New Ordinance to shame bad landlords & proposal to rein in the RedLight Camera Program

Dear friend, This Tuesday, in a City Council committee, I was able to do something that will have direct, positive effects on the day-to-day lives of my constituents. I'm sure you remember the terrible - and completely preventable - tragedy of Eri'ana Patton Smith's death in a fire last year on South Vernon. After the fire, we found out that the building didn't have working smoke detectors, and that the landlord had been cited for serious violations multiple times, including just last June for the very lack of smoke detectors that would kill four precious children. Well, on Tuesday, I, along with Buildings Commissioner Felicia Davis and Eri'ana's father, Eric, successfully pushed the Budget and Zoning Committee to pass an ordinance that will create a public list of bad landlords. If you're a good landlord and you keep your building safe and secure, you've got nothing to worry about. But if you're a scofflaw, if you put your tenants at risk while collecting their hard-earned money - we're going to name you and shame you. And not only that: under the ordinance, these bad landlords won't be able to get any licenses, permits, or other help from the City. (More details are in the Sun-Times article below.) The next day, with my colleague from the 44th Ward, Tom Tunney, I introduced a proposal to rein in the Red Light Camera Program. You know that I think the program is broken, so Alderman Tunney and I proposed some commonsense reforms: countdown clocks at each intersection with a camera, a citywide minimum yellow light time of 3.2 seconds, and a public process-including comprehensive traffic studies, a public hearing, and a City Council vote-before the installation of any more cameras. You can read more details below. I'm hopeful that the Mayor and my colleagues will agree that these are practical solutions to a problematic program, as the Sun-Times says in yesterday's editorial. As an Alderman, it's not every day that I get the chance to push my colleagues to do something that will have such a direct impact on the everyday lives of Chicagoans, and that will potentially save lives. But this week, we did just that. Sincerely, Alderman Beale P.S. If you currently are a tenant of a bad landlord, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. Office Hours* Monday 9 am - 7pm Resident's night 4 pm - 7 pm Tuesday-Thursday 9 am - 5 pm Friday 9 am - 3 pm Saturday 9 am - 1 pm Community meetings every 4th Tuesday *Closed on Sundays and holidays. Times may change due to special events Quick Links 9th Ward Website Find Important Meeting Dates Community Updates 9th Ward Resources 9th Ward Service Requests Contact Us Paid for by the City of Chicago. City to create 'bad landlords' list with new penalties Posted: 01/20/2015, 05:51pm | Fran Spielman Ald. Anthony Beale, shown last year at a City Council meeting. | Brian Jackson/Sun-Times Media Chicago would create a "bad landlords" list to inform tenants - and both shame and punish building owners who fail to provide the most basic services - under a crackdown advanced Tuesday after testimony from a grieving father. Eric Patton Smith's daughter, Eri'ana, was one of four children who died last year in a Roseland fire in a building without working smoke detectors. The 18-unit building that burned in the 11200 block of South Vernon had been cited for serious violations six times over the past nine years, according to Buildings Commissioner Felicia Davis. The most recent inspection - on June 9, 2014 - cited the building owner for failing to install and maintain working smoke detectors. Read more on the Sun-Times website. Countdown signals demanded at red-light camera intersections Posted: 01/21/2015, 04:20pm | Fran Spielman Chicago motorists routinely slam on the brakes to avoid getting nailed by red-light cameras. Some have caused rear-end collisions while avoiding the dreaded $100 ticket. That panicky and dangerous behavior could come to a crashing halt, if a pair of aldermen have their way. Transportation Committee Chairman Anthony Beale (9th) and Economic, Capital and Technology Development Chairman Tom Tunney (44th) want to mandate countdown signals at all 174 Chicago intersections where 352 red-light cameras are installed. Twice in the last six years, Beale has proposed countdown signals at red-light intersections, only to hit a dead end because of the cost. It's a minimum of $15,000 per corner and upward of $45,000 at the oldest signals. That means the overall price tag could top $7.8 million. Read more on the Sun-Times website. Let's green-light red light camera reforms Posted: 01/22/2015, 04:15pm | Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board Nobody has done a poll, far as we know, but it's probably fair to say Chicagoans by and large do not trust the city's red-light camera program. EDITORIAL Drivers suspect the city is more interested in their wallets than in their safety, and there is evidence compiled by the Chicago Tribune that while the cameras have reduced the number of right-angle crashes, they have increased the number of rear-end crashes. Now two Chicago aldermen have come forward with several smart reforms to the red-light camera program. The changes they propose could make the program more effective, reducing the number of crashes of all kinds, and give skeptical Chicagoans reason to believe the whole thing isn't just a moneymaker. We urge Mayor Rahm Emanuel to go for it. Read more on the Sun-Times website. MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER Alderman Anthony Beale | 9th Ward | 773-785-1100 | ward09.com

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