Susana Mendoza, Chicago's recently elected city clerk, had a rude surprise waiting for her as she settled into the job after being sworn in last spring. The basement, where most of her staff works and city records are stored, is home to a thriving population of huge cockroaches.
There is a weekly Friday spraying by an exterminator. When the staff reports for work on Mondays, they find themselves crunching across the bodies of these dead insects that Mendoza characterizes as "Acapulco" cockroaches. "It's almost inexcusable to expect people to work in conditions like this, surrounded by vermin and breathing air tainted with the insecticide toxins," she said recently. "It's an old building ( built in 1911 ) but there's no excuse for this."
In addition to the bug infestation, there is also a water-seepage problem. Mendoza said, "We have buckets and garbage cans all over to catch the water that drips out of the ceiling. This doesn't do the records any good. They should be stored in a dry, secure environment. I mean, some of the ledgersthe covers are damp. This is no way to preserve and respect our heritage."
Mendoza is attempting to move more of her staff to the first floor at City Hall but there is a limited amount of space and not enough for record storage. She has contacted Jesse White and he's arranged for the Illinois State Archives to help the city store and preserve the records more safely. The archivists will also assist in the scanning and electronic storage of these records.
Mendoza has made Mayor Emanuel aware of the situation and he has promised his support in solving the problem. However, this has proven to be a slow-moving process and in the meantime, all Mendoza can do is say, "Ugh!"