SAVE THE DATE!

th
6 Ward Aldermanic Forum
Sponsored by Greater
Chatham Alliance
You’re invited to join us in the state-
of-the-art Great Hall at:
Kennedy-King College
J A N U A R Y ‘11 Meeting Saturday, January 22, 2011
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meeeettiinngg 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Please attend to hear questions about the
Sa tur d ay , January 15 ca n di d a t e s’ q u al i fi ca ti o n s, v i s i o n
and specific plans for leading the ward
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m.. –– 1122::3300 pp..m
m.. during these very difficult financial and
St. James Lutheran Church social times.
8 0 0 0 S. M i c h i g a n
N o w a c c e p t i n g G CA $ 3 0 y e a r l y All 6th Ward neighbors are
m e mb e r du e s p e r fa mil y fo r 2 011 . invited to attend.
On e vot e p e r m e mb e r s h ip.
SPECIAL GUEST MODERATOR &
Madelyn James, President CO M MUNITY PANELISTS TO BE
7 7 3 . 6 3 5 . 6 5 0 0 for more info ANNOUNCED LATER.
REQ UES T O UR E- NE W S L ET TER V I A
e m a i l: g c a hono r@ s b c glob al.n e t Please invite your family,
friends and 6th ward neighbors!
Light Refreshments Served

