Even a Kind word for Weller

While I’ll be back at attacking Weller for marrying into a genocidal dictator’s family and ignoring the moral implications of such a move soon, even Jerry Weller hasn’t stood still for the conditions at the Evergreen Terrace Housing Complex in Joliet.

From October 20, 2003 in Crain’s:

Urban eyesore or essential shelter? That’s the question dividing Joliet and pitting a group that includes Illinois GOP stalwart Ronald Gidwitz against federal forces ranging from U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez.

At issue is the future of Evergreen Terrace, a low-income housing complex part-owned by former Helene Curtis Industries Inc. CEO Mr. Gidwitz, that Joliet officials contend has become a cesspool of crime, filth and safety violations.

With some apparent arm-twisting from Rep. Weller, R-Morris, Joliet city officials were able to persuade Mr. Martinez last month to abruptly scuttle the renewal of federal rent subsidies and loan guarantees for Evergreen Terrace-a move that essentially could force the owners to sell or default on the mortgage.

City officials and Mr. Weller insist that Chicago-based real estate management firm Burnham Cos., whose owners also include Mr. Gidwitz, have allowed Evergreen Terrace to deteriorate beyond repair. The city wants to relocate the residents to other apartments and raze the 356-unit complex.

Mr. Gidwitz, Burnham executives and state housing administrators say the accusations are exaggerated. They’re determined to reverse Mr. Martinez’s order, insisting that the city’s plan for moving Evergreen’s 500 residents to alternative low-income housing is unworkable.

Reputations on the line

They accuse city officials and Mr. Weller of conducting a smear campaign against Burnham and Evergreen Terrace as part of a strategy to force low-income minority residents from areas near the Des Plaines River that have attractive redevelopment potential.

”Unfortunately, the city officials have decided they don’t want this development in the city,” says Mr. Gidwitz, a member and former chairman of the State Board of Education. ”We manage properties at a high quality. We don’t cut corners. We don’t treat people badly.”

At stake in the bitter dispute are the reputations of the civic-minded Mr. Gidwitz and Mr. Weller, whose influence as a suburban power broker is expanding with Will County’s growing population.

Allied with Mr. Weller is U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill., who also participated in the meeting last month with Joliet officials and Mr. Martinez. Meanwhile, Evergreen’s managers have low-income housing advocates and the Illinois Housing Development Authority on their side.

From the AP October 29, 2003

Recounting an Oct. 9 tour, Fitzgerald argued in a letter sent to Martinez late Tuesday that the city of Joliet should be allowed to redevelop the property and place residents in better and safer living arrangements.

“In my opinion, the living conditions at Evergreen Terrace are inhumane,” the Illinois Republican said.

Fitzgerald said was overpowered by the smell of urine, saw exposed wiring and broken elevators, mail boxes and door locks, and heard from residents about problems ranging from rodents to rampant crime and drug traffic.

And while Gidwitz is trying to minimize his involvement:

Halperin said the owners of Evergreen Terrace are several dozen people from across the nation, including prominent GOP contributor Ronald Gidwitz, a member of the State Board of Education, and the Gidwitz family, who hold about a 2 percent share. Gidwitz and his family are also majority owners of Burnham Management, according to Halperin.

Emphasis mine.