Hi Scott, I'm Still Waiting

Hi Scott, Just a note to say hello. You are one of my most devoted and loyal readers. So, I just thought I'd say hi. Remember when you told me last year that you'd give me the financial information about Lakeside Community Development Corporation? Still waiting, Scott. I look forward to getting it from you. I know you're a man of your word. Tom

NEWS-STAR KICKS ASS

The new News-Star newspaper, recently acquired from the Sun-Times, is kicking ass and taking numbers. Boy, are they taking numbers. The self-appointed "leaders" of Rogers Park did not lead. Only two of their flock were in attendance. The room was tacitly against them. It was mercifully boring. It was most notable for who was not there.

Who was not there: Joe Moore, Katie Hogan, Michael James, Jim Ginderske, Tom "Wee Wee" Westgard, Rene Camargo, or any of the usual suspects - with the lonely exception of Brian White.

White actually did a fair job of moderation, but he was visibly uncomfortable as he realized minute by minute that this would not turn into a tarring and feathering.

The missed targets: Cool, calm and collected publisher Dan Haley, managing editor Helen Karakoudas (photo left) and editor Lorraine Swanson (not shown) of the News-Star.

Brian White called this meeting. It is unprecented: Inviting the new publisher of a small community-oriented newspaper to explain himself to the community. It was a thinly veiled attempt by the goons who lick Alderman Joe Moore's boots to bully the new kid on the block. But the bully tripped. Only two of Moore's waterboys were in attendance, Francis something-or-other and a caterer named Terry Feingold.

While the 45 - 50 people in attendance were asking polite questions about news coverage, requesting the return of the crossword puzzles, more pet news - in short, no political screeds - Francis whats-his-name and Feingold sat stone still, grimacing, pissed off. Why? Because the room was full of people gushing adoration and praise on publisher Dan Haley and star reporter cum editor Lorraine Swanson. THIS WAS EXACTLY OPPOSITE OF WHAT WHITE AND COMPANY hoped for.

Caterer Terry Feingold had the dumbest comment of the night:

He couldn't help himself. Like a man with an uncontrollable twitch, Feingold invoked the word "diversity" to the room. This neighborhood is very diverse, he said, and about 30 per cent of the residents are Latino. So, he asked Mr. Haley, why doesn't the News-Star have a Spanish language edition?

Huh? A Cuban-American woman was among the many of us who snickered. "Sure," she said, "as soon as La Raza puts out an English version."

Questions for Terry Feingold:

When will your crooked overlord and patron Joe Moore put his email blasts out in Spanish? And why are you fixated on Spanish? What about those among us who only read Urdu, German, Russian, Bosnian, Portugese, Congolese, and so on?

When will your liquor license violating friend Michael James put out a Spanish version of the menu at his Heartland Cafe? Gosh, Terry, wouldn't that make it easier for all the illegal aliens working in his kitchen to read the menu? Sure it would.

When will you demand that DevCorp put out a multilingual version of their little propaganda rags? No, not just Spanish and English, but in all of the other languages spoken in this oh-so-diverse neighborhood?

Why, Terry Feingold, is your Gold'n Pear Catering Company's web site in English only? Are you a racist, anti-Latino bigot? Are you deliberately excluding Latinos from being clients of your catering company? No, we know you're not. But since you're so into diversity, we look forward to seeing your web site in Spanish soon. And in about 40 other languages.

RELATED: DEFEND THE NEWS STAR, MARCH 6

VIDEO - ANTI-CONDO PROTEST IN CHICAGO

This bizarre video was shot on Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 in the 49th Aldermanic Ward of Chicago. Joe Moore has been the alderman here for over 16 years. During that time, he has watched the condo conversions pour in - and assisted in the process. Yet, in this video, he panders to a small crowd of people by promising them, in essence and allusion, government controlled housing on a significant scale and speaking against the very condos that he stood by and allowed to happen for nearly a decade. In this video, it is stated that there are many studio apartments in Moore's ward that house five and six people. That's a violation of city codes (health and fire), and The Bench demands that Alderman Moore create a task force to look into those studios, and fine or arrest the tenants and/or landlords as the law requires. In this video, you will see "Rev." Marilyn Pagan Banks (her real name) show us how the Religious Left works. (Bloggers: To embed this video, click on "Menu" then "View Widgets".)

Attacking the Free Press in Rogers Park

Click for larger image

The White Papers

Plenty of smoke. Sooner or later we'll find the fire. Could it be now that he's a executive director of a not-for-profit, [Brian] White needs [49th Ward Alderman] Joe Moore to keep his executive salary intact? In 2006, Brian White earned a whooping $72,000 dollars. With a total revenue of $101,841 dollars, White took most of this money for himself.... When a not-for-profit is paying out 70% in administration fees - well, I consider that a crime in itself. It's no wonder they went in the hole.