S
S P
P E
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C II A
A LL EE D
D II TT II O
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Dear GCA Members and Chatham Neighbors
2010 was a challenging, exciting and sometimes an inexplicably tragic year for our neigh-
bors, community, and GCA. During this time of year many of us reflect on the personal highlights
and the lowlights for the year. GCA has had growing pains and our outreach continues to extend
to partner with other communities and organizations.
We are remembering during this time of year our neighbors who are less fortunate this
year. GCA voted to provide a $200 donation for two families from Ruggles to help the families
provide a happier holiday season for their children. GCA purchased for each fa mily
a $50 Wal-Ma rt gift certificate to purchase toys or clothing and a $50 Chatham Food’s gift
certificate for a Christmas dinner. GCA hopes that our neighbors and members will continue to
assist those who may be less fortunate this holiday season and in 2011.
2011 will usher in substantial political changes in the city of Chicago. So GCA requested
platform editorial ads from all candidates running for 6th Ward Alderman who were eligible for the
ballot at the time of our printing. THESE ADS ARE NOT AN ENDORSEMENT. Chatham residents
consistently come out to vote during every election. These ads are for information only. Wishing
you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza and a Safe and Prosperous New Year.
Sincerely,
Madelyn James, GCA Interim President
 6th WARD ALDERMAN
As a CAPS Officer in the 6th District, I’ve seen it all, and heard it
all. But it’s my ministry that gives me the spiritual balance to
remain optimistic that I can affect a positive change in the 6th
Ward. This is why I am seeking this office.
Over the years our ward has lost sight of what makes a
community valuable to its constituents. Chatham needs new
leadership focused on values: the value of family, the value of
community safety, property values and the value of our elders
and their wisdom. Our ward also deserves its value to be
restored through growing our businesses and investing in
competitive and comprehensive public education.
As a child, my parents taught me my first set of values. These
values remained with me through graduation from
Cosmopolitan Private High School. Later, through my service as
a Sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 1st Calvary Division during Desert
Storm, I learned the value of discipline. While raising my children
in Chatham I gained a better appreciation for education. Not
only of solid, primary schooling for our children; but a deeper
understanding of how a safe and secure community is critical to
them obtaining that education. This further inspired me to get
my BA degree in Law Enforcement Management. Moreover, 10
years on the police force (Englewood – 7th district & Grasham -
6th District/includes 6th Ward) and 7 years owning a security
firm has given me a unique perspective about the fortitude
required for an entrepreneur to keep a business thriving in our
Ward. And it is this knowledge and experience that has
prepared me to meet the challenges that face us as we work
toward restoring values back to the 6th ward.
WHAT’S WRONG IN CHATHAM?
Crime! Foreclosed housing! Newer neighbors lacking respect for
traditional community values! Lower property values and a
declining business sector are the major ills affecting Chatham.
Add to this an Alderman not recognizing that Chatham won’t be
able to attract new families to an aging community if most of the
schools are on probation, or that Chatham’s small business
district isn’t growing. Further adding to the dysfunction of our
ward is the inability of the Alderman’s office to instantly address
the problems and–– identify programs that can effect change.
My years of service to my country and community have taught
me that you are only as good as your team. I want a qualified
staff that is continually trained in customer service and
communication skills. I want a staff member with grant writing
experience to help consult the ward's community groups and
neighborhood businesses. This person will identify grants and
programs groups and businesses can pursue to help restore core
values back to Chatham.
To advance the office's communications with the community via
the Internet, social networking and mobile communications,
I would hire a staff person that has a solid technological
background. Info from any city, state and federal program needs
w w w. re s to r ingvalues.com
to get out quickly. Only use a cell phone? Then we could contact
you via text alerts. At the grass-roots level, I will invite presidents
from the 6th Ward community groups to a once-a-month
meeting. This will help me focus on a more prioritized sense of
what their community wants to achieve.
WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?
Knowing the jargon of the police department makes an
Alderman a more effective bridge between the community and
those sworn to protect it. I know first hand that you can’t make
significant change if you’re seen as an outsider. Patrolling the
streets in this ward and interacting with its citizens has afforded
an insight into the root causes that feed frustration on both
sides. As such, by identifying the top 5 crimes and locations
affecting Chatham and synergizing a community patrol and
neighborhood watch is critical! Also, as Alderman, one of my top
priorities will be to push for the Office of Emergency Management
and Communication (OEMC) to update its 911 system.
Today, if you don’t offer our youth the options of being engaged
in after school programs, you leave them vulnerable to bad
influences. Volunteering with our youth and mentoring young
men in the ward has made that very clear to me. So my
administration will work with our churches, schools and
community groups to implement programs that allow kids the
chance to stay focused on a positive future. Should we succeed
in securing a grant from the Illinois Violence Prevention Agency,
jobs would be created in the community aiding in the
establishment of neighborhood patrols to report criminal and
suspicious activities. Most people have no idea how the city’s TIF
(Tax Increment Financing) works! What some of us do know is
that it was intended to improve poor communities. But the
mayor abused it. Englewood and Park Manor would be on the
top of my list! If we don’t stabilize the hardest hit areas first, the
spill over effect will topple the best parts of Chatham.
To date, I am most proud of my work as the Beat Liaison Officer
for the 6th District CAPS program. During that time we became
number two (2) in the City of Chicago for most active,
participation by area citizens. No less significant is the special
watch program I created for Ruggles Elementary School. With
the help of 18 neighborhood men; we escort students to and
from the school in order to prevent volatile situations, or identify
potential explosive situations and diffuse them.
By focusing on new programs to restore safety and security,
neighborhood stability, and business growth while working
from a proactive Alderman’s office, I pledge to restore values
back to Chatham and the 6th ward.
For more information about Richard A. Wooten
please call: 773.639.5995 or visit:
w w w.restoringvalues.com
 CRIME ANNOUNCEMENTS: From late September to November 22ND
Reported to Toya Bey, GCA Safety & Security Chair: We can’t know what’s happening
in our area unless you call me at 773.635.6500 after you call the police. Afraid? I can pass crim e info
for you! WE STILL NEED MORE GCA PATROL VOLUNTEERS! Call 773.635.6500 & volunteer. You
can always identify GCA SECURITY PATROL VOLUNTEERS because they’re wearing lime green caps
and vests with GCA identification. Be sure to show your SUPPORT & SAY HELLO!
REPORTING A CRIME: Be sure to call the 6th District Watch Commander's (DWC) Direct Phone:
312.745.3610 first when reporting a crime in action––or suspicious people. Tell the Watch
Commander and insist: The 6th District Commander Eddie Johnson said GCA members &
Chatham neighbors should call the DWC & 911 to report their crime. You still must call 911 too!
nd
Okay people, it looks like the Drug Dealing is really picking up around 82 & Michigan, 82nd / 83rd & Calumet. So if you
live in that vicinity & see something, please call the Watch Commander & 911 to document what is going on. If you are not
