HELEN SHILLER 2003
Helping to Keep Uptown in Squalor since 1987

 

 

 

 

 

Date:

Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:05:18 -0600

To:

[email protected]

From:

Anonymous03

Subject:

Letter to editor re: Shiller publicity

 

Saw your web site and some comments regarding recent Shiller advertising. This has a gay-slant to my complaint (because its a gay periodical), but thought I'd send you a copy of letter to editor I wrote to WCT. Use if you think helpful for your site.
-(name deleted by webmaster)

Dear Editor,

I am a gay male living in Uptown, and along with many other gays and lesbians who live in my building on W. Leland and in neighboring blocks on N. Magnolia, N. Malden and N. Beacon, we have been struggling to clean up the tremendous gang, drug and prostitution crime that has run rampant, especially in recent years in our neighborhood. We have struggled to encourage legitimate businesses to the area to encourage development and create jobs, while maintaining the great diversity and affordability of our neighborhood. Unfortunately, this has been tremendously difficult because of the opposition to all of these endeavors by our current alderman Helen Shiller. She has overtly kept businesses out of our neighborhood and routinely encourages her supporters to not support those that have made their way in, including several GLBT-owned businesses.

Imagine my surprise, as well as my neighbors,  this weekend to open my mailbox to read a disturbingly inaccurate flier from Helen Shiller's office that includes a quote from Windy City Times (whose motto reads The Voice of Chicago's Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans Community) that states" Shiller treats everyone in her ward with the same care and extended dialogue...She represents equally the homeless and the home developers." I was so appalled at this quote, which is the exact opposite from what our neighborhood has endured way too long from Shiller's office, that I immediately called your publisher to complain. I received a message back from your publisher Tracy stating exactly the following on my voice mail: "We do not endorse elections...they did not okay this from us, and most likely it was something they took from an old Windy City Times (previous owners)". She went on to say that "this is not a quote that has been in our paper in the last two and a half years, or under our ownership."

If you truly represent all of Chicago's gay, lesbian, bi and trans community, you will print a disclaimer in an upcoming paper that denounces Shiller's use of this old quote at the expense of your publication's reputation. I am sure there are still some of us in the GLBT out there who don't really know the facts who support Shiller (yes, 20 years ago she helped get AIDS funding). Our neighborhood, as well as a significant majority from the GLBT community in this part of the ward, resoundingly are disgusted with the politics of Shiller's office. We are supporting a true friend to the GLBT community, Sandra Reed.  Your readers might be interested in knowing that Sandra's platform includes creating a domestic partnership registry, which she would introduce in City Council when elected.


(personal info deleted by webmaster)

 

 

 

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