Chicago may seek merger partner as population dwindles
Started by kspeak
over 17 years ago
Posts: 813
Member since: Aug 2008
Discussion about
Associated Press, November 21 - CHICAGO, IL Senior officials in Chicago told CNBC that they will have to make a strategic change in the city's direction, including finding a possible merger partner in the coming days to arrest a sharp slide in the population. People have been exiting Chicago en-mass these days, due to a sharp increase in murders and economic devastation. Chicago's economy has been... [more]
Associated Press, November 21 - CHICAGO, IL
Senior officials in Chicago told CNBC that they will have to make a strategic change in the city's direction, including finding a possible merger partner in the coming days to arrest a sharp slide in the population. People have been exiting Chicago en-mass these days, due to a sharp increase in murders and economic devastation.
Chicago's economy has been devasted by the meltdown of derivatives
and falling beef prices, which have fallen sharply this year along with other commodities.
More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York -even though New York's population is three times greater. When Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and triggerred mass panic in the street of Chicago, causing people to flee even upscale neighborhoods like the Gold Coast. Along Michigan avenue, thousands of blighted store fronts displays signs advertising "Dockers: 80% off."
"We're not proud of it," Mayor Richard Daley said last week, as the killings put new scrutiny on Chicago's out-of-control crime. Things are expected to get worse when President Elect Barack Obama departs for Washington DC in January. One Chicago insider said "with Obama gone, what will we have left ... people will have literally no reason to stay in Chicago."
It's too early to tell if the economy is a major factor in Chicago's rising crime, officials say, but already one police unit is focusing on areas hit hardest by the financial meltdown. "Abandoned buildings breed crime," police spokeswoman Monique Bond said, pointing to the abandoned Charlie Trotter restaurant. Officers in the Troubled Buildings Unit have been identifying abandoned properties, patrolling them to keep gangs, vandals and other criminals out and getting the city involved in dealing with the owners, Bond said.
A Goldman Sachs analyst says "the only way for Chicago to make it is to merge with another Midwestern city." Mayor Richard Daly had no comment, but sources say possible partners could include Detroit, ailing from the decline of its auto industry, and Milwaukee, a city that has struggled recentely due to difficulties faced by the American brewing industry.
For the real estate developers who invested millions in developing luxury hi-rises along Lake Michagan that still remain un-occupied, a merger with Milwaukee or Detroit remains their only hope to fill the vacant condominiums. The developers are expected to appear before Congress in early December to plee their case.
[less]
Response by JuiceMan
over 17 years ago
Posts: 3578
Member since: Aug 2007
Thanks for posting kspeak. Hopefully this puts the topic to rest.
rufus, there is no possible way you can argue this and now you look like a complete idiot. LMAO.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by waverly
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1638
Member since: Jul 2008
kspeak - no matter what happens today you mad me lmao...thanks!
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by rufus
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1095
Member since: Jul 2008
JuiceMan, you're too dumb to realize that kspeak just made that up.
kspeak, i still give you an A for effort. Although devoid of facts, it was entertaining to read.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by JuiceMan
over 17 years ago
Posts: 3578
Member since: Aug 2007
Ok, I'll take that one on the chin rufus. I deserve it for getting sucked into this conversation in the first place. kspeak, quite creative.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by streakeasy
over 17 years ago
Posts: 323
Member since: Jul 2008
Thanks to Obama's community organizing and Mayor Daley's political machine, Chicago will rest in no peace.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by streakeasy
over 17 years ago
Posts: 323
Member since: Jul 2008
I should probably add that Daley although incompetent, is probably the ONLY option Chicago has. Other options and you'd be looking at another Mayor Washington which split the city racially/economically so badly and so permanently that Chicago will probably never recover from such ill government.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by rufus
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1095
Member since: Jul 2008
Daley has been a solid mayor. he has cleaned up and gentrified Chicago, moreso than bloomberg has. Daley got rid of hideous housing projects like cabrini green while bloomberg lets them fester on manhattan.
was Washington worse than David Dinkins, one of the worst mayors in NYC, and perhaps the entire country?
