Central Street Cafe, which received $9,400 in city facade grant help less than two years ago to convert a former Blockbuster video store for restaurant use, has closed.
The business at 2800 Central St., owned by serial restaurateur Mitchell Dulin, received approval for a liquor license from the city in June 2011, and opened that August.
Last year, at a Liquor Control Board meeting, Dulin sought approval to offer delivery service for liquor as well as food, and introduced a prospective new owner for the business.
The weekend closure of the business, first reported by Evanston Patch, comes as Dulin is planning to open a new restaurant, called The Avenue, in downtown Wilmette.
The facade improvement program, which is budgeted at $75,000 a year, has been the subject of some debate among aldermen over whether it is an effective economic development tool for the city.
Top: The Central Street Cafe as its facade improvement work was nearing completion.
More tax money wasted
There's $9400 of our tax money down the drain. I wonder if the owner got miffed at the city for not allowing delivery of liquor service? It's funny – 6th Ward Alderman Mark Tendam kicked off his campaign at Central Street Cafe in January.
Alderman Tendam’s support of local business is a good thing.
When Mayor Daley spent all that money on beautification it got a lot of flack. I think it was worth it. Chicago is a much more attractive city than it was 15 years ago.
Evanston is making that same sort of investment here. Yea – it's a tough call – how to make a city more beautiful and appealing to live in. It's a tough call which partnerships to invest in.
I can tell you one thing – that space is much more likey to become active again sooner now than it would have had it still looked like some run down Craker Barrel.
I'm sad to see The Central Street Cafe go – but I am thankful it looks so much nicer than it did 5 years ago, and I'm sure Evanston will be better able to attract a different and broader range of tennents thanks to it's improved facade.
You can disagree strategically with the entire beautification effort by City Council, but there's not doubt this was an area that needed some help.
I for one am thankful for Alderman Tendam's work to make the 6th ward more desirable for business owners. Hosting his campaign kick off is just the kind of support and loyalty I'd hope to see in our local Alderman.
Sloane for Sixth Ward alderman
I suppose you think the city's investment in a wine bar on Howard Street that Tendam voted for is a good investment.
Or maybe you think the city's loan to a waffle joint is a good investment despite a private bank's loan rejection. Tendam voted for the city loan. I didn't realize Evanston is now a private commercial bank.
Or maybe you think the city's $2 million purchase of land to bring Trader Joe's across the street from Jewel and Whole Foods was a good investment. The city leased the land to Trader' Joes for a small fee. Just watch as either Whole Foods with another store three blocks away or Jewel that has a new owner closes. Tendam voted for the city's $2 million land purchase.
Or maybe you think Tendam's idea of the city buying vacant land zoned residential and leasing it to a bank on Crawford was a good idea. Why couldn't the city just rezone the property and let the bank buy the land? Now the city has to pave it, maintain it, insure it, etc. The city has no business buying land and turning it into a parking lot just to lease it to a bank that wants to build there.
Or maybe you think Tendam's support of another TIF on Main and Chicago was a good idea. Tax monies from this area will go primarily toward a developer who wants to build an office building on the vacant lot at the southeast corner of Chicago and Main. In case you weren't paying attention, Tendam and other councilmen have been consistently raising taxes, water and sewer rates, a gas tax, fees, fines.
For most Evanstonians, their property values have declined since 2009 but their property taxes, water bills, etc have gone up.
Tendam voted to give the mayor and the city clerk a pay raise and increase the Evanston Township budget even though voters voted to eliminate the wasteful assessor's office. Tendam even fumbled on the library issue. We now have an unelected library board that can levy taxes. How crazy is that?
Mark Sloane is a CPA and a fiscal conservative. He's a voice the Evanston Council sorely needs. We will gladly vote for Sloane Tuesday.
City of Evanston Beautification
Chicagos beautification was not for indivusl businesses it was on the parkways and in some cases in areas down center of streets. Check out Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Ave. Evanston made some similiar attempts but once the pavers were put in and tress planted. No one bothered to maintain them. Take a walk down Main Street from Elmwood to Custer the gfo South on Custer. Sidewalks are being repaired with Asphal that is used for street repair (I thought streets and san got confused). In summertime weeds are frowning from trees garbage is picked up occasionally. On Custer you have weedsgrowning between cracks in sidewalks and from cracks between buildings and sidewalks.
