Latest news with #StreetWise
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Column: A high schooler gives voice to the StreetWise world
'StreetWise,' the man shouts at the snazzy corner of Michigan Avenue and Walton Street as people pass him by, 'StreetWise, here.' But of course there is shopping to do, lunch with friends, all sorts of other chores and engagements. … Hurry, hurry, hurry. has long been the excuse most people have used not to buy a copy from the people who sell it for a living. The publication has been around since 1992, a means by which people could earn money by selling what was then a newspaper. In March that year, I was told, 'It gives people a hand up and not just a handout,' by its first editor, Kathleen 'Casey' Covganka, before the first issue hit the streets that September. Ever since, few have taken the time to discover anything about StreetWise salespeople, the vendors. Some don't have the time to exchange even a glance, making the vendors among the city's most faceless citizens. That's not true of 17-year-old Anthony Mateos, who lives in Evanston and has just completed his junior year at Evanston Township High School. He has compiled and published a terrific book titled 'Who We Are: Stories From the Chicago StreetWise Community.' An oral history, it contains first-name-only interviews with many vendors and a few staff members, such as editor-in-chief Suzanne, who says. 'I don't want (vendors) to just be pitied and take money, and people say, 'Oh, isn't that special? Isn't that sweet?' That's patronizing for all of us. I want them to take the magazine, read the magazine, and consider the things that StreetWise is talking about, which are marginalized people and the question, 'How do we make Chicago better?'' Says one vendor named Lonnie, 'It's a great opportunity to get out there and talk to people, not only just to sell StreetWise. To let people know at the end of the day you're not by yourself and that's going to be okay. But you have to keep going, and you have to keep working hard. You have to take it to another level, knowing it's going to be a better day. Them better days outweigh a not-good day. I make the best of every day.' Here's Jimmie, who has been a vendor for nearly 20 years, saying, 'StreetWise picked me up when I was a mess. Once I got with StreetWise, it changed my life. It put hope in front of me.' There are similar sentiments and uplifting stories expressed throughout. For the $14.50 cost of the 67-page book (available at self-publisher with profits going to StreetWise), you'll get many similar sentiments and uplifting stories. And perhaps, as Mateos writes in his brief introduction, you might 'go beyond the pages. Next time you see a vendor selling StreetWise, buy a magazine and talk with them. If you cannot buy a magazine, offer them a smile or a wave. The kindness matters.' Mateos was inspired to this project by his mother, Elizabeth Schaefer, who is a professor and director of communications and marketing studies for National Louis University. Nearly a decade ago, he accompanied her when she was working on gathering interviews that became her book 'Women Are With You: An Oral History Book About Domestically Abusive Relationships.' She also helped navigate the self-publishing world, for which she has written and published a number of books. I have written about her before and, in the small world department, also about her mom, Trish Schaefer, who I met decades ago, when she was sitting behind a piano playing and singing at a number of clubs on the local scene. I wrote that 'she was one of the bright lights on the local club scene, juggling her singing career with acting, appearing in commercials, films and a TV show called 'Lady Blue'.' She gave up show business to raise two daughters, one of whom was Elizabeth. It's a creative family but Anthony, as empowered as he is by his first published book, is not dreaming of future bestseller lists. Raised as the only child of his single mom, he is an independent thinker, an honors student and member of the ETHS rowing team. The book, he says, 'Makes me proud and happy.' StreetWise has changed much since its founding. It's no longer a newspaper but a magazine, published once a week and sold by some 150 vendors. It has operated since 2020 in collaboration with YMCA Metropolitan Chicago and thus has been able to expand its services to vendors. They pay $1.15 for each copy and then sell them for $3. No one is getting rich. But the vendors, all of whom wear badges and have undergone training, can also avail themselves of such benefits as food, clothing and the assistance of social workers. Mateos tells me that most of the vendors 'were very receptive to talking to me, to sharing their lives.' He says that many of his friends and a few of his teachers were surprised by the book. He so far raised about $1,000. He is spending the summer on the Northwestern University campus, taking classes in one of his current interests, neuroscience. Northwestern is among the universities and colleges he will be applying to in a few months and any one of them will be lucky to have him.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aurora mayoral candidates: Judd Lofchie focused on city finances, local business in campaign for mayor
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at candidates for mayor of Aurora in the Feb. 25 primary election. Judd Lofchie, an Aurora-based business lawyer and commercial real estate broker who currently sits on the East Aurora School District Board of Education, is running for mayor. Early voting is currently available for the Feb. 25 primary election, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. Also on the ballot for mayor of Aurora in the primary are incumbent Richard Irvin, Ald. John Laesch, Ald. Ted Mesiacos, Karina Garcia and Jazmine Garcia, who recently suspended her campaign. Aurora residents will each get to vote for one mayoral candidate, and the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the Feb. 25 primary will move on to the April 1 general election. Each of the mayoral candidates agreed to an interview with The Beacon-News. In Lofchie's interview, he said the city could be heading toward 'financial ruin' because of what he said are its large amounts of debt, its unfunded pensions, its 'massive projects' and the 'massive subsidies' it gives to developers. 'I'm all for spending money. I'm a business guy,' Lofchie said. 