confident enough to call & report what you are seeing, then call me. Things like burglaries have gotten better on the West side
of King Drive to State Street. But we still have a lot to do to safeguard our homes & protect our families. I am excited to
announce that we have now made a connection with folks via block clubs on the East side of King Dr. to Cottage Grove. Now
we can really share information, see new crime trends & work together to protect each other. This is a connection that is going
to be very vital to GCA's Safety & Security Committee's success. Sharing detailed information is key. The more details you
share on the crime incident, or suspicious activity, people or vehicles, the more I have to give to Commander Johnson to alert
his staff to our problems. Use your phone cameras, digital camera or video camera to discreetly record criminal activity. Or
even get binoculars to write down license numbers, car & people descriptions. By sharing your crime information it helps us
tell the police what's going on, provides the rest of us with insights & allows me to stress certain things you can do to help
keep your home & family from being victimized. Encourage neighbors who are victims to report the info to us.. It really does
help us prevent further crimes, close our community ranks tighter & have a record for our local police if 911 is not reporting
th
our incidents accurately. Trust me that does happen!  On Friday, October 8 on the 8100 S. Wabash block, a home was
burglarized. Thieves removed the electric meter to disable the alarm. Then they broke in a window & enter-ed. Jewelry &
money was stolen. A neighbor spotted the door to the house was open & saw a gray or green van with tempo-rary plates &
curtains/blinds in the windows pulling off.  The home of Ex-Police Superintendent Terri Hillard's daughter on 81st & Wabash
was burglarized. Criminals broke in the back door & broke the electric meter. They fled driving an older model van. This is the
5th or 6th cutting of an electric meter to stop the electricity for the alarm & land phone. If you live on the Wabash & State street
blocks, you may want to call Commonwealth Edison & ask for a meter lock box  On Monday, November 1, a burglary took
place at 88th & Wabash.  At approximately 7:55 am on Tuesday morning, November 2nd, a 1995 or 1996 four (4) door
white, Oldsmobile Cutlass pulled up in front of at home on the 8500 S. Vernon block. Two black males exited the car &
approached the front porch of the family's home & began attempting to kick-in the front doors of the house. There was also
a 2005-2007 Silver Dodge Caravan parked in the alley behind the home awaiting to load the stolen merchandise.  On the
8500 S. Vernon block, a neighbor raised her garage door to leave & two (2) adult males were riding bicycles in the alley. The
neighbor made eye contact & they took a hard look into her garage. Both men were wearing hooded jackets: one wore a red
jacket & the other one was wearing a black jacket. When she circled the block, they went down the 86th & Vernon street alley.
 A white Dodge Caravan was stolen in front of a home on the 84th & Rhodes block on Friday, September 17 around 2 a.m.
to 6 a.m. As I mentioned before, to prevent car break-ins if your car is parked on the street, you might want to purchase the
"Wrap Steering Wheel Lock." Amazon.com sells it, or call Driving Comfort at 800.675.5411 or JNK Products at 877.873.3736
to order the wrap wheel lock.  At 84th & Rhodes, a neighbor said that their security door had been tampered within the last
15 days. Okay, people, an older door is easier to break open if they continuously tamper with it. Best to invest in a new security
door. I can't stress this enough: regular alarms are no longer effective! You have a better chance with the wireless burglary
alarms. The trend of breaking electric meter affects the old alarms. If you really can spare the money, Commander Johnson
says video cameras in the back of your home have proven to be a deterrent. You must attach them up high so that criminals
can't reach them.  On the block of 85th & Rhodes, the front door was kicked in. A flat screen TV & several other items were
stolen. This is the third break-in! I recommend you get a steel door that locks on the outside & then put a security door on
top of that door. You want to also get the kind of security door that also locks from the outside. It really does slow down the
burglars’ efforts making it much more difficult: remember the average burglar wants to get in & out! Plus another home on
the 85th & Rhodes block, a week ago, was also hit! Burglars target a block that they have been casing & confirm the comings
& goings of the neighbors. If you are a senior at home, or going to work, vary your time routine leaving the house because the
criminals today are savvy enough to ride by in bikes, walk dogs, park in cars like they are waiting for someone and even use
baby strollers. Pay particular attention to park vans & get details on strange ones that you are not familiar with.  A burglary
occurred on Monday, November 8th around 12:30 p.m. on the block of 83rd & Prairie. This is the 2nd time the home has been
hit. That incident occurred last summer. The thieves entered through the side & back windows of a bedroom. The windows
were broken. At that time, he windows had the now "old-fashioned" type of alarm window sensors on them. When a neighbor
happen to spot the thieves removing the TV set through the back bedroom window, she shouted out at them. Then, the two
young adults or teen men jumped out the window & dropped the TV. The conscientious next-door neighbor also called 911.
However, the victim's second floor rooms were ransacked. Drawers were pulled out, clothes thrown on the floor & also
dumped on the bed. The police, who responded to the neighbor's call, indicated to the victims that they felt there was
probably a third man involved. It seems the storm door to the front door was crashed in an effort to get out. Later, the victims
realized their jewelry box was stolen. stolen.
CRIME ANNOUNCEMENTS cont’d: From late September to November 22nd . Reported to Toya Bey, GCA Safety &
Security Chair. Remember a key break-in time frame is 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. So if you are at home on the weekdays during this time zone, take a moment & look
out your front & back windows once in a while.  New scam reported to me by a senior living on the 80th & Prairie block regarding a Moneygram scheme. Reported to
me on Friday, November 19th. An Asian sounding man says he is calling from Publisher's Warehouse & told the senior she won a prize. But in order to receive it, the
woman had to send a Moneygram to claim the prize. This man has repeatedly called the senior's home & she has identified the phone call area codes as 876 and 773.
Plus she got calls that also said Private Caller.  On November 22nd, a neighbor spotted a Chevy pickup truck, burnt orange color, fairly new model, slowly driving,
around 9 a.m., down the alleys between the 82nd Wabash and 82nd Michigan blocks. The truck actually stopped in the back of a couple of houses so the neighbor
immediately came out to see what was going on because he suspected the man in the truck was casing homes. When the neighbor went to look in the alley, the truck
had moved back behind another house. So the neighbor got the license plate number: 16644N. Then the neighbor immediately called, via cell phone, the homeowner
on their cell phone because he felt the truck driver had gone into his yard. The other homeowner happens to be a policeman The neighbor then asked the policeman
homeowner if they knew someone who owned this truck. The policeman said no. But he was home & asked for the license number & called it in.
 BRIAN E. SLEET
My name is Brian E. Sleet and I was born and raised in the Chatham neighborhood of
the 6th Ward with my parents and older brother. I attended McDade Classical School in
the ward before graduating from Whitney Young High School, Dartmouth College and
the University of Illinois College of Law. I am an attorney and experienced in politics
and government, my full bio can be found at www.brianesleet.com. I am most proud of
my network and how I have been able to work with a diverse cross section of people,
whether representing the Federal Government in a community meeting, voicing the
concerns of a neighborhood in a briefing or working out a strategy with various
concerned stakeholders. I am focused on driving towards solutions.

