BY AMY WOOTENHelen Shiller has been alderman of one of Chicago's most diverse wards for 20 years, but feels her job isn't done there yet.
When asked what she feels her greatest accomplishment this past term has been, Alderman Helen Shiller can't help but list everything from working towards creating more affordable housing in Uptown and creating a pilot high-rise recycling program in her ward to sweating the details for last summer's Gay Games and providing backup support for the new Center on Halsted, ending with a 'Phew!' 10 minutes later.
However, despite the accomplishments, the ward is far from unified. She has a strong challenger, James Cappleman, and there have even been anti-Shiller Web sites that have sprung up, including WhatTheHelen.com .
Nevertheless, Shiller has been endorsed by many, including Ald. Tom Tunney; Attorney General Lisa Madigan; State Sens. John Cullerton and Carol Ronen; and State Reps. Sara Fegeinholtz and Greg Harris, as well as retired state Rep. Larry McKeon.
Windy City Times: What are your plans to continue to develop and strengthen the ward?
Helen Shiller: A lot of those things are ongoing. I have a zoning task force that has been looking at how to implement the zoning ordinance that went into effect November 2004. The goal for that was to have the city remapped by the end of this year, but that kind of got slowed down citywide. So, we put together our own task force and have been looking very closely. We have had several community meetings where people can review what the recommendations are. The idea is that basically, we will look at different parts of the ward, and we want the zoning to reflect the actual uses in the community and directions we want it to take. We wanted to reinforce the new retail quarters we'll be able to build…so that it encourages the kind of development that we seek for the future.
The activities in both [ the Wilson Yard development and the Broadway/Lawrence entertainment district ] have gained some momentum, and Wilson Yard development itself has been a catalyst for a number of other things in the immediate area that we've had to do. The CTA is in the midst of a design contract that brings them through June 2008. They're currently close to 30 percent done and when they hit that mark, I believe they've agreed to do some community meetings and get some input at that point, but the goal is to be 100 percent done by June 2008. Then we can look at the new construction and the station rehabilitation of the historic station that exists there. I think they're hoping it'll be expanded and be obviously greatly improved and they'll be preserving the historic architecture that does exist there.
Similarly, because of the planning and discussions around the Wilson Yard, we're able to highlight some of the things that are required with regards to Truman College as well. We're…looking to put together what's necessary to build a student center with a parking lot. We'll end up with [ an ] even better school with more options and opportunities.
…Obviously, if the city is chosen for the Olympics, we're going to be weighing in heavily on those events that happen up here. Part of the original proposal [ involved ] using tennis courts we have up here; we need to make sure it works. [ We have to figure out ] what the pluses and minuses are and what can we take advantage and get from that opportunity. What are the long-term benefits as well as some of the short-term problems?
WCT: You've been a great GLBT ally over the years. What will you continue to do to support the community?
HS: Everything I can. I think that things change every day, so there are new opportunities and needs. Some of what we do is reactive. A lot of it has been historically getting in place the infrastructures we need. I think it was very important that we were able to get the city to have domestic-partner benefits. What we really needed was something real that a lot of people were able to get. So, setting up the structure to allow people to register was really important.
Also, being able to have a human-rights ordinance that specified that you could not mistreat people and that specifically talked about the GLBT community [ was really important ] . Those are things we have in place, and we have the structures to monitor that.
I think the Gay Games were a great opportunity to showcase the community and to really just bring a lot of energy and attention to the city. I think that there are lots of different opportunities and the community takes advantage of them. Whenever and wherever I can be supportive of that, I'm happy to do so.
WCT: Your opponent [ James Cappleman ] has said that the ward is very polarized. What will you do to strengthen the community? And, do you even think it's polarized?
HS: I think there are people that work hard at polarizing it, and he is one of them. For some people, you can never do any good, because no matter what you do, they are going to say there is something wrong and attack it. From my perspective, everything is about problem solving.
We have a very diverse community, an extraordinarily diverse community, and everyone has different perspectives and different needs, and they're all legitimate.
…My frustration is that we're kind of unique up here. I wouldn't want to change it to be like another community. I would want to change it to have improvements for everyone who lives here. But if you just assign the problem as being the people who are here, then I don't even know what to say about that. …We are all human beings, and we all have a value as human beings. We all have different ways of looking at the same thing. That doesn't mean that one of us is more right or wrong than the other, but it does mean we have to figure out how to understand what each other is saying so we can move forward.
WCT: Do you have any specific plans to help improve communication between the community and yourself?
HS: I think that's ongoing and that's a constant process. I'm not fighting and screaming to get into technology—I'm just struggling to learn things that, for people who are much younger than me, come naturally. The irony is [ that ] it's become harder to meet the communication gap than easier as technology has developed. …I read every single e-mail, and I try to respond or give the information to my staff to respond, and then I work on following up on this stuff. … I'm trying to learn to navigate that better. Part of that is having a better Web site. … I think we have a really good Web site; it's extraordinary. We will continue to use that and have it as a vehicle in order to communicate with people better and make sure all the information is out there. This is truly a learning process.
We've started to do e-mail blasts. … We've been doing a once a month thing that we are planning on doing maybe a little bit more often. I go to community meetings three or four times a week. We try to cover the things that happen regularly. We go to any meeting we're invited to. We'll continue to do that.
My staff is here to deal with any issues people have on a daily basis.
WCT: Why would you be the best person to continue office and what can you assure the residents of your ward?
HS: Honestly, in terms of the diversity of this ward and the complexity of this job, I'm the only qualified candidate to do many of the things we do. My record, I think, stands on its own. The level of activity that is going on in the ward is unprecedented, and will continue to be. It takes a number of years to learn how to be an alderman. I can appreciate that some people will say, 'She's been here a long time and we need some fresh blood,' but they need to look at my record. They should look at what we've done, and they should think whether those things should stop or continue. Most of the things that go on on a daily basis require a lot of problem solving, and I've learned how to do that. I think I do it well; I'm a good alderman. If it works, why mess with it? My opponent is inexperienced and unfamiliar with the majority of the ward. His familiarity is primarily one area and one issue, which I think he came into a little late in the game. …This is a serious business, and people's lives are impacted by what we do. Everything we do has unintended or intended consequences. One of the most important jobs that we have is to be very aware of the unintended consequences, open to the notion that we can make mistakes, and that we must be vigilant in regards to what those unintended consequences are so we can act on it.