'But, we have to make sure it's going to at least break even.' Although he has spent the last roughly 30 years in Aurora, Lofchie was born in Chicago and grew up around Elmhurst and Oak Brook, he said. After graduating from York High School, Lofchie graduated from the University of Michigan, then went on to get his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law and an advanced law degree from American University. Lofchie said that being a lawyer was something he always wanted to be in part because it seemed like something that could help people. His parents volunteered a lot when he was growing up, and they instilled in him an interest in helping others, he said. That interest has extended beyond Lofchie's work as a lawyer into what he called a 'lifetime of community service.' That includes volunteering at homeless shelters and food banks, roughly 25 years in the Rotary Club and the founding of StreetWise, a newspaper turned magazine in Chicago designed to help homeless people. Lofchie still serves on the board of StreetWise. According to StreetWise's website, the organization 'exists to elevate marginalized voices and provide opportunities for individuals to earn an income with dignity.' The idea, the website said, was to give homeless people a chance to 'regain personal dignity and help themselves' by selling StreetWise to earn money rather than beg, but the organization also offers an employment preparation and placement program along with other supportive services. Lofchie first got involved in politics around 20 years ago by working on campaigns, and then ran his own successful campaign to be 10th Ward alderman in Aurora in 2017, he said. There he served one term before unsuccessfully challenging Irvin in the 2021 mayoral race. He ran for mayor in 2021 because he 'just couldn't take being an alderman' after clashing so much with Irvin, who he said is 'not collaborative.' As alderman, his biggest accomplishments were an ethics ordinance that outlines procedures for gifts, conflicts of interest and similar things as well as changing the way the city gave out financial incentives to developers, he said. In 2023, Lofchie was elected to the East Aurora School Board, where he still serves. While on that board, his proudest accomplishments have been the approval of a new vocational center and the feedback he's given the board and the administration based on conversations he's had with teachers, he said. In his professional life, Lofchie is a self-employed lawyer practicing real estate, estate planning and business law as well as being a real estate broker. Through that work, he has helped over 50 businesses open in Aurora, he said, and that has helped him to understand the process, which he said was 'difficult, cumbersome' and 'needs to be streamlined.' For example, he said that it often takes more than six months to get a permit instead of the two to three months it should take. Also, it takes six or seven meetings to get developments approved, but in other cities it only takes three, he said. Lofchie said that easing restrictions on both Aurora businesses and residents is a priority of his. He suggested the city could implement a streamlined permitting process similar to Chicago's Express Permit Program and could cut down on the number of meetings needed to get a development approved. Aurora also often gives fines that are 'abusively excessive' to both businesses and residents who are trying their best to follow city codes, according to Lofchie. He said the city should instead work with those businesses and residents to get issues fixed. However, Lofchie said his top priority is fiscal responsibility and managing the budget given the city's financial state, which is why he is running for mayor. He said the proposed 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space known as the City of Lights Center, which city staff previously said would cost between $100 million and $120 million to build, is 'the scariest because, without any sort of real plan that it'll break even, it could drive us into bankruptcy.' If elected, Lofchie said he would make sure that every major development project the city undertakes has 'some sort of proof' like a study or business plan showing that it is at least going to break even. He would also look to 'aggressively' bid out big professional service contracts, similar to what the East Aurora School Board has done to save money, he said. Finally, Lofchie would also stop what he called the 'massive subsidies' to developers, he said. Because he has been in the business for over 30 years, he knows more qualified developers who could be attracted to Aurora that don't need city funds to do projects in the city, he said. Another priority would be implementing a program called 'Aurora Promise.' Lofchie said this program would give scholarships to qualifying Aurora high school students to attend college or a vocational program. Although Irvin has previously criticized this idea for being similar to the 'Aurora Promise' program recently passed by the City Council, which would give all Aurora public school kindergarteners a bank account with a starting balance of $50 to spend on education after high school, Lofchie said that program is 'kind of a joke' compared to the one he is proposing, especially since the bank account does not generate interest. What sets Lofchie apart from other candidates is his experience in management and in business, he said. While as mayor he could bring in many more businesses than he already has, the city needs a master plan that is informed by community input to help decide where the city wants certain kinds of businesses, so then the city could work to attract them to those areas, according to Lofchie. He also wants to help existing businesses, which he said the city could be doing better. He suggested support for minority-owned businesses and marketing help for all city businesses, helping to keep them around after grand-opening ribbon cuttings. According to Lofchie's campaign website, he has been endorsed by Naperville Township Trustee Loretta Burke, the Rev. Dan Haas and Dr. Robert Renteria, among others. rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora mayoral candidates: Judd Lofchie focused on city finances, local business in campaign for mayor
