Yes, that was nuts.. I am actually continually impressed at how direct Reilly is.. the bad smell of evasiveness comes up every time the CCM talks about their proposal in public, I'm suprised they've gotten this far.

I was at the first of many "neighborhood" meetings open only to residents of each building (I lived at NHT at the time) where they tried their one-sided pitch (divide and conquer). Peter England, consultants, and others talked.

Reilly was most memorable in interjecting at one point to a question.. unscripted.. succinct, and to the point. Whereas other questions were tossed aside by the CCM staff at the event.. Some residents were concerned it seemed very much like a done deal the way it was being presented. (He simply said it was not a done deal.)

I'd be curious how the rest of their one-sided pitches went to other buildings. I guess not good for them given their subsequent reprehensible behavior, i.e. commandeering that NEAR meeting busloads of people preventing interested parties from entering and police presence.. crazy..

Eric

A great editorial in today's Trib;

"But let's not pretend this project is about putting children at the center of our city or any other sentimental platitude. Because this land grab isn't really about children.

This land grab is about clout."

The Grant Park land grab -- Grant Park, Chicago Park District -- chicagotribune.com

Also, WTTW has posted the Alderman Reilly/Jennifer Farrington interview on their website.

WTTW - Chicago Tonight On Demand

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Parkshore Gal
SAVEGRANTPARK.ORG

I see there is a lot of discussion on their message boards on the topic..
WTTW - Message Board

from today's Beachwood Reporter;

X X X
Are there X's in Grant Park yet where the Children's Museum will go?
If I was Save Grant Park, I would post guards.

The Beachwood Reporter

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Parkshore Gal
SAVEGRANTPARK.ORG

B12Partners weighs in:

The Grant Park land grab - B12 Solipsism

So have they filed for a Planning Commission meeting yet?

Tired of waiting...

See the Trib and Sun Times for the latest from our mayor....

Clout Street - local political coverage | Chicago Tribune | Blog

Daley plays race card in museum debate :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics

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Parkshore Gal
SAVEGRANTPARK.ORG

Mayor plays the race card again

Hi All,

Thanks to our hard work and the opposition of our allies like Preservation Chicago, Friends of the Parks, and Friends of Downtown, we've forced museum officials and the Mayor to back down for another month.

THE MUSEUM WILL NOT BE ON THE APRIL 17 PLAN COMMISSION AGENDA!

Museum officials said they would submit plans within the next 60-90 days which could possibly put us at the Thursday, May 15 Plan Commission meeting.

But this fight is far from over. Yesterday the Mayor pulled out the race card again.

Race card back in museum debate :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics

Now is the time for you to reach out to your co-workers, friends and families throughout the city and urge them to contact their aldermen and tell them to vote NO. The museum has retained a small army of high-paid consultants, and newspaper editorials alone are not going to win this fight.

Mayor Daley and museum officials will be twisting arms (note the aldermen in the article who support Daley's claims). But we know from the many aldermen who have already pledged their opposition to the museum's land grab that the one thing that matters most to City Council members is where their constituents stand.

Alderman Reilly was on WTTW Chicago Tonight last week with the COO of the Musuem. If you missed it, you can go to their website and view the segment under previous programs. WTTW said they received an overwhelming response with 96% of the letters against the museum's plans.

Make those calls! Tell everyone to go to savegrantpark.org and sign the online petition and get all the updates. Or you can also help by donating money! Checks can be made out to "Save Grant Park" and mailed to:
5th/3rd Bank, 400 E. South Water St., Chgo, IL 60601 Attn: Save Grant Park.

We will share more information as it comes available.

Thank you for your support in helping protect the one and only Grant Park.

Regards,

Peggy Figiel
Save Grant Park