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by streakeasy
over 17 years ago
Posts: 323
Member since: Jul 2008
rufus, I WAS a chicagoan. paid the stupid parking sticker, outrageous sales tax for many years. Daley is incompetent and so is his entire entourage of cronies. I have no respect for a mayor who seeks fall guys to surround him every scandal that arises.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by kspeak
over 17 years ago
Posts: 813
Member since: Aug 2008
Regardless, it is tragic what is happening in Chicago. A merger with Detroit looks to be its best option. It's time for the magnificent 8 mile road!
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by rufus
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1095
Member since: Jul 2008
streakeasy, i agree that daley is corrupt. but he's done a lot of good things for Chicago, such as the stuff i mentioned. also, he has done an excellent job of selling Chicago to the IOC. they're extremely impressed with how clean and world-class Chicago is.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by alanhart
over 17 years ago
Posts: 12397
Member since: Feb 2007
kspeak, thanks for posting this. I checked with the AP wire and it's true. Everyone agrees on that.
Let's all pray that the IOC takes pity on Chitroit, as they did on post-Blitz London for the 1948 Olympics. Although WWII left much more of London intact than post-industrial urban decay has for Chitroit.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by kspeak
over 17 years ago
Posts: 813
Member since: Aug 2008
Chitroit is a really good name - it has a nice upscale ring to it.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by buster2056
over 17 years ago
Posts: 866
Member since: Sep 2007
Everyone knows New York is terrible and going downhill real fast. Daley has done tons of good specific things better than Bloomberg. I would move out of New York for reasons such as the stuff I mentioned, except I can't, because I've never even been to New York let alone actually live here.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by alanhart
over 17 years ago
Posts: 12397
Member since: Feb 2007
Yes, the upscale part comes from the way the fancy French pronunciation of the beginning of Chitroit merges seamlessly with the blunt, straight-forward American pronunciation of the second syllable.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by NYbylr
over 17 years ago
Posts: 37
Member since: Jan 2008
>>> i agree that daley is corrupt. but he's done a lot of good things for Chicago,<<<
Ted Stevens is a felon and has done a lot of good things for Alaska. I suppose that makes Ted Stevens a great person.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by rufus
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1095
Member since: Jul 2008
bloomberg has been a disaster for NYC. he has failed to gentrify the city and is cutting the police budget. violent crime is on the rise this year.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by kspeak
over 17 years ago
Posts: 813
Member since: Aug 2008
Rufus, now that I read the AP article, I understand why you came to NY.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by buster2056
over 17 years ago
Posts: 866
Member since: Sep 2007
Rufus, how can you claim that a city where the mean apartment price is over $1m is not gentrified?
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by rufus
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1095
Member since: Jul 2008
buster2056, there's massive housing projects on manhattan, in prime real estate.
in Chicago, there are no housing projects in the nice neighborhoods. the projects are on the far south and west side.
"Daley’s decision to lay off 635 employees and eliminate more than 1,600 vacancies means Chicago will wait longer to hire police officers, plow a side-street, fill a pothole, trim a tree, sweep a street and clean a vacant lot."
Look-out Chicago, on top of the biggest tax hike in your city's history, it's going to get uglier!
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by kspeak
over 17 years ago
Posts: 813
Member since: Aug 2008
>>> in Chicago, there are no housing projects in the nice neighborhoods. the projects are on the far south and west side.
And yet there is still higher crime in the Mold Coast than the South Bronx.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by NYbylr
over 17 years ago
Posts: 37
Member since: Jan 2008
Also from the article:
"To save $10 million, only 200 police officers will be hired during all of 2009. With more than 400 vacancies already and an annual attrition rate of 600, Chicago could end the year 800 officers short of the police strength it had on Jan. 1, 2008"
Oh no, what will Gold Coast do without the wall of police to keep the city from un-gentrifying??!!