The State of Chatham

The declining quality of life is the largest challenge facing Chatham going into the future. The increase in criminal
activity has damaged the feel of the neighborhood. We need real improvement in our neighborhood schools. Currently,
too many of our area schools are falling behind. We must expand opportunity and realize that we cannot arrest our way
out of the problem. While some people will always be problematic a lot of these problems are due to the lack of real
opportunity. That plus fully funding the police force and instituting procedures to keep police answering calls will make
a major difference.

We need real economic development in the 6th Ward so that people can start new, stable business, attain good paying
jobs and bring much needed services to the community. There is much the city can do including having more oversight
over city contracts and cutting corruption in privatized deals to ensure that our people can be hired on major projects
and using block grants and business tax or funding incentives to help our business get started or maintain. I believe that
TIFs when used correctly can have a positive impact on a neighborhood but it must be done with full city support and as
a part of a broader plan.

Why I want to be your next Alderman

I hope to bring a unique perspective to leading this ward because of the government and broader business perspective
that I have received from my background has helped me recognize how our neighborhood is falling behind and how we
can stop it. The spirit of the 6th Ward lies in our values and it is the job of government to ensure that the neighborhood
remains a place where the traditional 6th Ward values of hard work, self-reliance and excellence stays strong. In order to
do that we need an expanded technology infrastructure, improved physical infrastructure and a new focus on bringing
innovation to neighborhood schools. I can bring people together for the big goals.

We need the physical and technological infrastructure improvements so that we can stabilize our neighborhoods. We
must continue to attract good neighbors to Chatham like the people who have formed the backbone of this area for
more than 60 years. The families that would have moved into Chatham in the past are now moving to the suburbs
because the city costs too much money for not enough services, we must turn the tide on that by investing in our
neighborhoods. The technological and infrastructure improvements will be a major help in bringing economic
development to the area. As technology moves forward the cost of operating a business on old technology prices
innovative small business out of our neighborhood. Further we lose the new innovations and new business that would
be created by our children if they were raised integrated in the use of the latest technology.

