Joe Moore (politician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Moore is the alderman representing the 49th Ward of the City of Chicago. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. He was first elected to the City Council in 1991 and re-elected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The 49th ward, encompassing the eastern part of Rogers Park neighborhood, is at the far north of the city, bordered by Lake Michigan
on the east, and by city of Evanston, Illinois
to the north.
, Illinois
with a B.A in 1980 and earned a J.D. in 1984 from DePaul University
law school. After graduation he was an attorney for the City of Chicago from 1984 to 1991.
and David Orr, first became known for his championing of community policing.
, on the grounds that its production includes animal cruelty; after much publicity, the ordinance passed overwhelmingly but has since been repealed. Moore was honored in February, 2007 by the Humane Society of the United States for his leadership on the issue of cruelty to animals. Moore's support of this issue was the subject of many widespread and derisive comments. National news organizations covered the story from many angles, some hospitable and some hostile.
, Target and Home Depot. The ordinance was vetoed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
and, while still enjoying the support of most of the Council, failed to garner enough votes to override the Mayor's veto. As a result of Moore's involvement with this legislation, he earned the support of labor unions and living-wage activists, but became a target of supporters of Wal-Mart.
Ordinance that gave taxpayers the right to recover damages, on behalf of the city, against corrupt city contractors.
Moore was a critic of the City's unsuccessful blue-bag recycling program, and outspoken in favor of a more comprehensive recycling program.
In recent years, Moore has become known outside of Rogers Park for raising issues he believes to be of national importance in the Chicago City Hall. Moore was one of the first city council members to announce his opposition to a pre-emptive military invasion of Iraq
and to the U.S. Patriot Act.
In 2010, Joe Moore is carrying out the first participatory budgeting
process in the United States to allocate his ward's $1.3 million discretionary capital budget.
Alderman Moore also voted in favor of the controversial Chicago Parking Meter deal, which has become a scandal.
. During Moore's tenure, numerous streetscape, retail development, and parks programs have been successfully completed, including a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, a new 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) park which replaced an adult bookstore and dilapidated housing, the renovation of the old Howard Theater building, Dominick's Grocery and Mall at Howard and Clark, A Community Center on Howard, a new firehouse on Clark, and the Sheridan Road and Howard Streetscape beautification projects. In 2008, The Nation
named Ald. Moore its Most Valuable Local Official..."He has gotten the Chicago city council to oppose the war, defend civil liberties and take on chain-stores that batter local businesses".
. He was a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Bill Clinton
. He has served on the board of the National League of Cities, chairs the National Democratic Municipal Officials Conference, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC). DNC Chairman Howard Dean
recently appointed Moore to a DNC Committee on Budget and Finance. Moore ran in 2000 for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County but lost in the primary election to eventual winner Dorothy Brown.
Republican Party
. The complaint was one of sixteen city-wide complaints filed that charged that some Democratic Party ward organizations in Chicago are illegally housed in City-funded neighborhood ward offices. Moore acknowledged that his ward committeeman, Fagus, has a desk and phone line in a corner of his aldermanic office, but does not share in the payment of rent. Taxpayers fund aldermanic service centers, which are open to the public. State law prohibits the use of any public funds by any candidate for political or campaign purposes. The complaint was one of nine that a Hearing Officer appointed by the Board recommended proceed to the next step of the hearing process, an Open Preliminary Hearing. On October 17, 2005, at a regularly scheduled meeting, the Board entered an executive session
and voted, in a 4-4 tie, along strict party lines, failing to adopt the recommendation of the Hearing Officer, and ordered the complaints dismissed. The complaint against the 49th ward organization was one of eight that the Cook County Republican Party appealed all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. On January 23, 2009, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ordered the Illinois appellate court to conduct a judicial review of the Board's dismissals of the complaints.
to 2005, developers Chad and Bronco Zuric approached Moore seeking a zoning change to support plans to tear down the historic Adelphi Theater at 7070 North Clark Street in Chicago in the 49th ward and redevelop the site. On June 8th, 2005, the Zurics' company, Golden Hands Construction, gave a $1000 contribution to Moore. In the fall of 2005, Moore voted twice in favor in City Council and the Zurics were granted their zoning change. In total, the Zurics have given Moore $13,500 in campaign contributions since 2005. The site is in foreclosure and the Zurics and their bank have competing lawsuits over a $2 million dollar debt.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He was first elected to the City Council in 1991 and re-elected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The 49th ward, encompassing the eastern part of Rogers Park neighborhood, is at the far north of the city, bordered by Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
on the east, and by city of Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
to the north.
Education
Moore graduated from Knox College in GalesburgGalesburg
Galesburg is the name of some places in the United States of America:*Galesburg, Illinois, the largest city in the US named Galesburg*Galesburg, Kansas*Galesburg, Michigan*Galesburg, North Dakota...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
with a B.A in 1980 and earned a J.D. in 1984 from DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
law school. After graduation he was an attorney for the City of Chicago from 1984 to 1991.
Early career
Moore, a former President of the Independent Network 49 political organization that supported Harold WashingtonHarold Washington
Harold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987.- Early years and military service :...
and David Orr, first became known for his championing of community policing.
Foie gras ban
Moore was the chief sponsor of an ordinance banning the sale of foie grasFoie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
, on the grounds that its production includes animal cruelty; after much publicity, the ordinance passed overwhelmingly but has since been repealed. Moore was honored in February, 2007 by the Humane Society of the United States for his leadership on the issue of cruelty to animals. Moore's support of this issue was the subject of many widespread and derisive comments. National news organizations covered the story from many angles, some hospitable and some hostile.
