Remembering Woody
The recent tragic death of former state representative, Cook County official and professor Woody Bowman is an enormous loss for all those progressives and independents whom he represented.
I first met him years ago when I worked for the General Assembly as a fairly new representative; I was impressed not only with his friendliness, but also his intelligence. As an official, Woody could be counted upon do the right thingthe independent, intelligent and thought-out positionwithout having to be lobbied on the issue.
One of the best examples of Woody doing the right thing was in spring 1989 during the passage of the law criminalizing the transmission of HIV. Woody was a lone wolf on the House floor and said, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. This amendment provides for criminal transmission of a virus? Did I get that right? Criminal transmission of a virus. Well, I think it speaks for itself. I urge a 'no' vote. ... I mean, this seems to me to be way too far. ... We are making the transmission of a disease a criminal act. Now there is no precedence for this anywhere else in law. I know this is a dreaded disease, but come on now. ... This is such an outrageous piece of legislation, I can't believe it is getting this many votes."
RIP, Woody Bowman. Your voice will be missed.
Sincerely,
Scott G. Burgh
Chicago
Source of the problem
Dear Editor,
I am responding to the July 29 Windy City Times article, "Ex-Center On Halsted staffers allege 'toxic' work environment," by Matt Simonette.
The article focuses on criticism of Modesto "Tico" Valle's leadership style at the Center on Halsted. Over the years, many people in our community have not been happy with the direction of the Center on Halsted. Criticism has ranged from the Center attracting LGBT youth from outside of the local Lake View community to the treatment of its security staff of these youth.
My name appears on the glass panel of contributors as one enters the Center's main entrance. These days, I am not as proud of that like I used to be.
I believe there is a systemic problem with the Center on Halsted's leadership. The ex-employees signing the letter to the board is a reasonable course of action; however, by focusing on Valle, I believe they are missing the mark. The focus should be on the board of directors for its approval of questionable staffing decisions and business practices.
Clearly, there is a problem at the Center on Halsted that may eventually interrupt the flow of grant monies, the life blood of the Center's bottom line. The letter raises some troubling questions about ethics and possible legal concerns. I don't expect the board of directors to seriously address these problems because, in my opinion, they are part of the problem.
Many of the board members work for large corporations in Chicago, and those corporations' behaviors are bound by Sarbanes Oxley ( SOX ), which acts as a ethical compass in the development of best business practices. Maybe the board should look to SOX in developing a culture of ethics at the Center.
This letter is raising some red flags. It is my hope that the former employees be treated with a sense of dignity, and that their concerns are seriously listened to.
My advice to the signers of the letter is to seek legal counsel. If what the signers are alleging that the Center is guided by a culture of cronyism, that raises some legal issues that could potentially get the attention of the state's attorney's officeif that has not already happened.
Joe Murray
Chicago