I believe this is a time of great opportunity for our community if we only take advantage of it. Too often in local politics
we think small because we do not believe that real change can come to Chicago, in my campaign I plan to look for
solutions to the big problems not only affecting Chatham but middle class neighborhoods throughout this city because
we can achieve more if we Expect More.
 Cassandra Goodrum-Burton
Office Seeking/Ward: Alderman, 6th Ward City of Chicago
Cassandra Goodrum-Burton is an attorney
with extensive experience in family law and working
with juvenile justice issues. Cassandra is currently an
attorney in private practice concentrating on family law
and social security disability law. She previously work-
ed as an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney in the
Child Support and Juvenile Court, both in Delinquency
and Abuse and Neglect Divisions. Cassandra also
served for several years as Chair of the Local School
Council for McDade Classical School. She was raised
in the South Shore neighborhood by her mother, a re-
tired Chicago public school teacher and her father, a
career Army man. She and her three children continue
to live in Chatham where she and her late husband,
Judge Alfred Burton, Jr. lived until his death in 2008.

Cassandra decided to run for the office of Alderman of the 6th Ward after hearing a local Pastor talk about how he
was moving his family out of the rectory because it was no longer safe to live in the area due to the shootings.
This was unacceptable that ministers, families and businesses were leaving the area and the gangs were staying.
I feel my experience and background in Juvenile Court of working with families and youth in crisis has helped
prepare me to address the critical issue of growing violent crime and shootings in our community.
I believe the key issue facing the Chatham area is the issue of rising violent crime on our neighborhood
streets. This crime not only results in the loss of human life, upon which we cannot place a value, but it also directly
affects all aspects of our lives. Businesses close and we lose; economic development and job opportunities, as well
as revenue for the city to pay for necessary services and programs. Our schools suffer as a result of the violence in
our streets. Due to violence, dropout rates and performance rates of students drop. Increased violence results in
lower property and housing values and everyone’s quality of life is affected. This is why I feel addressing the increas-
ed crime is a top priority. I propose addressing community security and safety in Chatham by using a comprehensive
approach, not viewing it as simply a police problem that simply needs a get tough solution. There are already many
proven programs that have worked to reduce crime and change behaviors that our community is not using – pro-
grams such as Safety Net, CeaseFire or Phil Jackson’s Black Star Project and I will work to bring these or similar
programs to the Chatham area. I prefer using these types of proactive solutions that address the root cause of the
crime as opposed to merely arresting and putting more of our young people in prison. However, I support the need
for more police on our streets and feel that we must get government to focus on “what is its job” especially during
these tough economic times. Government needs to ensure public safety, education, infrastructure; roads, sewers,
curbs, etc., and a safety net for those most in need. We need to find innovative, “out of the box” approaches so we
can restore safety to our community. In addition, we must provide better educational opportunities and jobs as the
best long term solutions to crime. I believe a reduction in crime is a first step in achieving residential improvement
and neighborhood stability and to attracting more businesses and economic development to the area.

The second step is restoring our commercial areas,
particularly the 79th Street corridor. We need to
eliminate the sense that the gangs own this area and
restore it to the businesses and begin attracting new
businesses to the area. I also believe we must focus on
Chicago State University as an economic engine for the
area, not just as an institution of higher learning. It
should have the same impact on the Chatham area as
University of Illinois Chicago campus has had on its
surrounding neighborhoods. In that area you see in-
creased local small businesses, restaurants and bouti-
ques and new housing. Compare that to the area sur-
rounding Chicago State. We have a real opportunity
and we have not been taking advantage of the tools
we have to work with.
I support TIF reform by increas-
ing oversight and limiting the use
of TIF districts to true blighted
areas as they were intended. I
feel in recent years TIF designa-
tions have been abused, resul-
ting in lost revenue to the City
and School districts. TIF’s if used
properly and as originally intend-
ed can be an important economic
development tool for blighted
areas. It is all about eliminating
abuse of the program, and proper
administration and oversight.
I feel that my most significant
professional achievement to date
has been the ability to maintain a
law practice that has helped so
many people. As a family law prac-
titioner, I have been able to help
children and families in what could
be a stressful situation and also I
have been able to aid persons with
disabilities to obtain benefits. In both
situations the final result can be a
long time coming and I determinedly
stick with my clients to get the best
results. Likewise, I will do the same
for the sixth ward.