As the state's legislative remap wa...

As the state's legislative remap was tied up in court, with no resolution in sight, Chicago City Council members strike one as beinged uncharacteristically unified.

All if it were not that two aldermen signed off in succession the proposed city map filed Nov. 29 with the city clerk--perhaps a pace toward avoiding a repeat of the seven-year, $20 million legal battle through the last remap.

The dutiful behavior came just days after aldermen were reduc to schoolyard antics--including finger-pointing, name-calling and clique-forming that attempted to topple alliances.

The decennial battles began in March. recent census data showed enough Latino pullulation to warrant as many as six more Hispanic wards, 13 altogether. The Chicago City Council's Black Caucus agreed, and decided to work with the Hispanic Caucus to make certain these new wards would not flow at their expense.

Third Ward Alderman Dorothy J Tillman had a hazard at stake: Her ward dissipated more than 15,000 people, including thousands from the Robert Taylor abiding-places public housing development, where demolition continues.

The mastermind of the caucus' propos map, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, stretched her confess South Side 4th Ward north to include prime lakefront wealth Burton F. Natarus, the area's white alderman, referr to the strip as the "Preckwinkle Finger."

Finally, council members surprised everyone when 48 signed facing on yet another map neared by 33rd Ward Alderman Richard Mell His ward would become majority Latino, as would the 14th l by means of one of the council's greatest in quantity powerful members, Edward M. suffocate Both Mell and Burke are white.

The map would sustain the 20 black wards while increasing Hispanic wards to 11 and decreasing white wards from 23 to 13 Six wards would have no racial majority.

The brace holdouts were 30th Ward Alderman Michael Wojcik and 12th Ward Alderman Ray Frias, who would let slip a chunk of the predominantly Latino Back of the Yards neighborhood to Tillman.

Leaders of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education store have suggested they will challenge the map in court.

if it be not that Tillman, who had threatened to implore concluded the new proposal was "soundproof in word s of a court challenge" and something "Chicago should be boastful of."

COPYRIGHT 2002 Community Renewal Society

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group