If you found this Post on my blog please feel free to read on but I would like to inform you there are new antics afoot and given the amount of traffic this original “Antics” blog garnered I thought it best to start a Part II at https://concerned45thcitizen.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/part-ii-john-a…45th-ward-race/
First a little background on the situation. I am one of about 1,900 people that have signed a petition and fully back Don Blair in the upcoming Aldermanic Race in the 45th Ward of Chicago. The incumbent Pat Levar has done a horrible job in this Ward and basically has changed once bright areas such as Six Corners the once popular shopping district rivaled by none in to an area of blight. There is another contributing factor to that blight and that is an organization called the Portage Park Neighborhood Association which for some time was led by an Aldermanic candidate by the name of John Arena. For roughly the past 5 years the PPNA’s (read: John Arena) agenda became one of objecting to anything that resembled progress at Six Corners and specifically with the developers of a major rehab project at a proud old 5 story building called Klee Plaza mainly because his preferred developer didn’t win the bid http://www.kleeplaza.com/. I am talking about curb cuts for one way parking object to under the guise of the area being pedestrian friendly (which it isn’t), a Chipolte Grill because “they put too much rice in their burrito’s and the biggest one was objecting to a phenomenal restaurant called Nick’s Pizza http://www.nickspizzapub.com/home/ which would have added a 150 seat or so theme type restaurant because John and his wife Jill didn’t like the fact that that would have their own parking and didn’t quite like the layout of the landscaping and seating around the parking lot. It was a mockery and basically they were allowed to lobby and hold up projects because the PPNA (read: John Arena didn’t like certain things. Why in the world did local government allow a neighborhood association the power to get away with this. Was Levar weak or were we all not paying attention. I think it is a little of both. So you have just a mere taste of the sort of antics that John Arena is capable of.
So just a little more background. There is another person running for Alderman named Don Blair who is the perfect candidate to take over the 45th Ward lead position after a 24 year blight at the “Aldermanic Helm”. Don is an extremely intelligent strategist with a massive background in tax law and economics who is truly concerned about the 45th Ward and quite capable in 2 terms of turning it around. If Levar gets voted in it will be more of the same and if Arena gets voted in it will be alot of the same objecting to everything, committing to nothing, taking credit for everything all the while trying to clean up a Ward that needs cleaning up. Funny side note and that is of the requisite petition signatures required to get on the ballot. The magic number is 263 or something like that and John proudly displayed on his website that they had received 2 more than they needed and at the time of the announcement Don already had well over double that. I digress.
So now on to the meat of this blog. Recently some neighbors in the area that both John and Don live in decided that it would be nice to have a September 11th ceremony in the neighborhood while a neighborhood event was going on and thus arranged for a memorial ceremony with 2 Chicago Fire Department trucks, one with a giant ladder for a ladder raising, 2 bagpipe players, 300 luminaries down Berteau Avenue and a singer belting out a heartfelt National Anthem and God Bless America. Yes, I did say God and that would be the next thing Arena would object to. Oh and all of the kids that came to the event lined up around a flagpole in someones front yard to recite the Declaration of Independence. It was a very emotional event for the 100-150 people that showed up for the memorial which was going quite well right up until about the end at which time one of Pat Levar’s precinct captains who isn’t even the captain for the neighborhood this was held in showed up to try and make a mockery of the event by jumping in front of news cameras shouting out obscenities and saying that the event was political because Don Blair had read the eulogy even though the gentleman who arranged the event made sure the event wasn’t political by asking if anyone on Berteau Avenue where the event was held would please remove any political signage and to ensure that it wasn’t even mentioned that Don was running for Alderman. Everyone obliged except the knucklehead precinct captain who tried to shame the event. Even the news media opted to talk about the event only and never aired a second of this guys antics which is the respectable and morally correct thing to do. I personally focused on the bright side of the event. Not the blight side.
So, you would think we could have just buried that incident in the cold archives but not so fast . . . Read on . . .
John Arena (go figure) decides to memorialize the ugly side of the event on his political website to try and make Don Blair look bad which is a complete joke especially to the ones that were involved in setting up the event of which I would love to mention their names but will sustain for now. So basically, John gets most of the facts wrong, tries to spin doctor to paint himself in a positive light all the while memorializing something that shouldn’t have been. Why even mention that Levar’s guy was there? Why not just remember the disruption as a passing fart in the wind. And, Don was asked to read the eulogy as the memorials founder said he would get all choked up and would prefer someone who is an excellent public speaker.
So, I hope this all gives you some background and prompts you to share similar stories or to back the positive nature of the 9-11 Memorial Service and urge John Arena to take down his blog post disgracing the event at http://www.arenafor45.com/content/neighborhood-911-event-some-people-shout-no-one-wins where you can post a comment at. And since this isn’t a memorial service but rather a blog I urge you to check out the best candidate for Alderman in the 45th Ward, Don Blair, at http://www.blair2011.com/.
And lastly, visit the news link at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7663118&pid=7662681#global which tells the story quite well.
Concerned45thcitizen's Blog 
Thanks for the words here.
I am not so much offended by Arena’s comments as I am surprised that he continues to exhibit so little insight and is so unaware he is doing so. His lack of trade craft or street craft intelligence in most venues on most subjects, his skill sets of presenting only an appearance without substance or significance, consistently reminds me how much life must be a struggle for this man who must navigate amongst men who have actually accomplished or ARE doing something with their lives.
Actually I feel sorry for this Peter Pan guy and even more sorry for his (Wendy) wife for not having the skill sets herself to realize how poorly she settled for a life partner. It looks like Tinker Bell flew off and away from him a long time ago. The pixie dust is no longer to be found and now only a memory isn’t it Arena? That aside, let me second your sentiments concerning the 911 event and Arena’s childish comments from a developmentally challenged male stuck in the Peter Pan syndrome.
John Arena is another talking head amongst many now in our country who have a lot to say about a lot of topics they know nothing about or would NEVER put themselves in a position or life event such as 911 to gain the experience to talk about such issues. Instead, he lives his Peter Pan life with his Wendy in a bubble that so many others fight and die for to give him the opportunity to beat the natural selection process. A sign of gratitude or thanks from him, you ask? I think not. Not because he will not, but more pathetically mind you because he does not have the cognitive fortitude to register the insight in the first place in his thinly veiled moral and psychic fabric.
Comments Arena makes, or thinks he should make in behalf of some audience he thinks he has or thinks even pay attention to him and his gang of the Lost Boys, should leave such work to men and women who ARE actually doing something with their lives. This Peter Pan and his respective Wendy are best served spending their never-ending childhoods adventuring on their small island of Neverland and not attempting to leave it or venture out of it to reflect on or offer their insights on matters and events such as 911 that are in a real world with real adults who must address, challenge it, and resolve it so that Arena and his Wendy have the luxury of their Neverland remaining intact.
In my humble opinion, given the work I have done, I am doing, and I will be doing in short order, our 46th Ward does not need a Peter Pan, his Wendy, and his gang of Lost Boys wanting to spend their never-ending childhoods adventuring on their small island of Neverland working to expand it or push it on all of us in name of God, country, and God Bless America stuff into our 46th Ward landscape. For 20 some plus years, we have been waiting for Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo and Chewbakka to come so they could help us drive out Jabba the Hut and his posse of criminals, bounty hunters, smugglers, and bodyguards who operate his criminal empire.
Unlike John Arena and his Wendy, I know something about 911 and the events leading up to it and the events thereafter. I have spent the years before it and now the years after it working hard to see to it such an event here and in other regions in the globe do not have such an event of this magnitude happen again. And unlike this Peter Pan and his Wendy, my wife and me do not live on Neverland, we live in the real world where as adults we make difficult life decisions and know we must carry the weight as much as others are doing because this is the American way not the one where it’s someone else’s duty or obligation because we pay taxes so they do it not us.
