CHICAGO, 49^th WARD (Jan. 16, 2007) – Chris Adams today challenged Ald. Joe Moore’s call for hearings on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), saying they are “disturbingly dishonest,” and “10 years too late.”

“The Alderman’s lack of interest in community affairs was underscored just last month when he failed to show up for a Regional Transportation Authority meeting right here in Rogers Park ,” Adams said. “The meeting addressed critical issues that affect the community. Now he wants to use his City Council chambers as a bully pulpit, offering resolutions calling for hearings at which he can harangue and criticize the CTA board for issues he has long neglected.”

Adams noted that Moore’s poor relations with fellow aldermen and city officials point to the 49^th Ward’s desperate need for a representative who will actively champion the interests of the neighborhood and work for improvement of Chicago as a whole.

“The Alderman’s resolutions, without the support of the Mayor and other aldermen, lead nowhere,” Adams said. “What we have called for is an alderman who can be involved in the big picture, who is able to seek solutions in the context of the city as a whole, and who has the clout to bring results to this ward.”

For years, residents in the 49^th Ward have been calling for improvements to the Red Line and el stations. There is a need to modernize platforms, clean up stations, repair crumbling viaducts and improve overall service.

“Demanding action six weeks before an election on issues that have been a part of the public’s conversation for a decade is a cynical and disrespectful way to treat the public,” Adams said. “Folks in the 49^th Ward need an Alderman who responds to their concerns immediately, not when it’s politically prudent.”

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Nat Sheppard is Director of Communications for the Adams for Alderman Campaign and can be reached at nat@mail.adamsforalderman.com or 773 761 4983