The first four hours of his day–from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.–and the last three hours of his day–from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.–are spent cruising the ward and assessing its needs. The time in between is spent at various City Council committee meetings and talking
In order to get his diverse ward back on track, Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) said there is no way he could be a part-time alderman. The Second Ward, once under the 14-year helm of former Ald. Madeline Haithcock, includes portions of the South Loop, Bronzeville and East Garfield Park. The ward borders the 3rd, 25th and 27th wards.
Fioretti ousted Haithcock with 66 percent of the vote in the April 2007 aldermanic run-off election. Residents had long complained of Haithcock ignoring their basic city service requests and her limited availability.
Now, residents of the ward are all smiles. The Defender went on a ride-along throughout the ward with Fioretti and heard from residents who lauded the attorney, now alderman, for a job well done. Joe Davis, a 25-year resident of the west portion of his ward, said Fioretti has been to his home plenty of times and is always welcome because each time he needs something, the alderman wastes no time tending to Davis’, or other residents, needs.
“When I called the old alderman to get a basic permit for our block club party, I had to wait weeks, and I had to keep calling her. Eventually it happened. But when I called Ald. Fioretti’s office, I had the permit within two weeks,” said Davis, of the 2800 block of West Polk Street.
A West Side pastor and his congregation praised the alderman at the end of his Sunday service. “He’s been out here asking what we need. He’s been helping us get job training for people, helping us get the area cleaned up. He’s been doing a good job,” said Rev. John Jackson of Revival Fellowship Church of God in Christ on the West Side.
Fioretti and his staff are working with the city’s troubled buildings department to get 20 identified drug havens shut down. Identifying the drug houses could not have come without help from churches and the residents, he said. During the tour, Fioretti pointed to the hundreds of light poles in his ward that have been repainted black instead of the original green.
Each pole costs $300 to paint. “Most had not been touched up since they were erected about 40 years ago. It was long overdue,” Fioretti said. He used portions of money left over from the annual $1.2 million aldermanic menu funds aldermen receive to make improvements in their respective ward.
He said he began to make the cosmetic improvements, such as the light pole painting, the repainting of all the fire hydrants and replacing faded out street signs with new ones from money that Haithcock did not exhaust. The unused funds would have gone back to the city, but Fioretti said he fought to keep it for his ward.
“That money was supposed to be used for the ward. It should have been when it was allotted. The residents were asking for things to get done, but it wasn’t. I needed that money to get things done,” he said. Fioretti wants to make the West Side of his ward mirror the East Side of it, where Mayor Richard M. Daley lives. Fioretti also had 30 new stop signs put on corners near schools and added speed bumps near the schools, as well as in several alleys.
“Cars come through here like they are on an open drag strip,” Fioretti said of Washington Boulevard, between California and Francisco. Next on Fioretti’s agenda is to get more economic and recreational development in the community. The Rush Hospital transformation project provided about 500 jobs to local residents. But he wants to see more retail in the ward, so more jobs–long term–could be provided, he said.
He is trying to get a Costco on Ashland Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets and is looking for a grocery chain to come into the ward on the southeast corner of Western and Madison Avenues. In the south portion of his ward, he is having Dunbar Park renovated to add a soccer and tee ball area for nearby children next year.
The park, adjacent to Dunbar High School on 31st and King Drive, already has a tennis court and baseball and track fields. Across from the park, a Leona’s restaurant is slated for development.
“The ward could always use another sitdown restaurant, instead of a walk-up-and-take-your-food place. Plus, it would employ more local residents and attract customers from other areas,” he said.
Three residents sitting on a porch near the park stopped Fioretti as he rode down the street and said it was nice to see him always in the neighborhood, something the former alderman did not do. Fioretti said he only made a dent in getting the ward back in good shape, but with the residents help, the best is yet to come.
Defender contributing writer Jakina Hill contributed to this report.
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