Political Scientist: The More Clout, The Faster Your Chicago Ward Gets Plowed
(CBS) -- Four days after the big snow storm, questions linger about side street-plowing priorities.
Some neighborhoods feel slighted, CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
When the fifth-worst snow storm in Chicago's history dumped 19 inches on the city, crews hit the main streets immediately after the big snow. But when it came to side streets, it seemed to depend on where you live.
One resident of Ravenswood, in the 44th Ward, praised plow drivers to hit her street within 48 hours. But a Woodlawn resident in the 20th Ward wasn't happy; she says on the second day, a plow drove through but did not put the plow down.
Former 44th Ward alderman Dick Simpson, a political scientist at the University of Illinois-Chicago, says a good ward superintendent controls his crews.
He say resident whose aldermen have more clout get quicker attention.
"They don't want the head of the Finance Committee, like Ald. (Ed) Burke, or Floor Leader Pat O'Connor, to be mad at them because it may hurt their budget," Simpson says.
Then there are the mayor's political opponents. Their wards get plowed sooner than later because they may publically complain, says Simpson.
Residents of some wards benefit because aldermen, like Pat Dowell, spent campaign funds money to supplement city crews.