Spin it as you wish Arena, you just don’t have any pixie dust, which I gather you probably never had anyway. Just look at yourself in the mirror to see what I am talking about sir.
As I travel in very short order to Kansas City, KS for 4-5 months of predeployment training and then in the upcoming year deploy to Afghanistan to serve alongside our brave men and women in uniform – I will be thankful I am not a Peter Pan kind of guy with a Wendy kind of wife and a house on Neverland fraternizing with a gang of Lost Boys who call themselves the Portage Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA). Pixie dust comes from Tinkerbell not knuckleheads who think they are but in reality are just a gang of Lost Boys better known as the PPNA.
I just looked at John Arena’s website to see what qualifications he has to run a ward as large as the 45th. I found he was vice president of the PPNA and graphic designer. Vice president of an association which nominates it’s leaders from its membership of 31 (outta how many thousand citizens in the ward?). I am also a graphic designer which doesn’t qualify me to be an alderman. As a designer, I know how easy it could be to polish, brand, market and sell a turd—but it’s still a turd. A turd can be flushed—an alderman is around for 4 years.
I think Don Blair is the only candidate with the background and vision to turn 6 corners and the 45th ward around.
Once a turd always a turd…love it!
Mark, first of all: Correct the ward number from 46th to 45th.
I have to agree and disagree on certain points. A lot of what was said wraps things up, but there are still loose ends and truths and untruths. Also, comments made to anyone and anyone’s family and their internal decision for a spouse, just un-called for and not right. That type of commentary is unacceptable and should not be made by anyone’s side, this side or that.
As for what Levar has done during his reign, he has done some good in other parts of the ward. And there is a lot he has slept at the wheel over. There is no question that he needs to step aside and let this ward thrive. Being asleep at the wheel has caused this ward to crash. time to let someone else take over. Using that analogy, you don’t want to have a crazy kid with a drivers permit to drive a semi tractor trailer down the road. The ward deserves someone that has experience in what the ward has been suffering from for too long, an economic shot in the arm. I have known both candidates for some time now. In my opinion, John Arena has no right to declare that he is doing what the community wants. He has made that comment for years “using the PPNA” for his own personal agenda. In accordance to the rules of the PPNA, it is to represent the people who are members. PPNA does not represent 4,000 community people nor are they the voice of the people. They represent less than 100 people in just the Portage Park area. The misunderstanding that the PPNA board has is that they still believe they represent the ward. But since there is such little voice from the community, they have used their own voice, their own opinion, and their own comments and state it is the voice of the community. It is a fabrication and distortion of the true meaning of the PPNA and what it was originally created for. So John Arena and his opinions can stay on his block because that is where they belong, not in the commercial area at all. John Arena and the board had supported a swindler that was trying to open the Portage theater before Dennis came in. When John Arena was told of this information, it fell on deaf ears. Is that the kind of leader you want? Someone that doesn’t listen, denies the truth because of his own personal agenda.
This is why we don’t need leadership like that. Don Blair has been doing work in the neighborhood for the short time that he has lived here and has made accomplishments in leaps and bounds compared to some other people who have been here for decades. I’ll include myself as one of them. Don Blair has a good heart and the best intention to turn the commercial district around. Even in these tough times, he has found new ways and had them implemented to help small businesses already. None of the other candidates or the current leader can make such a boast. Don Blair has been doing the right thing. He looked at something, became emotionally upset with it, and took action. He didn’t write letters, or make nasty phone calls, or cry and whine and blame others. No, he took a stand! He took a stand to help businesses, he took a stand to be involved in the process, he took a stand to lead, he took a stand to make something of this neighborhood. He took a stand with action. He has the economic background, and the guts to get something working where others have failed.
Campaigning with broken promises and with fancy dreams is just that, campaigning. Results is what counts and Blair has done that already. He has done it with his own time, money, and blood sweat and tears.
The precinct captain had no right to do what he did. That is correct. This ward has been under the rule of fear and nepotism for too long. That precinct captain and his thugs are a prime example of how this ward has operated. When Paulson called his thugs, they barreled right through people with their car and parked it on the street where the block party was, ignoring everyone who had questioned them and told them to leave. If it was ever a scene from a mob movie, that was it. Paulson was intoxicated and fabricated his story. John Arena made up his own fabrication for his own advantage as well. Sad ward we live in if this is what we need to deal with. A call to Alderman Levar: keep your drunken “boys” in the bar and keep them there; get them off the street because they don’t belong there anymore; this ward is going back to the people, to the businessmen, back to where it belongs.
I would echo the same concerns that concerned45thcitizen has outlined in the opening of this blog. The PPNA and their little band of minion have terrorized the neighborhood for a decade, standing in the way of any progress at Six Corners and elsewhere in the neighborhood. John Arena in particular has been the most destructive force in Portage Park. Arena’s support for the scam artist Paul Warshauer, who wanted to re-open the Portage Theatre only to find later that he is a flim-flam artist of the highest order, is just the beginning of Arena’s resume of negative actions. Arena is also as the other blogger mentioned, behind the inability of Six Corners to take off and become commercially viable once again. Arena and his minion are responsible for Nick’s Pizza & Pub not opening as Nick Sarillo was terrorized by Arena and the PPNA for months over the design of the building and the parking. These people even went so far as to attempt to redesign poor Nick’s parking lot to better suit their desires. And what happened in the end? After months of this nonsense, Nick lost his financing when the recession took hold in mid 2007.
Let’s not forget some of the other stunts this guy has pulled. He claims on his website that he stood up to some bank he did not want in the neighborhood at Six Corners. Well what he actually did, was call the bank headquarters over one hundred times until the bank felt it was not worth it to come to Six Corners, all because Arena and his wife did not want another bank as they are strongly anti-business. And of course the instances when the Klee building was being developed, he and his PPNA buddies ran every viable business out of the Klee such as Chipoltle Grill and FedEx. And then there is the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru fiasco. Arena decided that he did not want them to have a drive-thru, claiming safety issues. So he terrorized a crossing guard and stood outside of the local school fear mongering parents that their children would be hit and killed. Oh and of course, Arena redesigned their drive-thru that would have cost this business an additional $100K to reconfigure the parking lot. Our current alderman Pat Levar did nothing to stop it because he has no leadership skills.
Now John Arena is running for alderman and wants to give the people of the 45th Ward more of his brand of niave anti-business nonsense. Have you seen the 30 minute interview he put on some blog? His campaign manager was pretending to be a journalist interviewing Arena. Not only is that kind of stunt unethical and dishonest, but it shows the desperate lengths he will stoop to. Then on his blog on his website, he posts that Don Blair was trying to politicize 9/11 by helping another neighbor who organized the event. Arena not so cleaverly trys to spin himself as above the fray when he could not be farther below it. Arena does not have the backing that Blair does not only in Portage Park but all over the Ward. His campaign is a pittiful joke. Not only did he copy virtually every issue and content from Blair’s website, he is running around claiming that he can do something about economic development. I am sorry, but if I want someone to take on economic development, I want a guy like Don Blair who is an economist with real world business experience, not some neighborhood gadfly who designs logos out of his house and claims to be a successful business owner.
I watched what Don Blair did at Six Corners in the past year and I am really impressed. The guy took it upon himself to try and get the job done and accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Now the guy even has his campaign headquarters at Six Corners as a symbol of the need to revive the area and make it viable again.
From talking to other residents, we have watched John Arena and his antics and we have watched Don Blair and what he has done in such a short time. Sorry Arena, but its obvious to everyone but you why Blair is the front runner by a mile and you are in the dust if you ever got off the ground at all. Pat Levar is not concerned with any candidate but Blair is the word on the street and for my money I can see why.