A Non-Anonymous Response To “Anonymous Al”
Yes, "Anonymous Blogger" Alderman Tendam held his kick-off at Central Street Café. He also held events at the Old Neighborhood Grill and Curt's Cafe. He believes in local businesses and supports them. In sharp contrast, Mr. Sloane and his supporters believe in punishing/boycotting local businesses whose owners have declined to support him in this election and at least one supporter (you) appears almost "gleeful" about the closure of this business.
We have a choice on April 9th. 4 years of negativity or 4 more years of effective leadership. I'm obviously biased but I am proud of Mark Tendam's achievements over the past 4 years. I am proud of the positive energy and development he has brought to our Ward. I am proud of the respect and attention that he has shown all of the business owners and residents of our Ward and City. Mostly though, I am proud that Mark Tendam has let me share his life for the past 24 years. On April 9th, please vote for Alderman Tendam so we can all keep moving forward.
Respectfully,
Neal Moglin
Tendam has raised taxes and he picks the winners & losers
Which businesses did Mark Sloane and his supporters "punish/boycott?" Sounds like Tendam is running a negative campaign with false allegations. Don't you think there are business owners that are unhappy because their competitors received city loans and grants and they didn't? Do you think Jewel and Whole Foods are glad the city paid $2 million to land Trader Joe's across the street from their stores on Chicago Ave?
This is discouraging and another reason to vote Sloane
I find the ones to be coming across as negative are Tendam and his husband, Neal Moglin. If you watch this video that has previously been posted on EvanstonNow, you'll see that Mark Sloane encourages residents to support Evanston businesses. It's disappointing that Tendam and his husband are trying to smear Mark Sloane and to state that he is anti-business or is "punishing/boycotting local businesses." Please decide for yourself:
http://evanstonnow.com/story/government/bill-smith/2013-03-10/55115/6th-ward-candidates-meet-the-reporters
As a resident of the Sixth Ward, I have been frustrated with Tendam as an alderman. He never stands up for anything at the meetings and just votes with the majority (or Jane Grover). He has done nothing to advance our ward or to control city spending.
When Tendam ran in 2009, he said that he would have open communication and would be a full time alderman with set office hours. That never happened. Ward meetings have been sporadic and he has not set up office hours.
http://evanstonnow.com/blog/news/mark-tendam/2009-02-10/mark-tendam-why-i%E2%80%99m-running
Tendam lists his achievements as keeping the North Branch open, which was really done by a group of concerned citizens, and putting in some crosswalks with flags that people can wave to signal that they want to cross the street.
If you were going to "hire" someone to make important decisions about how your city is run and try to pull your town out of its economic problems, would you hire a retired Graphic Designer (Tendam), or would you hire a CPA/CFO (Sloane)?
This is why I am voting for Mark Sloane. Our city needs strong financial direction and our ward needs a strong voice.
Dial down the election week animosity, please
Plenty of business have availed themselves of the city facade program over the years, and I'm sure a certain percentage of them have failed. That's no reflection on the program.
It's an open application process. Took me all of 30 seconds to find complete information on the City web site:
http://www.evanstonedge.com/files/2012/08/Facade-Improvement-Overview.pdf
Note that the program finances up to 50 percent of an improvement, and up to $10,000. If the city put $9,400 into that facade, then the business owners or the building owners also put at least $9,400 into it themselves. Probably more. Commercial brick and glass work doesn't come cheap.
While the Central Street Cafe may be kaput, the building is still there, and some other business will move in and get the benefit of a better facade, as will the neighborhood.
You can thank this program for getting rid of a whole lot of ugly glass block storefronts over the years.
If you're going to draw a reasonable analogy with another program, it wouldn't be to a TIF or to the Trader Joe's deal, it would be to the city sidewalk program, which is also an open application process that puts up a limited amount of money to go 50/50 with homeowners who seek to have their front sidewalks replaced.
