Historic Pullman Foundation. I've raised money for entities that have needed it. I've drafted ordinances. I've drafted state statutes. I've been recognized by the State of Illinois for some of those efforts.
Eddie Aruzza: All right. Now, as I said in the lead-in to this, we want to talk about issues and we're going to get to those. But there is a matter of integrity and character which I would be remiss in not bringing up, and that has to deal with a situation involving a personal restraining order, an order of protection, that was issued against you four years ago. And your comments and reaction to that. Some have said that you have not been entirely forthrigh, not entirely forthcoming about that issue. Clarify that issue for us tonight.
Bob Fioretti: The issue was dealt with by the courts. We filed, my girlfriend and I filed a criminal complaints against an individual. We were met with a restraining order in response. It was vacated within a short period of time, within the period of time, and it's been dealt with in the media. But this election is about the lives of the people of the Second Ward.
Eddie Aruzza: But it's also about character, sir, and so in dealing with that particular issue, you received the endorsement of the Sun-Times, but it was a very qualified endorsement saying that you have not been entirely forthcoming, in fact that you have been misleading of the nature of that relationship. You said one thing at first, about whether you knew this woman or not, and then you retracted that and, as it turned out, after an investigation, that you did date this woman. So how do you clarify your integrity and your character in terms of this relationship?
Bob Fioretti: Again, it goes back to an issue of almost fifteen years of an experience. Some things that I didn't remember. This has been dealt with in the media, over and over again. And, again, this is an issue about the people of this ward and the issues that affect them, whether it's crime, rising taxes, or property taxes.
Eddie Aruzza: Alderman, quickly on this issue, so that we can move on to some substantive issues, is this an issue or is it not?
Madeline Haithcock: I think it's very much, because I've worked with women's issues all my life, and I thought the people of the Second Ward needed to know that. I didn't throw the first stone. And I think that something that important needed to be said. I did not make that up. It's on record. The lady had a temporary constraining order. Temporary means just that. And then it was taken off.
Eddie Aruzza: OK, the Tribune has endorsed you, Alderman. But in their endorsement, just as in Mr. Fioretti's endorsement in the Sun-Times, they have some reservations. They say that your tenure has been unimpressive. And part of it says that...the Sun-Times says that they were disappointed that you went digging for dirt on your opponent concerning this issue, rather than highlighting what ever accomplishments you've had.
Madeline Haithcock: All my accomplishments...I didn't throw the first stone, as I've said. It was thrown at me first, all negative things that's always been said about me. So when something came to me...I didn't go looking for this. I have three or four more issues that I can throw out, Pulllman is one of 'em. But I'm not going to...
Eddie Aruzza: OK, but let's talk about your accomplishments. As the Tribuen has said...
Madeline Haithcock: OK, my accomplishments is great. And the Tribune did say that I had some good accomplishments. I appreciate that endorsement and they were absolutely correct. I've said and I say again: I did make some mistakes. There's nobody perfect. I'm not as perfect as Mr. Fioretti.
Eddie Aruzza: What mistakes have you made?
Madeline Haithcock: I made mistakes by...my office has not been in twenty-four hours, turning over phone calls to people. They need to be getting back to as soon as possible. I understand that. We have over two thousand emails. They need to be answered quickly. I need the people to know, they do, the ones that come to the office that know that there's an alderman there for them will walk in. But others need to know that I have two offices. There's very few alderman--only about three of us--have two offices in the ward.
Eddie Aruzza: Let's talk about development. Because development especially, of course, in the South Loop as we all know has just exploded in recent years and under your watch, over the last fourteen years. There are...even a former challenger in the last race who is now supporting you said earlier this year "she's gotten so tight with a lot of different businesses and developers"--I'm quoting here now--"she's showing up at meetings where you think it's a review process and it's really 'this is what we're doing' rather than getting their input", meaning input from residents of the ward.
Madeline Haithcock: Well, that's what they wanted to say at that time. Anybody that's running for office will say a lot of different things. But I know that what I have done...
Eddie Aruzza: It's not only this indiviudal. There are other residents of the ward saying that they have not had sufficient input in the development of the ward, and, what they would say, is over-development.
Madeline Haithcock: They didn't have. They didn't have. That's why I'm having five advisory boards set up geographically all over the ward. And these boards will be stakeholders. People from the churches or minister. Maybe a business person. And a developer. And we will work with the organizations that I sent the developers out to talk to. I did not just approve them. First they had to go out to the Near West Side organization, the ones that's on the South Side...
Eddie Aruzza: Let me get Mr. Fioretti in here because we need to talk about a lot of more things and we're running out of time. In terms of your plan and your vision for development in that ward, and we're not just talking in the South Loop we're talking far west...the ward extends to three thousand west.