The 45th ward and, specifically, the Jefferson Park, Portage Park and Irving Park neighborhoods used to be the nicest places to live in Chicago. I know be cause I have lived here for a very long time. It was a walking neighborhood. You walked to shops, restaurants, theater, churches and schools. Shopkeepers kept up their shops, residents kept up their homes and the parks were the pride of the neighborhood. Sadly, it used to be a wonderful place to live. While the residents still take tremendous care of their homes and the parks are still lovely, there is an economic blight in the 45th ward that can only be blamed on negligence and inept leadership from current Alderman Pat Levar. We have Alderman Levar to thank for a decrease in our property value way before the economy tanked. We have Alderman Levar to thank that we must shop, go out to eat and seek entertainment in other neighborhoods or the suburbs when we used to be able to walk out of our homes and enjoy these things. We have Alderman Levar to thank that the property tax cap was lifted that left older residents worried whether they will be able to keep their homes. We have Alderman Levar to thank that Six Corners, once a thriving shopping and economic landmark in Chicago now looks like a ghetto in a third world country. We start out our workdays at bleak and depressed CTA stations such as Jefferson Park Station and come home to the same every work day. I, for one, am tired of living like this. I’m jealous of other neighborhoods like Lincoln Square and I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. Let me make a plea to everyone that lives here. Let’s take it back and make it the great place to live that I remember. I grew up here. I went to elementary school and high school here. I moved back here to live near my family. I raised my own family here. I believe in the 45th ward. We need to support a leader that can bring this area the economic boost that it needs. We need a leader that can clean up the blight and freshen up this once vital corridor. We need a leader that has the knowledge, background and experience to get this job done. We don’t need a opportunistic graphic artist that misused power and spoke for a community that he never even consulted. We don’t need a ex-cop or another real estate broker that woke up one morning and decided they wanted to be an alderman. We certainly do not need Alderman Levar and his lethargic, old school methods of government. We need need an alderman that can do this job on day one and get us out of this mess. We need Don Blair. Don has been meeting with city leaders to build strategies that will bring economic resurgence to the 45th ward. He has also consulted with other communities such as (be still my heart) Lincoln Square to bring that kind of prosperity right here to our door steps. Don will bring new businesses to our neighborhoods just like he has already helped existing ones. Don Blair will breath fresh air into the 45th ward. We have been smothered long enough.
Pingback: John Arena and the 45th Ward | Greenmangoindia.com
It appears now that the race is heating up so are more antics. One of the candidates,, Don Blair apparently is having a fundraiser at a Portage Park establishment and John Arena went in to tell the owner that he (John Arena) was responsible for any progress that has been made in the Portage Park area specifically 6 Corners. Further that, John Arena tried to convince the proprietor to not have the fundraiser for Don Blair.
That just slays me knowing what the real truth is. Stranger than fiction.
I heard some pretty low things in my life but that is the lowest thing I have ever heard. I heard Arena is going to other businesses telling them and residents the same thing. Arena is so pittiful it’s just sickening to watch. He has done nothing good for the neighborhood and everything he has done is destructive. Now he has been trying for months to claim credit for someone else’s hard work. And to top it all off, having the nerve to go to a business throwing a fundraiser for another candidate and try and convince them not to? That sort of thing is just not done. John Arena is a lowlife. I even heard that he has been sending spies to Don Blair’s campaign masquerading as high-powered donors in order to get intel on Blair’s campaign. Arena has been desperate from the beginning and alot of people have been watching the way he is conducting himself and are appauled by it. He has ZERO chance of success. He should just crawl back under the rock he crawled out from under and go away. He is making more enemies by the day.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, poor John Arena. Caught in more lies, AGAIN. At the most recent 45th ward aldermanic forum, there he was sitting at the end of the table and could not keep his eyes up, because he knew everything that came out of his mouth was simply not true. He mentioned that he and PPNA removed a con-man from the Portage Theater and a cult came in. Wrong again John, John Arena wanted to have PPNA provide financial support by a contribution from the PPNA funds. #1 That is not what the funds were for, #2- when presented proof of what your con-man did in the past, John Arena did not listen. #3- it wasn’t a cult group, either John. The reason why John Arena does not know of these certain details that are very important is because he was not involved. The only thing that John Arena had removed was the originating leaders of the PPNA board so he can walk in and do what he wants. And that is exactly what happened. We do not need that repeated again for the ward a s a whole. Oh, I forgot to mention that reason that John Arena does not know what the name of the cult was- it was because I did with a handful of friends and whole lot of faxes and phone calls.
And the con-man, does John Arena know the history? NO! Why? Because he was supporting the guy and ignored the past.
We DO NOT need more of John Arena. This area has had enough of him.
I really don’t want to get into his history personally because it is private but if he acts that way in the ward office like he does with family, Forget it. We would all be screwed. Enough said on that one.
John Arena talks Economic Development through the PPNA, but one of his his biggest supporters has a banner on Milwaukee Avenue near 6 corners and she was the chair of the Economic Development Committee before and after John Arena was VP of PPNA. She had violated all kinds of rules between conflict of interest, failure to attend board meetings, sending out letters on PPNA letterhead and forging signatures. Most of this negative activity took place under John Arena’s nose and he did nothing.
Do we really need this history in the Aldermanic Office? Keep it at home, John. Keep it under your roof, John. We don’t want that history leaking out anymore.
OK, now this is starting to get ridiculous. I was out campaigning with Don Blair this weekend and we were going door to door. We got to one person’s house who told him that John Arena had called him yesterday. Apparently, he told this man that it was he, JOHN ARENA that had done all of the work at Six Corners not Don Blair. John Arena had told this guy that he was the one who got the city to fund an economic development plan. He told this man that he was the one who took down the signage and was the head of the economic development committee. He told this man that he was the one that put the line of credit program together with Fifth Third Bank and the Small Business Improvement Fund. These are all of the things that Don Blair did. John Arena is so pathetic that he has to go around lying about what he has done and trying to claim credit for someone else’s hard work. John Arena is a scumbag that needs to go away. He and his pathetic handful of liberals need to go away permanently. John Arena is a LIAR of the tallest order. No one respects him. He has ZERO chance of being elected to anything. And by the way, Don Blair creamed Arena, Garrido, Marina and every other candidate in Thursday’s debate. He was head and shoulders above all the other candidates and the ONLY one that actually looked and sounded like our next alderman.
Thanks John. Seems to be a trend with this guy,
John Arena’s lies know no bounds. I heard that in the Chicago Tribune endorsement interview, Arena lied through his teeth at his alleged “long history of economic development in the Ward”. He claimed that he saved the Klafter building and got the CVS to move. He claimed to be heavily involved with the Klee building project. Well this is true but his involvement was to obstruct the developers from trying to get businesses to locate there.
He also claimed that he was responsible for the original economic development plan for Six Corners and that as the VP of the neighborhood association, he conducted a re-zoning analysis of the Ward. All of these assertions were the same lies he has been telling to residents and the same lies he told Tom Frisbie from the Sun-Times. He also claimed during the Trib interview that Don Blair’s accomplishments were not significant, did not have any value and only looked good on paper. I seriously do not know how the guy looks in the mirror in the morning. He is the lowest person I have ever encountered. Any one who votes for this guy needs their head examined.
Shame on you Tribune! Sun Times I could understand. But endorse John Arena??? Why? With his “small business” (him and his wife) going belly up, this self centered bully basically NEEDS A JOB!! So why not try for a sweetheart city job. He only has a few other “job “candidates, so what the heck. Please I’m not endorsing anybody but get out and vote. A vote for anybody else is a vote to keep this creep off our streets.
“shame on you tribune” has it right by saying “Please, I’m not endorsing anybody but get out and vote”. The problem with this race is that there is no “Global” candidate. They all have interests in their own little neighborhood and the 45th as a whole seems to be an afterthought. On the Blair front, I will say that his perceived “inexperience as a resident” probably weighs in his favor as it is easier for him to be objective as he doesn’t have the excessive baggage of the “Ward” but rather the experience to change that as an economics professional with a passion.