Old World Politics Not Acceptable in the 6th Ward
Mis-truths, twisting words, attacks; I guess I should have expected it as a candidate for Alderman. I've been accused of being divisive. Guess what, Democracy is divisive and I am proud to be living in a democracy, where frank, honest dialog is necessary when electing our local officials.
I've knocked on 1000+ doors over the last few months, and I am confident that voters in the 6th Ward are smarter than some people believe they are. I've found them to be rational, wanting to understand, and tired of the typical politics that gives wanting to be a community leader a bad name. They believe that non-sixth ward residents should keep there nose out of our business.
Let's set the record straight. I don't believe in "punishing/boycotting local businesses" that don't support me. What I do believe in is "punishing/boycotting" politicians that think it's OK to use local businesses to promote their personal political gains. My candid point at the League of Women's Voters debate is that I would never allow a local business to outwardly support me as it could negatively impact their business. Local businesses are so fragile that why risk any potential negativity. Were a few of my dedicated supporters upset that a business was so blatantly supporting my opponent. Absolutely, and whatever they chose to do with their hard earned money is their choice. We do live in a free country. But this creation of a boycott was created by my opponent and every time they continue to mention the subject it impacts that local business ever more. My comments were about principles, and not letting politics get in the way of that.
I am sorry to see Central Street Cafe close. Since the first of the year, it has been very evident that business was substantially down. Just driving by and looking in, it was clear by the number of diners that something was wrong. Is it an Alderman's job to not only assist a business when it opens, but to also assist when it's hurting?
We have an election coming up on April 9th. I ask all voters to do your research. Read about each candidate. Don't rely on opinion, mis-truths and twisted words. As always, look at the source and how politics plays in that. Look at our record as individuals and what we've individually accomplished, then decide.
I am confident that if you rely on facts and experience and do your research, you will join us and vote for me, MARK SLOANE as your next 6th Ward Alderman.
I appreciate the opportunity to run for office and share democracy with you and look forward to serving at your next 6th Ward Alderman.
Please vote on April 9th.
Mark Sloane
Lack of leadership
Mark Sloane,
I am surprised at your lack of leadership and disregard for the health of our local buinesses. While you don't control how your supporters spend their money, you could certainly take a stance and say that you disagree with boycotting a local business. Not taking a stance on this boycott seems like tacit approval. I have no problem with any of the local businesses sharing their opinion on political candidates or political issues. There are valid reasons to boycott a business, but this is not one of them. Please let your supporters and the citizens of the 6th ward know that boycotting local business is not good for the community.
What are you talking about?
What business? I haven't heard anything about this from any fellow Sloane supporter?
Instead of accusations, why not stick to facts about why you believe Tendam is a better candidate?
Sloane for Ward 6
I'm not sure where the idea arises that Sloane would bring 4 years of negativity? He has served on the mayor's budget advisory council and as president of the Central Street Neighbor's Association to name just a few. I do not ever recall hearing any complaints about him in these capacities. Is he challenging the status quo?
Yes, and I'm grateful for this. Mark Tendam is a very nice guy, and it's great that he served the 6th ward for the past few years. But Sloane brings much needed real world money management experience. He's worked for the past 20 years as a Chief Financial Advisor. Everyone on city council, including Tendam, have said that economic development is their number one goal. Then shouldn't we elect someone with some experience with finance?
Is anyone rejoicing that this restaurant closed? Why would anyone do this? It is in everyone's best interest to have thriving businesses in town. We may disagree on the way to achieve this end, but I do not believe that anyone is happy to see business fail.
I will be voting Mark Sloane for a fresh perspective on how to best allocate limited resources and for his financial expertise.
Jen – Here is the full story……
Jen,
You may want to re-think your reliance on Mr. Sloane's chairmanship of the Mayor's budget advisory committee. to support your argument. There were 9 Evanston residents on that committee in addition to Mr. Sloane. 6 of them have publicly endorsed Alderman Tendam. Alderman Tendam's full supporter list is available if anyone wants to check it out at marktendam.com .
Tendam’s list
I don't know much about the 6th ward issues…I live in the first ward..it seems like an Sloane/Tendam is an Intra-NIMBY fight, so my guess is that both sides are wrong.
