This week’s alderman report shifts its focus to Chicago’s West Side to highlight the accomplishments of 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin.
Ervin began serving the 28th Ward after being appointed to the position by then Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in January 2011 to replace incumbent Ed H. Smith. Ervin would go on to win the election in February 2011 for a full term. Prior to serving as a Chicago alderman, Ervin was the Villager Manager of the Village of Maywood.
As alderman of the 28th Ward, Ervin serves portions of Austin, West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Little Italy, Little Village, Pilsen, West Loop, Tri-Taylor and University Village.
Currently, Ervin serves the Chicago City Council as vice chair, committee on Budget and Government Operations; vice chair, committee on Human Relations, and is a member on the committee of Committees, Rules and Ethics; committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development; committee on Education and Child Development; committee on Finance; committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety; and committee on Transportation and Public Way.
Legislation
According to the City of Chicago’s Office of the City Clerk website, Ervin has introduced 100 pieces of legislation since October 2016.
Of the legislation introduced, more than 60 pieces of legislation were either passed/adopted with the majority focusing on handicap parking permits and grant(s) of privilege in public way. The City of Chicago defines “public way use” as anything that extends over or is on the public way and therefore needs a permit to be issued by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP).
Crime
The 28th Ward is comprised of four Chicago Police Department districts – 10th, 11th, 12th, and 15th. Given the wide scope of the ward – which extends as far west as Central Ave., as far east as beyond Ashland Ave., as far north as Chicago Ave., and as far south as Cermak Ave.- the overall make-up of the crime statistics presented will vary.
The following statistics were collected from the City of Chicago’s Police Department’s CompStats for Week 17.
According to CPD’s statistics for the 10th district for the week of April 24-30, there’s been a 14 percent decrease in crime including cases of murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft from 2013-2017. However, during this same time period, murder, criminal sexual assault, and robbery all were slightly worse than in 2013.
The 11th District witnessed an overall increase in crime from 2013-2017. In 2013, 999 cases of the recognized criminal offenses were documented compared to 1,064 cases in 2017. During that same time period, there was a 19 percent decrease in burglary and a 29 percent decrease in theft.
The 12th District witnessed an overall increase in crime, too, since 2013. In fact, criminal sexual assault has increased by 111 percent in the last four years going from 18 to 38 leading up to the week of April. Motor vehicle theft is down 25 percent over the last four years from 322 to 243. In total, the district reported 1,303 cases of crime so far in 2017 as compared to 1,108 reported in 2013.
The 15th District witnessed increases in crime across the board from 2013-2017 but specifically in the category of murder, which increased by 183 percent from six to 17. Overall, crime saw a 12 percent increase from 631 reported crimes in 2013 to 708 in 2017.
Schools
Below are the rankings for schools within the 28th Ward based on Chicago Public School’s School Quality Rating Policy. According to CPS’ website, the SQRP measures a school’s annual performance based on but not limited to school culture and climate, student test score performance, student academic growth, attendance, graduation rate, preparation for post-graduation success, and more. CPS’ SQRP ranks schools on a 1+,1, 2+, 2, 3 scale with 1+ being the highest possible score.
1. David G. Farragut Career Academy School, 2345 S. Christiana Ave., Level 2.
2. Helen M. Hefferan Elementary School, 4409 W. Wilcox St., Level 1.
3. George Leland Elementary School, 513 S. Lavergne Ave., Level 2+.
4. Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School, 5101 W. Harrison St., Level 2+.
TIF Funding
According to the City of Chicago’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) website portal, the 28th ward possessed one major TIF district. TIF funds are used to build and repair roads and infrastructure, clean polluted land and put vacant properties back to use. Listed below is the major TIF district along with budget details. Go to https://webapps1.cityofchicago.org/ChicagoTif/ for a detailed listing of every project.
Midway TIF Investments: $79,995,720; Non-TIF Investments – $227,645,422; Total = $307,641,142
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