My 2 cents.
Anyway, good initial point by “Mr. Shame on the Rags Guy”!
I don’t know that I agree with concerned45thcitizen’s comment on not having a “global” candidate. Blair is the only candidate that actually has a plan to turn the entire Ward around, His Action Plan as he calls it has 4 major projects that are geographically diverse. Not just Six Corners but Jeff Park, Elston Ave and up and down Milwaukee Ave. Blair is the only one in this race that actually has a vision for the Ward. The others seem to be in it for their own agendas. Republican Garrido just wants to be an alderman. Arena, well we have seen what his agenda has done to the Six Corners area so not thanks. Ward, a nice guy but not alot there, sorry Mike. Marina, well she is just a big joke. So for my money, Blair is the only one who can get this Ward turned around so he has my vote and from what i am hearing in the last week, alot of other people’s too.
I should have been more clear on my response that I do feel Don’s interests/objectives are for the whole Ward. My bad.
If you want the store vacancies to continue, John Arena’s your guy. The chances of entrepreneurs risking capital for start-up businesses in the current economy are slim. Arena says he only wants independent businesses — no chains. National chains anchor any successful retail mix. Ever been to his prized example Lincoln Square? Potbelly, Cold Stone, Chase, Fleet Feet, Walgreens anchor and the independents are infill. Perfect.
I heard Arena’s design company was run out of his attic, went belly up, his wife got a job at Loyola Press to support the family, and since John’s resume is a bit thin, he’s hoping to get elected since he can’t get hired. He cannot relate to small businesses because they get construction permits, are subject to inspections, pay rent & CAM, hire and manage employees. He is a one man show that failed. Enough already. I’ll take pretty much anyone other than John Arena!
OK this says all you need to know about candidate John Arena. Arena stole some of blair’s signs and screwed them to trees. Then the idiot made a video about how Blair did it and put graphics on the screen about municipal ordinances Blair violated. It get’s better. OK….wait for it…. Arena and his creepy campaign manager used the song “Signs” from the 1970’s. In doing that, they violated the band’s copyright. An ardent Blair supporter contacted the band and the bandleader was so outraged at the stunt that he contacted YouTube and demanded it be taken down. Arena is a slimeball of the first order. So much so that someone took out a huge ad in the Northwestside Press called “Have you noticed? The Truth About John Arena” Believe me, this ad does indeed tell the truth about this scumbag.
Oh and by the way, YouTube did indeed take the video down. John Arena, you are indeed truly pathetic.
I was just at the Jewel this evening at Lawrence and Central. I saw voters having a nice conversation with Mr. Blair and just then John Arena’s campaign manager showed up and started running up to people, startling them and making a few of them run in the opposite direction. This fellow is quite heavyset, very disheviled and has a most disturbing appearance. Apparently he lasted about 15 minutes before giving up and leaving. I truly believe that the more Mr. Blair rises, the more desperate Mr. Arena becomes. I believe from the many people I have spoken to about Mr. Blair, is that he is known as an honest, hardworking and smart man who wants the best for our community. His reputation is spreading like wildfire in the Ward. Mr. Arena is a lying opportunist who is willing to take the credit for other people’s work, mainly Mr. Blair’s and claim it as his own. I have heard through people I know in the community that Mr. Arena used his PPNA friends to launch a big disinformation campaign about himself to the two major newspapers. He and his friends lied about his accomplishments and said horrible things about Mr. Blair. Mr. Arena is a shamless person with no value. Oh and Mr. Arena, I read the ad about you in the Nadig Newspaper today. I have no idea who printed it but from what I read it is all true. Whoever wrote it, congratulations for telling the truth about this horrible person.
this was soooo far out there I had to investigate. so, go to you tube, search don blair signs (1st one) , click on the by 45 concerned citizens and read the comments. Just amazing
What is amazing is that the Arena campaign picked the name on YouTube of “45 Concerned Citizens” which is eerily similar to my blogger name but if you read it carefully you get the sense that the Arena Campaign only has 45 concerned citizens behind it. Last time I checked the membership of the PPNA I believe it was only about 45 people. Truth is really funnier than fiction. Keep the posts coming.
And for the record, I am not the one who took out the ad in the Nadig newspaper. I do think it is very responsible however to let those not in the know the actual facts.
Russ Steward from the Press “predicts” Levar producing 6000 votes, but wait , didnt he drop?? And Don Blair only getting 1000-1200 when “about” 1900 petitioned to get on the ballot, according to this site. What gives, I sure see alot of Blair signs out there. Do these number sound off to anyone else. Sorry Russ, but update your pix guy
Any news reporter who introduces himself and then immediately goes on to tell you that he is also an attorney has to be questioned. When I first met Russ that is exactly what he did and I thought to myself “that’s odd? who cares? and is that a parallel qualification?” of course you can go on from there.
Wow, you actually met Russ? OMG. Was he as cool in person as he seems to be in his column?
Don’t doubt the Russmeister. His Blair numbers were right on. The picture is classic, btw. Can’t wait to see how he breaks down the run-off. There’s about 6K-7k votes out there for Garrido and Arena to go after if everyone comes back out to vote. Garrido has a 1500 lead so Arena would have to take a lot of those votes to overcome it. The x factor here is political party. Arena will try to play up the fact that he’s a Democrat and Garrido’s a Republican. Historically this may have been a death sentence for Garrido. Last I counted there was one Republican out of 50 Alderman. No doubt it’s a Democratic City. However, the NW side is a little more conservative and recent polls suggest people don’t associate themselves with one party as much as in the past.
Dear MTC, I think you are absolutely correct on the point of of party association. I for instance would say I am a Republican but yet I voted for an Independent Democrat based on his economic plan and my belief that he is spot on. So I fit in to that category. Best case scenario is that Blair will join the Garrido camp and show some true strength in numbers. Call it teamwork if you would like. On the point of the ‘machine’ backing Arena, that is scary. Thanks.
We moved here 11 years ago from the Buena Park/Uptown area…46th ward. Went through 3 election cycles in that dumping ground. Lost every time. Arena’s antics remind me alot of Helen Shiller’s.
“Too much rice”, “Kids could get hit by a car with a drive through”. Faux concern crap like that is right out of her playbook. They rope-a-dope you with crap like that until they drive you crazy and you give up.
Helen used gangbangers as palmcard passers…if Faz-Puppet and Arena do that, we’ll know who they have on speedial. Oh…watch how many absentee ballots Faz-Puppet and Arena ask for…watch how many “new voters” they get from Central between Foster and Elston, and Elston from there on up.
Wow! Apparently a lot more people are paying attention than I originally thought. So Tuesday is the real day to voice your opinions so get out there and vote! BTW, I had Garrido stop by my house yesterday. Nice fella but it was basically the same “me too also ran” speech on the economic plan which sounds exactly like Don Blairs plan. Given that I heard Don’s plan 2 years ago I have to go with the notion that he is really the only original voice on that one as everyone is just copying him. Have a great weekend all!
I think it was ’99…and my numbers will be a little off, but we got her in a runoff. The three other candidates combined beat her by around 800 votes. In the runoff, she requested 1300 absentee, and beat us by 300.
Levar and Shiller were freshmen Aldermen together.
Watch the Puppet. Checking her background, she probably knows some of those Shillerista tactics.
Sorry, but another thing…watch all the senior’s buildings the city puts up. Aldermen love to get those in their ward not because they so love and care about the elderly…it’s a mini precinct within a precinct, and lots of the time it becomes that precinct’s polling place. Check it out.