Jen says that "He [Sloane] has served on the mayor's budget advisory council and as president of the Central Street Neighbor's Association"
OK…that's a big NEGATIVE, since the "Central Street Neighbor's Association" [ interesting that you use the singular possessive, suggesting that it belongs to only one neighbor….I have long suspected that to be true] is generally recognized as an obstructive force that prevents growth and encourages petty zoning regulations.
Tendam is not innocent either though…he has deep connections to the CSNA.
Tendam's website also shows that he has the endorsement of Liz Tisdahl. That's not good…Tisdahl endorsed Judy Fiske.
So whatever….we haven't had much trouble from Tendam. Like all of the other aldermen, except Wynne, he has been part of the the 'Sane 7' that always seem to be on the winning side of development votes…so he isn't hurting anyone. How would Sloane be any different?
Rationale for Supporting Mark Sloane for Ward 6
I believe Mark Sloane will be the best candidate for Ward 6. I've done my own research, as I do not believe in voting based solely on the endorsement of other people.
My conclusions are based on the following facts:
Since Mark Tendam has taken office 4 years ago, our property taxes have increased 11%, even though our property values are in decline. In addition, fees are up for everything in town- water rates to parking.
On his website, Tendam says that he has voted to keep property taxes low. However, the reality is that he has consistently voted yes to increasing spending every year. When he took office in 2005, the city budget was $155 million. The last budget adopted was $203 million, a 31% increase in spending. The latest budget for fiscal year 2013 shows another spending increase to $215 million.
Tendam has voted yes to spending that includes: financing a wine bar and a brew pub on Howard Street, paying two million to Trader Joe's to buy land for them/build out a parking lot, financing for a waffle house, giving pre-emptive tax exemptions to the Margarita Inn, even over the protests of other hoteliers in town. The current city council views this type of spending as investments. In fact, the city of Evanston spent over 10 million dollars on investments of this kind last year.
It appears that Tendam believes that more government spending of this kind is the way to grow the Evanston tax pie, even though no one is keeping track of any net profits or losses. No one is doing due diligence on whether or not the ideas that are supported are actually economically feasible. The example of this Central Street cafe closing is just one example of the risk of this type of investing- some ideas may work out, some may not- no one is keeping track.
Furthermore, the city has not established any criteria to decide who can get loans. For example, last year, two owners from Heartwood Center, a holistic medicine/massage therapy center, came to city council asking for a loan of $100,000. At first, they were turned down, but the owners protested saying it wasn't fair that others received financing. The Heartwood owners came back and brought support in the crowd at a city council meeting. Even the city's economic development staff raised concerns about the size of the grant request. Regardless, without doing any other research into into the feasibility of this group eventually paying back the loan, city council approved the loan for $100,000.
While saying that economic development is priority number one, Mr. Tendam, who usually votes with the majority of city council, has held back numerous businesses from opening in town by denying realistic zoning changes, not giving liquor licenses, outright denying the business, or pondering changing zoning to prohibit new businesses from opening. One business owner was so frustrated that city council would not allow him to build a hotel that he tore down his building instead of paying property taxes on an empty building. City council wanted him to build office space. But as I mentioned earlier, the Northwestern study showed that there is no private demand for office space. Mark Tendam also held back a McDonald's from getting the zoning ordinance to include a McDonald's with a drive-thru in Ward 6,citing noise and disturbances, therefore not allowing McDonald's to open. If you drive by the location for this proposed McDonald's now, you'll see that the people who live directly next to the property have Mark Sloane signs in their yard.
While he has consistently voted yes for this type of spending, Tendam also never strongly or openly voiced support at council meetings for the North Branch nor for CHandler Newberger as both were on the chopping block, government services that many Ward 6 residents use. On his campaign website, Mr. Tendam says that one of his accomplishments was to keep open the North Branch library. I disagree with this statement. I helped the Evanston Public Library Friends organize events, including Lemonade for the Libraries and Kids Read a Thon, to support the both branch libraries. I do not recall ever seeing Mr. Tendam at any of our events, nor did he openly speak out at council meetings against Ann Rainey, who was adamant about closing down the branches. If anyone can take credit for "saving" the north branch, it is Lori Keenan, Marci Mahoney, Trish Stiglietz, and the other leaders of the Evanston Public LIbrary Friends. If anything, Mr. Tendham was more of an obstacle to work around. In the end, the library ended up splitting off from the leadership of the city council, in order to get around the leadership of the council members, including Tendham.