Bob Fioretti: Right. All the way down beyond Sacramento, actually.
Eddie Aruzza: So what do you propose for development?
Bob Fioretti: I'm glad the Alderman has seen the light to have citizen's advisory groups. I was an advocate of that from day one. I've been always an advocate about giving the people a voice in their affairs. That's number one. Number Two: The second question I ask people is, with all this development going on, do you know people that have been hired from the Second Ward. And inevitably people don't know anybody being hired from the Second Ward.
Madeline Haithcock: [sotto voce inaudible]
Bob Fioretti: Alderman, please. We hear over and over again...[turning to the Alderman] come with me on the West Side. We'll see...
Madeline Haithcock: Why would I come with you? [laughing]
Bob Fioretti: Well, because you'll find the people that are unemployed. The people that don't have the ability to have jobs there, that the lack of training. Yes, I have a vision that encompasses that people will have neighborhoods that we can live in, work in, and more importantly, afford to live in. And we must reinstate the seven percent tax cap.
Eddie Aruzza: I want to get back quickly to this Tribune endorsement of the Alderman which they said that she showed the courage to go up against the mayor and vote against the "Big Box" ordinance. I'm sorry, you voted for the "Big Box" ordinance against the mayor.
Bob Fioretti: No, she voted with the mayor.
Eddie Aruzza: I beg your pardon...
Madeline Haithcock: I voted with the mayor. I voted right.
Eddie Aruzza: I'm confusing the issue more than it needs to be...
Madeline Haithcock: Becaue there is jobs. Because it's what he said. They supply jobs to people. No job...having no money at all is better than ten dollars an hour? The unions have to do their own negotiating. The City Council shouldn't have to do that. And that's not what an alderman is. And I'm very sorry that Mr. Fioretti doesn't even know what an alderman is. He doesn't know. He says he's a civil rights attorney, but Thurgood Marshall would probably turn over in his grave.
Eddie Aruzza: Alderman, I need to ask you about this particular issues as well, the "Big Box" issue, because I'm seeing in your financial disclosures that you received a fifteen hundred dollar contribution from Wal-Mart. Is this playing into whether they're coming into your ward or not?
Madeline Haithcock: No. Oh, no. For fifteen hundred dollars? No. Don't play me that cheap. No, fifteen hundred dollars will help me do a lot of things. It's helping me to run against this rich man who has a lot of money. Fifteen hundred dollars from a lot of people, a lof of...they may be lawyers like him, they're developers, developers that put back into the community. They give back. They build parks. They do a lot of things. They give money for scholarships. They give money for computers. I work with the schools. This is what developers and lawyers help me do.
Eddie Aruzza: Mr. Fioretti, you are receiving the backing and support of labor in this race because of the Big Box issue. Does that mean that you are not going to allow any more Big Boxes into that ward?
Bob Fioretti: No, that's not the issue at all. The issue is to make sure that people have a living wage, with adequate health care. You know, the Alderman has again distorted it. Last night she said she'd be willing to vote for a Big Box ordinance. She talks about, last night, she uses developer money for contributions for computers that she's talking about and I pulled her disclosures for the last two years. There's no indication of developers...of the money that she's received from developers going towards computers. But instead it goes towards family members increasing salaries, people on her staff, her political staff.
Eddie Aruzza: Alderman, I'll have you have the last say and it has to be quick, please.
Madeline Haithcock: Well, you know the stalker is a talker. He tells a lot of lies. I don't give my family members money...I did not...last night...
Bob Fioretti: Well, wait a minute, I have to answer that...Alderman, because you have consistently portrayed lies throughout this campaign. You've lied about setting up...you just said you have two thousand emails. Last night you said you received two thousand every week. You know what that means? That means a ward that's in lack of leadership.
Madeline Haithcock: You're not listening. I said I get two thousand emails a week...
Bob Fioretti: Oh, Alderman, please.
Madeline Haithcock: ...I did not...I don't know what you thought I said about the Big Box...
Bob Fioretti: We know what you said last night.
Madeline Haithcock:...But you were so busy saying a lot of different things that didn't make sense.
Eddie Aruzza: And we'll have to refer to the two of you to our website which will link you to your website...
Madeline Haithcock: I don't need to see his website
Eddie Aruzza: ...and people can get more information on the two of you.
Madeline Haithcock: This is the last time I'll see him, period.
Eddie Aruzza: My thanks to you Alderman Haithcock and to you Robert Fioretti
Bob Fioretti: Thank you
Madeline Haithock: Thank you both. I really enjoyed being here.
Eddie Aruzza: Nice to have you here