Most of the time you need a “hook” to get in there. So the the Alderman plants a couple of loyal strong personality (you know…”bigmouths”) types to schmooze and bully the residents into voting , you know “remind” the residents how they got in there.
Now that the table’s set…most of the time the seniors have nothing else to do BUT to vote. So they do. It’s something to do, it’s exciting. Lot’s of people coming by…bringing donuts and stuff. And the votes alway go for the sitting Alderman, especially after getting browbeat by the insiders.
You get a couple hundred votes out of each building…and if you have 4 or 5 of them in your ward and just like that…you could be up 1000 votes.
Watch the Puppet. She has the background. And Levar.
She’d be another Shiller.
Wish I knew about this blog earlier…
That is excellent advise. Hopefully Mr. Blair takes on from your historical playbook. I never even thought of that one.
What gives, I dont see the PPNA endorsing Arena. Am I missing something or did they distance themselves from him. I see Jill’s name in one of the articles, but thats nothing new, she is and will always be the brains behind that talking head.
This is a low for the Nadig. As a supporter of the local press, I’m disgusted in the low-blow, biased attacks and will no longer be a reader. You lost a subscription.
John,
Which attack are you referring to? The one where Russ Stewart attacked candidate Blair because he is a paid mouthpiece for John Garrido? I also saw one ad telling the truth about candidate Arena as well.
Hello concerned citizens
Have you noticed the truth about how concerned you really are.
If any concerned citizen believes any of the nonsense that you are writing
about John Arena, than they are even a bigger moron than you. Look at what a great job the status quo has done to six corners. Nice job revitalizing Portage Park Pat Levar. You are doing us all a favor by not running. Perhaps you could of hired one of you union pals or family members to do a better job boarding up all the the empty store fronts on milwaukee ave. Illinois and Chicago have been very effective at driving business away. Caterpillar, one of the biggest employers in Illinois is now moving one of their manufacturing plants to Indiana . Nice job Pat Quinn.
Instead of bashing someone who is trying to remove the status quo perhaps you can all work together to remove the ineffective machine.
And by the way if you havent noticed, portage park does look like Hell thanks to the status quo.
My challenge to all the candidates in the race is to go to city hall and demand a balanced budget. And be willing to eliminate your job as alderman to do that. Apple computer has 7 board members. Less is clearly more. After all, benefits for life is a lot to expect for a public servant whom should be serving for the good of society not for the good of self. Good luck to all the candidates.
The truth hurts
Why did you take down my post? Put my post back up and let the truth be heard
Just a reminder to all concerned citizens.
Alderman make $110,556 with an expense acct. of $73,280.
Big pay check for what is qualified as a part time job
If you are for open and transparent government than put back my original post or are you only posting blogs that you approve.
I too can post in the local papers if you would prefer
Thanks Mike
I am assuming that the last 3 posts are from the same Mike (Mette). I see 2 are but given the content must be the same guy. At any rate, yes these posts have to be approved and I have approved all posts. Haven’t left a single one out. And given the fussy nature of your last post I am assuming you are part of the Arena contingent. Whiny and fussy.
On your first points you are correct regarding Illinois and Chicago chasing out business with super-inflated taxes, etc . . . Perfect reason to get a true business person and business strategist with many accomplishments to their name such as Blair as opposed to the others in the race that are clearly in it for themselves. Including Arena. Anyone that has been exposed to Arena’s antics with the PPNA will know that he is in it for himself and not the Ward. We all know that too well. I don’t need to rehash the examples as they are mentioned all over this blog by myself and others. He’s a flipper flopper which is clear given how his economic message has changed over the year to almost directly parallel Blairs message of over more than a year and a half.
As for the other candidates, they too do not have the business chops to bring in new business. Creativity is the key here and anyone who says they are going to use due process and politics as usual are missing the boat.
As for the compensation, you are right . . . that is a lot for a part timer.
On the taking out an ad in the paper have at it but it might be cheaper for the Arena party to just keep removing Blair signs and replace with his, or sending out his goofy campaign manager to scare away residents trying to have a conversation with another candidate and even better, how about removing legally placed signage and stapling them to trees in such an exaggerated fashion that one would know it wasn’t the candidate themselves but rather someone trying to make them look bad. 11 staples, aw’ c’mon, get real.
As for your last point, I am not a government but rather just a concerned citizen that wants to make sure the right person ends up in the role of Alderman in the 45th Ward. Hence this blog.
Hello again,
Im sure Don is an extremely qualified business man and would do an excellent as the 45th alderman. The fact that your camp falsely accused John of having a connection to a satanic cult is absolutely nuts. Now you have the Marina camp stuffing that nadig ad in her flyers. You just gave the machine a beter chance to win. Nice job .Rest assured that John would not spend a dollar rebutting your absurd nadig press accusations because they are all false . Just the fact that person a like you is supporting Don Blair gives him zero chance of winning and a real good reason not to vote for him. Don, i feel sorry for you that this ass is supporting your campaign.
Have a nice day.
Wow dude! All that I did was create a blog. I did not take out the ad and quite honestly I am not sure who did. I was merely creating a forum for people to speak their minds about 3 subjects. Arena’s antics (I never said anything about the satanic cult things and quite honestly didn’t even know the whole story until a month or so ago when I was told by someone who lived it first hand.), the laughable debate and the Levar plant of Marina. That’s it.
Man, you are on bitter person! You did however make a valid point in your opening statement by saying “Im sure Don is an extremely qualified business man and would do an excellent as the 45th alderman”. That part is true.
WOW. Just a few observations. 1) all candidates are successful in business except one. Dont you think government is a business? Why would you vote for someone who is unsuccessful. A desparate person will say and do desparate things. 2) I dont see any positive effects produced by the PPNA to the area. I dont see any benefit to the citizens of the 45th ward by electing this individual.
Wow is right!
Being a resident on Berteau Ave. I was at the memorial. I remember how nice it was. Standing on the corner,taking it all in until that loud-mouthed jackass made a total fool of himself.
I may not know all the facts but I was disgusted when I found out those restaurants were not coming to Six Corners because of bully tactics set in action by Mr. Arena. Being an unemployed cook, I could have used a job,but I can see John’s agenda is not for the people….it’s for HIS people.
You can tell Mr. Blair that he has my and my family’s support.
Thank you sir. Spread the word!
Did a little pavement pounding of my own today in support of Don Blair. There’s a lot of apathy out there, and a few of my neighbors were either undecided or simply going to vote Arena because of a newspaper endorsement.
I had a copy of Don’s Action Plan with me (designed to redefine the 45th Ward as a portfolio of destinations) and I was also able to relay firsthand the fact that Don really excelled at the Aldermanic Forum on 1/26 at the Copernicus Center — that for me he had the most concrete responses and the strongest vision.
I shared his detailed and well thought-out responses to the Chicago Tribune questionnaire on the Trib website and challenged my neighbors to compare them with any other candidate’s questions on that site. I also included the recent spotlight article on Don in the Examiner — a great summary of Don’s vision and attention to detail. (The fact that Don audited all 163 of the city’s Tax Incremental Financing projects last April [not a single closing and beginning balance matched] is impressive and demonstrates his commitment):
http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-chicago/spotlight-don-blair-45th-ward-aldermanic-candidate
Don’s original ideas like the Public Market at Six Corners really resonated. Don wants to bring real businesses to our community. Not “Mayberry RFD” stores that sell dolls with one eye. The word is getting out. Don will have several more votes tomorrow as a result!
http://www.blair2011.com
ON TO THE POLLS, knock on your neighbors doors get them out to.
Our future depends on it…do I smell run off!!
fail.