Northside POWER Sleep Out A Snoozer

Alderman Joe Moore left the "Sleep Out" wide awake. So did most of the attendees of this lame and puzzling protest demonstration this evening. (Video from The Bench on Monday evening, 2/25.)

Moore left soon after delivering a speech that could have been given on the steps of the Kremlin in 1917. The speech by Brian White, before Moore's, was even more radical. Both men called, in essence, for the government to control rent prices, private property prices, and they hinted at racial quotas for housing. White is the Executive Director of Lakeside Community Development Corporation, located at 1806 W. Greenleaf Avenue.

The event flyer included such catch phrases as "Curb Condo Conversions," "Support Balanced Housing," More Affordable Housing" and "Stop Renter Displacement." Right out of the Far Left Handbood of Cliches for Useful Idiots. One observer commented that they "are about eight years too late" to try to stop the condo conversions, and since the housing bubble burst it "seems like a pointless exercise anyway."

Nevertheless, a group of approximately 45 people gathered at W. Morse Avenue and N. Greenview in the 49th Ward at 4:00 p.m. today. The event was billed as a "Sleep Out" with a "prayer vigil and press conference." The "Sleep Out" is supposed to end at 7:00 tomorrow morning, but Moore, White and others left before 6:00 p.m. So much for solidarity.

The so-called "Sleep Out" was organized by Rev. Marilyn Pagan Banks of Northside POWER (People Organized to Work, Educate, and Restore). The flyers for the "Sleep Out" advertised a prayer vigil. Nobody was sleeping out, and there was no prayer vigil as of 8:00 p.m. on this frigid evening.

Northside POWER is politically active advocacy arm of the Good News Community Kitchen, located at 7649 N. Paulina Street in Rogers Park, it is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Northside POWER violates the conditions of its IRS tax exempt status frequently, and tonight's event was just another example of this abuse of tax payer goodwill.

But Brian White's Lakeside CDC seems to be violating IRS rules for non-profit organizations, too.

This recruitment ad for Lakeside CDC says that it "is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) housing organization located in Rogers Park on Chicago's far North Side. Lakeside CDC serves eight Chicago neighborhoods, including Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, West Ridge, Lincoln Square, North Center, Albany Park, and North Park. Services include housing counseling for low- and moderate-income individuals, advocacy for more affordable housing, and real estate development activities. Lakeside CDC has a staff of two and depends on the active involvement of volunteers to advance its mission."

Consider this from the IRS:

The political campaign activity prohibition is not intended to restrict free expression on political matters by leaders of organizations speaking for themselves, as individuals. Nor are leaders prohibited from speaking about important issues of public policy. However, for their organizations to remain tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), leaders cannot make partisan comments in official organization publications or at official functions.

To avoid potential attribution of their comments outside of organization functions and publications, organization leaders who speak or write in their individual capacity are encouraged to indicate clearly that their comments are personal and not intended to represent the views of the organization.

Rev. Pagan Banks and Brian White are both "organization leaders." The "Sleep Out" was an official function. Alderman Moore said that the event was "made possible" by Northside POWER, which put out the blue flyers.

Both Pagan Banks and White presented themselves as being official representatives of their respective (tax exempt) organizations. Both of them spoke on behalf of their organizations. At no time did either of them "indicate clearly that their comments are personal and not intended to represent the views of the organization." Quite the opposite, in fact.

But this should surprise nobody. This crowd to which Moore, Pagan Banks and White belong are experts at playing with TIFs and playing loose with your tax dollars. These self-appointed "community leaders" wish to tell you what to do. Brian White is not only the chief poo bah of Lakeside CDC. He is also the co-chair of the WRPCO TIF/Community Planning Board Committee. It should also be noted that, through his public activities, Brian White has made himself a very public figure.

The White-Moore-Pagan Banks crowd intends to initiate legislation - at city, county, state and federal levels - to be able to command that you do it, too. If you don't believe that, you've been asleep your entire adult life. Wake up.

The Bench: Moore Pagan Activities, Tax Code Violations

The Bench: EXTRA: The "Press Conference" That Wasn't

How Rent Control Drives Out Affordable Housing

Brian White of the Lakeside CDC suggested that $7 million in TIF funds were available; couldn't it be used to buy down the cost of the condos?

Educating Condo Owners

Rogers Park resident Brian White wrote an interesting article a few weeks back. It is still timely. It's an informative read, whether you are an owner or a prospective owner. The article is part of a series of articles about housing issues in Rogers Park by Brian White of Lakeside CDC. For many new buyers, owning a condo and being part of an association is an entirely foreign concept. Lacking the experience, new condominium owners may not understand how to deal with common issues that affect associations, such as how to manage effective meetings, the responsibilities of the board, and how to generate interest in collective decision-making among people who see themselves as individual and distinct owners. Other issues that may arise have to do with preparing an association budget, collecting assessments and dealing with investors who rent units in a building that is primarily owner-occupied. FULL ARTICLE...