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at candidates for mayor of Aurora in the Feb. 25 primary election. Judd Lofchie, an Aurora-based business lawyer and commercial real estate broker who currently sits on the East Aurora School District Board of Education, is running for mayor. Early voting is currently available for the Feb. 25 primary election, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. Also on the ballot for mayor of Aurora in the primary are incumbent Richard Irvin, Ald. John Laesch, Ald. Ted Mesiacos, Karina Garcia and Jazmine Garcia, who recently suspended her campaign. Aurora residents will each get to vote for one mayoral candidate, and the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the Feb. 25 primary will move on to the April 1 general election. Each of the mayoral candidates agreed to an interview with The Beacon-News. In Lofchie's interview, he said the city could be heading toward 'financial ruin' because of what he said are its large amounts of debt, its unfunded pensions, its 'massive projects' and the 'massive subsidies' it gives to developers. 'I'm all for spending money. I'm a business guy,' Lofchie said. 'But, we have to make sure it's going to at least break even.' Although he has spent the last roughly 30 years in Aurora, Lofchie was born in Chicago and grew up around Elmhurst and Oak Brook, he said. After graduating from York High School, Lofchie graduated from the University of Michigan, then went on to get his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law and an advanced law degree from American University. Lofchie said that being a lawyer was something he always wanted to be in part because it seemed like something that could help people. His parents volunteered a lot when he was growing up, and they instilled in him an interest in helping others, he said. That interest has extended beyond Lofchie's work as a lawyer into what he called a 'lifetime of community service.' That includes volunteering at homeless shelters and food banks, roughly 25 years in the Rotary Club and the founding of StreetWise, a newspaper turned magazine in Chicago designed to help homeless people. Lofchie still serves on the board of StreetWise. According to StreetWise's website, the organization 'exists to elevate marginalized voices and provide opportunities for individuals to earn an income with dignity.' The idea, the website said, was to give homeless people a chance to 'regain personal dignity and help themselves' by selling StreetWise to earn money rather than beg, but the organization also offers an employment preparation and placement program along with other supportive services. Lofchie first got involved in politics around 20 years ago by working on campaigns, and then ran his own successful campaign to be 10th Ward alderman in Aurora in 2017, he said. There he served one term before unsuccessfully challenging Irvin in the 2021 mayoral race. He ran for mayor in 2021 because he 'just couldn't take being an alderman' after clashing so much with Irvin, who he said is 'not collaborative.' As alderman, his biggest accomplishments were an ethics ordinance that outlines procedures for gifts, conflicts of interest and similar things as well as changing the way the city gave out financial incentives to developers, he said. In 2023, Lofchie was elected to the East Aurora School Board, where he still serves. While on that board, his proudest accomplishments have been the approval of a new vocational center and the feedback he's given the board and the administration based on conversations he's had with teachers, he said. In his professional life, Lofchie is a self-employed lawyer practicing real estate, estate planning and business law as well as being a real estate broker. Through that work, he has helped over 50 businesses open in Aurora, he said, and that has helped him to understand the process, which he said was 'difficult, cumbersome' and 'needs to be streamlined.' For example, he said that it often takes more than six months to get a permit instead of the two to three months it should take. Also, it takes six or seven meetings to get developments approved, but in other cities it only takes three, he said. Lofchie said that easing restrictions on both Aurora businesses and residents is a priority of his. He suggested the city could implement a streamlined permitting process similar to Chicago's Express Permit Program and could cut down on the number of meetings needed to get a development approved. Aurora also often gives fines that are 'abusively excessive' to both businesses and residents who are trying their best to follow city codes, according to Lofchie. He said the city should instead work with those businesses and residents to get issues fixed. However, Lofchie said his top priority is fiscal responsibility and managing the budget given the city's financial state, which is why he is running for mayor. He said the proposed 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space known as the City of Lights Center, which city staff previously said would cost between $100 million and $120 million to build, is 'the scariest because, without any sort of real plan that it'll break even, it could drive us into bankruptcy.' If elected, Lofchie said he would make sure that every major development project the city undertakes has 'some sort of proof' like a study or business plan showing that it is at least going to break even. He would also look to 'aggressively' bid out big professional service contracts, similar to what the East Aurora School Board has done to save money, he said. Finally, Lofchie would also stop what he called the 'massive subsidies' to developers, he said. Because he has been in the business for over 30 years, he knows more qualified developers who could be attracted to Aurora that don't need city funds to do projects in the city, he said. Another priority would be implementing a program called 'Aurora Promise.' Lofchie said this program would give scholarships to qualifying Aurora high school students to attend college or a vocational program. Although Irvin has previously criticized this idea for being similar to the 'Aurora Promise' program recently passed by the City Council, which would give all Aurora public school kindergarteners a bank account with a starting balance of $50 to spend on education after high school, Lofchie said that program is 'kind of a joke' compared to the one he is proposing, especially since the bank account does not generate interest. What sets Lofchie apart from other candidates is his experience in management and in business, he said. While as mayor he could bring in many more businesses than he already has, the city needs a master plan that is informed by community input to help decide where the city wants certain kinds of businesses, so then the city could work to attract them to those areas, according to Lofchie. He also wants to help existing businesses, which he said the city could be doing better. He suggested support for minority-owned businesses and marketing help for all city businesses, helping to keep them around after grand-opening ribbon cuttings. According to Lofchie's campaign website, he has been endorsed by Naperville Township Trustee Loretta Burke, the Rev. Dan Haas and Dr. Robert Renteria, among others.
