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Congressman Rush hears residents' concerns about Bronzeville. redevelopment at meeting
by Corey Hall
Disturbed by what he felt was a lack of information about the current redevelopment of the Bronzeville community, First Congressional District Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL) called a public informational meeting this week Monday at the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church, 3520 S. Indiana Avenue.
"Press conferences have been called, plans have been drawn up, plans have been drawn up, plans have been responded to, but nobody in the neighborhood knew anything," Rush said.
The congressman stated that he had invited representatives from the City of Chicago's Department of Planning, the Chicago Park District and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to attend. Of these organizations, Rush said, only IIT responded to his satisfaction. Rush was especially offended that Joseph Boyle, Commissioner of the Department of Planning, did not attend personally, instead sending a representative in his place.
"I'm used to operating in a city where commissioners come out to talk with people about what's going on in their neighborhood," Rush said, "particularly if they're invited to come out to a community meeting. He (Mayor Richard Daley) did not have the respect...to send somebody out here who can give some real answers to some real questions."
Asked by Citizen Newspapers why Commissioner Boyle had not attended the meeting, an employee in the city's Department of Communications said that Rush's invitation had been received late last week, and that they had to send another representative, William Clark, in Boyle's place.
Charles Bowen, executive assistant to Mayor Daley, did speak and answer...