Tendam did not strongly voice support of an indoor sports facility that was to be paid for by AYSO and other Evanston sports teams, who only wanted use of the currently empty recycling center and tax exempt status. The indoor sport facility group eventually folded their request because of resistance met by city council, including Alderman Rainey of the 8th ward calling into question the ethics of another council member voting on the project (ALderman Grover's husband was a volunteer on AYSO, and AYSO was going to pay for the build-out. There was no personal money of any kind involved.) The constant delays of city council and resistance finally caused the group to fold. Tendam never stood up for this group, nor worked to get the project out of the ethics committee.
Furthermore, Tendam has also voted support of increasing TIFs around town, including a TIF at Chicago and Main, even though a Northwestern study said that there was no private demand for the type of office space that the city council is hoping to create. TIFs keep tax money out of the overall general tax budgets, and millions of dollars every year out of public education funds. D65 and D202 need this money right now!!
By contrast, Sloane has openly spoken out about the reckless spending in the name of economic development. He has the credentials to help reign in the town's finances wisely. Mark Sloane will also be a voice for children's service, including parks and recreation, in this town.
Mark Sloane has been employed for 20 years as the Chief FInancial Officer at Kelly, Scott, & Madison, a large Media Marketing Agency in Downtown Chicago. He also has an impressive resume of service in Evanston with hightlights including:
Chairperson, Evanston Mayor’s Budget Task Force Committee – 2009-2010
Chairperson, District 65 Citizens Ad Hoc Budget Committee – 2011
·Coach, Evanston AYSO, 2010 to Present
·President, Central Street Neighborhood Association – 2012 to Present
·President, Evanston Playground and Recreation Board – 2005-2006
If any Tendam supporters have articles or research that supports your candidate, please post it here to help Ward 6 residents come to their own conclusions.
Based on my own research, I feel that Mark Sloane will be the best representative for me and my family in ward 6. I also think Mr. Sloane will be a much needed voice for fiscal responsibility to keep the entire Evanston community strong.
Tally-Ho, Heil&Heil, empty lot
"One business owner was so frustrated that city council would not allow him to build a hotel that he tore down his building instead of paying property taxes on an empty building. City council wanted him to build office space"
sounds like the former Heil&Heil building….
How is Tendam responsible for this? I thought that Fiske deserves the credit for this act of NIMBY-inspired nihilism.
All of city council responsible for Heil and Heil
Tendam has a vote and a voice in city issues. But he doesn't use them to oppose others on city council. He votes with the majority on city council 99% of the time. I can only recall two times where he didn't vote with the majority this year- he voted not to give himself a raise when everyone else except Wilson did, and he flip-flop voted on a TIF to a single owner development.
He did vote for the other TIF, and he has blocked various other in his backyard projects, just like Fiske.
He votes with the majority on city council 99% of the time
Tendam " votes with the majority on city council 99% of the time"….
sounds good to me, considering that the minority 99% of the time consists of Fiske and Wynne, or just Fiske.
If Tendam is voting opposite Fiske/Wynne 99% of the time, he is doing a fine job.
Maybe we could save all of the trouble of having elections if we just asked Fiske and Wynne what they want….and then just do the opposite. We would have to be careful about this, because they might eventually figure it out and start saying the opposite of what they believe..
Democracy need not be divisive
I believe that it is possible for people to disagree about important issues without being disagreeable. We are all part of a great Ward and a great City. Are there things we each need and want? Of course. But we stand a much better chance of achieving our goals if we work collectively with rather than against one another.
That is the philosophy I try to live by and it is the approach that I have taken during my time on the Council. It has been an honor to serve the 6th Ward for the past 4 years. I have worked hard for the Ward and the City but as Mr. Sloane said, the choice between him and me is one that the voters will need to make.