……………………………………..________
………………………………,.-‘”……………….“~.,
………………………..,.-”……………………………..“-.,
…………………….,/………………………………………..”:,
…………………,?………………………………………………\,
………………./…………………………………………………..,}
……………../………………………………………………,:`^`..}
……………/……………………………………………,:”………/
…………..?…..__…………………………………..:`………../
…………./__.(…..“~-,_…………………………,:`………./
………../(_….”~,_……..“~,_………………..,:`…….._/
……….{.._$;_……”=,_…….“-,_…….,.-~-,},.~”;/….}
………..((…..*~_…….”=-._……“;,,./`…./”…………../
…,,,___.\`~,……“~.,………………..`…..}…………../
…………(….`=-,,…….`……………………(……;_,,-”
…………/.`~,……`-………………………….\……/\
………….\`~.*-,……………………………….|,./…..\,__
,,_……….}.>-._\……………………………..|…………..`=~-,
…..`=~-,_\_……`\,……………………………\
……………….`=~-,,.\,………………………….\
…………………………..`:,,………………………`\…………..__
……………………………….`=-,……………….,%`>–==“
…………………………………._\……….._,-%…….`\
……………………………..,<`.._|_,-&“…………….`\
Not quite sure what Miss Cuyler is trying to convey but I am sure it must be witty. Or maybe not. Not surprising from those witty and creative Arena-ites. Hee, hee, hee. Aw c’mon say it with the same ferver the little artists do. Hee, hee, hee, ho. C’mon try it, you’ll make yourself laugh. Kind of comical actually.
More to come in the coming days backing Garrido. We have to have someone that can turn around the 45th instead of a consumate objector of progress based on personal bias.
Have a great evening all! Mines a bit more to the point . . . 🙂
Negative campaigns don’t work. I think you’ve done more harm than good here.
You guys are such morons. You don’t even realize it was Garrido’s supporters who were behind the “Signs” youtube. Much of what you credit Arena for should have been credited to Garrido. I say credited purposefully because the video was brilliant and actually increased my interest in Garrido. Also, like many others (as reflected in the elections yesterday), Blair was the last person I would have voted for (well, besides Bellissimo, whom no one knows).
So go support Garrido, morons. He’ll be laughing at you all the way to the city council.
Now, now now. I can only guess which camp you are in and it just can’t be Garrido’s. Given that, I personally and many others from the Blair camp I am sure will be backing Garrido. I met him, liked his message but stayed the course with the Blair initiative. Now that it is over I have only one choice as I have seen first hand what the Arena camp and the PPNA is possible of. Look at Arena corridor from Miilwaukee and Irving North to just outside of his neighborhood. Strange that a person that lives in an area has been an obstruction to to much proposed good for God knows what reason. Now, multiply that by 52 Precincts and what do you have? It ain’t good I’ll telll you that.
So . . . you are correct, go out and vote for Garrido and we’ll be thanking him all the way to City Hall. Maybe Blair will join his camp. I hope so.
With Garrido in the run-off, I’m looking forward to some more free movies at the Portage. He ran free screenings of Wizard of Oz and The Blues Brothers, two excellent choices, which demonstrates he understands that encouraging activity at 6-corners and The Portage is key to getting things going.
This should be an interesting run-off. Arena proved his mettle. He gets bashed on this blog but the guy came to play. He beat out The Machine and really distanced himself from the other candidates. I guess we’ll need Russ Stewart to tell us where those roughly 6,000 votes that went to 3-7 will be divied up between Garrido and Arena. Arena would need to get 4,000 of them to overcome Garrido who had a nice 1,500 lead in the primary. That assumes everyone comes back out to vote again.
In any case, I’m glad the Levar era is over.
I too am glad the Levar era is over my friend! Good thing Blair was in the elections. Imagine if those 1,000 votes went to Arena. Ouch! Spread the word. Garrido all the way.
Even if all Blair’s votes had gone to Arena, and listening to his supporters, they surely would not have, it would have been the same outcome – runoff. If anything Arena prevented Marina, hand picked by The Machine, from getting to the run-off. So, we actually owe John a big thanks, if you want to look at it that way. I’m glad residents of the 45th rejected her. She may be a fine person, but when I saw all the endorsements from the same old tired batch of Chicago politicians, it really turned me off. And she tried to portray herself as a Reformer – yeah, whatever.
Good blog by the way. Nice job whoever you are Mr. C45C.
P.s.
Has Garrido issued his free movie schedule yet? Is Jon Langford announced his next Arena benefit? Bring me some entertainment guys. Let’s hold off the election as long as possible. It’s the only thing that sparks the economy in this wasteland.
Too funny! I will be meeting with Mr. Garrido any day now so will set up a mechanism for C45CLeaks so to speak. Take care and thanks everyone for their input in this blog.
Now that we are in a run off I urge all the other candidates to lend their support for Mr. Garrido. It is time to look beyond party lines. Please, everyone volunteer, get the word out and especially, turn out on run off day. Turn your comments in this blog into something positive, so we could all benefit.
I agree. I will be starting a new blog to track the success of Mr. Garrido’s actions in teh race. Should get to that tonight. Although I will say that this blog did serve its intended purpose.
Well I can certainly say this. Blair busted his ass for 8 months and spent large sums of his own money, sacrificing a great deal to do so. I think we should thank him for his hard work on our behalf and urge him to run again for something where he feels he can make a difference. Sadly, I think he was the only one in the race trying to do that. Blair ran not for his vanity but to better the neighborhood. Blair ran to try and make the neighborhoods better and improve them for all of us. I am sure he will be backing Garrido holding his nose all the way. I would not count the guy out by any means. I think you will see him back out there right away fighting to try and bring businesses back to the Ward. John Arena is a pestilence on this community and has been so for 11 years. If Blair backs Garrido, it will certainly be only to stop Arena from getting elected which should be everyone’s priority. I would keep an eye on this guy. He is far from finished.
Mr. John, you are spot on. Don had his heart in it but the cards didn’t fall the right way. Blame it on what you will but it remains a fact of life. I certainly hope hope that Don does stay involved as he has the goods to help the economy in our little part of the world. As I said before, I can’t imagine the antics that Arena and the PPNA have gotten away with on a larger scale. Just paints a really, really bad picture. Dark and gloomy.
Garrido for 45!!!
Anybody who makes the sacrifices required to run for office has my respect. Don’s economic message was the best of the candidates. He seemed very productive in his time working with the 6C Association. I’d like to see him get back to working in a similar role, if possible. The ward could really benefit from his business knowledge.
With all due respect, why don’t you use your name in your blog? The Internet offers up a lot of views, and it seems the most extreme are anonymous. It might help your cause to put a name behind the opinion.
Sharon, My name is really irrelevant. I don’t need John Arena or anyone from his campaign knocking on my door. I know the stories all too well so having him in my face yet another time does not a bit of good. What is important is the outpouring of concern over the prospect of Arena being Alderman. We (our camp as you refer to it) are scared to death of that prospect. We have been classified as being pro-Blair but the reality is that we are anti-Arena as we have sen what he is capable of. Or more appropriately, not capable of and that is revitalizing the 45th Ward. If the condition of Six Corners and his involvement is any indication of what he can do then I and many others as it seems want no part of it. Go, go, go John Garrido.
Of course your name is relevant, concerned citizen. If you own your beliefs then put your name behind them proudly. Anyone can say anything anonymously.
I am sure that Blair will be back out there concerned45thcitizen. it will be interesting to see what he does next. The first time you run for something you don’t usually win. It took Preckwinkle 3 times to get elected. I am sure that Blair will run for something in the future. I am sure that he has learned alot that he will use to his benefit the next time around. The important thing is to help Garrido get elected and stop this idiot Arena at all costs. He is a turd that needs to be flushed once and for all. As for Garrido, he mimicked alot of what Blair said during the campaign but is incapable of doing it himself. I hope for Garrido’s and all of our sakes, that he listens to Blair and seeks his advice in this area or 4 years from now he will be beaten as well.
