By LORRAINE SWANSON
Editor
Ald. Helen Shiller said she returned developer Christopher Byrne’s campaign contributions totaling $1,500 after she made her decision to support his rezoning request. The donations were made to the Citizens for Shiller campaign committee in 2006 and 2007.
Sheridan Park's oldest house built in 1892. The house was demolished in 2005 to make way for a condominium development. (Reader-submitted photo to Uptown Update)
Explaining her decision following Thursday’s Zoning Committee hearing, Shiller said, “All I can say is that I went home and thought about it and felt it was wrong because of this strong point of view that I have, or believe I have, about one set of rules. I can’t answer it any other way.”
If it were a situation where the entire 4600 block of North Beacon were single-family homes, or if the buildings directly adjacent to the property were single-family homes, she said “It wouldn’t even be a question.”
After she decided to support Byrne’s rezoning request, Shiller said she went to her office the next day and contacted her campaign committee Citizens for Shiller.
“I said, ‘has this person ever made any donations to me,’” Shiller tated for the record. “As you know, I don’t look at my donations or do my [campaign finance] reports. They said yes. I said, ‘whatever it is, return it.’”
Shiller said that the returned donations will be reflected on her campaign finance reports covering the first six months of 2009 next month, when they are posted on the Illinois State Board of Elections web site.
Byrne confirmed that the campaign donations were returned when contacted by phone on Thursday. He did not know the exact amount.
He also said that he went to “every single house and unit on both sides” of Beacon and got 116 letters of support for his project at 4627 N. Beacon.
Tim Murphy, who spoke against the developer’s rezoning request at Thursday’s zoning hearing, acknowledged that he and his wife signed one of the letters supporting Byrne’s project. He said they reversed their support, however, “after we realized the negatives.”
Byrne said he collected the letters of support over an 18-month period. “My attorney has copies, the alderman has copies, and I have copies,” Byrne said.
Plans for his eight-unit residential development haven’t changed, he said. Materials for the building’s exterior façade will not be out of character with the neighborhood’s historic architecture. The setbacks and easements will also remain the same as required in the RT-4 zoning.
“I had plans for this building in 2005 when I went to city hall,” Byrne said. “I plan to build and sell the units for myself,” he said.
The demolition of the 1892 Victorian home at 4627 N. Beacon spurred efforts to designate Dover Street and parts of Beacon as a Chicago Landmark District in December 2007 along the 46th and 47th Ward boundary. Shiller said she encouraged the effort and plans to remain a preservation partner in the neighborhood.
“When residents wanted to do the Dover Street [Landmark District] I’m the one who brought it to Ald. Schulter. After the fact, you’d think I had nothing to do with it because in the end, all these things become political,” Shiller said. “That’s not a factor me, I don’t care … I have to function based on what I think is the right thing from what I think is the right thing from a policy point of view, because if we don’t do that what kind of policies are we going to end up with.”
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It’s not making sense why Ald. Shiller broke the promise she made to hundreds of residents and community leaders almost 4 years ago. The intent of the residents was to stop the very thing that is now happening with this property.
The community process be damned (again). 2011 can’t come soon enough.
“As you know, I don’t look at my donations or do my [campaign finance] reports.”
What’s that word? Oh yeah — bullshit.
Of course she does, and of course she’s lying.
Even if she weren’t lying, she has then admitted to being a complete political whore who will accept money from anyone.
I bet she knows damned well how much Peter Holsten has given her.
Or, for that matter, ANY developer who does any work in Uptown.
And how honest is that?
This woman is an embarrassment to the political system.
Beyond being a baldfaced liar, cheat and piss poor alderman, she’s also a bigot and has done little more than discriminate against the people who actually pay her salary.
Alderman Shiller: They also called billyjoe a “bigot,” but there is no way you are a bigot. One can’t be “bogoted” against wealthy entitled people.
[...] the meeting, Shiller stated that she returned Byrne’s campaign contributions totaling [...]