I agree with Mark when he says that the residents of this Ward are smart and rational and I share his call for people to cast their votes based on our records and accomplishments. Thank you for your past support and please remember to vote on April 9th.
Sincerely,
Mark Tendam
Alderman 6th Ward
Tendam’s negative campaign is a major turn-off
Your married partner, Neil Moglin, wrote on this board that "Mr. Sloane and his supporters believe in punishing/boycotting local businesses whose owners have declined to support him in this election." Why didn't you admonish Moglin for that negative and false comment? Which businesses were punished or boycotted? Because you failed to correct or even address your husband's statement it is safe to assume that you agree with it. Your negative and nasty campaign tactics is one more reason we are voting for Sloane.
Al, do you have a wife or partner?
Do you "admonish" her/him on a regular basis? In most marriages I know each party is allowed to speak their mind.
Tendam’s Campaign Promises in 2009 Revisited
These are Mr. Tendam's campaign promises in 2009: http://evanstonnow.com/blog/news/mark-tendam/2009-02-10/mark-tendam-why-i%E2%80%99m-running
I'd like to know, when did he hold these promised office hours?
What technology did he use to open lines of communication to all the residents of the 6th ward, especially those who are working and can not attend social functions? The last blog entry on this site was in 2009. There is no still 6th ward blog, nor have I, a 6th ward resident, ever received any form of digital communication with Mr. Tendam in the past 4 years.
In what ways did Mr. Tendam cut spending since being elected in 2009? Since being elected, Mr. Tendam has voted for 31% more spending in the city budget.
What is Tendam's vision moving forward in regards to economic development? Does he plan on approving every business that comes before city council asking for a loan? He has done this for the past year. Should we expect this to continue?
Tendman mentions here that he has a strong personal network to get things done. What if a resident in ward 6 is not in Mr. Tendam's personal network? There are rumors circulating that Eb Moran, past alderman of ward 6, recently contacted Mr. Tendam to have some potholes in his alley paved. Rumor has it that Mr. Tendam had these pot holes got street and sanitation to repair the potholes within the week, and then asked Mr. Moran for his endorsement. Is this rumor true? If so, is this the type of personal network leadership that we can expect for ward 6?
Mr. Sloane, if you are reading- How do you plan on increasing communication with residents in Ward 6? Particularly, how will you communicate with residents who are unable to attend in person meetings regularly? What experience/know how do you have with setting up blogs or web pages? What other forms of communication avenues do you envision and how will you respond to citizen questions?
For both candidates: How will you/have you direct(ed) citizens to use existing city services, such as the 311 services? If we are paying for this service already, why are residents even calling the alderman for things like alley paving or street signage? The proposed purpose of 311 was to reduce the workload of the aldermen.
Now, we have more expensive aldermen and a 311 service.
Where do you two stand on the issue of Hardley Clark?
Rumor has it the city met in a close door meeting to discuss, selling more than just the Hardley Clark Mansion, but adjoining parkland, for development of a hotel and parking. Many people in the community seem to know about this issue. ( Light house beach park )
Mark and Mark since you are both reading this web sit. Give us you view on this issue.
Mark Tendam you were at the closed door meeting which some view as illegal since it went well beyond the sale of the Mansion.
I would like to know, whose interest you both represent.
I am not interest in $10,000 facade grants, lets discuss a real issue.
Tendam For 6th Ward
I am proud to support Mark Tendam for 6th Ward Alderman. For a variety of reasons, I have found him to open and congenial when I have contacted him. When I have had to contact him, he has been very responsive and I have gotten prompt responses. I have always found him to be a very reasonable person to approach.
I have supported the McDonald's and Chase proposals up on the Central/Gross Point intersection, (I have the feeling I was in the minority), he at least listened to me and thanked me for letting him know where I stood. I also supported the Titled Kilt that was turned down by the Mayor. Being pro-business in Evanston is not easy thing to be, but there are more of us than one would think
Alderman Tendam has also held open houses for some of the school board candidates which I found to be very informative. I have attended the ward meetings when I have the time.
