Of course!
Development doesn't have to stagnate. Thriving businesses don't need to be closed and replaced with vacant lots. Potholes can be paved faster, street lights replaced more quickly, parks kept cleaner, and neighborhoods made safer.

The first requirement, though, is an alderman who is focussed on the ward.

Citizens of the South Side should have a personal say in choosing their next alderman. I think we need to address the issues of concern to our community: responsible development, not more vacant lots; affordable housing, not just high-priced condos and rentals; rational school funding, not more cutbacks; accessible health care, not a health desert; effective crime prevention, not a deaf ear. And first and foremost is remembering the key job of an alderman: paving potholes, fixing sidewalks, replacing burnt-out streetlights, insuring timely garbage pickup, and maintaining the services that keep our neighborhoods livable.

More than anything, I hope to represent the entire 4th Ward, not just my corner of it. From the shopping center on 35th Street to the empty lots on Cottage Grove, from the Michael Reese remnants along the Lakefront to the high rises along King Drive, I want to talk with you and listen to your concerns.

I sincerely appreciate the large roomful of folks who showed up on July 19 at the Neighborhood Club for the kickoff town hall meeting. We'll meet again soon, and see if we can't expand these townhall meetings to the rest of the ward. (Feel free to contact me via georgerumsey.com or at 773-955-4455.)

With hopes for a prosperous 4th Ward,
George Rumsey