I would also like to point out that Blair ran to get rid of Levar. We are not only rid of Levar but the machine candidate as well. It may not have turned out like many of us wanted but he did set out to get rid of Levar and together with some of the other candidates, he accomplished that. Thanks Don Blair. You may not have won, but if you had not run, we would have 4 more years of Phat Pat Levar. I don’t think anyone could have withstanded that. Now together let’s focus on helping Garrido get elected by stopping this lying scumbag Arena and his PPNA buddies and getting them out of our neighborhood once and for all.
Can I ask why my comments are still awaiting “moderation?”
I do believe that it is approved. Enjoy!
Here’s something we should be concerned about. That little twerp that beat Chico is going to “talk to all the runoff candidates” to see who he can work with (do his bidding)…just like the little twerp he’s replacing, and will support him. He said it on the radio today.
Garrido’s a copper, and he hates us firemen and cops.
He will go all in against John, trying to get a lapdog elected and that would be Arena.
He’s already trying to stack the deck.
I would contend that he is not a complete idiot and if a neighborhood and or community/ward was behind an individual why would he (short guy) contest that? It could be good for the little (er, big guy) guy. Aw crap, Daley was short too . . . .
Thanks for the insight but I wouldn’t worry too much on that point. Now if we were in Wiscons . . . never mind.
We will surely get the word out about Arena being a liar and a fake. He lied to people’s faces about his accomplishments and we WILL make it known, the damage that Arena has caused to Six Corners. Arena is an anti-business candidate despite what he says. He is a selfish and self-centered person who claims to speak for many people when he speaks for but a few. I personally know 10 familes who will sell their homes even at a loss rather than live in a Ward with that repugnant little troll Arena as their alderman. I just wish that Mr. Blair could have been more effective at getting his message out. He was by far the best and most qualified candidate bar none. He had the best message, best experience, best skills and best public speaking skills and charisma but no name recognition. Well sometimes the best and most qualified do not win and we are faced with the lesser of two evils which in this case appears to be Mr. Garrido. I do hope that Mr. Blair has studied what went wrong and makes the needed adjustments. He would have made a fine alderman and I hope that he runs again for another office. Mr. Garrido needs to get the business factions behind him like For A Better Chicago and the like. He also needs to work with the labor unions. If Arena gets in we are all finished and will pack up and leave watching the mess this idiot leaves in his wake.
I think the point of Arena being a liar and a fake are geting more and more known. It is clearly going to take people like us to (on a day to day basis and in casual settings) spread the word. Call Garrido and tell him you want to help out over and above this little blog. Call me and I’ll give you his cell number.
Marion – there was so much talk of the Arena Antics during this campaign, but in the end, I don’t believe anyone could provide the proof. So much of it seemed to be gossip and innuendo. Hopefully people with solid information will come forward this time. I agree that Don Blair is a qualified businessman, but I had to chuckle when you said he had charisma. I personally didn’t see that trait. Every time I saw him speak (business forum, Copernicus forum, six corners meetings, events, etc) he came across as being annoyed that people were bothering him with stupid questions. He didn’t seem like an approachable or likable person. That is just my opinion. I am not in the Arena camp, just a resident who enjoys hearing both points of view in these matters. Whatever happens, the ward is better without Levar !
Long Time Resident,
I completely disagree. I have never seen any instance where Mr. Blair acted annoyed at anyone for asking questions. He clearly was the best public speaker and had the greatest command of the issues. I find him to be very personable and down to earth actually. As for Arena, the ad that someone took out in the Nadig Newspaper was documented proof enough. Just ask the developers of the Klee building. Just ask the people who own the Dunkin Donuts. Just ask the fellow who wanted to put the pizza restaurant in. Just ask Mr. Blair who personally heard from dozens of residents who told him what Arena had said to them. That is all of the proof that I need to know what Arena is. Interesting that you mention Six Corners meetings. There were committee meetings, so which ones did you attend and how often as my understanding is that he served on only one? I completely disagree on the two debates which Mr. Blair clearly won hands down. Mr.Arena, if you are truly thick enough to think you are fooling people by posting on here in your defense then you are more dilusional than many had estimated.
I am not Mr. Arena and am not even a “Mr” for that matter. If the Klee developers, Dunkin Donuts and pizza owners had been so wronged specifically by Arena, I don’t understand why Blair didn’t do the legwork on behalf of the voters and get their stories out in the open. Was it specifically Arena who did these things? Or was it PPNA, of whom Arena was an officer? That’s where I get stuck. If Arena personally did unethical or anti-business activities, we all need to know that. If the whole PPNA was involved, I’m not sure I can agree with pinning on Arena, unless there’s more to the story you’d like to share. I glanced at that ad but it seemed pretty silly so I didn’t pay much attention. I noticed it didn’t have names, dates, events. In my opinion, it was inflammatory accusations with no one willing to take credit. Not my idea of “documented proof”. It’s difficult for me to be persuaded by talk of satanic cults and the like. I’m better off with the facts. I am not going to debate my opinion of any given candidate and am not sure why it matters which SCA meetings I have attended? Regardless, I do enjoy trolling thru these posts but think I’ve had enough for now. Namaste until the next election.
Long Time Resident,
My understanding is that Arena did these things while an officer of the PPNA. He was the ringleader who did these things and yes did them personally. I would not have been happy to see Mr. Blair openly accuse anyone of wrongdoing and I was personally pleased to see that he never said anything negative about other candidates. I would have been disappointed had he done that. I am somewhat passionate on this subject as I watched it unfold firsthand. As for SCA meetings, you sound like you attended some of got first hand information so I would be curious to know the origin of that information.
Um – because I attended the meetings?
If you attended the meetings then it will be easy to determine who you are and who you support. I would assume that Mr. Blair knows every person who attended the meetings that he was on so it would be an easy thing to ascertain. CLEARLY you are an Arena supporter but do not have the backbone to admit it. Given that you are not admitting to who you are, leaves a person to suspect the motive here. Asked and answered. Arena will find no support from myself and many other voters. It is tempting to not support the other candidate and let Arena win to demonstrate how he will bilox it up even worse than Levar. With the value of my home at stake, I have alot to think about.
Marion…”given that you are not admitting to who you are” ??? This blog is an anonymous hate campaign!! Admit you YOU ALL are, starting with the moderator of this blog. And you personally know 10 families who will sell their houses at a loss if John Arena wins this election? Name them. I am a John Arena supporter. My name is Sharon Johnson and I have lived in this ward for 25 years. John Arena is a man of integrity. If you want to elect someone else then work openly and honestly for your candidate. Don’t spew your hatred in some anonymous forum. Anonymous hate campaigns are the modern day equivalent of the white robes and burning crosses. I dare you all to come out in the open and admit who you are. You’re afraid a campaign worker will come to your house? Well, then you all are cowards.
Regarding my earlier remarks about “Helen Shiller tactics”, look no further than this from the Arena supporter in the above post…
” Anonymous hate campaigns are the modern day equivalent of the white robes and burning crosses.”
I rest my case.
During these runoff meetings with our new mayor, I hope Rahm looks past party lines and endorses the most qualified candidate. What we need is diversity in council and not the start of a new “machine”. If you feel that strongly against John Arena, DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE and call the Garrido office and volunteer,contribute, whatever, the man needs us more now that ever! I challenge you Garrido supporters: If you dont see an Arena sign outside someones home in your neighborhood, go ahead knock on the door, leave a note in their mailbox asking to lend support for Garrido. You owe it to yourself and the ward. Police,Fire, Republicans, Tea Party, and disenchanted Dem’s, mobilize and put forth some effort to get the word out… Thanks John Arena for upsetting the machines “PUPPERT” run, you did your part.
