Latest meet the Aldermen columns.

There were four since spring break. The most interesting I was was about the 10th Ward Alderman John Pope. It's a racially diverse ward with some blacks, hispanics, and maybe a few whites. It was home to Edward Vrdolyak when he was the 10th Ward alderman. This column is titled "The best-kept secret".

This is what Alderman Pope said about his ward earlier in the column...

"I sometimes get mail addressed to Hegewisch, Illinois," says the ward's alderman, John Pope, who was raised in and continues to live in Hegewisch, which is not a town but one of the seven neighborhoods that make up the ward (to see a map and a photo of the alderman go to www.cityofchicago.org and click on the "Your Ward and Alderman" link). "This area really is the best-kept secret in the city.

"There are four lakes here [Michigan, Calumet, Wolf and Powder Horn]. We have the only state park in the city, the only place where you can legally hunt. The only trailer park in the city is here. The only sawmill."

This area of the town looks depressed to me while driving through it. It has Wolf Lake which has hosted many family picnics. The last time I drove down by a shopping center mentioned here in the column, East Side Plaza Mall at 118th Street and Avenue O, it was basically abandoned. Here in the column though I know that there is a Pete's Produce there now.

Anyway here are the rest of the columns...

Smooth sailing-Vi Daley (43rd Ward)
On the right track - Eugene Schulter (47th Ward)
Never too late - Ted Thomas (15th Ward)

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