"Big Box"
Moore was the chief sponsor of a law raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour for companies such as Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Target and Home Depot. The ordinance was vetoed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
and, while still enjoying the support of most of the Council, failed to garner enough votes to override the Mayor's veto. As a result of Moore's involvement with this legislation, he earned the support of labor unions and living-wage activists, but became a target of supporters of Wal-Mart.
Other issues
Moore was the successful sponsor of a WhistleblowerWhistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
Ordinance that gave taxpayers the right to recover damages, on behalf of the city, against corrupt city contractors.
Moore was a critic of the City's unsuccessful blue-bag recycling program, and outspoken in favor of a more comprehensive recycling program.
In recent years, Moore has become known outside of Rogers Park for raising issues he believes to be of national importance in the Chicago City Hall. Moore was one of the first city council members to announce his opposition to a pre-emptive military invasion of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and to the U.S. Patriot Act.
In 2010, Joe Moore is carrying out the first participatory budgeting
Participatory budgeting
Participatory budgeting is a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making, and a type of participatory democracy, in which ordinary people decide how to allocate part of a municipal or public budget...
process in the United States to allocate his ward's $1.3 million discretionary capital budget.
Criticisms
Critics suggest that Alderman Moore's priorities include issues that attract national support from activists, unions, and liberal donors, but which have less direct impact on 49th residents and their needs. Critics point to the loss of affordable housing, lack of economic development and jobs, and poor public schools in the 49th ward as issues demanding more attention from Alderman Moore. Moore also is accused of taking symbolic positions on issues which local government has no bearing or voice, while failing to pass ordinances that have the force of law. Critics also contend that community projects initiated under Moore's tenure, such as street improvement projects and a long-anticipated community park, have been slow to develop or left uncompleted altogether.Alderman Moore also voted in favor of the controversial Chicago Parking Meter deal, which has become a scandal.
Supporters
Supporters contend that Moore is one of the few real progressives in the City Council and that his policies support the kind of worker-friendly environment that the city of Chicago has traditionally been known for. Supporters also point out that Alderman Moore's stewardship of the 49th Ward has acted as a brake to unbridled development, thus mitigating the effects of gentrificationGentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
. During Moore's tenure, numerous streetscape, retail development, and parks programs have been successfully completed, including a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, a new 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) park which replaced an adult bookstore and dilapidated housing, the renovation of the old Howard Theater building, Dominick's Grocery and Mall at Howard and Clark, A Community Center on Howard, a new firehouse on Clark, and the Sheridan Road and Howard Streetscape beautification projects. In 2008, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
named Ald. Moore its Most Valuable Local Official..."He has gotten the Chicago city council to oppose the war, defend civil liberties and take on chain-stores that batter local businesses".
2007 election
In his most recent election, Alderman Moore received more than 3,600 votes (or 49.3%) in the four-way primary and so was forced into a runoff against banking executive Don Gordon, who polled 29%. Moore won the runoff, increasing his vote total to more than 4,000 and garnering approximately 51.6%.National politics
Moore has been active in politics outside of Chicago, including on the national level. His first political work was for independent presidential candidate John AndersonJohn B. Anderson
John Bayard Anderson is a former United States Congressman and Presidential candidate from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois for ten terms from 1961 through 1981 and an Independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election. He was previously...
. He was a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. He has served on the board of the National League of Cities, chairs the National Democratic Municipal Officials Conference, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
(DNC). DNC Chairman Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
recently appointed Moore to a DNC Committee on Budget and Finance. Moore ran in 2000 for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County but lost in the primary election to eventual winner Dorothy Brown.
Use of ward office for political purposes
The Democratic ward organization in Moore's ward, the Democratic Party of the 49th Ward and its chairman, ward committeeman David Fagus, were cited in a complaint filed on August 31, 2005 with the Illinois State Board of Elections by the Cook CountyCook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The complaint was one of sixteen city-wide complaints filed that charged that some Democratic Party ward organizations in Chicago are illegally housed in City-funded neighborhood ward offices. Moore acknowledged that his ward committeeman, Fagus, has a desk and phone line in a corner of his aldermanic office, but does not share in the payment of rent. Taxpayers fund aldermanic service centers, which are open to the public. State law prohibits the use of any public funds by any candidate for political or campaign purposes. The complaint was one of nine that a Hearing Officer appointed by the Board recommended proceed to the next step of the hearing process, an Open Preliminary Hearing. On October 17, 2005, at a regularly scheduled meeting, the Board entered an executive session
Executive session
An executive session is a portion of the United States Senate's daily session in which it considers nominations and treaties, or other items introduced by the President of the United States. These items are termed executive business; therefore, the session is an executive session. It can either be...
and voted, in a 4-4 tie, along strict party lines, failing to adopt the recommendation of the Hearing Officer, and ordered the complaints dismissed. The complaint against the 49th ward organization was one of eight that the Cook County Republican Party appealed all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. On January 23, 2009, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ordered the Illinois appellate court to conduct a judicial review of the Board's dismissals of the complaints.
Adelphi Theater demolition
In 2000, Moore told the Lerner News Star Newspaper he would not accept contributions from those with pending zoning issues "to remove any hint of possible influence."to 2005, developers Chad and Bronco Zuric approached Moore seeking a zoning change to support plans to tear down the historic Adelphi Theater at 7070 North Clark Street in Chicago in the 49th ward and redevelop the site. On June 8th, 2005, the Zurics' company, Golden Hands Construction, gave a $1000 contribution to Moore. In the fall of 2005, Moore voted twice in favor in City Council and the Zurics were granted their zoning change. In total, the Zurics have given Moore $13,500 in campaign contributions since 2005. The site is in foreclosure and the Zurics and their bank have competing lawsuits over a $2 million dollar debt.