I have met Alderman Tendam, his husband Neal and they are a wonderful couple, and I am a better person for knowing them. I think it says a lot about Neal Moglin, who has the courage to stick up for his better half and doesn't hide behind being anonymous. I have a hard time taking anybody seriously when they post anonymously. Sincerely, Jeanne Laseman
Sloane is best leadership choice for Ward 6
Jeanne,
No one is questioning that Mark Tendam is a congenial man or unreasonable. I don't know him personally, but I have many friends who adore both Mark and Neal. I've personally found Mark Sloane to be equally cordial.
However, would you choose a financial planner, or any other type of employee, based solely upon whether or not they are nice? Our alderman is our voice in how our tax dollars are spent. I want to choose the most qualified, best leader to fill this role.
Economic development is the number one goal of our city council, including Mr. Tendam. Our city can not be pro-economic development and anti-business at the same time. Tilted Kilt, McDonalds,Chase, Felony Franks- these are just a few examples of businesses that our city has turned away. With the McDonald's issue, Mark Tendam lead the council on turning away this business by denying zoning changes to allow a drive thru. I am no fan of McDonald's, but I do not believe that turning away a business is a good idea for a town that is spending $10 million on economic development, while simultaneously being in debt more than $330 million.
Mark Sloane has the financial background to make smart decisions when it comes to business in Evanston. While dealing with ward issues is important, our city needs a leader with a business background to promote our number one goal, economic development.
I look forward to hearing if any other Mark Tendam supporters have rationale that support their candidate. After all, I think we all want what is best for our ward and our city. Having an informed electorate in possession of all points of view is the best way to acheive this goal.
Economic development
I'm curious, would Mr. Sloane have supported the city investment in the trader joes project? I assume your support for him is based on his ability to make intelligent economic development decisions because he is a financial planner. Thats a great reason to support someone and something I totally agree with.
Smart economic development investments which insures projects that probably would not get built do get built. Investments that create multiple streams of cash flow into the city that paybacks the upfront investment and will generate years upon years of surplus cash flow. Not to mention the other positives like the creation of jobs and other consumer benefits.
The Trader Joe project has been criticized by many yet I can do the easy math to see the long term payback on the project. I think a solid answer on his opinion of that particular project would define whether he is a truly intelligent financial planner, sound economic development planner or a populist politician.
I'm curious if he has given an opinion on that project.
Voting for a change in the 6th
Outside of all the other things an alderman should be doing for the city. Here are a few I think should be addressed in the 6th ward.
– We lost the Skokie based Ubaa and now have to travel by car to have a drink. The Central St. Cafe could have provided a walkable solutiion for our neighborhood. What are we doing to give our neighborhood a place to have a beer on tap, assorted liquor and non- alcholic drinks, food, and entertainment without having to drive?
-The city of Evanston placing signs on forclosed homes with warnings like shutting off the water if the bill isn't paid?-Duh! What if this house was a neighbor of yours on Lincolnwood Ave. near Harrison?
I'm voting for Mr. Sloan in hopes he focuses on 6th ward needs.
Waffle house
I pedaled by the Waffle and Chicken business on Dempster today and saw that it had trash all over the unfinished outside. I understand if the owner is short on money but you should at least clean up outside. It can be done for the cost of a broom and a trash can-Just sayn'.
The case For Mark Tendam
Mark Tendam takes a balanced approach to economic development. He supported and helped Curt’s Cafe, the Old Neighborhood Grill and Central Street Cafe while opposing a McDonalds's drive thru that would have been very disruptive to the nearby residents. He also supports the establishment of an indoor sports practice facility on the site of the old Evanston Recycling Center and has been an advocate for the North Branch library. It is worth noting that since Mark Tendam's election in 2009, the budget has grown by less than 6% in 4 years as compared to the 31% increase seen under the prior Council.
I also want my alderman to pay attention to crime and public safety. Mark Tendam has done a great job of increasing police patrols, and putting in crosswalks and speed bumps in appropriate areas.
Evaluates each economic development project on its merits and votes accordingly – check
Keeps council spending under control – check
Helps reduce area crime – check
Increases public safety – check
Consensus builder that is well respected – check
My vote for 6th Ward Alderman – check