Mayor Emanuel Guest of Honor at South Side Business Community Luncheon
As temperatures rose to balmy temps on Saturday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was among those who moved about without a jacket during a planned stop on East 75th Street as the guest of honor for a luncheon hosted by the Chatham Business Association's Executive Director, Melinda Kelly, Stephanie Hickman, a Chatham resident and business owner and Mae Whiteside, who planned the event as way for local business owners and area residents to express concerns and ask questions of the mayor.
The luncheon was held at Brown Sugar Bakery, 328 E. 7th St. from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Some residents heard about the Mayor's visit to the area and stood across the street from Brown Sugah Bakery for glimpse of the City's boss as others went about their Saturday errands and picked up a few baked goods.
Casually dressed in a sweater and shirt and blue jeans, Mayor Emanuel arrived at about 12:30 p.m., greeted the Chicago Citizen Newspaper and the other press on hand, with a "hello" before entering the Bakery.
“As you know, the mayor is running for re-election and so what he is doing, like he did today, is going to different communities and sharing ideas,” said Kelly following the Mayor’s appearance.
“As you know he’s always been out in the communities to see what the real problems are and to see how we can work with City Hall to ‘clear the noise’ if necessary because sometimes you can put policies and procedures in place but for people like you and I…the lay person and the small business owner, we’re often left with questions as to why something’s this way or that. When I met him he was in the community and he still goes around to the various communities so that he can hear firsthand and have a broader picture in terms of bringing resources to the area, economic development and to get the small business owners involved. He wants to know what needs to be done so that people can be employed in the community,” Kelly continued.
Topics of discussion centered around the Barack Obama Presidential Library, new development projects on Chicago’s south side, education and small business initiatives.
The event was closed to the press but the Chicago Citizen Newspaper spoke with Hickman prior to the start.
“This is a campaign event,” Hickman said. “It’s really just a chance for some dialogue…a chance to hear from the mayor and a chance for the mayor to hear from us.”
Gloria Elam Norris resides in the South Shore area and was pleased to hear about some of the programs the mayor has implemented that supports small business owners.
Daphne Williams, owner of Smarty Pants Early Learning Center, in Chicago's Bronzeville area attended the luncheon.
“Something huge that I’m taking away from what the mayor said today is basically the projects that you hear the mayor is backing. He broke it down for us today about how those projects are going to benefit the community, (such as the new Mariano’s scheduled for construction at 39th Street and King Drive) and the Barack Obama Presidential Library in terms of jobs. People don’t realize how much manpower and money it’s going to take so economically, it’s going to bring so much to the community. He also talked about the Whole Foods coming the Englewood and how Black business owners can sell their products in Whole Foods. People are complaining about some of these things but I’m really happy with all that.”
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