Thanks for posting kspeak. Hopefully this puts the topic to rest.
rufus, there is no possible way you can argue this and now you look like a complete idiot. LMAO.
kspeak - no matter what happens today you mad me lmao...thanks!
JuiceMan, you're too dumb to realize that kspeak just made that up.
kspeak, i still give you an A for effort. Although devoid of facts, it was entertaining to read.
Ok, I'll take that one on the chin rufus. I deserve it for getting sucked into this conversation in the first place. kspeak, quite creative.
Thanks to Obama's community organizing and Mayor Daley's political machine, Chicago will rest in no peace.
I should probably add that Daley although incompetent, is probably the ONLY option Chicago has. Other options and you'd be looking at another Mayor Washington which split the city racially/economically so badly and so permanently that Chicago will probably never recover from such ill government.
Daley has been a solid mayor. he has cleaned up and gentrified Chicago, moreso than bloomberg has. Daley got rid of hideous housing projects like cabrini green while bloomberg lets them fester on manhattan.
was Washington worse than David Dinkins, one of the worst mayors in NYC, and perhaps the entire country?
rufus, I WAS a chicagoan. paid the stupid parking sticker, outrageous sales tax for many years. Daley is incompetent and so is his entire entourage of cronies. I have no respect for a mayor who seeks fall guys to surround him every scandal that arises.
Regardless, it is tragic what is happening in Chicago. A merger with Detroit looks to be its best option. It's time for the magnificent 8 mile road!
streakeasy, i agree that daley is corrupt. but he's done a lot of good things for Chicago, such as the stuff i mentioned. also, he has done an excellent job of selling Chicago to the IOC. they're extremely impressed with how clean and world-class Chicago is.
kspeak, thanks for posting this. I checked with the AP wire and it's true. Everyone agrees on that.
But it should come as no surprise that Chicago is now faced with a forced merger. Let's not forget that http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/5645-us-state-department-travel-warning-chicago
Let's all pray that the IOC takes pity on Chitroit, as they did on post-Blitz London for the 1948 Olympics. Although WWII left much more of London intact than post-industrial urban decay has for Chitroit.
Chitroit is a really good name - it has a nice upscale ring to it.
Everyone knows New York is terrible and going downhill real fast. Daley has done tons of good specific things better than Bloomberg. I would move out of New York for reasons such as the stuff I mentioned, except I can't, because I've never even been to New York let alone actually live here.
Yes, the upscale part comes from the way the fancy French pronunciation of the beginning of Chitroit merges seamlessly with the blunt, straight-forward American pronunciation of the second syllable.
>>> i agree that daley is corrupt. but he's done a lot of good things for Chicago,<<<
Ted Stevens is a felon and has done a lot of good things for Alaska. I suppose that makes Ted Stevens a great person.
bloomberg has been a disaster for NYC. he has failed to gentrify the city and is cutting the police budget. violent crime is on the rise this year.
Rufus, now that I read the AP article, I understand why you came to NY.
Rufus, how can you claim that a city where the mean apartment price is over $1m is not gentrified?
buster2056, there's massive housing projects on manhattan, in prime real estate.
in Chicago, there are no housing projects in the nice neighborhoods. the projects are on the far south and west side.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1287711,budget-chicago-2009-city-council-111908.article
"Daley’s decision to lay off 635 employees and eliminate more than 1,600 vacancies means Chicago will wait longer to hire police officers, plow a side-street, fill a pothole, trim a tree, sweep a street and clean a vacant lot."
Look-out Chicago, on top of the biggest tax hike in your city's history, it's going to get uglier!
>>> in Chicago, there are no housing projects in the nice neighborhoods. the projects are on the far south and west side.
And yet there is still higher crime in the Mold Coast than the South Bronx.
Also from the article:
"To save $10 million, only 200 police officers will be hired during all of 2009. With more than 400 vacancies already and an annual attrition rate of 600, Chicago could end the year 800 officers short of the police strength it had on Jan. 1, 2008"
Oh no, what will Gold Coast do without the wall of police to keep the city from un-gentrifying??!!