John Arena is a man of integrity? You gotta be kidding! He lied to many people about his history in the neighborhood. He ran businesses out of Six Corners because he did not get his development selected. He nearly drove the poor donut shop to close over blocking their drive thru. And this long time resident woman expects that Marion woman to name the 10 people she knows that will sell their house if this POS gets elected? Gimme a break. John Arena is the reason there are no businesses at Six Corners. He stood in the way of all progress in our neighborhood. Now this resident is claiming that this is a hate campaign against Arena? Well no….its an uprising against someone who is selfish and cares only for his needs and wants. He is an arrogant moron who will do ANYTHING, say ANYTHING, LIE to ANYONE to get elected. JOHN ARENA IS A LYING SLIMEBALL. END OF STORY. For this Arena supporter to claim this is a hate campaign against her candidate to gain sympathy is a joke. Hey, I voted for the best candidate. The trouble is that not enough other people knew to do the same. I am not a Garrido fan myself but I will vote for the guy because the alternative is too disgusting to think about. OK here is one long time resident who will sell his home if that POS Arena gets in.
Mike–I’m not looking for sympathy–just reason.
Long Time Resident,
You claim to have attended meetings at Six Corners yet cannot tell us which committees you served on or meetings you attended? I asked people yesterday and no one has ever heard of you down there so…….. Sounds fishy if you ask me. The only person with any integrity is Mr. Blair. I am sorry that he did not get his message out but what is done is done. I truly hope that if Mr. Blair endorses Mr. Garrido, that he holds his feet to the fire on the economic development front. If that happens and 4 years from now things still look the same around the Ward I suspect we will see a hotly contested race.
John Arena is the ‘Lex Luthor’ of the 45th Ward.
He is the reason there is no frickin’ progress at six corners.
How can he look at himself in the mirror.
There are a LOT of unemployed men and women in the the 45th who could have used neighborhood jobs. Thanks a lot John. Take a walk down Irving Park and tell us why so many business’ have closed.
My name is Mike D’Agostino
I live at 5029 W. Berteau 2nd floor
I HAVE THE GUTS TO PRINT MY NAME
You want my phone # too ? 773 930 4176
Give me a call if you have the balls and tell me what I can do to put food on my table.
To all of the Garrido supporters . . . I am meeting with him over the weekend to see how I can help him in his campaign. Anything you want me to pass on or that you are overly concerned about. I will report back for sure.
Mike,
It is nice to hear from someone who has been personally affected by John Arena’s nonsense down at Six Corners. If this person gets in it will kill all business and progress that we can make around the Ward. He will stack the zoning committee with his liberal friends who will block anything that wants to come to the Ward. I wanted Mr. Blair but I am glad to see that he is backing Mr. Garrido. His expertise in economics and business will certainly help Mr. Garrido over Arena who has no business experience. Arena is calling himself a businessman but the reality is that he is a freelance graphic artist working out of his basement. That is not a businessman. A businessman knows finance, how to manage an operation, how to structure and negotiate deals. That is a businessman like Mr. Blair. John Arena is a fraud that needs to be exposed for what he is…..A liar and a dishonest person who will do or say anything to get elected. He needs to be stopped.
concerned45th and marion, would it be possible if Don would “officially” endose J.G. ??? How about the other candidates and who are they endorsing? Would love to see them post in this forum.
Marion — you make me laugh! For the last time, I am not John Arena nor am I a John Arena supporter. Don’t believe me? Look at my initial post on February 16th. I know you’ve read it because you practically quoted it in your post above. I have lived in this community well over 20 years. I will not threaten to sell my house and leave — although I certainly could because we bought in the late ’80s when prices were low. Even today, we would easily triple our money on our paid-off property. Better brush off those crack investigative skills and keep asking people who I am. Trust me, I am known and respected by the SCA Board Members and committee chairs. I am now a Garrido supporter since the only other option is Arena — and my sentiments were pretty clear about him in my first post, right? I’ve met Garrido and he seems to be an intelligent, rational person who has a decorated career as a police lieutenant as well as a law degree. As a cop, he’s paid 20 years worth of union dues. I understand his dad was a respected cop too. He has ideas about economic revitalization and wants to fill up the store fronts with legit service-sector businesses (no more pay day loans or massage parlors). So Garrido is my guy. Let’s band together for positive change and stop the crazy accusations, ok? Peace.
Well if you wish for it real hard it may happen. Let’s see.
Marion and LTR, you a guys are making me laugh. Like really hard.
LTR,
Read your post on February 16th. Agreed, Arena is not the guy to support. I would rather it be Mr. Blair but that option is no longer on the table. Let’s all support Mr. Garrido. He does not have the economic background that Mr. Blair does so I am hoping that they can join forces to get things done. This is are only option. It sounds like we are in agreement that Arena would be a disaster for the 45th Ward.
It’s official. Don Blair is endorsing John Garrido for 45th Ward Alderman. With Garrido’s public safety and Blair’s background in business this will be a winning team.
45th Ward Aldermanic Debate
Thursday, March 31st
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Copernicus Center
5216 W Lawrence
Moderated by Abdon Pallasch – political reporter of the Chicago Sun Times.
Face Book Page; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201659353179732
Debate sponcered by; Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association, Portage Park Neighborhood Association, Old Irving Park Association, Mayfair Civic Association and The Copernicus Foundation.
This debate will be interesting. My neighbors are saying they already made their choice but are looking for the circuses that will show up. Myself, I’d like to see admittance limited to 45th ward residents. A park district friend said SEIU is recruiting from all over the city to fill the Copernicus seats to show “strength in numbers”. They plan to make the debate into an extension of their fight in the capitol bldg in Madison. Only thing is, Garrido is a union member (Is Arena??? Hmmmm) and Garrido has the backing of trade unions. Do we really want dirty political antics as a part of the 45th ward election? Seems like Arena does. Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll stay away from that debate. I voted already anyway.
Hi Long Time Resident. I started a new post at https://concerned45thcitizen.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/part-ii-john-a…45th-ward-race/ and your comments would be very topical and appreciated there. I am closing this post out.
This blog has been quite informational but I would like to suggest moving on to something a bit more objective here . . . https://concerned45thcitizen.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/what-the-45th-ward-needs/
FAIL x 2.
take them lawn signs down.
So between the 100 or so people behind Arena, the 3,000 SEIU voters and the uninformed people that actually believed the SEIU smear campaign Arena wins. At least prior to the recount. Chicago politics at work. Chicago on it’s way to being the next Detroit. Good luck, I am moving. Have a fun time with it all.
I sincerely doubt you’ll move.
I would sell to the section 8 already nipping at our heels. Writing is on the wall!
There is section 8 hidden in the prime of Old Irving Park! You have to take an alley to get to the lowrise and well hidden buildings. Right off Irving Park Road and behind those tall two flats. I have considered moving too. At least out of this neighborhood.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Garrido Campaign Announces It Is Considering 45th Ward Recount
Chicago, IL – April 7, 2011 — Following one of the tightest races in Chicago electoral history, 45th Ward aldermanic candidate John Garrido announced today that he is reviewing his options including a possible recount.
“The close results and strong show of support for my campaign in a traditional Democratic stronghold clearly demonstrate that people want change and that I represented that change. I will never stop fighting to improve my neighborhood, my community and my city.”
Just 29 votes separated the candidates in the runoff election on Tuesday, April 5th. Absentee and provisional ballots will be opened on Friday, April 8th at 9 am at the Chicago Board of Elections.
Candidates must file a request for a recount within 5 days of the election date.
“With a mere 29 ballots separating me from my opponent and over 47 absentee and
provisional ballots outstanding, it is premature for my opponent to claim victory,” said Garrido.
Garrido launched his campaign for 45th ward alderman in fall of 2010, winning the municipal election primary with over 32% of the vote on February 22nd.
We are a bunch of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community.
Your website offered us with useful info to work on.
You have performed a formidable activity and our entire neighborhood will probably be grateful
to you.